Abi's 3rd B-day was a success and more to come......

 (Ben in the background is cracking me up)

 Extra cheese please :)

 Whose grey beak?

 B-day candle round one- (she already had a messy face before digging in to the blackberry cobbler)

Oh my goodness, how can it be? Our little Abigail is turing 3!

Abi woke up this morning to a bouquet of Hello Kitty balloons, a Hello Kitty happy b-day banner, and hot pink presents-lucky girl! Yesterday Grandma Vicki and Aunt Keri took her shopping and out to lunch, tonight we are having salmon and blackberry cobbler, and tomorrow we are having friends over for a b-day party-seriously lucky girl! (more pics to follow)

 Presents from Grandma Jo

Benny's new do, and the kids were here-LOL

Ben B got a hair cut.

"Pupperoni"

I go to take a shower and come out to find something like this, the kids were here :)

The latest......

Ben is crawling, not fast, and only if he really wants something, but he is crawling so watch out!
He also has a bad habit of swatting his arms around while I'm trying to feed him inevitably sending food flying everywhere every time I feed him.

I learned today it is a really bad idea to try and take a double stroller into Nordstrom Rack, consider yourself warned. Also, laughed at the fact that Abi knows exactly where all the Starbucks are in our area but has no idea what a McDonald's is or what kind of food they have there.

Betty started laying-so now both chickas are a laying. More eggs for us!

We got a new trailer, pics to follow.

Summer, where are you????

Few super cute pics grandma took the last couple times we visited the lake house. Abi loves her Hello Kitty suit, too bad it's never nice enough for her to wear it :(

 Benny loves the swing, just like sister.

Abigail is almost 3

(questions I am going to try to remember to ask her each year before her b-day)

What is your favorite animal? Hello Kitty

What is your favorite animal at the zoo? zebra

What is your favorite color? pink

What is your favorite food? strawberries

What is your favorite toy? babies

Who is your favorite pet? Maggie (dog)

Where is your favorite place to go with mom? signment store (consignment store)

Where is your favorite place to visit? Grandma Vicki's

What do you want for your birthday? Hello Kitty cake

What college do you want to attend? Cougars

What do you want to do when you grow up? play in the sink (she is still a little young for this question)

Funny things my little Abigail does at 2:
-she packs herself a lunch (with plastic food) and says "I'm going to go to work today to make money"
-she calls her blanket "this little guy" ("this little guy wants to come","this little guy is tired","this little guy is stinky")
-when she is trying to get my attention she says "Amy!"
-my favorite has to be her interpretive dancing and singing-there is nothing she won't do to make her brother, daddy, and me laugh
-she can count to 10 and sing the alphabet song (but only if you're not paying attention)
-after getting in trouble she says in the littlest, sweetest voice under her long eyelashes "I'm sorry mommy, I'm sorry for not listening"
-she gives brother lots of hugs and kisses all day long
-she will not speak to any men besides daddy and the papa's
-she loves, loves to be outside and to swim
-she loves to help me with the laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and yard work

I can't believe my little baby girl is going to be 3! She is a sugar and spice and everything nice, with a side of sassy. Love her to pieces!

Staycation

The Larsons came and stayed with us this week and we had a great time. We got two babysitters on Wednesday night for 6 kids (2 babies) and had a crazy night out on the town with the Larsons and Sherwoods, meaning we were home in bed by 11. Thursday we went to the zoo, fisherman's terminal, Ballard locks, fish ladder, and had a BBQ with friends.

Abi loved the baby turtles and otters at the zoo. It was such a typical Seattle day, it poured down rain the first hour we were at the zoo, but there were no crowds.

 Ben B at the fish ladder.

 Abi was so tired she was getting super silly, this cute picture was followed by a large temper tantrum.

 Abi playing in the garage in undies and boots, oh yeah and she had plumbers crack.

 The sweetest baby in the world sleeping peacefully.

Check out those new teeth.

Latest entry from one of the blogs I follow:

"What does Orange mean?"

 

People keep saying “the color orange will never be the same” or “every time I see the color orange, I think of your son Owen.”  I couldn’t agree more … but it’s different for me.  I’ve been asking myself what does orange mean to me now?  Owen (obviously).  But what else?  What do I want orange to mean?  If there was a message I could give everyone through just a color, what would it be?  What should it be?  What is it supposed to be?

