Busy times...

Wow. The last two weeks have been a lot of fun, but very busy. I am behind in my updates...so, I thought I would do a short synopsis of what we have been up to:

My brother Jeff just got a Burmese Mountain Dog puppy. He named her Meisha (Jesse calls her Weisha!). We think she is so fun and adorable. Jeff has brought her over to our house a couple of times, and our boys love to run around with her in the backyard. The last time she came over, she did so much running that she fell asleep on our tile floor on her belly with her back legs layed straight out...she wouldn't budge...even when it was time to go home!

Easter flew by! On Saturday we had an Easter egg hunt with my siblings. We had a nice lunch, made candy bags with the kids, and of course there was a lot of treats to be found in the backyard. It felt so good to have everyone over. I really enjoyed catching up with my family and getting to see my baby nephew Henry for the first time at a family event.

Later that evening, Danny and I decorated eggs with the boys who have adapted the shirtless/hang out in my boxer briefs look for the season...then it was off to bed to anticipate the arrival of the Easter bunny!

James received a new Spongebob lego set that he got to work on right away. Jesse is our car man. He got a Hotwheels set. He could be heard motoring through the house most of the afternoon. For Easter dinner we had been invited to Dan's folks house and we ate with all of his siblings. The Easter egg hunt was made even more special because Grandma Judy bought all the kids rabbit ears to wear, but most of the adult kids ended up wearing them, which was pretty funny!

And finally....my 32nd Birthday came along. My parents took us out to a Japanese restaurant with my little sisters and our boys. We sat around the Hibachi grill and watched a chef cook our food. It was hilarious to watch the reactions of Jesse, who thought everything was "awesome!" He kept saying, "Holy smokes! That was awesome!" I'm just really thankful he didn't say OMG or "Holy sh**!" He has been known to drop some pretty good bombs at very inopportune times!

We also had the opportunity to go out to dinner on my birthday with our good friends JJ and Amy. We always have a great time with them. They are fun, down to earth people and are just way easy to be around. We shared a huge plate of nachos that I honestly didn't think that we would all finish, but I was wrong. We polished that plate!!! It was an exciting night.

And just for fun...I thought I'd add a very special photo. We decided for our wedding anniversary, to take the kids along on a bike ride and then out to dinner. Well, you know how sometimes you have this perfect vision in your head as to how the day is going to go, and you think that the kids are just going to love this experience and have so much fun? Well, our Jesse decided that the music we were listening to in the car wasn't his taste, and so he had a major melt down on the way to the trail head. It was so explosive I had to record it for posterity. Enjoy!

Goodbye, Hello

These are my last few hours of being 31. I know it's ridiculous to count down your age in hours, but 32 is hitting me hard. I don't know why... I didn't flinch when 30 came rolling around. For some reason I am having a hard time grasping that I have been on this Earth for 32 years...years that have flown by...and in another 32 years I'll be 64...will you still love me when I'm 64? Life happens too fast. I want to have a freeze button that I can push when I'm laughing with my kids or when were hiking together. I want to remember what it feels like to hug little wiggly boys in their footie pajamas...because if I'm getting older, that means that they too are aging and I can't stand the thought of these early years being over so soon. I guess I'm just afraid of forgetting all of these feelings and moments that I have experienced. It seems that time dilutes the memories we have, makes them less real and I want them to be vivid in my mind forever...so for the next 32 years I am going to work on being in the moment. Just being. And noticing all the little things in the day. The little conversations over cereal with the boys, the warm arms that sneak around me while I do the dishes, the laughter that ensues after someone makes a bathroom reference (farts are very funny at our house at the moment). I want to enjoy it all. So, goodbye 31. I'm moving on...

Celebrating Spring (even if it is still snowing)...

Last Sunday we had a "Spring Celebration" at our house with Danny's brother Jeff, our sis-in-law Wendi, and our nephews, Drew and Will. We made corn beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick's Day...

During the meal we read stories about Persephone and why spring comes back when she comes to earth. We talked about the different snake legends and why they are a symbol for spring. We made "snake" pastries (you can see them in the above picture) out of eclair dough and we coated them with chocolate.

