Spring Cleaning....In February?

The warmth of the sun is a powerful thing. It has been beautiful for nearly a week now and I am LOVING it! It makes me want to do a Spring cleaning. Probably beacause the gorgeous light pouring in our back door illuminates just about every speck of dust for the eye to see. Today I took down the blinds from behind the sink (and the master bedroom) and threw them in the bathtub for a two hour soak. I put in some dishwasher detergent too.  They came out sparkling and clean!!! While they were away, I cleaned the window, painted the trim and shined the sink. Sounds like a lot, but really it took about ten minutes. Now, as I watch the afternoon sun flooding in, it is clean and refreshing!

With the weather so inviting, that can only mean one thing around our house....BUBBLES! Karalee watched them as she played on the deck after her nap.

And...with all of the solar energy in me, I made bread. Ok, just in the bread machine...still smells AMAZING!

9 months!

Little Miss Audree will be 9 months old on Friday. This is her favorite way to play. She has mastered crawling and the Johnny Jump Up. She loves her excersaucer and standing in general. These pictures make her look like she is standing/walking independently, which is not true. She does, however, love to stand....stand at the couch and play with daddy's remote control, stand at the window and watch sister ride her bike. Pretty much anywhere we will help her get to. Such a doll.  She also has learned this last week to sit herself up after crawling to a toy. She is pretty proud of herself.

Ben's Final Home Game

My brother Ben played his last home game of the season on Saturday night. He has had a fantastic season.  Last weekend, he was featured on the front page of the Sport's section in the Statesman Journal.  Here is an article posted by Corban when Ben won Conference player of the week.

PORTLAND, Ore. – After leading the conference in scoring this past weekend, senior men's basketball player Ben Potloff (Keizer, Ore.) has been named Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Week, as announced by the league office earlier Monday.

"It is great to have a kid like Ben receive this award," said eighth-year head coach Justin Sherwood. "He has been a hard and dedicated worker in our program over the last four years. It is great to see him awarded for his play this past weekend."

In two games against Northwest and Evergreen, Potloff averaged 25.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. The 6-foot-1 senior guard was a combined 18-for-32 (56.2%) from the field to go along with a 5-for-7 (71.4%) clip from beyond the three-point arc and a 10-for-13 (76.9%) showing at the free throw line.

Against Northwest, Potloff scored a team-leading and game-high 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting from the field to go along with five rebounds and a pair of assists. In 35 minutes of play, Potloff was 1-for-4 from behind the three-point line and 7-for-8 at the free throw line.

Twenty-four hours later against nationally-ranked Evergreen, Potloff led a quintet of Warriors that netted double-figure scoring totals with 25 points on another 9-for-18 performance from the field. The lone senior on this year's roster also pulled down five rebounds and handed out another two assists, while going a perfect 4-for-4 from long distance and 3-for-5 at the charity stripe.

So far this season, Potloff leads the team in eight categories that includes games played (22), games started (22), field goals made (140), field goals attempted (285), free throws made (76), free throws attempted (100), total points (386), and points per game (17.5). Potloff also ranks fifth in the conference in scoring.

This is the first-ever Player of the Week award for Potloff and the first for Corban's men's basketball team since former Warrior Kyle Masten (2006-08) was honored by the league on December 17, 2007.

We are super proud of Ben and his accomplishments over the past four years. He has been a dedicated player while facing many ups and downs on and off the court. We lost our dad in April of 2007,following Ben's Freshman Season. He married his sweetheart in the summer of 2008. He took a position as a youth pastor in the Fall of 2009. He has not lost his passion and pursuit for Christ as he seeks to live each day with a purpose. We are SO PROUD of you Ben. Love you!

Som of Ben's BIGGEST Fans....

You know you are the mom of a pre-schooler when...

My friend wrote this and I think it is HILARIOUSLY true.
You think going to the grocery store alone feels like a mini vacation

The bathroom tends to be your secret hideout spot
You haven't taken a shower by yourself in over a year and you are often moving toys out of the way when you get to
Your "5" second rule when dropping food has turned into a 2 day rule
You are an expert when it comes to entertaining your child(ren) while doing your make up and hair each morning
You have mastered reading your child a book, sticking in a pacifier, handing back snacks, refilling a sippy cup all while driving your car
You have found a cheerio in your clothing or half a fruit snack stuck to your shirt
You have had to share your food for the past year...at least.
You haven't had to have an alarm clock since your little critter has entered the world
Wiping boogers with your sleeve doesn't seem so bad anymore
You can change a diaper anywhere...lap, bathroom counter, trunk of car just to name a few
You have had to nurse your baby while going to the bathroom at the same time (TMI?)
You have about a pound of free floating cheerios, raisins and goldfish in your car
You know how to love even after he/she has been ridiculously naughty
Your purse is packed with snacks and entertainment
You will give up your music for your child's silly songs Cd's
When night time rolls around and little one(s) are to bed you either give a fist pump or high five your husband like you just completed a marathon
The topic of your child's stool textures or colors is not rare between you and your other young mom friends
You are out doing errands on your own and you are aware of every baby sound you hear in the store
You want to hurt whoever accidentally woke up your baby at nap time as that is one of the most sacred times of your day
A slobbery kiss is very much appreciated
Your capacity to love is far greater than what is was pre-child(ren)!
...My addition...
When you talk to your husband, you replace certain words by spelling...Example: "I don't want her to watch that.  They said S.T.U.P.I.D and H.A.T.E.  Should we go to the P.A.R.K? When they go to bed, we should have I.C.E.  C.R.E.A.M.

Sneak Peak!

I was privileged with the opportunity to take some pictures of our dear friends' baby  over the weekend. Here is a sneak peak. I don't want to steal their thunder so here is just one...

Ok, maybe one more...=)

Spokane Weekend

We have spent the last few days in Spokane with Nolan's family. Karalee and Audree have been having a lot of fun.  Karalee's favorite thing to do is feed the chickens with her Papa Joe. She also enjoys taking strolls in the front yard with her "baby" and checking on the birds in their birdhouses. It is pretty cute.

Audree loves to play in her "jumpy jump" and chase her sister.