What's News?

Happy Birthday to Colson!

2011-03-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

Colson had a birthday party at school today complete with a serenade by Roni, while she was digging for gold. Cupcakes were eaten quickly!

Colson's 4th Birthday Party

2011-03-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

Colson had a great time at his 4th Bday party today! Lots of good friends, good snacks and Batman fun! I tried my hand at making a Batman cake (pictured) but failed in making Robin and Batman figures for the top. Need to practice that! :)

Batman begins

2011-03-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Colson is having a small 4th birthday party tomorrow and his choice for cake this year was Batman. I'm still working on the gumpaste figures of Batman and Robin to put on top.

Kangaroo Farm

2011-03-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to the kangaroo farm about an hour from our house today. The last time we were there Maddie was about 3 years old and I believe Colson was riding baby style. Both kids adored it! There was only one other small group besides us three, so we got 2 1/3 hours of up close attention. We got to feed the animals, pet them, hug them, hold a baby kangaroo, learn about fowl, and at the end, I had two kids crying for me to buy them a kangaroo. Yes, the kangaroo farm sells their kangaroos for pets! For the low, low price of $2,000, you too can own one. Boy, they sure were cute! The kids even fed the alpaca from their mouths!

Mom's Weekend

2011-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

I went on my first mom's weekend with a mom from Maddie's school. We went to Forks, Wa and had an amazing time seeing the sights and visiting all of our favorite sights from the Twilight books!

Maddie's 7th Birthday Sleeover

2011-02-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

Maddie had her first sleepover with some friends. They had a great time with pizza, a movie, a concession stand for movie treats, nail painting station, arts and crafts station and much more!

Been too long.

2010-11-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

I'm so used to Facebooking now that I've neglected our blog. Here are some photo's from Halloween!

Daisy Scouts

2010-06-13T08:59:00.001-07:00

We had our year end party at our park last week for Maddie's Daisy Scout troop. The kids loved the park and one of the mom's made a cake in the shape of the girls uniform!

Picnic at the park

2010-06-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Brion and I won a picnic at the park at Maddie's school auction. The picnic included games, bubbles and dinner with the three third grade teachers at her school. A fun time was had by all!

Maddie's School Concert

2010-06-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Maddie had a school concert last week where they sang songs for the parents. She was a duck in one of the songs and stole the show!

Colson's Birthday Party

2010-03-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

Colson had a hallway bowling party for this birthday last night which included a game of bowling with his friends in our hallway, pizza and cake and ice cream. It was a great time!

Face Painting

2010-02-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

One of the great gifts Maddie received for her birthday was a face painting kit. She worked for an hour on her face and then started on Colson's butterfly that he picked out!

Snoqualmie

2010-02-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

Colson and I joined daddy and Maddie at her ski lesson yesterday. Maddie did a half day of her lesson while daddy, mommy and Colson hiked in the snow and sledded, then we ate lunch, and it was back to the sledding hill for all!

Maddie's Birthday

2010-02-08T10:28:00.001-08:00

Maddie had a beautiful day for her birthday party! 60 degrees and sunny! Two ponies, a dog that rode the ponies, a bouncy castle and great friends! Who could ask for anything more?

Maddie's Birthday Cake

2010-02-06T09:14:00.001-08:00

Here are the pictures of Maddie's birthday cake for today's party. It was hard at first piecing all of the pieces of cake together to form a big blob, but it really took shape! I won't mention how many rounds of frosting I had to make! hee hee.

Maddie's Birthday

2010-02-03T10:13:00.001-08:00

Maddie had a great birthday! She had a party at school, an afternoon at Build A Bear and dinner at Red Robin. Followed up by her unicorn cake.

Preparation for Maddie's Birthday

2010-01-31T11:31:00.001-08:00

Today I worked on the candy flowers and unicorn for Maddie's birthday cake.

Minnesota

2010-01-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

Minnesota Trip

2010-01-10T14:16:00.001-08:00

More Minnesota Fun

2010-01-10T14:14:00.000-08:00

Papa's Birthday

2010-01-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

More Minnesota and New Years Eve

2010-01-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

More Mn pics and New Years Eve Party

Minnesota Trip

2010-01-07T16:27:00.002-08:00

We had a great trip to Mn! The kids managed to get very sick most of the week, but they did have some fun times with their cousins, aunties and uncles, and papa and Grandma Joyce!

Cookies

2009-12-21T14:42:00.000-08:00

I turned the kids loose on some sugar cookie dough and they did an amazing job! Maddie rolled, both kids use the cutters to cut out shapes, and they both decorated with frosting and sprinkles! Very fun!

