A.Maz.ing!

For Mother's Day, my oh-so creative sweetheart knows it's best to get me outta the house...or else it's just like any other day. Last year (old post) he surprised me with a Clam Bake on the beach in Pismo. Super cool! This year it was a surprise day trip to San Francisco where he had little stops mapped out along the entire peninsula. We made our way around from Giants statium to Pacifica, and lots in between.
First STOP: Coit Tower. It's a landmark high above the city, it has views all around. The kids thought it was cool. You can take a tour and go up up up inside the tower but we didn't. Kept it free & low "history" so kids could enjoy and not be SHusH'D!  Abbie & I are so cute :)

This was actually our last stop in the city.....it's called Fort Point. Nothing short of AWEsome. More later...
They are why Mother's Day is Happy. I adore my 5......

Kids running around the fort. SO, if you follow the road below Ghiradelli (spelling?) Square, it leads you down to what you think it a dead end. It's not, keep driving....the water side has a long grassy area that Sunday was full of picnic-ers . Crissy Field is where he (Toddy) used to go, but we kept driving to see how far we could go and how close we could get to Golden Gate. Welllll....we could get to it! The red part in the previous photos of the Fort IS the bridge. This fort is under it! And it's from 1800's, so fun, very very windy you can walk all through it. Free :) ON the top it looks out over both directions of water-Bay and Pacific. Breath-taking folks. 

Quite a day, loved it all.....I am so blessed. 

what makes my day....

Being a Mother of course!

She's my girl. Of course, duh. But I mean she's me only "ditto" & now that we see more eye to eye (literally not figuratively) she also likes Iced Tea & I like D.Coke. We're a pair, we are....more to come on that one. 
I adore this picture, which says a lot b/c I don't use that word with my own face involved often. However, when you see your son change before your eyes it's dramatic. Maybe it's not the picture I adore but the kid. 
Sweet thing. Oh I LOVE her age. She's totally fun & still thinks momma is the best thing in the world. That will change, and it breaks my heart so I am filling it up with her notes, drawings, cuddles, hugs, treats, cards while I can. Family cheerleader & she's mine. 
My Yiyine, My Madeline. She just wanted to sit on the floor in my lap & have a popsicle.... how could I not? I love that we get to hang out all day...I'm gonna miss her when she's off to kinder-darn school takes away my sweetTHINGS.
The end of it all, the lil man, the baby, the caboose. What's not to wanta squeeze about this kid! He is just yummy....

Thanks guys for making me who I am & I love you------>~Momma

Inside peek to our living room.

OK- for the 2 people that regularly check my lil blog. TY, I don't post often because I don't know what is interesting to these broadband wires. 

But I read an adorable mom's blog in Arkansas of all places... and she is hosting a SHOW US YOUR HOMES FRIDAY. This friday is living room week. 

-----so here's mine. It's cozy, it comfy, it's not decorated but lived in. Our home is small, cottage size really... but we love it. Small house, big yard, full hearts.
Living room 101 our house is old ( like 30's) so we have lathe & plaster (spelling??) which has great texture. I painted it a few years ago to my favorite neutral (Sherwin Williams used to carry Martha colors, this one is Shortbread)

In the photo above the bookshelf----YUP , all cookbooks. And I've recently thinned them out. Jeez-O.  I love love love this book case. It came from a store in Pacific Grove, CA that is closed now & I OH SO WISH I had the builders name. It has slight distressing and movable shelves to whatever size you want. Love that. The lil rocker used to be mine :) but got painted white around 10 yrs ago. 

As you can see, its night time. No one awake to bring out more stuff to play with....like I said we live in our house, nothing is just to "show". 

Chairs-one from IKEA love it. Cheap & replaceable slipcover for about $40. The other is Dream Rocker from PotterybarnKids that my sweetie bought me when we had baby #5. I loved it and got the Damask slipcover on ebay. For 1/5 the price in PB. :)

The back wall view. Next to the fireplace.....

Big black mirror that was painted not matching. A huge pile of magazines underneath. I LOVE to read magazines....they make me happy. Seriously, relaxed & happy.  So I save lots of them & sort through them regularly to purge! Favorite ones keep sending notices that they've stopped publishing....sad. So, I'm glad I kept a few. Like Cottage Living, Wondertime, Country Home, Simple Scrapbooks. I still have Real Simple & Everyday Foods. Love those. 

