Have I mentioned that I loved Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows? I loved the parts when I cried. I loved the funny little interludes (like Hermione threatening Ron with attacking birds). I loved all of it. I wish there were more. I will probably read them once a year now along with Pride and Prejudice and The Lord of the Rings...I can't help it; I'm compulsive.

Harry (No Spoilers)

Yes, I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows on Tuesday. My lack of comment on the final chapters of a truly captivating series is due, simply, to the fact that I've been discussing the in's and out's of the books with all my fanatical friends. Here is what I think, and don't worry, I won't post spoilers.

It was AWESOME! I love how intricately J.K. places all the clues you need to know. And I love that I was in doubt of several things until the very end. I will wait a while longer before I say anthing more specific in the hope that you all will experience it for yourself with its full potency.

Until then. Pleasant reading. :)

Josh

Yesterday I was just getting done with my run when Josh says to me, "You're really sweaty, Mom. It's like you're whole head is crying." I chuckled. The poor kid is so bored with Katie at school. I'm racking my brain for things for him to do, but its hard when Adam and Grace are taking naps. The thing I always revert to is baking. He is already so good at this that I am quite sure he'll be making dinner by the time he's ten...I hope.

Trepidation!!! Katie starts first grade tomorrow...and I'm going grey.

Waiting for Harry Potter

You may have noticed that there are certain obsessions in my life. Currently Harry Potter is on top because the all-important final book is being released on July 21st. I can hardly stand myself. I've spent the past few weeks rereading the other books so that I can be completely caught up when I have the last book in my grubby little hands. Many of you think I'm nuts, but I also have my supporters. I know Donna shares my deep, Harry love. She, unlike me, will be waiting in a line somewhere at midnight on July 20th enjoying Muggle versions of pumpkin juice, cauldron cakes, and butterbeer and happily purchasing her copy of Deathly Hollows so she can read until 6 in the morning...at which time she will finish her copy and pass out. To her I say, I won't be getting my copy till it is delivered to my door the next afternoon. So eat a cauldron cake for me and don't tell me the ending. :)

In a funk (my mother's phrase)

I keep thinking that I'll get around to posting new pics of Katie's last day of school and stuff like that, but I just haven't. And right when I think that things are going smoothly here, I realize I haven't done the dishes or wiped down the counters or swept and mopped the floor in some time. I know, gross. Anyway, with that in mind I'm taking the kids to the lake tomorrow and ignoring the monumental disaster that IS my house.

Katie

One more thing. It is Katie's last week of kindergarten. I can't believe how fast it has gone by! Here is a pic of her first week. And now she's about done. Wow!

Early to Bed Early to Rise

The only thing I have to say is this...my boys got up at 5:45 this morning. Its not right.

It's been a while

Alright. I know. I haven't blogged for a while. I think life started to take over. So here is what I've been up to since I last blogged...

Gardening!

Scott and I started square-foot-gardening due to inspiration provided by Jen...and the pics she put up on her blog. This has been taking up a lot of my time while I figure out what to plant, how to plant it, and where to plant it. I only hope that all the time I've spent is not wasted. I keep dreaming that I'll have an amazing crop of tomatoes or eggplant or bell peppers. I can only wait in anticipation through the rest of the summer to see how it all plays out. As anyone who really knows me will tell you, I hate surprises. Truly. So this gardening thing is like a really bad joke in my world. More to come on this subject. :)

Alright, so I haven't really been that busy, but it feels like I have been. Getting Katie to and from school, keeping the house from going to ruins, and trying to read all the Harry Potter books again before that last book comes out seems to fill my plate nicely. One thing I'm really proud of are the hanging baskets that Scott and the kids planted for me for Mother's Day. One of the best presents I've ever gotten...and they're still alive! Anyway. Josh has been begging for my attention for the last ten minutes at least. Until next time...More pics to come.

Arlene :)

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom! Hope you have a great day!

Grace reached for me yesterday. My friend was holding her and as soon as she saw me, she started to fuss just a little and then she reached for me. It was really very sweet. She got a quirky little smile on her face like she knew she'd won. And she did.

Gracie

I can't believe that Grace is scooting around now! I put her on a blanket in the living room and went to get the kids lunch and when I turned around she was already at the dog food bowl ready to turn it over. It goes by so fast, I'm compelled to take a lot of pictures.

A few more pics. The water was really cold, but that didn't stop the kids from going in!

Lake Tahoe 2007

Here are a few pics from our first trip of the year to Lake Tahoe. As always, we had a blast!

Sweet Grandma!

Here are a couple of pics of when we saw Scott's grandma last year. She has to be the sweetest person I have ever met in my entire life!

I just want to say that I love Scott because he picked up all the dog poop in the backyard yesterday. I submit that I have the best husband ever.

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope everyone has an enjoyable holiday. As for us, we're going to barbeque brats and corn on the cob and have all the watermelon we can eat. :) Go Jazz!!!

Pathetic

I already checked the JK Rowling site today. I have no self-control. I need an intervention.

