Winter Fun!

Well, I thought it was time for an update of the Goates happenings since Christmas- Thanks for looking in on us!

Josh just finished 6 weeks of ski bus.  He got to head for the slopes after school on Wednesdays with his friends and learn how to ski.  This was very important to me because I was 16 when I went skiing for the first time and it was very traumatic :-)  I think this will be something that Josh enjoys in the years to come because his main complaint was that they didn't let him "ski down the mountain".  The last two lessons were his favorite because he got to go up on a lift.  If the snow holds in Utah, Paul and I want to go with him when we are there in April.  It has been about 15 years since I have been skiing so I am sure Josh will be teaching me a thing or two!!

During winter break, we went to a new attraction here in the Northwest called Great Wolf Lodge.  It is a hotel with it's own indoor water park.  What a great idea for a place like Seattle!  It is totally geared for kids with bedtime story shows, magic wands that turn things on around the hotel, kid food in the restaurants and, of course, the water park.  We went with another family which made it that much more exciting for the kids.  We all had a great time and will definitely be going back!






Don't these two look like they could be sisters?  Someone asked us if they were twins.  No, just good friends.  But they are both named Lauren! :-)

Olivia's favorite activity this winter continues to be her prized dance class.  She is always so proud and every Tuesday announces to anyone who will listen that it is HER dance class day.


Lauren continues to love her dance class as well, but she also enjoys her Friday soccer class with Coach Scott.  He is so great with the kids, teaching them not only soccer skills but good sportsmanship.  The other day, Lauren asked me if she could give Scott a paper heart that she had made.  I think she has a little crush on him :-)

In February, Paul took Josh to Disneyland while he was in town for a business meeting. They stayed with Paul's little sis so Josh got to play with his cousins that he hardly ever sees and he was in heaven. I am so glad they were able to do this together but I can't wait to go with our whole family! (I have to say that we will definitely have more/better pictures when I am around!)




So, this is what I woke up to on Valentine's Day.  You need to click on the picture so that you can see it up close....I guess Paul saw this squash at the store and thought, of course, "this looks like a funny head!  I could make something out of this!"  Actually, I have no idea what he thought- but this was the result!  It made me smile for days......

Finally Wrapping Up 2008!

I just had to include this one. Our leaves fell a few days before the big snowstorm hit in December. The girls had a blast throwing and jumping in them for over an hour. I thought this was a really cute picture of the two of them...


As I mentioned, we had a snowstorm in December, a big one. This usually doesn't happen around here and so Seattle was in lockdown mode. Schools were closed for the 5 days before winter break, busses were sliding off the roads, people were stuck in their homes for days. We live at the bottom of a hill and neither of our cars are 4WD so we were stuck. Tracy really saved us. There were several times she braved the dangerously slick roads to get her Jeep to us so that we could get some shopping done and pick people up from the airport. Thank you Trace!! Except for a few of these trips, we were stuck at the house for 9 days! Thankfully we had Christmas activities like the gingerbread house and making Santa's cookies to help pass the time. The kids also loved playing in the snow and, with Paul's help, made some interesting snow creations and went ice-sledding down the street. Good times....









We were so grateful that my Dad came for Christmas. As usual, he made sure we were well fed (one of our dinners was Dad's famous dutch oven chicken that I hadn't had forever!) and he was so generous with his Christmas gifts. He gave me a beautiful necklace from Tiffany's because he wanted to give me something that made me "feel special". It made me cry! He sure was a trooper too. He got this totally tricked-out new bike for Lauren and spent hours on Christmas Eve putting it together. What a sweet Grandpa! We all got such a kick out of all the bells and whistles on this thing. Notice the flower in his hand that goes in one of the bike's two bud vases......


The scene Christmas morning.....





She loved it!!


These two beautiful dresses were made by my sweet Grandma Hawker who spent countless hours making them. She had made some for us when we were little girls that we wore until they were literally rags. Seeing my girls in dresses like mine meant the world to me. What a labor of love- Thank You Grandma!


On Christmas Day, Grandma Claudia came to stay with us and spent the next six days playing, cleaning, babysitting and cooking. I am sure she needed a big rest after her visit, but we sure loved having her!