Colson's First Haircut!

2009-12-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

Colson asked me this morning to take him to a barber! We went to one, he asked for a haircut and sat in the chair like a big boy! He didn't cry, pout or wiggle, he just sat there checking himself out in the mirror! And LOVES his new cut! This is the first haircut he's ever received outside of our bathroom. hee hee.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

2009-12-16T16:43:00.001-08:00

The kids had their first chocolate covered cherries today! Maddie LOVED them (and is still asking for more), Colson said it was "too messy, but yummy."

Decorating Stockings

2009-12-14T15:44:00.001-08:00

Here are the kids hard a work decorating their stockings so that Santa knows where to put the goods. :)

Daisy Scout Ceremony

2009-12-10T16:46:00.001-08:00

Maddie officially became a Girl Scout - Daisy Scout in a ceremony today at school. The girls wore their uniforms, and received a pin and two special badges to wear as well. Bring on the Girl Scout Cookies!

Christmas Tree Hunt

2009-12-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some photo's from our hunt for the perfect Christmas tree.

Pointsettia Festival

2009-11-23T08:09:00.001-08:00

I took the kids to the local nursery for their annual pointsettia festival. They had lots of fun looking at the christmas decorations!

Maddie's Travel Journal

2009-11-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

Here is Maddie's travel journal she made by herself!

Maddie's Travel Journal

2009-11-21T12:24:00.000-08:00

Maddie did a travel journal that she turned in at school. She got to show the whole class. She was very proud.

More Ocean

2009-11-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

Ocean

2009-11-09T09:32:00.003-08:00

We took a super fun trip to the beach last weekend. The kids loved seeing the rainforest and the ocean.

Halloween

2009-11-01T07:24:00.001-08:00

The kids had a fantastic time last night! We went to our friends for the pre-Halloween festivities including mummy dogs, brain jello and carrot "fingers". The rain mostly held off and after Maddie had a full pumpkin bucket of candy, she was ready to go home and hand out candy. Colson on the other hand, talked daddy into going to a few more houses for more candy. They both did great! Especially Colson - once he get the hang of saying "trick or treat" and realized that some people gave you two pieces of candy, not just one. :)

Maddie's Harvest Parade

2009-10-30T16:13:00.001-07:00

Maddie had a great harvest parade today complete with a school wide parade in the gym, games in the classroom and a spooky treat.

Maddie's new haircut

2009-10-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

Maddie decided it was time for a change.

Colson at the doctor

2009-10-27T18:58:00.001-07:00

Here's Colson at the doctor today. Note to self, never make Colson wear a mask for Halloween - he's not liking them.

Mickey and Minnie

2009-10-19T12:03:00.001-07:00

All Things Fall

2009-10-19T11:58:00.001-07:00

We went on our annual pumpkin patch trip to Two Brothers Farm. We had a great time picking pumpkins from the vine, seeing the 2 month old baby calves, and petting the local dogs. The kids also tried on their Halloween costumes in anticipation of the big event. Here's Mickey and Minnie!

Maddie lost her first tooth!

2009-10-11T18:20:00.001-07:00

Maddie lost her first tooth on Thursday night while eating spaghetti. This was the very first tooth she got as a baby. The tooth fairy came and gave her a little bit of money that she promptly spent on a new talking baby dinosaur.

Pumpkin Ice Cream at Theno's

2009-10-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

We helped to celebrate the release this seasons pumpkin ice cream at Theno's dairy at midnight the other night! Although it was difficult to get out of bed, the kids loved it! They even had a band!

Future site of St. Teresa

2009-09-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

They have begun the tear down of the Woodinville Riding Club in preparation for construction of St. Teresa Catholic Church and School. Here are photo's of the riding club being knocked down.

Kindergarten

2009-09-02T08:04:00.003-07:00

Kindergarten

2009-09-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Maddie's new school!

Colson's big boy bed

2009-08-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

Colson got his big boy bed! When we first arrived in Kansas, Colson decided he has had enough of cribs, so once we got home, we had to find a good "big boy" bed for him. Good thing for a great garage sale on Friday where we found his race car bed! He loves it!

Maddie's a Kindergartener

2009-08-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

Maddie is so excited to start her new school! Here are some pictures from the front of her school. Both Colson and Maddie agree her playground at school rocks!

Kansas

2009-08-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

More pics from our Kansas Adventures!

Kansas

2009-08-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our Kansas trip. We went to a kids museum this morning to see the robotic dinosaurs, lots of creepy crawly folks, simulated tornados and airplane fun!