Adam's second birthday

Josh Bowing

Katie

Here's Katie singing for her Grandparents. It took a lot of persuading to get her to do it, so I hope you all appreciate it. (And tell her how well she did since she was really embarrassed).THat's Josh clapping in the backround.

Grace Clip

If you look close, you can see two teeth! She got them around 4 1/2 months old. :) Don't be alarmed at the music in the backround. The kids were watching "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

Adam

Here's a cute little clip of Adam.

Harry Potter

Can I just say that JK Rowling is being incredibly calm about the last book being published...and incredibly quiet on her website. She's barely posted ANYTHING since the announcement of the publication date! I can barely stand it, so I'm resigning myself to only checking her site once every week or two until I have the book in my greedy little hands. I know what you're all thinking...I'm obsessed. But you already knew that about me.

It cracks me up that Adam is wearing Katie's bike helmet. Hehe. And I love Grace's big belly and Josh's big proud smile while he's holding her. :)

Katie's favorite pastime, besides watching tv, is coloring. Here are a few pics of the things she colored this morning. :)

Heroes

The Heroes finale has come and gone. What new theories can we develop until next time? How will Sylar reemerge? Did Nathan really die? Now that New York has been saved, will another more horrible future come to be? Who is the man that Molly Walker is more afraid of than Sylar? (He sees her when she tries to find him). I'm sure we'll never get all the answers, but its a lot of fun thinking of the questions. Until next season.

No Pictures of Me

After reviewing some of my posts, I realized I have avoided putting up any pictures of me. So, here's one or two. Courtesy of Josh and Katie's picture taking abilities.

HEROES

Hooray! Finale of Heroes tonight!

For those of you who don't know, I love the tv show "Heroes". And I am planning a little Heroes party for myself while watching the finale. It will be the equivalent of watching the Super Bowl or the World Cup. Although, it is only an hour instead of two or three. And no one else will be partying. And I will probably be left with all kinds of questions for the next season instead of being completely satisfied with the ending. Yet, I will be in complete bliss for 60 minutes starting at 9:00 pm tonight. And then I will sleep...and probably dream about "Heroes".

Why are there crayons in my fridge?

Is it alarming to anyone besides me that I have to tell my daughter like twelve times a day to stop picking her nose?

The Office

How sweet are Pam and Jim! I loved the finale! And Dwight will forever be the funniest guy to make fun of right in his face. What a nerd! I loved it!

Katie's End of Year Barbeque

Here are a few pics from the end-of-year barbeque. The one at the top is of Josh and Adam climbing on the jungle gym. They're incredibly active little boys. Adam made it to the top a couple of times. I don't know who's idea it was to let the kids smear shaving cream all over the table, but the kids loved it. Adam stayed at that table for at least an hour. The next ones are of Katie painting rocks (fasinating work), and of her singing with her class for the parents (she was feeling shy). She talks about her music class the most. She learns the songs so fast! And then she teaches them to Josh and they sing them all around the house. They are such good friends it makes my heart happy. :)

Our First Backyard Campout

Here they are! My very brave campers. Adam and Grace slept in the house, but Katie and Josh slept in the tent and it was VERY windy. Josh came in half-way through the night and Scott and Katie stayed out till the wee hours of morning. I think the only reason Katie lasted so long was because she was high on marshmallows and chocolate...and then she crashed.

I love the pic of Scott. Of course, he built the fire. :)
Here's Katie looking very pleased! It didn't take her long to get cold!
The fireplace has been a lot fun. Only don't put it on your lawn like we did, unless you want to toast your grass (like we did).
Thanks for the family reunion t-shirts, Mom. The kids absolutely love them. They think its really funny when they both wear them on the same night.

Happy Birthday Jen!!!

On this birthday, these are the things you should remember:

You will always be younger than Brad
No matter how weak you get, you will always be stronger than Dan
The Spurs are going to close out the Suns (but I will still have to root for the Jazz)
New York will always be cooler than Nevada
You're never too young to be senile
You're never too old to watch "Pride and Prejudice" while doing housework
If you eat half a pan of Texas sheetcake it WILL go to your thighs, but Brad won't care
Your kids love you no matter what
You will always want something from Williams-Sonoma
And...Doing your laundry is necessary, spending $200 to organize your laundry room is sanity

Happy Birthday! Hope its a good one even though I can't be there.

Love,
Arlene

Wow.

Running

I watched the Jazz game and "Heroes" while running lastnight. Scott says I'm spoiled because I have a tv on my treadmill. I say there is nothing like watching the Jazz close out a series or watching Hiro Nakamura learn sword fighting from his father while running 3 miles.

These are pics from Adam's birthday. The kids had a lot of fun. We played stick-the-tail-on-the-donkey and ate hot dogs.

Psychotic Breaks

Have you ever had a million things to get at the store, but keep forgetting what they are when you go to write them down? That's me.

Grace

Gracie is the happiest baby ever!

The new house

Here's the house. You can see the flowers the kids planted for Mother's Day. So sweet!