I also want to thank my Mom. Once again she went way above and beyond and absolutely spoiled all of us. Among countless other things, she spent so much time racing all over town trying to find the exact Wii game that Josh wanted, and researching the best camcorder to get Paul and I. Thank you Mom!

This will always be such a memorable Christmas for us. We were so grateful that Dad, Claudia and Tracy were able to be here when most family parties got canceled because of the storm. Also, the obvious thought, love and preparation that went in to our gifts was so touching. We are so grateful for our family and friends who make life so special and we look forward sharing a wonderful 2009 with all of you!

Happy 7th Birthday Josh!

I have so much to post with Christmas and the snow and everything, but our sweet Josh turned 7 the end of November and I wanted to tell you all a little bit about him!


As you can tell by his birthday cake, he is very into Pokemon at the moment. He likes the Pokemon cartoon and has the books, but his favorite thing is the Pokemon game on his DS. He is a walking encyclopedia of hundreds of Pokemon. He knows what type they are, what their weaknesses are, how many experience points a certain one needs to evolve, etc. It is staggering, and a completely different language to the rest of us adults! He got some Pokemon PJ's from his buddy on his birthday that he absolutely loves...


He loves soccer and basketball, but not really baseball. Just not enough action for him, I guess. But even though he didn't enjoy it, he has dutifully participated for two seasons without a single complaint. He would just be so happy when a practice or game got canceled. An example of of his conscientious nature came through when we were riding home from his last game last season. He was sitting quietly in the back with his trophy as if he was thinking about something. Then he says "Mom, you know, I always wanted two baseball trophies and now that I have them, I don't need to play anymore." I just keep picturing him in the back seat thinking "How can I tell Mom I don't want to do this anymore without making her feel bad?" Very thoughtful for a 6 year old!

As for basketball and soccer though, he has a blast. As you can see by the pics, he doesn't have a problem guarding and he improved his speed so much during the seasons. He is excited to play flag football next spring and it will be interesting to see if he enjoys that too.



Josh is such a sweet boy who is always trying to do the right thing. He is always upfront (almost too much) about every little thing he may have made a bad choice about. His teacher told me that he is a joy and very helpful in class. Whenever there is a new kid in class, she puts them at Josh's table because he does such a good job making them feel welcome.


We are so proud of him and his thoughtful, sensitive, happy personality. He brings a smile to every ones face on a daily basis. We Love You Joshey!

I am...........

In response to the tag by Tracy on her blog:

I care... about my family.
I always... order a tall nonfat, 2 pump, no whip mocha.
I worry... constantly (just ask Paul!)
I remember... not a lot. I think I have early onset alzheimers!
I believe... that my kids are the most amazing kids in the world- doesn't every parent?
I dance... in front of my mirror to hip hop every chance I get.
I sing... in the car, with a smile on my face, especially at my "part" :-)
I don't always... floss. And I always get in trouble with my dentist.
I argue... never. Have a "discussion"? All the time!
I write... a kind of hybrid print/cursive.
I lose.. my sunglasses and cell phone.
I wish... my cleaning lady was still coming.
I listen... to my children's conversations- a riot!
I don’t understand… scrapbooking. But I am trying!
I can usually be found... picking up after my kids.
I am scared... of my scale :-)
I need... a bit of time to myself everyday.
I am happy.... when Paul and the kids are happy.
I tag...Rachel and Katie.

Happy 5th Birthday Lauren!

For Lauren's 5th birthday, we did something a little different this year. She had one of her first Girls Night Out! We took the girls to get a makeover at Libby Lu and then went out to dinner. Then we went home to enjoy a Hello Kitty birthday cake with Daddy, Josh, Olivia and Auntie Tracy. We all had a great time and Lauren got some awesome presents! Grandma Pam gave her an Easy Bake Oven, Grandpa got her cute clothes from Disneyland, Auntie Tracy gave her a Hello Kitty pillow bag and blanket, and her girlfriends gave her a tea set, rain boots, puppy with carrier, and a darling twinner outfit to name a few!