This is the table by the door. Our entry way if you will.....

Photos of us all, a book or two and  a note from my sweet girl Abbie about being a Mother that Rocks....seems appropriate for the holiday & I usually have seasonal stuff on here. I tend to rotate around my things quite a bit. 

I love seeing kids handwriting. Another special way to affirm how what they make is precious. And how girls love to write notes! :)

ok, that's it. I didn't shoot the back wall because the rooms is a bit outta balance right now. We have a HUGE canvas of Todd that was displayed when he was showcased at Pebble Beach Food & Wine event. It's gigantic & cool, but not fitting for show it off Fri. Unless next fri is show off Mr.? I think not!

Already???

still wrapping my head around it....he's 2. BIG. Two is waving goodbye to toddler. No, not graduating but lookin more and more like 3 blinks and college. EEK~ 

He loves his breakfast ASAP in am. OR ELSE!

See my airplane

spoon?

So, we couldn't celebrate. Not an offical birthday party. Daddy had work, all day, all weekend....but good work. So instead of having a single mom party(bah HUMbug), our party of 5 went out to play

! Boston's gift was an annual family pass to MYMuseum in Monterey. Really it's the best of his worlds, play + my bro & sissys=Boston's favorite anything! 

This is his favorite part. It is quite hard to take an impressive picture but here's the run down....

Balls all over the floor, picked up by lil guys & put in a cylinder then churned up, with a wheel, roll down through shoots, then seperated into conveyor belts into bins then rolled into another hole where another wheel churns them up to a slot that falls into a tube on the ceiling that rolls them to a grid high above a tractor with a rope that eager "farmers" pull to have the balls drop on to the floor again.....repeat. Several times. Get sweaty, hear chuckles of glee as balls fall from the sky. Perfect.

Then there's golf. Balls in holes. Putting, pushing, even dropping in allowed. After all it's a kid zone, then the "par" balls make their way to a hole in the wall below to get gather up for another round. Fun. 

Inside the play house dinner/ lunch/ snack/ breakfast/ tea/ spying/ cooking/ eating (plastic spaghetti) 

is served. 

Splendid.

There is also a random create with bizarre items zone. Parker made a portrait of the birthday boy-cute & creative. What more can you ask for?

Ahhhh, the theater. Costumes, cameras, an audience, backstage, sound effects & much more. Delightful. 

There were many more things including wildlife underground, treehouse, boat, firetruck with turn-outs, ambulance with patient, hospital emerency surgery (think OPERATION game large) workbench house, giant bubble machine that fills you inside!! So much fun to be had. 

Especially a lil guy that makes the rest of us grateful he is here. Even if he is 2 & growing.....

BFF's.....

whatda do when your best pal lives miles away?................

HAVE LUNCH HALFWAY! 

Madeline & Bella are exactly 12 days apart. Planned no, well not by us- divinely YES! These girls scamper off for hours of uninterupted play and oblivious to anyone else. They are sweet... like candy corn sweet. I love that. 

So here is their birthday compromise, neither could make each others party this year for the first time since 2-:(

We met in the middle, I surprise mine, she told hers. Smitten that's what they were- like peas in a pod seperated. 

She LOVED her present, it's a JO-JO, no it's a horse webkinz she quickly named Madeline (like I said sweet like candy). The bag contained girl-loot of all sorts, lip gloss, princess stamp, calendar (yes mom more for you to do :)

a lil purse, all Bella stuff. 

Madeline scored a princess tiara with earrings that I fix every 5 minutes (yes more for mom to do) She loves them, then the kicker of them all, a phone. No not just any phone, a pink, heart, princess, fancy phone that already has frequent flyer miles built up (in 3 days)

Irresistible that's what they are.........and they are 5.

Getting Crafty Around Here....

Valentine...won't you be mine??? 

OK, so we've been getting our "crafty on" in these parts...must be started by BEING COOPED UP! But really, I'll take the excuse to make somethin with the kids. So, here you go....

These are Madeline's.... She picked out Candy Braclets & how exactly is she suppose to write her name on a spot made for the name Mo?? So, we added a paper folded, stamped To: With Love From:    added an apple -cause it's cute! Stapled it on-Viola! 