We also made paper mache eggs out of balloons. It was so fun to sit around the table with our family, dipping our hands in goo, talking to one another and getting all crafty. I really enjoyed it. Although it took some time to finish, and the boys were complaining that it took "forever" to complete, I was glad that we were all stuck at the table together, spending some good, quality time with one another. I am so thankful for such great family like Jeff and Wendi, and for their willingness and interest in teaching our kids about different cultures and holidays. We always have fun, meaningful times together. Life would be pretty boring without them!

More Fun with Auri...

As I was working on penmanship with Auri the other day, I noticed that his hands were extremely dry. I offered him some cetaphil lotion that we keep in the class room. While squirting the lotion onto his hands, I noticed some crusty black stuff on his knuckles and I asked Auri, "What's that on your knuckles bud?"
"That is just my fungus. Mom puts a special lotion on it. I guess you could call me the fungus among us!"

Have Cavities...Will Strip....

Oh the woes of possessing the Rawson dental genetics...poor James went to the dentist today and he has three cavities that need to be filled. The dentist also recommends that he gets his four permanent teeth sealed to prevent decay. However, our insurance doesn't cover that. So I ask the four of you who read this mighty blog, What the hell do I have dental insurance for? Shouldn't they just cover the stuff that you need to have done? And even when you possess insurance, it seems one always ends up with a huge bill to pay for. Man, if only I had become an exotic dancer...maybe I would be able to afford my kids dental bills. (Totally just kidding Dad....although there have been desperate times when the pole has crossed my mind...) Anyhoo....I just needed to vent. Do any of you have excellent Dental Insurance, and if so, who do you go through?

Kicking Darth Vadar's Butt...

10 things I Love About Disneyland....

Last week, we had the opportunity to travel to Disneyland with Dan's parents, Glen and Judy, and his brother, Josh. Here are the top 10 things I love most about Disneyland:

1. Have you ever noticed the gardens at Disneyland? They are so colorful. I never noticed that they have several citrus trees throughout the park. We would walk past these blooming trees and I would have to stop to take in the delicious scent. Well done Disney Garden Staff!

2. Corn dogs, ice cream, funnel cakes, cotton candy...need I say more? Did you know that calories don't count on vacation?

3. Sunshine. There is always that beautiful yellow ball of warmth in the sky, shining it's glorious rays upon my sunscreenless face.

4. Smiles. James could not stop smiling after he was picked to participate in the Jedi Training Camp. He got to learn a light saber combination and try out his new skills against Darth Vadar himself. It was a priceless moment that I will never forget...neither will he!

5. A Gift Shop around every corner...and I mean every corner. They are marketing geniouses.

6. The train. The train now stops in four different locations around the park, so by mid-day when you can't feel your legs anymore, the train provides you the relaxation you are looking for without feeling like you are missing out on the fun. Plus, Jesse loves trains, and could often be seen "chugging" his arms throughout the park pretending that he was a "choo-choo train".

7. The fireworks show, complete with Tinkerbell soaring off the Matterhorn. I want her job. How cool would it be to dress up like a fairy everyday and fly off a mountain amidst sparkling fireworks and thunderous applause?! We loved the fireworks so much that we even watched them from our hotel doorway on our last night!

8. Photo Ops. They are everywhere. Even the photo challenged can not take bad shots in Disneyland.

9. Johnny Depp. Love the Captain Jack hats everywhere. Love the appearence of Mr. Depp all over the updated Pirates of the Carribbean ride. I love that ride. The yo-ho-ho music, the smell in the chilly air...the fat wench chasing the skinny pirate guy...the boats falling over the waterfalls...it was awesome.
10. First experiences. I find that my favorite aspect of parenting is that you get to experience life all over again through the eyes of your kids. I love when they get giddy over riding star tours for the first time, or seeing Nemo and Dory through the porthole of a submarine. Jesse kept saying, "Whoa!" "Wow!" "That was so cool!" "That was so awesome!" and I kept thinking what a great gift it was to witness the excitement and joy on their faces. It made all the long lines worth it.