Right now Lauren is so anxious to learn about the world around her. She is constantly asking for explanations about why things happen the way they do. She has also really blossomed this year in her Pre-K class. She loves asking how to spell things with her new knowledge of all the letters in the alphabet. She also refers to herself as an "artist" and creates something beautiful every day. She loves to cook and BEGS to help Mom in the kitchen. If Mom is not making a meal at the moment, she creates her own "recipe". Usually, it comprises of easily accessible things in the kitchen like water, bread, butter and salt and pepper :-) She also loves to watch cooking shows and I will catch her doing her own show in her play kitchen, giving instructions as she is "cooking". This year, a new part of her life is a dance class- tap and ballet. She absolutely loves it and is usually grinning from ear to ear the entire time. She is so excited to perform on stage at the spring recital.

We are so grateful to have this sweet little girl in our lives. She such a joyful, happy soul. Her enthusiasm, laugh and smile are gifts that she gives to the rest of us every day. Happy Birthday Lauren- We Love You!

Halloween 2008

We had quite a nice time for Halloween this year. The evening turned out surprisingly beautiful, even though the morning was a torrential downpour! We had pizza with some friends of ours and headed out. With no babies or a pregnant Mommy, we all went out as a family and probably had our most successful haul of all time! :-) Although, I am a little disappointed with our choice of direction for trick-or-treating. I suggested we go south, but if we would have gone north, we would have run into a huge open house party that would have been a blast- they had bouncy houses for the kids and everything! We are definately going that way next year!!

Hope everyone if having a nice Fall!

Wahoo! I downloaded my camera!

Well, I am happy to say that I finally have a few new pictures to post! As you can see, it has been a couple months since I downloaded my camera, these first ones are from the fourth of July! I am happy to finally be posting them, though, because it was our sweet Olivia's 2nd birthday! Once again we had cupcakes and the city put on a HUGE fireworks display to celebrate :-) We were so happy to have Aunt Tracy with us this year. She joined us for the children's parade followed by hot dogs and yummy strawberry shortcake- we had a great time!






I just had to get a picture of this. Lauren called me in the other day to join her for a lunch that she had prepared... Notice the finger sandwiches on the platter with the decorative sticks. Looks like she is going to be a serious entertainer when she grows up!


This was taken on Lauren's first day of school this year. She is in PreK at the same preschool she went to last year and we really love it. She actually started before Josh because our school district was on strike until yesterday! I will have pics of Josh's first day on my next download..



While Lauren was in school and Josh wasn't, we tried hard to fill our days without making Lauren too upset that she was missing out on some serious fun! One of the days we went to a local farm with a friend of mine who has a daughter who is one month older than Livi. That was fun- but Lauren made us promise that we will take HER this week.



We had so much fun with the Hawker clan in town this summer. We went to Victoria, Hurricane Ridge, a Mariners game and, of course, watched the Blue Angels perform over Lake Washington. This was my favorite picture from that day, Lauren and her buddy, Grandpa.


Sweet Heidi got these glasses for Lauren and I just had to get a picture of the two look-alikes. What stylin Babes!


This section is my tribute to my dear Husband. One of the first things (literally) that he did when we moved into this house was scout out a place for his beloved hammock. He found a home for it between two of the posts holding up our deck. This scene plays out a few times a week- I love it!


Lauren is our resident flower lover. She is always trying to find ones that are okay to pick so that she can give them to me or Paul. When Paul was out for a hike a few weeks ago, IN COLORADO, he found this flower. We think it is a columbine, it is so beautiful. Anyway, he decided he just HAD to share it with Lauren, so he put it in a water bottle that he had, put some water in it and carefully carried it all the way down the mountain. He then smuggled it through airport security (thank goodness they didn't pat him down!), took care of it on the flight and brought it home. Wow- he REALLY wanted to show her that flower! She absolutely loved it. Seriously, how many men would take such great care and trouble to get a flower to their daughter?


This race car was made out of milk bottles and ketchup packets while Paul was watching the kids play at a McDonald's or Burger King playland. You can't tell from this picture, but he made two holes in the front lid and put a piece of foil behind it to look like headlights. Paul just has the need to create and he sees so much in the most seemingly ordinary things. The enthusiasm and smiles he brings into our home are my constant joy- I Love You Sweetie!