More Easter Pictures as promised ...

These are from Mark's camera ...

Hunting up eggs

The annual Easter egg hunt at my parent's association club had fabulous weather this year and all three grandsons were able to enjoy the eggs, one way or another. However, the Easter bunny was another story. Brnadon got his picture alone first, and he was fine, but kept checking out the bunny face and hands, trying to figure out who exactly had him. Then it was Will and Xan't turn to join Brandon with the Easter bunny, but Xan was having nothing to do with the bunny. Will had to hold him still long enough to get a couple of pictires, including this one of everyone not looking too happy (although Will never cried ... he was trying to tell us the Xan was not cooperating.) More pictures coming soon!

Coloring Easter Eggs

Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Mark came over and we colored 18 hard boiled eggs. Xan was old enough to really "get into it" this year and Will did a great job of writing on the eggs with a white Crayon to make designs.

Christmas in March

Well, at least it seems like that for the adult Guthries! A furniture store here in SoCal is going out of business, so furniture prices are as much as 75 percent off. We decided to head over and look for a couch set, since our couch is uncomfortable and we wanted a couch that converted into a bed so we had more space for guests. Not only did we get a couch for the money we budgeted, but we got a matching loveseat with independent rocking EZ chairs (Rodney is modeling it), a new hutch and buffet, a new breakfast nook/poker table that is bar-height with six chairs (one for each available poker spot) and a dining room table (in pieces and stored in our garage - we will have to find chairs later) that just happened to match the hutch we had already picked out. The new purhcases inspired Rodney to go out and buy a new flat screen plasma HD TV. Despite all the new furniture, the living room seems so much more spacious now that the HUGE tube TV is out. It is currently in the garage but, as soon as Rodney has access to a pick up truck, it will take up residence at his friend, Pete's house.

Knott's Berry Farm!

On St. Patrick's Day, the Guthrie Gang, plus a fifth Guthrie, Grandma Peggy, headed to Knott's Berry Farm to see what there was to see ... and we saw and did a lot!

Grandma Peggy is here!

And she spent some time with Xan in the backyard this morning. Here are some pictures! Will was thrilled he did not have to go to TLC after school, that we picked him up before lunch so he could hangout with his grandma. While Xan went to the park just down the street from our house in the morning, both he and Will got to go after their naps. However, that may not have been a great idea, since Will followed Xan down the slide too closely and smacked into him, sending Xan sprawling on the side of his face. He's scraped up a bit, but after the stitches in the fall, this was nothing!

Shhh.... Brandon's sleeping ....

Apparently, this shopping trip was just too much for the 8.5-month-old. Joe and Gina sent over these pictures. It also looks like Brandon might have gotten Grandpa Mark's bald spot ...

As for the Guthrie's, we are busy as always. Will was home sick with a cold-ish type thing the end of last week, but had kicked it by Saturday night. Xan has not yet caught it, but there is still time!

Although we had planned to move across town to a bigger home this week, it looks like Rodney will be getting orders to teach at the Naval Base in Pensacola, FL, this summer, instead. So, we are having to break the lease we signed just about a week ago and try to get our deposit back. None of us are overly thrilled by the news, and details are sketchy at best, right now. We'll keep you all posted.

Grandma Peggy was scheduled to fly out to help with the boys while my parents and I headed to a scrapbook expo in the Bay Area and Rodney moved the household, but it looks like she'll just be out here for the fun of it, soaking up the 70-degree sunshine and spending time with the boys. She'll even be accompanying Will on his kindergarten field trip to the farm at the Orange County Fairgrounds while she is here.

Both boys are working on molars right now: Will is getting his 6-year-old molars (no loose teeth yet!) and Xan is getting in his 2-year-old molars. Will is fascinated by the game "Mouse Trap" right now and Xan is all about carrying his little "pack-pack" to school every morning, like Will. He is also very serious about Will not forgetting his backpack in the car when he gets out to head to class each morning. Xan can't take his back pack (it is actually Will's little red one, with his name embroidered on it. There's a birthday gift idea for someone ...) to daycare, so we leave it in the car and I take it home for the next morning.

Hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy!

Nancy's SURPRISE birthday party!

Nancy's surprise party went off without a hitch tonight and what she thought was a "thank you" dinner for watching Will and Xan so much, was instead a birthday dinner party of 25. Click on the link here to see the photo slide show of the event!

Pinch me PLEASE!

Is it really true ...? Did Heidi Swapp really call me today and tell me that I was chosen as the winner of Creative Escape's Treasure Hunt for a teacher!? The Yahoo! message boards seem to reflect that, so I must not be dreaming!

Can I just say that I am in a total state of shock and awe ... I guess there will be a CE seat up for the next person on the waiting list!

Yeah, I got the call this afternoon .. the phone line cut out when the person said who she was, so I had to ask her to say it again ... I think I was polite about it ...?

'Cuz, gee, it was the one and only Heidi Swapp calling ME to tell me that I had WON! Instead of being speechless, I think I rambled, but I can't tell you for sure because it was all a blur...

I am so honored and incredibly excited. I knew I must have been in good company as far as applicants went, so it is amazing to be chosen. I hope to create a fabulous project that everyone will enjoy and learn something from!

But, um, seriously, is someone gonna pinch me soon? I mean, really, do I get to teach along side Heidi, Jenni Bowlin, Tim Holtz, Kolette Hall? Simply amazing ... Visit www.creativeescapeaz.com for more details!

Cuddle bugs ... for the moment ...