Maddie's Last Day

2009-07-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Maddie's last day of school before she starts a new school in August. She had a great day and a farewell party with chocolate pudding, graham crackers and marshmallows - summer smores!

Piano Time

2009-07-31T07:57:00.001-07:00

We finally found our piano! Here are the kids enjoying day one of its use. Everyday is a joy, and fight, to see who gets to use the piano first. Its amazing as they both love to play music, and when mom plays it, everybody sings! We love it!

Decatur Island

2009-06-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

Decatur Island

2009-06-29T07:06:00.001-07:00

Decatur Island

2009-06-29T06:56:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at our friends cabin on Decatur Island in the San Juans! The kids loved shell collecting (Maddie), and throwing rocks into the ocean(Colson). We went on adventures, had bonfires, Brion and Maddie went kayaking and much more! Great time!

Colson's Photo's

2009-06-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Colson got the camera, turned it on and took a few shots before mom caught him. Here they are!

Swim Lessons

2009-06-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

Both kids love swimming!

More Summer Fun

2009-06-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun

2009-06-14T19:16:00.001-07:00

Great shots of the kids on their bikes.

Maddie's photo's

2009-05-22T10:24:00.001-07:00

Maddie took some great pictures today! Thought we'd share them!

Furry Kids and Colson's hat

2009-05-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

The furry kids are doing great! Lucy is still chugging along allbeit a bit slower. Lilo is loving her playmate to run around with. And Bear is gaining tons of weight! He's officially 4 months old now and can now jump up on the couch. Watch out Lucy Goose!

News

2009-05-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Colson got his first taste of corn on a cob the other night and loved it!

Maddie's Ballet Recital

2009-04-28T17:51:00.001-07:00

Maddie had her final ballet recital today and participated with hesitation. She didn't seem too thrilled with performing, but perked up a bit when daddy promised her McDonald's afterwards.

More pics

2009-04-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

Family Fun Day and Mariners Game

2009-04-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

We went to a great Family Fun Day at the YMCA on Sat. The kids got to play lots of fun games and got many great prizes. Colson also got to drive the firetruck!
We also went to the Mariners game yesterday and the kids had a ton of fun!

Peeps

2009-04-06T11:45:00.001-07:00

The kids tasted their first Peeps today. Maddie loves them, but Colson carefully placed his peep in the garbage can and asked for chocolate. Hummm, he really is my son, isn't he? hee hee.

Colson's Birthday

2009-04-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

Colson had a great birthday party and had loads of fun playing with his new toys! But he had Maddie open the wrapping paper on his presents as he was reluctant about that. He also had an "Oreo" birthday party at school where he had his first oreo's. Needless to say, he loves them!

ADOPTED ANOTHER DOG!!!

2009-04-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

April Fools!!!

Puppy Stuff

2009-03-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pics of the poochies.

Colson's Elmo Night

2009-03-22T20:10:00.001-07:00

Colson's Elmo Night

2009-03-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

Colson celebrated his 2nd birthday tonight with friends. He had an Elmo cake, Cookie Monster cupcakes, pizza, and Elmo pinata, and played musical chairs. Well, kinda played musical chairs. He liked the sitting part the best.

Welcome Bear!

2009-03-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

We welcomed the newest member of the Newell clan on Sunday. "Bear" is home!

This and That

2009-03-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

Photos from everyday life.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

2009-03-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

Our friends, the Kleve's, had a super fun Dr. Seuss party last night. We had tons of great Dr. Seuss food like Moose juice, Goose juice, flapperjacks, fondooee fondue and much more!

Mardi Gras

2009-02-24T21:13:00.001-08:00

We had a great Mardi Gras party tonight complete with beans and rice, jambalaya, and a King cake. Maddie and her friends Dane and Kati came over, while Colson had his pals Kyson and Kurt over. Brion and I had our pals Sherri, Markus, Ken and Lorie over. The kids had to perform a "show" to get their beads! Some did gymnastics, some danced and some (Colson) just sat down on his bum.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-24T21:09:00.000-08:00

The kids had a great time this Valentine's Day with a breakfast of chocolate cupcakes!

Fondue Fun

2009-02-07T19:46:00.001-08:00

We had fondue for a special dessert treat tonight. First time for the kids! They loved it! Maddie's favorite were the marshmallows and Colson liked anything dipped in chocolate!

We Love Doughnuts!

2009-02-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here are a few shots of the kids favorite breakfast treat...doughnuts!

This and That

2009-02-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Maddie's birthday present of attending Playhouse Disney Live at the local arena. The kids loved being so close to Pooh, Mickey, Handy Manny and the Little Einsteins! Colson especially. They also liked the fact that underneath the floor of the arena is ice! Hence the kids peeking in the hole in the ground. They also took turns getting beautified at Maddie's Ariel beauty salon.

Maddie's Birthday pics

2009-01-31T20:11:00.000-08:00

More pics from her birthday party. The kids loved the black frosting!

Maddie's Birthday

2009-01-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

Maddie's birthday went well tonight! Everyone had fun playing in the adventure zone, eating pizza and Darth Vader cake!

High Camp

2009-01-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

Scottish Lakes High Camp

2009-01-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

Brion and Maddie went on a daddy-daughter camping trip to the Scottish Lakes High Camp. They had a great time hiking, snowshoeing and eating from a camp stove.

Elmo, did someone say Elmo?

2009-01-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

Colson is officially in love...with Elmo. He loves to watch Sesame Street and goes nuts when "Elmo's World" comes on. Maddie pulled out her Elmo costume that she wore 2 halloweens ago, and he and Maddie had tons of fun. Colson kept chasing her and calling her Elmo. Ahh, the joys. Colson and Maddie are especially enjoying the Tag reading system grandma and grandpa got them for Christmas. As well as the bubble maker grandma and papa got them!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T16:12:00.000-08:00

We had a great snowy time this Christmas! The kids loved their presents and liked spending time outside in the white stuff.

Power outage and more snow!

2008-12-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some more snow pictures from Seattle. *sigh*. Everyday it seems to snow a bit. We have many branches down, and one decided to land on our car! The bumper has some damage, and on Christmas! We went without power due to a downed power line on Christmas day from 7am until 4pm. We're happy to have power back, but a tad bit worried as our lights continue to flicker. Yikes!

Merry Snowy Christmas from Seattle!

2008-12-24T15:21:00.001-08:00

Wowsers! We've been getting more and more snow here! The mail finally came today for the first time in many days. We're getting ready for our Christmas dinner of Spaghetti and meatballs (Maddie's request) and French Silk Pie. Merry Christmas!

Snow in Seattle!

2008-12-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

We got about 18 inches of snow here in Seattle with school closings for 3 days! They are open today just in time for christmas. hee hee. Notice our collapsed tent that was on the deck- two of the poles snapped in half!

Police Car for Colson

2008-12-06T18:54:00.000-08:00

Wahoo! After hearing all about Colson's need for speed (at school he races out every recess and heads for the Cozy Coupe) I found a fellow Freecycler who had a police car cozy coupe for Colson for free!
He LOVES it!

Picking out a Christmas Tree

2008-11-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

We went on Saturday to pick out our Christmas Tree at the tree farm near our house. Fun!

Trip to a small farm

2008-11-18T09:30:00.001-08:00

We took the kids to a small farm near our house to visit with the animals. The kids love seeing the pigs, goats, bunnies, horses and especially the 6 month old baby cows. They fed them hay and one cow even gave Maddie a kiss on the face!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

We had a great time last night! We first went to Dane's house for an annual Halloween dinner and then out Trick Or Treating. Colson wasn't too sure about this Halloween thing, but enjoyed his first piece of candy bar last night! Boo!

pics

2008-10-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

more pics

2008-10-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Parental Visits

2008-10-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been so long since my last post. Surgery went well and we are very Thankful to have had both sets of parents in town to help out with the kids, etc. Here are some pics from the last few weeks including a trip to Teddy Bear BBQ (our favorite local bbq place), little walk near our house to see the Salmon run, the pumpkin patch and other general goofiness.

Bathroom remodel

2008-09-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

Here is where we are at with that bathroom remodel. Almost done!!

Mn State Fair

2008-09-10T07:58:00.000-07:00

More photo's from the fair...

Minnesota State Fair

2008-09-10T07:52:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at the Mn State Fair this year! The new food we tried was chocolate covered bacon. Maddie loved it, but the rest of us only needed one bite. Otherwise we enjoyed the mini donuts, cinnamon rolls, cheese curds (especially Colson) Luigi fries, Sweet Martha's cookies and ice cream.

More Minnesota

2008-08-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

We went to a German restaurant where the kids got to "play" the accordian!

Minnesota

2008-08-26T06:17:00.001-07:00

Maddie went fishing with Papa and Uncle Tony and cousin Sebastian. She caught 9 sunfish and 1 perch. AND she took 4 fish off the hook!

Bathroom Remodel - Tub is Refinished

2008-08-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

A quick pic of the refinished tub. They come back tomorrow to sand and buff the tub and add the caulking.