Owen’s life was sacrificed but two others were saved and even more lives have been touched.  Is Orange a reminder of sacrifice?  How to give unselfishly to others.  By living for others you find truth in yourself.  Just look at his story and how it’s flooded the web.  I’ve got everyone’s attention (for whatever reason).  Lord what am I supposed to be telling them?
Perhaps it’s that we live in a reality that is horrid – children die, innocent people suffer from illness.  There is pain and sorrow.  Orange is a reminder to do something to ease the pain of this world.  Be the hands of God and make a change.  Offer comfort to someone who is in pain.  Be a refuge for God’s love.  Be a warrior in Owen’s army to fight for the good.  It doesn’t have to be a big change … perhaps it’s that you are going to hug your kids every night before bed.  Think of the memory you’d be creating for your kids and how it would multiply out to their children.  Four generations down the line might be hugging their kids a little tighter, all because you decided to make a difference.  Maybe it’s a bigger change like starting a ministry at your church or making blankets for others.  These are a few movements I’ve heard about from readers.  But whatever you feel moved to do … is it for the greater good?  What kind of impact are you creating on the world?  How is it spider webbing out into something much larger?
When the triplets wear orange, even if it’s just orange in the screen print on their outfit, I can’t help but think “You’re not alone today.  You’re wearing your brother.  He’s here, right now, with you.”  Is orange meant to be a reminder to those who feel alone?  Owen, the angel baby, is with you.  Where ever orange is, he is near.
Is orange meant to be a reminder to cherish our babies?  They come into this world, but aren’t truly ours.  Hug them and kiss them while we have them.  If they leave before we do, have faith, have the courage to believe they are with our Father.
Is orange a constant reminder that the life cycle isn’t perfect?  We are taught that you die when you get old.  We will leave this world before our children.  I have wondered if Doug or I would die first.  What would I do if Doug went before I did?  What would I hope he knows about me to make sure my final wishes are granted?  But a child?  Never crossed my mind.  It’s not a part of the circle of life.   (whoa just had a Lion Kind flash there).
What is the circle of life when I’m not the only one who has lost a child?  So many stories have come forward and keep coming forward.  I just heard about a 3 month old in the Appleton area who passed.  Do I dare say the number is disgusting?  What kind of God allows so many children to be called to heaven?  What kind of God allows parents to experience such pain?
Someone told me that it was ok to take my pain to God.  It’s ok to yell in my prayers and to cry and wail out to Him.  He’s bigger than our pain and He can “handle it.”  When I look at Jaden and when he gets so upset, I want him to come to me, to cry in my lap and be mad with me.  I don’t care that the shoulder of my shirt gets wet with tears and covered in boogers.  Being his mother, I can see passed his pain and see how this is going to be ok at some point.  I’m not mad or dissapointed that he’s crying or angry.  My heart hurts and I hug him tighter, trying in any way to comfort his pain.  Granted he’s usually crying about an action figure or skinned knee, but is this sort of the same way God looks at our pain?  He is a ‘parent’ to us, right?  I welcome Jaden’s tears and hug him through them.  I blow his nose and offer him a Popsicle after he has skinned his knee.  Is finding comfort in a color my Popsicle?  A special treat from my Father to help me feel better?

Maybe it’s all of these meaning.  Or I might have totally missed the message all together.  I just feel from deep within that there is meaning here.  Orange has a special task here.  Maybe I’ll never know why orange is so important.  Maybe I’ll be given all the answers when I too leave this world.  What I do know is that I’ve been wearing orange for 37 days straight … and I don’t plan on quitting any time soon!  Keep rockin’ out the orange!!
Love, Mel
http://bissingfamily.wordpress.com/

Monday is here, time to rest.......

Brad cleaned the roof, gutters, power washed the house, laid bark dust in back yard, finished the retaining flower bed, mowed the lawn, laid dirt and grass seed in the backyard, harvested and froze veggies from our garden, we had friends over for a Sunday dinner- did I mention I had to work all weekend and take care of two adorable kiddos? Wowsa, we are some productive people.

Egg count is up to three (probably four if I went out checked now), I decided out of no where to cut myself bangs (like when I was 10-see picture below), decided this is the week to start working out-seriously! Looking forward to the Larson's coming over to spend the week with us :) To bad it's supposed to rain :(

Loving my kiddos more everyday, as if that's possible. Abi's funny word of the day is, dish-in-ker, which means conditioner. It took me forever to try and figure out what she was talking about in the bath tub. Ben is happy and smiley holding on to the cornor of his blanky. Maggie is finally recovering from the 4th of July and is no longer cowering on our bathroom floor.  

Omelette anyone?

I woke up this morning to a sound a couldn't quite put my finger on but I thought it was the chickens making noise. Come to find out this evening we got our first egg!!!! No, I'm not showing off my rock just trying to show how big the eggs is. I think it's kind of on the small size but they are supposed to get bigger. At first the shells can we wrinkly and weak but this egg looks pretty darn perfect.

Silly Ben

Matter where he starts out in the room he somehow always ends up under the trampoline?! Look how long his hair is getting, time for another hair cut.

Sunny day at the lake

Ben's first boat ride, he was all smiles.

Abi grinned ear to ear pretty much the whole time we were on the boat-too cute! She loved it when papa would toot toot the horn.

Next time we are going to try a tube ride behind the boat with daddy.

My Ben bum is usually full of smiles but since he was cutting teeth he wasn't in the mood for a photo shoot. Abi gab was actually rather cooperative, smiling, and giving brother kisses.

Happy 4th of July

Ben got 3 new teeth this weekend! We survived the weekend with only minimal grouchiness and lots of Tylenol, poor little guy. I can't wait for his front teeth to move down so you can see them when he smiles. His smile already lights up the room and now he is going to look different-I am a little sad. My cute patoot is growing up, at the risk of sounding cheesy I can't help but feel like he is my pride and joy. Must be a mom son thing, I come from a family of girls so Ben is uncharted territory.

I spent the weekend doting on the kiddos, catching up on sleep, and hanging out with the husband-not to mention some warm weather and cold beers :) -It was nice! I took a blogging vacation too, but don't worry I'm back to bore you with stories of how much I adore sister and mister. I have some really cute pics of the kiddos that I'll post as soon I as get them downloaded :)