no more crib...so sad!

This is Ellyson's sweet nursery and the crib crib that she slept in until she was 22months. The beautiful cherry red, gingham, spring green, flowers, butterflies, dragonflies are all sites that I will miss...since she is now in a BIG girl bed! I was hoping that because she is so petite that I would have this crib around for at least another 6-9months...but someone is a climber and after the second night of waking up at 4am to an ouchie cry, I decieded that it needed to go. First step was to take off the side since it converts to a daybed-well, that only lasted a few weeks until I was still being woke up in the middle of the night to the cries of a little girl who rolled out of the bed. So, now we are officially in a big girl bed with "real" sheets, pillows and a quilt- ooo, ahhh! The only problem now is the little monkey is jumping on the bed....anyone know the phone to that doctor I am suppose to call?

I am BACK!!!

Okay so if you have noticed, I took a small, well okay, HUGE break away from my blog. But without any really good excuse I am pleased to inform you that I am Back!! Whoo Hoo!

After Ellyson took a bite of a worm yesterday I realized that I have to make sure that I am keeping good records of her young life so that she can one day laugh at herself. So over the next week or so I will give you a brief pictorial from Team-Switzer from September09-present day.

Check out Rachel's Blog!

My friend Rachel is giving away a pretty cool sign, check out her blog!

Getting Ready for School

This morning Carter and I watched a new Leap Frog DVD that I got him titled "Let's Go To School". He thought that school looked fun which is good since he starts Kindergarten on Sept. 2! During breakfast I asked a few questions and one of his answers made me laugh.

Mom: Do you like your new back pack for school?
Carter: Yup
Mom: What is in it?
Carter: Stuff
Mom: What kind of stuff?
Carter: School stuff...because I am going to High School!

Okay Captain Obvious, of course there is "stuff" in there.
Now, about that High School thing, let's not push it!

More Summer Fun!

The Washougal Community Pool
(I bet you didn't know that they had one huh!)

Ellyson and Grandma at the River!

Carter's 1st ride on a Komodo Dragon.
Hold on buddy!

Carter's 1st Pie Eating Contest.
He really didn't get the idea of the contest - he just wanted the pudding pie!

Culinary Exploration

There is a lot of great confectionery places to visit in Seattle, however I never seem to have a chance to visit any of them. Since we were heading to the Woodland Park Zoo I decided that we should detour and check a few of them out.

First stop Trophy Cupcakes...oooo, ahhhh yummy! Since our budget is tight we all sampled one divine chocolate cupcake. I am defiantly going back for more!

Next stop was Theo's Chocolates. This wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be, but it was still worth the stop. We got to sample all of their chocolates - boy what a explosion of flavor in my mouth. The most extreme one was a Spicy Chili Pepper Chocolate bar - yuck, not even my spicy lovin' brother would like it.

After the zoo I got to go the the "palace" for bakers! HEAVEN!!!! The Home Cake Decorating Supply Co. is a 30 year old, hole in the wall store that has everything an aspiring baker like me would need. If she doesn't have it here...then a probably don't need it! I am so inspired to bake up a storm now. I am working on a few special things for Ellyson's 1st birthday party!
Our final stop for the day was a delicious dinner at Buca Di Beppo. We normally can not afford a tasty supper like this...but this frugal mama had 2 coupons for free food who-hoo! Since we were there a little bit before the dinner rush we got to sit at their famous kitchen table. The head chef was awesome in spoiling our kids with spaghetti and ice cream. It was so good and cheap too!

S'mores on a stick

This is how you do it in the Northwest when it rains in August...I like the burnt, fire roasted ones better!

Summer lovin...had me a blast!

Looking Cute....Water Baby!
Mom...stop taking pictures of me in my swimsuit!

The Girls floating around in the Lake!

My dream came true! Since I was 13 my favorite animal has been a giraffe and I have ALWAYS wanted to pet one...and I finally got my chance! It was a great experience.

Woodland Park Zoo with Gma and Gpa! Happy Birthday Gma!

This monkey must have escaped!

Brother Bear

Elly's first lemon...no we are not mean I think that she liked it!

The kids play in this new water table for hours (another garage sale find) ...it is a big hit on hot days!

Little Cowgirl

This is Ellyson's newest toy...she loves it! We snagged this bargain at a garage sale for only $3.

The Gardening Report

My prized Tomato plants are doing well, they are loving the sun and the yummy food that I give them. The sweet 100 already has a beautiful and tasty red fruit with lots more to come! Carter and I started some mid-season plants...pumpkins, radishes, spaghetti squash, and peas. We will see how they do.