Then there was Ms. Abbie's, wish I had saved one....Won't you BEE MINE ! So fun, it has lots of heart punches made into other things. The head/wings/stinger & heart (DUH) all made of hearts. Of course it's not complete without a oH So FUN treat for your classmates to cheer for!!! FUN DIP!

I especially love the lil eyes peering up at me from the bucket...."send me send me, won't you bee mine"!

Here's the lot of them, sad but true, Kenz didn't get to make any this year.... Junior Highers get no parties, no valentines, no nada. Next year we're gonna REBEL and make them anyway-we both decided it's just too :( not to!

Parker's were simple!! What every boy loves to make without a wimper-AIRPLANES! I remember when he first got into them (sorry rainforest!) Buckets of them! So, then crafty made the banner out of the plane with the valentine message------ A no-no at the airport, but fun for teachers "YOUR THE BOMB"!

Here's the loot, ready to go, chocolate treat wrapped for teachers, baskets for delivery, dress in red & know you will always Be Mine-love, Mom

Going Green for Christmas!

Let's just get out there & say it...this year has been a doozy. However, that's not what goes in a Christmas letter, RIGHT! And when we get right down to it, despite the spite that 08 could bring, we are exceptionally blessed. 

So here's the wrap up....

Our kids have grown (this is nothing new but still seems to amaze all who see them). If your struggling to remember-the final score is 3 girls/2 boys = "Yes, we're done". (We get asked THAT ALOT)

Boston turned one in April at a round 26 lbs. but has since 

slowed down. He walked at 16 months, late but considering he had rolled over & learned to eat with a fork/spoon at the same time (13 mo.) who cares what's normal! He adds more to each of our lives that we could have ever predicted. He's slow on words too (ball, mama,

 dada, moo, gogo, thank you & signs please and more) but makes his wishes known just fine! We call him Chooch. 

Mackenzie turned 12 in Oct and loves all things with 4 legs, measured by "hands". Middle School transition has gone well, as shown by her 4.0 & playing volleyball and basketball. On top of riding 3 days a week. She's incredible & wonderful. 

Abbie is well....have you read Fancy Nancy books? 

They are practically a unauthorized biography!

 In fact that is what she was for Halloween &

 she 

managed to stay "in character" all day! She's a big 

help & loves what Spreckels life has to offer..

..friends, walking to school, riding bikes and the 

ever-lasting play date. She's sweet as pie!

Madeline fondly said like My-Yiyine.  She wakes first, fetches the paper & waits for the fun to begin. She dances and loves to play school although she doesn't like to go. On the lake, she's the first to plunge of the deck with the cutest cannonball you've ever imagined. Going to work with Daddy is her kinda day, although really anything with Daddy is. 

Parker big man on campus. He's in 4th grade, turning 10 in a few weeks & his big news has been braces. So far so good, can't wait to see that smile! He has been swimming this fall, and starts baseball in the spring. However, his new title of "Best Brother in the World"- is without a doubt his greatest quality. He adores & loves his lil bro, just like you'd expect from a boy that prayed for a year & half to get one. Its more precious that plutonium. 

That leaves T&A, no A&T...either way, we look at things as lessons learned & every day is a chance to begin again. God has been faithful and we are full of faith that 09 is gonna ROCK! 

A few other fun highlights are Todd's column in The Monterey Herald & 1645 River Road. Here's the links incase that intrigues you. 

montereyherald.com/toddfisher

1645riverroad.com

From each of the 7, we wish you a fantastic '09 & a truly Merry CHRISTmas. After all in the big picture aren't we all truly blessed? 

A Star is born....

This girl loves to dance...so much that dance was part of her teacher conference. Something like this "She's a joy in class but sometimes hard to pin down, she dances through the room when we're doing classwork." Humm, not a bad way to lead life, dance through it!

Makeup, quite possibly her favorite part was the makeup & dressing room....she was assigned a drawer to put her stuff in, she had blush, lip gloss and powder...she was lovin every minute of it. Which is good because she had rehearsals that lasted for HOURS!! 

She made a beautiful flower, in Nutcracker Sweets. She's always loved being on stage and now we know, a star was born.