... and the moment can be fleeting. I snapped this picture fast before they were up and tearing around the house again. It's been awhile since I have blogged, but there hasn't been much going on on the home front, aside from crazy Kits2Remember stuff: check it out on that blog: www.jessicaguthrie.blogspot.com. To catch you up on the boys, both of them have sinus infections, so yet another round of antibiotics! Xan has it a little worse, so he had to stay home from daycare today. He had a fever yesterday, and was sent home so he could not go back today. He's down to one afternoon nap a day and isn't as much of a sleeper as his brother was. Will had Monday off from school, so we all went to the Spectrum, of course. We got more Dave and Busters game tickets than we could spend on cheap toys, but Will got a set of disco lights that he has spinning in his room and Xan got a ball. I think he has gotten a ball each time we've gone to D & B.
We are officially house hunting for a bigger, yet not too much more expensive home. There has beena number up for lease that we have liked, but we seem to miss getting the home by a matter of hours. The right one will come along sooner or later...

Wee Willie Winkie makes his debut ...

Will's kindergarten class put on a cute program called "Mother Goose in Winter Wonderland." Will got the part of Wee Willie Winkie, oddly enough. Althought he kids had more than two weeks to learn their part, Will's super duper memory made it so he had his whole four-line paragraph memorized in three days. He was very cute in his PJs, sleeping cap and pillow, not to mention the rosy cheeks ... if only he didn't take his part so SERIOUSLY! He didn't once crack a smile until his part was read, but he did very well and was one of the few children you could completely understand from start to finish. Watching from the audience were Mom, Grandma Nancy and Xan. Xan was intrigued by Will's hat and "reading" the performance program ... upside down!

And if you are interested in what the adult Guthries have been up to lately, visit Jessica's scrapbooking blog at .

What happens in Vegas ...

... is on my scrappy blog! Check it out to see what Rodney and I have been up to this weekend:

Busy, busy busy!

I knew that January 2008, actually the entire first quarter of 2008, was going to be busy for us, but I had no idea just how busy, Here is a very quick recap of what has been going on: (forgive the typos, I am trying to type fast as my time is limited!)

We got home from Illinois Jan, 4 and had just enough time to greet the dogs and unpack before Rodney had to repack for a trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, for some airspace management training. He was gone for two weeks and did quite well in his class, which was all Air Force people. He was the only Marine in a class of about 8, but they did not seem to hold it against him. In his free time he played poker in the local casino and did some shopping in the outlet malls.

Menawhile, back at the ranch, Will and Xan were having some trouble adjusting to being back in California, and without Daddy around. There were a few fitful nights, but we got through it. Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Mark helped with some child care and after-school pickups along the way. Us, them, GG, Unlce Joe, Aunt Gina and Brandon all spent the weekend in Palm Springs Jan. 11-13. I went there to be a scrap vendor at a weekend retreat and they tagged along. We all kept busy with our own stuff, so I did not see them much, but tried to check in now and then. The dogs stayed at Pet Suites, which was a lovely pet resort that I, myself, would not mind staying in.

The plumbing went out in the house the following week, but was luckily fixed the same day. Will had a dental appointment and all looked great - it looks as though he will start losing teeth in about 6 months. I geared up for vendoring at ScrapFest San Diego this past weekend and Xan fought off some sinus trouble.

This weekend, I set up for ScrapFest San Diego at the Del Mar Fairgorunds on Friday, with the help of a very nice Marine under Rodney. Without Patrick I would not have been nearly as fast at setting up my booth! I picked Rodney up from the San Diego airport that night and, while the kids hung out at Grandma and Grandpa's house, Rodney assisted me at Scrapfest, where, according to several good sources, Kits2Remember was the talk of the show. I have been asked to be on an Internet radio show, the Diva Craft Lounge (the Diva was at Scrapfest and Rodney bought me a tiara from her booth), on Feb. 20 at 12:40 p.m. PST to talk about K2R and my acrylic. She also asked me to be a guest designer in her upcoming books she is having printed this year. I have also had a number of classes as local scrapbook stores and attendance has been fabulous so far in 2008! I might be able to make a career out of this yet!

So, on to this week .... tonight we took the kids to their favorite place - Irvine Spectrum, where we hung out at Dave & Busters. Tomorrow Rodney is having his upper GI scoped so we can see why he has so much stomach trouble. He is a little nervous about being knocked out, since he's never been put under for anything. We will keep everyone posted on the results.

This weekend I have yet another scrapbook show in Ontario, CA, Scrapbook Alley, where I will be a vendor and teach classes. Rodney is scheduled to assist once again and my parents are being kind enough to watch the kids again. I am looking forward to it - and to actually sleeping at home for a weekend! LOL!

Holiday Vacation to Illinois

We took our annual winter pilgrimage to Pittsfield, IL, to visit Rodney's side of the family. We had a nice, relaxing time while we were there.

Will had a great time hanging around the house with Grandma Peggy and laying with cousin Kara. We was not a big fan of snowball fights once Aunt Jill got him good in the neck - all's fair in love and war!

Xan loved watching Uncle Jim, Aunt Brenda, Grandpa Bill, Uncle Earl and Aunt Vic work with the cows. He also enjoyed doing absolutely anything with Uncle Jim or in the basement where all the Guthrie toys are. If he was playing with Uncle Jim in the basement, Xan was in heaven.

Rodney did some bow hunting with his longtime friend Cory. He was in range of a buck when he dropped his arrow. Whoops!

Jessica just relaxed (as best she can - she's not a big relaxer!) and got some work done that she had been meaning to do. Thank God for laptops!

We celebrated the Christison Christmas, take a gander at the all the damage from the restent ice storms in the Midwest, had fun with the church Christmas program and met new cousin Drew, who is about 3 months old.

Here is a slideshow of some of the pictures I took during the week: