A Work In Progress

Snow Overload

2012-01-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a fun one! Between Tuesday evening and Saturday afternoon we've had record snowfall (15-18 in),an ice storm, frozen rain, heavy rains and high winds. This caused lots of downed trees, power outages (up to 230,000 at one point), stranded people and traffic problems galore! We are now under flood watch as the rain continues to melt snow and the temperatures climb.

The kids loved the snow! Well, except Payton. She thinks its pretty and wants to play in it but doesn't like cold hands. Or feet. So she would play outside for a few minutes then run inside to warm up. Leaving melting snow puddles all over the place.

Another snow lover turned out to be Jack. The first time he went outside there was a flock of about three dozen birds in the backyard. As soon as he saw them he ran and hid under the BBQ! I wish I'd gotten a picture of that!

Once the ~~danger~~ birds left, he started to enjoy himself. He would leap/frolic through the snow with his lips and ears flapping about.

So, while I'm glad we had a few snow days, I'm also happy to see the green grass and feel warm again.

Lame Post Alert (you may be getting a lot of these)

2012-01-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

What do you call a thirty-something mother of four, who is currently addicted to football, Pinterest, the crockpot , office supplies and staying up too late?

Give up? The answer would be... ME!

I have a HUGE list of projects and things to do but I keep finding myself wandering over to Pinterest to see whats going on. And every visit leads to more and more projects being added to my list! Its a vicious cycle!!

As soon as I figure out how to get my Pins to show up over here I'll show some of the projects I'm working on.

The Plague has Found Us

2012-01-04T01:17:00.000-08:00

Last week (Thursday, to be precise) Payton started acting a little off. She was fine in the morning but by afternoon she was laying around a lot and not wanting to do anything. That night I put her to bed a little early, hoping that some extra sleep might help fight the sickies off. No such luck. About an hour later I went to check on her and she felt really warm. I took her temperature and it was 103.6!! So we spent a LONG night fighting her fever and trying to get some sleep. She spent Friday napping and napping some more.

By Friday night a nasty cough and sore throat had joined the party AND decided to invite Ryan.

Rather than give a detailed play by play of the last few days, I'll just say that Regan and I are still feeling good (knock on wood-cross my fingers-hold my breath) and the others are passed the worst. Hopefully.

So now we're three days into my new blogging goal and I'm wowing us all with details of the plague that has afflicted my home. I'm thinking it can only get better from here.

(Pretend there is a picture here.)

(I googled the word 'plague' trying to find one

and lets just say there were no family

friendly images available.)

(You're welcome.)

School is Back in Session!!

2012-01-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

Today was our first day of school after a great Christmas Vacation. It took us a little longer than usual (mostly because I talked a lot more) but we got it all done! I made a few (minor) tweaks to our schedule and added to our language arts program.

Ooh! Language Arts! This year I took everything (!) I had done last year, all my ideas on how L.A. should be taught and TOSSED THEM! Last year was miserable! Why would I want to repeat it? *Side Note* We actually found out in May that Regan is dyslexic. This helped explain why we were having so many struggles (not just in reading) and gave us some ideas on what we could do to work around them.

So this year I worked to make our learning as hands on and FUN as I could. With Language Arts that meant doing a lot of things like 'Mailbox', having a 'Picture Journal', using apps on the ipad, using Poetry Magnets and using WriteShop 'World of Animals' cards.

Mailbox is probably Ryans' favorite thing to do. I have a big box of stationary cards that the kids can choose from and they each write letters/notes to each other. We made a mailbox out of an old cardboard box (we painted and decorated it, of course!) and fill it up during the week. Every Monday we pass out every one's 'mail' and have fun reading them!

Picture Journal is pretty self explanatory. I made a few 5x7 journals out of cardstock, put a photo on one page and have them write a few sentences telling me about the picture. They can either tell whats really happening OR they can make up a crazy story. Here's what Ryan did last week:

The picture I gave him. (We were at a wedding.)

What he wrote.

Since the first part of the year went so well, I decided to add a little bit more to our writing and see how it went. Today went great and I hope it continues that way. One of Regan's favorite things to do is the 'Animals of the World' cards so I went back to their publisher to see what else they offered. I found Writeshop Primary and after reading reviews/looking at samples, I decided to try it out.

WriteShop Primary Book B

I love how it gives you the option of doing a 1,2 or 3 week schedule. (We chose 2) It also has a lot of parent involvement and hands on projects used to reinforce each lesson. Our goal is to complete book B this year and take all of next year to work through Book C.

Other than adding WriteShop, the only other changes I made were little things like seating and how we could make everyone was completing ALL of their assignments.

Let's Try This Again...

2012-01-01T16:54:00.000-08:00

After a year and a half absence, I'm having a hard time figuring out how to get restarted. Should I try summarizing whats happened while I was away or just start over and ignore the giant gap between posts? Since summarizing that much time would lean more towards a novel, I don't think that will work.

So I'm going to just jump in and get started!

Today is January 1st. My favorite day of the year. I love the whole idea of having a new beginning, a clean slate. New Years, to me, is a time to make new goals, try out some new ideas and to let go of some of the things that didn't go as planned last year.

This year, instead of making resolutions, I'm taking the idea of 'Bucket Lists' and putting a little twist on it. I'm making shorter, seasonal lists of goals and things I'd like to do. Both personally and as a family. My Summer list is looking like all fun so far! I put a few gardening goals in my Spring list (which is a little intimidating to me) but its something I want to get better at. I will probably post my goals at the start of each of the seasons, as a bit of encouragement to continue on with them.

So here's to a new year, new notebooks (mmmm...I love new notebooks!) and a new start with an old blog! Sounds like a good year already!

June 30, 2010

2010-06-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week we skipped going to our local library branch and instead visited another. The Chehalis library is one we hadn't visited before. It was remodeled inside and out and looks great! The outside of the library has a pretty little garden and a big fountain out front.

One thing I really liked about the childrens area is that all the bookshelves were low enough that I could stand off to the side and see where each of the kids were.

June 23, 2010

2010-06-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our summer reading challenge has officially started! We are joining our local librarys' Summer Reading Program as well as the ones through Borders and Barnes & Nobles.

We are trekking down to the library every Wednesday to load our arms with as many books as we can carry home. Some weeks that will mean Mom gets to rescue everyone who overdid it and carry their books as well as her own. Hopefully that won;t happen very often though! My back can't take it! Maybe we should invest in a wagon. Then I can sit in the wagon with all the books and the kids can tow me home!

Today our library is having a Summer Reading Kickoff Craft Workshop. Regan and Ryan don't know about it yet but they are going to LOVE it! Anything at all that involves creativity and they're all for it!

June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

For the past few Friday nights I have been down at the ball field cheering for our churchs' softball team. They are a great bunch of people who take the game REAL serious. You wouldn't believe how hard and far they hit the ball! You need to be really careful where you park your car because the parking lot is NOT safe!

So far they have played two games and had once cancelled because of a soggy field.(soon to be rescheduled) I think I'm going to take our camcorder down to the next game and see if I can get some good footage.

June 5, 2010

2010-06-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

On Mothers Day this year the Childrens Church had a baptismal before the Sunday morning service. Regan had never been baptised so she asked Michael and I if it was ok for her to do it. After making sure she understood what it meant, we gave our ok. Here is the video Kacie got of it.

(Pastor Bill is asking her a few questions and having her confess Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.)

June 3, 2010

2010-06-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last month Payton had her very first dentist appointment! I must say, she did very well. The ladies that work in the office all came by to tell her how cute she was and how good she was doing.

I don't think they get many two year olds in for visits. I wouldn't have taken her in except I remembered how long it took Ryan to relax and be okay with the dentist looking in his mouth (four visits/two years) and I wanted to get her a head start on it. I guess I worried for nothing because she was a pro!

Her favorite part was picking out her treasures as she left!

June 1, 2010

2010-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago was Mariah's Senior Prom. She and a group of her friends decided to go together and were meeting at one of their houses a few hours early to finish getting ready. Mariah finished getting her hair and nails done early so we went to a local park to take some pictures of her in all her finery. I need to do some editing on them but once thats done I'll post a few here. She looked so beautiful!

Mariah and her Dad before Prom.

We were on our way to her friends house when her Dad called and said he'd like to see her in her dress. So we stopped by their apartment and I was able to get a few shots of the two of them together. Seriously! Doesn't she look great!

May 30, 2010

2010-05-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

WOW! I was sitting at my desk this afternoon and thought about writing a blog post that would summarize the past two months. So I started jotting down some of the things that have happened and the list just kept growing and growing! So, rather than list everything out I'll just hit on a few of the big things.

First there was Michael's surgery. Back in mid April Michael finally got the surgery that he had needed for the past year. We were extremely lucky to find a Dr. up at the University of Washington that could figure out what was going on with Michael's shoulder and what needed to be done to repair it. Unfortunately, what he recommended was total shoulder replacement. There were so many issues going on in his shoulder that there wasn't anything that could be done that would be a long term fix other than replacing it. Hearing that was a shock because he's only 32!! But if he ever wanted to use his arm again it was our best option. So he had the surgery on April 20th and everything went very well. The surgeon was actually able to fix another problem he found while operating that they hadn't known about.

Michael's Dr. was sure to put his initials on the correct shoulder.

While Michael was in the hospital my niece Mariah moved in with us. We spent a few days talking about expectations and making sure everyone was on the same page with things. So far things have been really good and she is an amazing addition to our family.

Mariah put on a puppet show for Payton's birthday.

Other than that we have been really busy with baseball, swim team, school, church, field trips, end of the year testing, Mariahs Senior Prom (and soon graduation!) and all the other things that fall into the days to make them full.

February 6, 2010

2010-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of those days I had a LOT of errands to run and I had bored kids with me. I just love days like that.

Luckily the people at Les Schwab plan for days like that and installed a TV WITH cable at the other end of the store. I think it was a woman who thought to put it at the other end of the store. Otherwise you'd have a lot of guys standing around watching Elmer hunt for Wabbits and not a lot of work getting done. So the kids watched Phineas and Ferb and only complained about being tired/hungry/bored 27 times. When we left Les Schwab I took the kids over to Burger King and bought them some lunch and let them play in the play area. I really think we need more indoor play areas around here. It usually rains 3/4 of the year and the kids end up inside more than out. And I don't know about your house but at mine we go STIR CRAZY!!
~

That reminds me. I finally bit the bullet and bought a yearlong pass to the Hands on Children's Museum. Along with the membership we get huge discounts to almost every other museum we'd ever want to visit.

February 5, 2010

2010-02-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Jack.

Our cutesy little puppy has grown by leaps and bounds.
When we first got him he would fit perfectly on my lap.

Now I fit on his.

February 4, 2010

2010-02-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I decided to get the kids swim bags, jackets and other 'stuff' organized as much as I could. So I installed four coat hooks below our cork board and two heavy duty hooks on the wall next to it. Now Devon and Regan have a designated place to hang their swim bags and when I tell everyone to hang up their jackets, they know exactly where to put them.

The cork board is something we started using last year after Michael's arm was crushed at work. He had so many appointments we were getting overwhelmed trying to keep them all organized.

I was keeping everything in my daily planner but that didn't do Michael any good when a Dr. would call to set up an appointment time. So we set up the cork board with a big calendar and keep everything up to date on it. We also keep a copy of every ones business card so its easy to get numbers and addresses.

I have another big cork board above my desk that's just for me. I keep reminders, schedules, phone numbers, menu plans and anything else I need help remembering up there.

January 17, 2010

2010-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2010

2010-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

January 7, 2010

2010-01-08T15:24:00.001-08:00

I took this picture the other day while the kids and I were at the park. It brought to mind something I've been trying to teach the kids for a long time now.

We're a team.

That it doesn't matter who gets credit or who gets the praise. When your buddy's feeling down (please!) don't kick him. Help him up and go on together.

January 6, 2010

2010-01-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

The weekend of the 15th & 16th is going to be our next swim meet. It will be Regans first! Now that I've been to a few swim meets with Devon I've picked up a few tips on what to pack. Both for myself and my swimmer. Here's what I've planned so far. If you have any more ideas for me please let me know.

Swimmers Bag-

team suit

practice suit

goggles (2)

swim cap (2)

flip flops

towels (2)

warm up pants/shorts

t-shirt/sweatshirt

water bottle

plastic bag

propel packets

clif bars

Parents Bag-

directions & phone number
sharpie

highlighters

pen

i-pod

book

clipboard

Cooler-

fruit

granola

power bars

string cheese

pretzels/goldfish crackers

trail mix

propel packets

water bottles

sandwiches

January 5, 2010

2010-01-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

Over at TheDiaperDiaries there is a carnival going on where everyone lists their top ten iPhone or iTouch apps. Since I just got an iTouch this was right up my alley! So here are the top ten apps I currently use:

1. Where's Waldo?- this was the first app I actually purchased. It was 2.99 and worth every penny. This is perfect for keeping the kids entertained during long waits.

2/3.White/Yellow Pages- Ever need a phone number and you aren't home to look it up? Here's your solution! This saves me a lot of time.

4.MapQuest- I have no problem getting around here in town, but when I need to head into the city this app is amazing! Since I need wi-fi to use it I just pull up the info I need before I leave the house.

5.Virtual Villagers 3- I just love these little people!

6/7. Twitter & Facebook- Where would I be without these two apps? I just wish my iTouch had come with a phone so I could post pics to go with some of my updates. A lot of things would probably make more sense.

8. TMZ- I am really addicted to people magazine but the people app wasn't free. TMZ was though! Some things on TMZ need skipped but overall its ok.

9. Sudoku- I love sudoku!

10. Scrabble- I just got this app last night. So far I've played three times and won twice. So I'd say this ones a winner!

If you have any good app suggestions please leave me a comment letting me know what you like.

January 3, 2010

2010-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

January 2, 2010

2010-01-02T08:28:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, the day after Christmas, Payton and Ryan decided it would be lots of fun to jump on his bed. And it probably was, too. Until Payton fell off the edge of the bed and smacked her lip on her dresser. Then the fun up and left. In its place was blood, pain and lots of tears. Oh, and blood. A whole trail of it through the house.

I was in the kitchen when Ryan came storming downstairs yelling that Payton was bleeding 'all over the place.' I took one look at her lip (and really, the picture doesn't do it justice) and knew we were headed for the E.R.

Living so close to the hospital and being the fast acting parents that we are, Michael and I had Payton at the E.R. about 15 minutes after the accident happened. We got her registered, signed our life away I mean, gave our billing information and settled down for what we were sure would be a short wait.

NINE HOURS LATER...

...we were finally given a room in the back and were seen by a Dr. He had her fixed up (she needed four stitches) and discharged in less than an hour. I think he felt bad about how long we had to wait. Seriously, people in the waiting room were getting upset about how long we had been waiting.

Oh, and on a side note. There was a guy in the waiting room (he was there to be seen. Not waiting for someone else) who ordered a pizza and had it delivered!!

Payton has done fine with the stitches. She hasn't messed with them at all and has been really good about letting up put a salve on it. The Dr. said her lip will look a lot worse (scar wise) before it looks better but that in a year it will only be a thin line. Sounds good to me.

January 1, 2010

2010-01-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

Last month Devon went to her first High School dance. Michael and I had small heart attacks over the fact that she was old enough to go to H.S. dances but once we were sufficiently recovered we went about helping her get ready. I took her shopping for shoes and a dress. Michael bought her mace and taught her some self defence.

She was originally going to the dance with one of her friends from the swim team but about a week before the dance Dana found out she couldn't go. So Devon asked me if she could go with a boy. A boy!! Can you believe that?! My first reaction was ABSOLUTELY NOT but we talked about it and agreed she could go with him.

The day of the dance we had Danyelle come over and they both helped each other get ready. I think they spent three or four hours doing make up and hair. Which is funny since Devon had her hair done by Kristy and the only makeup she's allowed to wear is mascara and eyeliner.

I dropped the girls off around 8:30 and picked them up at 11:30. Devon said she had a great time with Anthony (they danced twice!) and hanging out with her cousins. (Both Mariah and Danyelle were at the dance.) The next dance is in about three weeks. I think its a formal and I know Devon really wants to go. We'll see...

2009-11-12T20:21:00.001-08:00

One of our FAVORITE things to do school-wise is SCIENCE!! Our first science day was back in early September but somehow I forgot to write about it. I'm not sure how I managed to miss posting about it. OH WAIT! It may have had something to do with the 632 swim meets we had.

I found a few boxed science kits at Michaels for about 50% off and thought they would be a great way to start out. The first day we did science we studied colors. We learned what the primary colors are and what happens when we mix those colors. The kit included these little white crystals that turned into blobs of colored gel when you put them into the colored water.

2009-11-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Regan started going to a local tutoring center. The man who started and runs the center is a retired teacher I used to work with. His whole philosophy on teaching is that if you gets kids interested in something there is no limit to what they can learn. I like that!

So Regan goes down there once a week (for now) and gets a lot of help with her reading. She really likes to read but it has become a big challenge for her. After working with Regan for about an hour, Mr. Freeman noticed that Regan isn't making mental movies. So when she reads she isn't picturing what happens in her mind. She's just reading words. Which is fine when she was reading easy readers with simple lines like 'Pat is a cat.' But now that she is wanting to move into beginner chapter books its causing problems.

So Michael and I have her go to the Freeman Center once a week, she goes to Juliannas house twice a week for one on one work and her teacher at school is having her work one on one with another teacher three days a week. So basically Regan is surrounded with people who are helping her with her reading. And she's LOVING it!

Book Review: The Quest To Digest

2009-10-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Quest To Digest

Written by Mary K. Corcoran

Illustrated by Jef Czekaj

We read this book this morning as a part of our study of the human body. Everyone (including myself) learned something new with this book! It's written for the 3rd to 5th grade group but it held Regan and Ryans attention from beginning to end.

The story starts with a little green guy explaining why we need food and proceeds to go through every part of the digestion process. From why we need saliva to why we burp and throw up. The illustrations in this book really helped the younger kids understand what I was reading.

I found an activity guide to go along with the book that we all just loved! Doing things like measuring out 20 feet so we could see how long our small intestines are and putting bread and water in a ziploc bag and mashing it up to show what chewing does to our food REALLY help to remember the lesson. I would recommend the book and activity guide for kids in grades 1-6 with the younger kids getting a little extra explaining.

Activity Guide

2009-10-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

The time. It's gotten away from me.

The days have blended together in a whirlwind of schoolwork, trips to the pool, grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, cleaning and millions of little errands. Oh, and a few classes thrown in there for good measure. I'm feeling a little tired.

I have dozens of blog posts floating around in my mind and hopefully soon I'll have a chance to get a few transferred to the computer.

Until then, enjoy this little clip.

Habitats

2009-10-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

For science Ryan, Regan and I have been studying habitats. In addition to the Evan-Moor Daily Science worksheets, we are reading as many books as we can find from our local library. Here are the books we have read so far.Savanna Animals: Fun facts and Stuff To Do
Let's Find Rain Forest Animals: Up, Down, Around

Rain Forest Animals

Talking About The Earth: Prairies

Land Habitats

About Habitats: Deserts

True Book: Desert Mammals

Backyard Habitats

Does A Baboon Sleep In A Bed?

The Antarctic Habitat

Animal babies in Ponds And Rivers

We are about halfway through our unit so there may be books added to this list.

2009-10-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we got a new puppy from Elissa and her boyfriend Scott. Scott dog, Zelda, is a Great Dane who had 'relations' with a neighborhood hottie. We've been waiting for him since early August and are thrilled that he's finally joined us!
So, he was delivered Friday morning and we (the whole family) have been brain storming a name for him every since. Today we finally settled on naming him Jack. JACK!! The name I love and suggested right away! It was fun listening to the kids' suggestions for names. Regan really wanted to name him Buttercup. Isn't that funny!

So far it seems like Payton has bonded with jack the most. She makes beds for him, reads to him and spends most of her time playing with him. She even helps Michael when its time to take Jack outside to go potty. The only problem she has with him is whenever she is on the floor Jack likes to climb on top of her and just lay there!

October 2, 2009

2009-10-02T23:31:00.001-07:00

The past month has been one swim practice after another. My girls are just crazy about swimming!

Regan has been going twice a week and made quite a few friends. She started the swim team barely knowing how to do the crawl stroke. She has improved that stroke and started working on her back stroke. Her endurance is what has made the most progress though.

Devon is SO in love with swimming. She gets home from three hours of practice and says she can't wait to go back the next day! Ca-razy! The two heats she swims the most are the 50 free and the 100 free. Her meet times have improved from 44 seconds to 29 (50 free) and 151 seconds to 129 (100 free)! Isn't that just awesome!

2009-09-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Our last 'summer' trip to the library produced a few doozies for read aloud time. Can anyone guess how much I regret letting Ryan pick out a book entitled "Chicken Butt"? Payton now runs around the house singing 'Butt, Butt Chicken!' It almost sounds like she's saying 'Bok, Bok chicken' so thats what I'm going to pretend shes saying.

Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy was a good one. Regan and Ryan thought about dressing as those characters for Halloween until Regan remembered that she's going to be Zorro. Man, that girl LOVES her some Zorro! I think 'The Mask of Zorro' has been her favorite movie since she was 2.

So while this was from our last 'summer' trip we are still taking weekly trips to the library. Every Monday we head down there and meet up with a few friends so the kids can hang out. AND so Mom can get a little adult conversation.

September 15, 2009

2009-09-15T11:14:00.001-07:00

The other day I was looking at my ipod and came to the sad, sad realization that I have never left the 80's/early 90's.

The music that my kids listen to today is like marshmallow fluff when compared to the soul baring Power Ballads of my youth. And being the home schooling Mother that I am I have decided to give my children a proper education and add a class entitled "Power Ballads" to our lesson plan. (This counts for our music credits)

When planning this class, the first thing I did was make a list (of course) of the 'Top Ten Power Ballads You Just Can't Go Through Life Without Knowing.' (that's the official title) Then I went to itunes and downloaded the songs I didn't already have. I loaded them onto Devons Ipod and Regans MP3 player. I have the girls listen to these songs every day while in the car.

In order for the kids to get full credit for this class they not only have to learn all the worlds to each of the ten songs, BUT they also need to put on a concert and sing one song each. (Dressing like the lead singer complete with big hair and spandex will get an automatic A+)

And for YOUR enjoyment I will be posting a video of said concert soon after its completion.

Here is the list of songs the girls are learning:

(Click on the song title to see the music video)

Something To believe In - Poison

I want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner

Missing You - John Waite

You Don't Know What You Got 'Til It's Gone - Cinderella

I Remember You - Skid Row

Here I Go Again - Whitesnake

Heaven - Warrant

I'll Never Let You Go - Steelheart

When I Look Into Your Eyes - Firehouse

When I See You Smile - Bad English

Bonus I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meat Loaf

2009-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

This year I am doing 1st grade with Ryan. I had a few months of stress when I was trying to figure out what on earth I was going to use as our curriculum. I was really leaning towards using Sonlight because I love that its literature based but in the end I just didn't want to spend a boatload of money on our first year.

So instead I went to a few curriculum stores and spent hours looking at all the different books and such. So after much consideration here is what we are doing this year.

For science, writing and language we are using the Evan Moore daily reviews. I LOVE these workbooks! They have practice for him to do each day AND each week there are ideas on how to stretch the lesson further. There are ideas for writing stories, adding details, making the science lessons more hands on, etc.

For math we are using the Singapore math workbooks. So far everything has been easy for him so we haven't actually had a time where he's learning from the books. A few more chapters in and I'll have a better idea on how this will work for him.

For piano we are using the Robert Pace books that Devon started with. I have no idea how to play the piano so for now Devon is working with him on the basics like finger exercises. I have contacted a wonderful girl who teaches piano and Devon, Regan and Ryan will be starting with her in the next month or so.

As our foreign language option we have decided to learn sign language. This year the kids are using the Signing Times videos and flash cards to learn the basic signs. By the time we get through these videos the kids will know the finger spell alphabet and around 200 words.

Ryan is using A Reason for Writing for his handwriting practice. Not a lot to say about this other than I like the fact that he is learning scriptures while practicing handwriting.

I didn't buy an art curriculum. That just seemed like a crazy expense when you consider all the art type supplies we already have. I am having him branch out a little and try new things. So far he's loving it and is more than willing to do art every day!

I mentioned before that Regan is doing part time homeschooling with us. She joins Ryan with science, writing, sign language and sometimes art.

Regan and Ryan practice the piano for 15 -30 minutes and they read aloud to me for 20 minutes.

I think that pretty much cover what we do for school. if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

2009-09-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Devon had her first meet with the high School team. It was actually a District Team relay so none of the times the girls swam are official. Which works out well for Devon. The second heat that she swam in, she had her head angled wrong and her goggles came off. That seriously threw off her time. She kept going though. I was watching her and wondering why she didn't just grab the goggles (they were over her mouth) and toss them off. Later I found out that she would have been disqualified if she touched her goggles.

Next week she has a meet on Wednesday and another on Friday. I ordered a new zoom for my camera so hopefully I'll be able to get some good action shots of Devon swimming.

(Devons cheering section)

2009-09-12T09:18:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday, the 1st, was Regans first day of school. She is in second grade this year so she is still in Mrs. Bols class. (Mrs. Bol teaches the K - 3 class)

This year Michael and I are having her do half days at the school and the rest of the day at home with us. She gets to school each day by 8:15 and leaves for home after lunch recess.

So far this is working out great for everyone. She loves being able to go to school and see all her friends and I love that I am still homeschooling her part day.

2009-09-06T21:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Devon had her first swim practice with the High School swim team. The pool they usually use was closed for their annual repairs so they used the local outdoor pool instead.

(The High School team and Poseidon use the same pool. Its an indoor pool which is wonderful for the swimmers but horrible for mothers who love to take pictures of everything. )

The outdoor pool they used is just perfect for pictures. I was planning on just dropping her off but decided at the last minute to stay a few minutes and take some photos.

I'm really glad I did.

2009-08-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago was my Mothers birthday. I'm not going to tell you how old she is. Because I value my life.

When Aunt Robin asked her what she wanted for her birthday she said she wanted a big BBQ with the whole family. Well, everyone that was actually in our state. Buddy and the twins got a free pass.

So we all gathered out at Roger and Robins house for some grilled chicken and a million side dishes. And cheesecake. MMmmmmm...cheesecake.

The kids ran around like crazy people, I annoyed everyone by taking their pictures and we laughed at all the stories people told.

After we finished eating my brother and his family had to leave. :-(

He was working a booth for his company at the fair and needed to get some rest to prepare.

Here's Michael contemplating his future. Or seconds on the cheesecake.

Julianna tried hiding behind her coffee cup so I wouldn't take her picture. Obviously nothing can stop me.

Marianna didn't mind though. I think she might even like getting her picture taken. But don't tell her I told you that.

We ended up heading over to the fire pit and roasting some marshmallows. Poor Ryan somehow got a chunk of hot marshmallow stuck on his eyelid. Really, I have no idea how that happened. It may have had something to do with him swinging his marshmallow stick around wildly. Not that he did that. Don't worry though. He's ok.

2009-08-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

I usually don't like to do posts without some sort of picture but I switched computers and haven't had the time to move my pictures over. This post isn't going to be anything special though so I guess the picture won't make much difference.

I just wanted to leave a little update and let you all know that the next two weeks probably won't have any posts. The girls are starting swim team on Monday (the new years practice starts then) and we have a whole lot of appointments I'm trying to squeeze in. Not to mention all the back to school shopping and orientations we have.

So most likely, I will be back around the 1st or 2nd with some updates and new pictures. See you then!

2009-08-06T20:16:00.001-07:00

I think I've mentioned before that Devon swims for Poseidon. Poseidon is a USA Swimming program that participates in Pacific Northwest Swimming (PNS), the local USA swimming organization representing nearly 5,000 athletes in western Washington. Out of the five levels, Devon is currently at level three. Her goal is to reach level five by her junior year in high school. (She is going to be a freshman this Fall)

As of today, she is also going to be swimming for Centralia High School. (*sidenote* The captain of the High School swim team is Regans private swim coach) The high school swim season is roughly twelve weeks long while Poseidon is a year round program.

So starting August 24 Devon will be swimming Monday through Friday from 3-5 for the high school and M,W,F from 4:30-6 for Poseidon. I realize the times overlap but both teams train in the same pool and the two coaches work together on the kids who swim for both teams.

Starting the day after labor Day the high school swim team will start at 3:30 instead of 3.

AND---if everything goes well and Regan makes the swim team (Poseidon) she will be swimming on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-5:45.

2009-08-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is our ferret, Stuart. More commonly referred to as Stuey. He joined our family months ago and I just realized I have never done a post on him. Shame on me!

So here he is. Michael had been wanting to get a ferret for years but I was all "A giant rat? In our house? On purpose? No thank you!" But then he went and got hurt and I needed him to have something to occupy his time. So Stuey joined our family!

The first month I didn't really touch him and really didn't like all the ferret smells. They have a really musky scent. We bought a ferret spray that helps him smell like baby powder instead of stink but it doesn't cover all the smell.

But now I'm used to the smell and play with him all the time. He is SO cute. And cuddly too! Whenever I hold his he climbs up into my hair and nuzzles my neck.

I was also a little worried about how he would do with Payton. Would he bite her or scratch her up? As you can see from the following picture he is a really fierce animal!

I'm really glad he have Stuey. He is definitely one of the favorite pets we've ever had.

2009-07-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

I used to be a perfect mother.

Fourteen years ago that changed. It changed because I had my first child.

Since then I have been reminded daily that I'm NOT a perfect mother and my children aren't perfect either. And you know what? I am SO okay with that.

I'm okay with dirty hands and feet. Messy faces. Shoes that are on the wrong feet and mismatched clothing. I'm okay with children who don't learn everything early and sometimes take a little longer.

I'm okay with my imperfect children. More than okay. I like their imperfections. Its what makes each of them so unique and special. Its what makes them them.

2009-07-25T17:05:00.001-07:00

This morning I was checking my email and found a friends request from facebook. It was from my Dad!

I accepted him and wrote a little note to him asking how he was doing since I hadn't spoken to him in a few weeks. He called me up and we chatted for a while. Every time I talk to him I feel a little homesick for Orland. I think the last time we were down there and saw my Dad was when I was pregnant with Ryan. I think I'm going to start planning for us to head down their this Spring.

He sent me this picture of him and a salmon he caught last Fall. It weighed about 41 lbs. He almost caught another one after it that weighed a little over 50 but it ended up getting away.

He was telling me a story about how he was painting the exterior of an Episcopal church and the Pastor came out to chat with him. The Pastor said "Hi, I'm Jim and I'm a fisher of men." My Dad said, "I'm Mike and I'm a fisher of fish."

So my Dad took him fishing.

That's pretty much what I've been praying for. That someone would reach out to my Dad with his interests (fishing) and minister to him.

2009-07-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend our church had its annual 'Weekend at the Beach'. We had such a great time. The girls and I stayed in a hotel while Michael and Ryan camped out. The campground they stayed at was pretty nice. Most of the other people from our church was there too.
The kids had a lot of fun building sand castles, racing go carts, going on walks, roasting marshmallows, eating yummy ice cream cones and playing with their friends.

I definitely think we will be going back next year. It is so nice to be able to get away for a few days and just enjoy the family.

2009-07-15T20:23:00.001-07:00

Today was one of those days where my To Do list was longer than my day. Well, not really, but I'm a homebody and don't like to be gone running errands all day.

Devon had her yearly physical this afternoon. We arrived about twenty minutes early so we decided to hop on over to the park across the street and shoot a few pictures. As you can see, the girls had fun!

Oh! Devon has grown four and a half inches since last years physical! Can you believe it? She still hasn't reached the 100 lb mark but she's getting closer.

After the Dr. appointment we headed to the pool. Regan had a lesson aimed at getting her ready for swim team. Devon had her second practice and learned how to do the back stroke. She is learning so fast! I am so amazed by her!

I took about a dozen pictures of them swimming. The pool is indoor so they turned out pretty dark so I'll have to work on lightening them up. I'll post some as soon as I can get it figured out.

2009-07-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

We had the most amazing thunder and lightning this morning. It started around 5 am and lasted for HOURS! When I first heard it I thought Michael and Jake were downstairs moving furniture around. Why I would think that is beyond me! Ha! It must have been the early hour that make me think crazy.

I finally got around to downloading the pictures off my camera this evening. I found this one and really liked it. The way its close up and half of her face is showing. I think I'll try some more close up but be sure to wash her face next time!

I'm going to go watch Atlantis with the kids. Hopefully someone will snuggle with me.

2009-07-11T19:15:00.001-07:00

Here it is Saturday and I'm just getting around to posting about Mondays trip to the library. How 'bout that? Am I on top of things, or what?

This week it was Devon and I who went to the library to pick out our books. Michael had the other kids and was taking them on an 'Adventure Walk' through the downtown area. I think they explored about a dozen antique shops.

One of their stops was to our local pet/feed store to buy some crickets and feeder fish. The bullfrog Michael and Ryan brought home from their fishing trip eats a LOT!

2009-07-09T15:21:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, Devon has been swimming with a friend of hers three mornings a week for the past year or so. Her friend, Lily, is on the local swim team and has been helping Devon improve her stroke, time and endurance so she could eventually try out for the team too. This past Tuesday was her try out day.

She made the team!!

Monday will be her first team practice. She will be practicing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4:30 to 6:00. She won't be eligible for swim meets until at least October but thats fine. She wants time to work on her time and endurance.

So if you see her be sure to congratulate her! She worked hard to make the swim team and is proud of her accomplishment.

July 3, 2009

2009-07-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

Please pray for this little girl.

July 2, 2009

2009-07-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

It has been a LONG time since I joined in on Things I Love Thursday. So long, in fact, that I can't remember the last one I did.

So todays TILT is all about the holidays. I just LOVE holidays. Actually, any day that involves family getting together and food. This year we are heading out to Michaels parents' house for a BBQ and fireworks. I am taking Firework Shrimp, Pink Lemonade cupcakes, Baked Potato Dip and BCT salad. I am posting the links to each of the recipes so just click on the dish to find it.

BCT salad is pretty easy to make. My kids just LOVE it! It is probably the most requested side salad in our house. the ingredients are pretty simple.

Box of pasta (we use farfalle or fiori)

Bacon (chopped small)

Cheese (cut into small cubes. Like pencil eraser small)

Cucumber (cut to the same size as the cheese)

Tomato (also cut small)

Ranch

Simply cook your pasta, drain and set in large bowl. Add ingredients. Mix well. You can add as much or as little ranch as you like. We like our pasta coated but not dripping.

2009-06-30T21:59:00.001-07:00

This weekend Michael and the kids set up the tent in the backyard and had a camp out. (Payton and I had our own little sleepover in my bed) They had a little campfire thingy(I'm not sure what it's called) going and make shish kabobs and roasted marshmallows. I think they took every spare blanket they could find out to put under them to make a cushy bed. ha! I think they had five or six inches of blankets to lay on!

June 28, 2009

2009-06-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to Westport with Julianna to check out Pirate days. She went last year and thought my kids would really enjoy it. Michael took one look at all the piratey-wenches and declared it a GREAT idea! Ha!
Seriously though, I think he was in heaven with the food options. They had huge turkey legs, elephant ears, fish sandwiches, burgers, Icees, Italian Ice, freshly made donuts and the biggest ice cream cones I have ever seen!

The kids had fun exploring a full sized pirate ship (not pictured) and exploring the all the shops and booths that were set up. I think we'll make this one of our yearly traditions.

June 27, 2009

2009-06-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

We spent Saturday in Westport. I think we love the beach.

June 26, 2009

2009-06-26T22:24:00.001-07:00

Yay! Devon's home from camp! She left on Monday and has been gone ALL WEEK! I picked her and Mariah up from the church this evening 7:30. We took Mariah home and then stopped to pick up some groceries and gas up the mini van. (Tomorrow we are heading to the beach to see if we can find some pirates!) It was nice to have a chance to chat with her before we got home and the kids attacked her. They really missed her. Especially Payton, who would wander through the house called for 'Dedon'.

Devon said she had a great time at camp. The services were just amazing. She made a lot of new friends and tried a lot of things she had never done before. Like rowing a canoe and jumping on a water trampoline. Oh, and she's TAN! Apparently, living in a bathing suit (with a tank top and shorts over it) for a whole week will do that.

June 25, 2009

2009-06-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Regan and Ryan's first day of camp. They attended the 'Under The Sea' camp at our local gym. They had a pirate/mermaid theme and played games, swam and did crafts. The camp lasts three days with today being their last day. As you can see from the picture above Ryan is completely wiped out by the time camp is over. Doesn't he look comfy?

This afternoon I'm dropping the kids off at camp and heading over to Julianna's house to do some sewing. I STILL need to get the binding sewn on to Danyelle's birthday quilt. I have the binding cut and sewn together so it should only talk a little bit to get it finished. *crossing my fingers*

June 24, 2009

2009-06-24T20:45:00.001-07:00

This summer I am doing a 'summer school' of sorts with Regan and Ryan. I picked up a dozen workbooks from the dollar store (2 each of six workbooks) covering addition/subtraction, phonics, time/money, counting from 1-100, word families and sight words. I made packets for them with each packet containing one page from each of the workbooks. I think I was able to make about 15 packets. I also picked up a few creative writing books with story starters and other ideas to get kids writing. I'm thinking it'll take us about an hour each day to get our workbook work done.

I have a variety of activities and crafts planned out for each of our days. I actually made a list of everything I could think of for us to do this summer. From hiking and making day trips to riding bikes and blowing bubbles. While I was at the dollar store picking up the workbooks I also picked up some extra stuff to stock my boredom box. Stickers, water balloons, sidewalk chalk, etc. Perfect things for those days the kids are starting to get bored and irritable.

If you have any ideas on crafts or activities for kids to do please leave a comment and let me know. I'm always on the lookout for new things to try.

June 22, 2009

2009-06-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

This morning I took Regan, Ryan and Payton to the library for our weekly book binge AND to sign up for the summer reading program. Since we are going to be pretty busy this week we only picked out a few books. Regan picked out the three books that are pictured above.

Ryan picked out these three books. I'm not sure how carefully he looked at them before adding them to our bag. I think he just wanted to hurry and get his books so he could play I Spy on the library computer.

I looked at Ryans book The Boy From The Sun and while it has very nice illustrations, I don't think its one that I'll let him read. Its going to go back to the library this afternoon.

June 21, 2009

2009-06-21T10:52:00.001-07:00

I mentioned yesterday that Michael took Regan and Ryan camping out at Jakes house. As soon as they got home Ryan brought me the camera so I could see the pictures of his fish. Ain't it a beaut!

The kids had never been camping before so Ryan was really concerned about where he would be sleeping. Once they got their tent set up Ryan did his little inspection. It passed with flying colors!!

Dinner was A little kids dream of BBQ'd hamburgers and hot dogs.

I wasn't there but by the looks of the pictures everyone had a great time.

June 20, 2009

2009-06-20T18:21:00.001-07:00

Michael took Regan and Ryan camping yesterday. They were actually in Jake's backyard but there are lots of woods and the neighbor had a pond for them to fish in so the kids thought it was awesome. I'm going to do a post on their trip sometime this weekend but I just HAD to show these pictures of Regan and her first fish that she caught ALL BY HERSELF!!

She was so proud of it. Jake was showing her how to hold it by the mouth and she was just about to when suddenly........

it MOVED!!

June 18, 2009

2009-06-18T23:24:00.001-07:00

Today I attempted to tackle Mt. Laundry and failed miserably. I think I might have done about half of it but I still need to put things away and get to the other half. I hope to get to it tomorrow but between taking Michael to both of his therapy appointments, taking Devon to get her hair done, picking up prescriptions from two different pharmacys, getting all Devons stuff together for camp next Monday, sewing the binding on Danyelles quilt, signing Regan and Ryan up for camp at Thorbecks...whew! I'm tired! I think I'll stay in bed! Is that an option?

June 17, 2009

2009-06-17T20:01:00.001-07:00

Mariah came and spent the weekend with us. Friday night the older girls went to the Ape Caves and didn't get home until around 2 in the morning!! They had to wake up early Saturday morning to go down to the youth group car wash. I think they were pretty much sleepwalking through the day!

Sunday after church I had took Jessie, Mariah and Devon shopping. The girls were looking for jeans and I was trying to find some board shorts for Devon to wear over her bathing suit. No luck on the shorts but I'm still looking.

Monday we picked Mariah up again and headed to the park for some hiking. If you want to call walking around on trails that are completely flat hiking. The kids had lots of fun though. they ran around like little crazy people and showed off their awesome gymnastic skills.

June 10, 2009

2009-06-10T08:15:00.001-07:00

I just love this picture! I took it the day we were out at Robin and Rogers house planting the garden. Julianna had made red kool aid for the kids to drink. Payton had never had kool aid before. She loves it!! I think she squeezed about four refills out of Julianna! Between that, all the dirt she found to play in and her sticky hands from watermelon-She was a mess! Actually, she looked like she had a great day! And she slept really good!

June 9, 2009

2009-06-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

We made our second library trip of the summer yesterday. I think we had about 40 books in our stack to check out! I'm not sure how much of that my poor old back can take!

So far we have only read a few of the books so there are no favorites to post yet. Maybe I'll come back and edit this one later and list em for ya.

Devon had a huge stack of books she wanted to get for her June research paper. Since there were seventeen books I decided not to list them here. She is having a hard time choosing between two topics so she got plenty of books to comer both of them.

Ryan and Regan continue to surprise me with their reading. Regan disliked it all of last year and most of this year. I mean really disliked it. Then sometime around February she suddenly decided she loves books! So while she needs to do a quick catch up on all the months she didn't try to read I think she is doing amazing! One of her new favorite things is to curl up with a book and see how many of the words she can read.

Ryan , on the other hand, is just zipping through our book box! Regan's teacher is going to test him to see what his reading level is. Not that its really important since he's only five and needs age appropriate books more than he needs level appropriate books. But she offered and I'm curious so we'll do it sometime in the next few weeks.

June 8, 2009

2009-06-08T19:39:00.001-07:00

This past Friday night Elissa graduated from High School. I can't believe it. The first of my nieces/nephews is now an adult!! How did this happen? Yesterday we went to a BBQ that was in her honor. Actually, by the time we got there (three hours late) she was gone. So I sat around with the family while we tried to convince each other that she was still twelve and we were still young.

All kidding aside, Elissa has grown into an amazing young lady. She excelled in just about every sport her high school offered, was active in her student council AND got good grades! When the big flood hit a few years ago she and some friends got together to help some families with clean up.

I look forward to seeing what she does the next few years. She has so much potential and the drive to do something with herself. It'll be fun to watch.

June 2, 2009

2009-06-02T21:00:00.001-07:00

This summer I am going to take the kids to the library every Monday. As a way to keep track of our summer reading I am going to post the books we check out on here. I don't plan on doing reviews of them or anything. (unless its such an amazing books it MUST have a review!)

Ryan says his favorite book from this trip was Big Brave Bryan.

Regan favorite book is definitely Are You A Horse?

My personal favorite was Violet the Pilot.

Devon has her own pile of books to read. I'll see if she wants to post them on her own blog before I put them here.

May 31, 2009

2009-05-31T14:40:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Devon helped at a car wash the youth group was holding and got a MAJOR sunburn!! She was holding the car wash sign for about five hours with no shade. I gave her sunblock to put on but apparently she thought covering her arms and legs as good enough. Her cheeks are so red they have little blisters on them!! Even the whites of her eyes turned a little red!

I've been slathering aloe all over her shoulders, face and upper chest but she was still in a lot of pain. Ali suggested using sour cream to help stop the burn and ease the pain. We tried it and Devon said she thought it was helping but Michael didn't like the idea of having dairy (bacteria) on her blisters so we washed it off and went back to the aloe. Hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow.

The flash on my camera washed out the color of the sunburn on her face. In person it is very red.

May 30, 2009

2009-05-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

SUMMERTIME!!!

Summer is time for catching frogs, swimming, sleeping in, visiting friends, stay up late, camping, yard work, reading, aloe vera gel, tank tops, sleepovers, boat trips, sunblock, popsicles, summer camp, the ice cream truck, road trips, sticky fingers, sun burns and family.

May 30, 2009

2009-05-30T13:08:00.001-07:00

Last week was the Zoo Trip for Regans class. Everyone took their own cars and met at the entrance at 9:40. Or at least they were supposed to meet then. About half of the group was late.

The first thing we did was go to a shark class that Mrs. Bol had scheduled for us. The kids learned about shark anatomy, how they live and even got to touch a shark skin! Kids under four weren't allowed in the class so I took Payton to the kid Zone while Julianna stayed with the older three.
When the shark class ended everyone kind of went there own way (some traveled around in small groups) with the idea to meet for lunch. The middle of the zoo has this big grassy area with a hill at one end and picnic tables along the edges. Payton spent most of out lunch time climbing to the top of the hill and rolling down. Man! I wish I'd taken the camcorder for that. She was hilarious!

Around 1:30 Payton decided she'd had enough and proceeded to have a MAJOR meltdown!! Too much excitement and no nap makes for crabby babies! I took her back to the van for her nap.

Aside from Payton falling apart, I think it was one of our more successful trips o the zoo. The weather was gorgeous, I packed plenty of snacks and everyone was in a good mood. It kinda makes me want to do it again. Kinda.

May 26, 2009

2009-05-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

I was reading Parenting School Years this afternoon and came across this top ten list that I just had to share.

Top Ten Things that are okay NOT to share with your kids

1. Your cheesecake

2. Your private potty time.

3. Your rationale for deciding who gets to sit by the window.

4. Your wild, semi-legal pastimes during your teen years - and that weekend they spent at Grandmas.

5. That, believe it or not, you want to yell way more than you do.

6. that Elmo is just a woolly puppet with a 48-year-old's hand up his butt.

7. That, come Monday morning, you're often incredibly psyched to go to work.

8. That sometimes you go weeks without eating vegetables.

9. That, no, you really don't want to hear her sing the barney song again, right this very second.

10. But that she should go ahead because you'll be so sad when she's too old and cool to offer.

May 18, 2009

2009-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

A Baby Meme
For Paytons 2nd Birthday

How long had you been married at the time of the birth? Payton was born on our 6th anniversary.

What were your reactions when you found out that you were pregnant? We were so happy. We had been trying to have another baby for over a year.

How old were you? 29.

How did you find out that you were pregnant? Home pregnancy test. I was using those things like they were crack.

Who did you tell first? Umm...Whoever heard me shrieking from the bathroom.

Did you find out the sex? Yes.

Did you deliver early or late? I was induced three days early

Did you have morning sickness? Nope. And I didn't claim to either.

What did you crave? Chocolate which was weird because prior to that pregnancy I hated chocolate.

Who irritated you most? I'm not going to say. Just in case that person reads this.

What was your child's sex? Girl

How many pounds did you gain throughout your pregnancy? 20 lbs.

Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Yes. I was diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder called antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. It made things a little scary but everything was fine.

Where did you give birth? The same hospital Regan was born.

How many hours were you in labor? Maybe an hour.

Who drove you to the hospital? Michael

Who watched? Michael

Was it vaginal or c-section? vaginal

Did you take medicine to ease the pain? I wish!! The epidural man was down the hall helping another woman while I was going through the worst pain. By the time he got to me I was ready to push. They gave it to me anyway so I had a good nap right after delivery.

How much did your baby weigh? 7 lbs 7 oz

What did you name your baby? Payton Joy

How old is your baby today? 2 Years old today!

May 17, 2009

2009-05-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

Regan has two weeks left of school. Two weeks left and she'll no longer be my little first grader.

May 16, 2009

2009-05-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we all headed out to Roger and Robins house to work on the garden. Today was the day we turned in the fertilizer, laid out the rows and planted the the seeds. We planted rows of green beans, peas, green onions, carrots, beets, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupe. And when I saw 'we' I am using the word very loosely.

May 15, 2009

2009-05-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

I saw this picture the other day and had to take a second look to confirm that they weren't my kids. Cause you know that's happened here.

If this is your photo please let me know so I can give proper credit. And maybe send you some chocolate.

May 14, 2009

2009-05-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

This morning was an end of the year swimming party for Regans class. All siblings and parents were invited to attend. We got there a few minutes late but once we were there everyone had a great time. I think my children are starting to grow gills. We have been to the pool about nine times in the past two weeks.

May 12, 2009

2009-05-12T18:03:00.001-07:00

We decided that the language Devon is going to study in High School will be ASL (American Sign Language). Actually, we'll all be learning it but she's the one that will have assignments she has to complete. Before we start I asked Devon to write this months research paper (she has to do one each month) on the history of ASL.

Yesterday I took her to the library and taught her how to do a catalog search on her topic, how to use the dewey decimal system and how to use index cards to organize her information. Before that she was using books from home. the internet and just jotting stuff down in a notebook. I think she did pretty good. She really liked having all her facts written on the cards and being able to shuffle them around until they were in the order she wanted to use them.

May 10, 2009

2009-05-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

The week before Mother's Day the local fabric store had an AMAZING sale. They had all their fabric priced at $6.00 per yard! As an early gift Michael sent me (alone) to the fabric store to shop to my hearts content!The top picture is 1/2 yard cuts of yummy fabric that caught my eye. The second picture is also 1/2 yard cuts but they are going to be used together for a lap quilt.

The third picture is a group of fabric I am going to make a twin sized quilt with. I am going to put the quilt on the bed that's in the sewing/guest room.

This last picture is of three 2yd cuts that I am going to use with quilt tops that I've already made.

Today was a very relaxing day. We went to the park and had a picnic. The kids played kickball and ran around like crazy people. We left the park and headed out to Michael's Mom's house. Its been a while since we were last there so it was really fun to see all the changes they've made. Cindy is one of the most creative people I have ever met. I took a lot of pictures of her and Lonnie's house and I'll try to put up a post with them in a few days.

All in all it was a great Mothers Day. Surrounded by family. I loved it.

May 6, 2009

2009-05-06T21:04:00.001-07:00

Michael and I had plans to homeschool Ryan next year using Sonlight and Devon using WAVA. After looking into the graduation requirements and WAVA's guidelines about working ahead we decided WAVA wouldn't work the best for us. There was no way Devon would be able to get the math credits she would need to get a diploma.

So we put our heads together and thought about our options. Public school was not one of them. We could find another virtual academy, plan to do running start (an idea we got from Amy) or work towards getting her GED and enrolling in CC. What we decided to do is Sonlight!!

So now we are figuring out the details. Which foreign language to do, electives, math curriculum, etc. I'm pretty sure we are going going to learn sign language as a family and so Singapore for math. Anyone have any recommendations for electives?

May 1, 2009

2009-05-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon Devon went into the laundry room to switch the clothes from the washer into the dryer. She stepped in a puddle of water and yelled to me "The washers leaking!" It turns out the pump and some other thing quit working.

That is not something I wanted to hear. I was already behind on laundry and the idea of hauling everything down to the laundromat while waiting for the washer to be repaired...well, I almost cried just thinking about it.

So this morning Michael and I went looking at washers and found one that was both pretty and industrial. They delivered it this afternoon AND they hauled away the old one! I'm still not caught up on the laundry but the kids think the new one is fun so I have plenty of volunteers!

April 30, 2009

2009-04-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Can I whine just a little bit? Yes? Oh, thank you.

I took the kids and myself on down to the gym today. We all decided the pool was the place we wanted to be. After playing with the younger ones I the kiddie pool, I left Devon in charge of Payton and Ryan (with Michael supervising from the sidelines) and took Regan over to the 'big' pool for some practice. I worked on bobs and floating with her for about 20 minutes then sent her back with the other kids. Since we got there too late for me to join the hydro works class I thought swimming 10 laps would be good enough for one day.

I made it through three. Barely. When I got out of the water my legs were shaky. I think its going to be a few weeks (months) before I can make it ten laps.

Oh, isn't that the cutest picture of Payton? I took it when she was going down the slide yesterday. Can you see her chipped teeth? She fell outside on the sidewalk last summer and chipped three of them.

April 29, 2009

2009-04-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

Regans school has a lot of end of the year events. I looked at my calendar this morning and i think there are about two a week through the end of May. May 29th is her last day.

Todays activity was a family picnic. We met at the school at 12, picked up our kids and met over at Riverside Park. The kids had a great time playing and I really enjoyed having the chance to chat with the other moms.

When we left the park we took Michael and Payton home for naptime ;-) and I took the other three down to the gym to get them tested for swim lessons. Regan did pretty well and is ready for the big pool. Ryan freaked out a little when he was asked to put his face in the water. After playing in the water for a few minutes he relaxed and started doing bobs and trying to float on his stomach. So, I think he'll go into kinder 2. Regan will start in kinder 3 but might move quickly into level 1.

Tomorrow morning will be my first water aerobics class. I'm a little nervous. I haven't worn a bathing suit since I looked good in one.

April 27, 2009

2009-04-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

I know, I know! I keep disappearing and leaving my blog for weeks at a time. I'm sorry! I got caught up in Facebook and got lazy. With Facebook I only had to think up a single sentence at a time. It was so easy! But I miss my blog. And I think that maybe my blog missed me.

So, let's see. Since my last post we have been to five birthday parties, two field trips, mopped the floors about sixteen times and mowed the front yard twice. Michaels arm was re injured (thats a whole 'nother story!) at work so we have been to many doctor and therapy appointments. In march we decided Ryan would probably do better at home with me so we took him out of school. I have had SO much fun teaching him. He is such a quick learner and so motivated!

I have to take Michael to the orthopaedic Dr this afternoon (he isn't supposed to drive) so I'll try to get another post up tonight or tomorrow.

March 1, 2009

2009-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

The other night I made calzones for dinner. They were extremely easy to make and the kids loved them.

They had just the right amount of mozzarella to make them fun. And just a little messy.
To make them I just cut some refrigerated pizza crust into 2x6 rectangles. I added pizza sauce, pepperoni slices and 1/2 a stick of string cheese to one half. Then I folded the plain side over the top and crimped the edges. I placed them on a cookie sheet and baked them until they were browned. About 9 minutes.

Quick, easy and tasty! The perfect dinner!

February 28, 2009

2009-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I love this boy? Or how cuddly he is? Or how about how funny and sensitive he is? Have I told you how his little sister adores him? How she follows him around and copies everything he does?

Every morning he climbs up in bed with Michael and I and snuggles up to my side. It's our time each day to talk. Just the two of us.

I know that someday it will be another girl that gets to hear all his secrets and jokes. I know that that day is years away. So that gives me plenty of time to pray for her.

Until then I will treasure every hug. Every kiss. And all his laughter.

February 27, 2009

2009-02-27T14:58:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Michaels 4 week post op visit with his surgeon. When he was checking in at the front desk the lady handed him a form to sign. But first she asked him if he was over 18. Maybe she thought I was his Mom?

They took another x-ray to make sure the bone was healing properly. It is. So they took off his cast and said he was good to go. Are they crazy? They didn't even give him a splint or brace. Obviously they don't know this man.

The boy with the super sensitive ears thought the cast removing saw was too loud.

Here's the finished product. Courtesy of Dr. Frankenstein.

February 13, 2009

2009-02-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

You'd think that having Michael home the past two weeks would free up some of my time and I could actually get some posts done. Too bad it doesn't really work that way. Michael has a really hard time sitting around the house doing nothing so he's had us running around like crazy people just about every day. The dishes and laundry piles are getting a bit out of hand. I think I'm going to try taking the weekend to get caught up. Although, now that I think about it I heard Michael talking to Regan about going to Chuck E. Cheese's tomorrow.

Yesterday was Michaels two week post op visit. I went with him to this appt. so I could talk to the Dr. about switching to an ortho here in town. I didn't realize they were going to take Michaels cast off and remove the staples. Oh My Goodness!! I almost got sick when I saw his arm. They had to make a six inch incision along his forearm to clean up the bone fragments and put the metal plate in. When they closed it up they put in SEVENTEEN staples! And they didn't even try to make it look nice! I think this scar is going to be a bad one. Not that Michael will care. Cause chicks dig scars. Right?

February 2, 2009

2009-02-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

Friday morning Michael and Wes were loading a crane pad onto a semi trailer when another guy tried to help out and accidentally caused the crane pad to slam into Michaels forearm. The break was a compound fracture so he had to have a plate put on the bone to hold it together.

The accident happened around 2 am and I got a call from the foreman around 5 am letting me know what happened and that Michael was about to go into surgery. Thank goodness my husband knows me so well! He asked Greg (the foreman) to wait until they knew what was happening before he called me.

So my Mom and Julianna watched the kids for me so I could head up to the hospital. By the time I got there the surgery was over and he was in recovery. I had to wait two hours! before I could see him. And they sent him home the same day. I think it was around 2:30 when we got home.

So now he's home and feeling fine but unable to go back to work until the surgeon releases him. Which means he's going to get bored really quick and start making me crazy.

January 28, 2009

2009-01-28T10:49:00.001-08:00

The other day Ryan was doing somersaults on the sofa and accidentally kicked my laptop off its stand. This made my laptop very sad and it decided not to be friends with us anymore. So I'm sending it off for counseling. Hopefully when it comes back all the issues it has will be resolved. Because I really miss it.

However!! Michael and I bought Devon her own laptop so I will be using it until I get mine back. So Happy Day! I still get my Internet fix.

January 18, 2009

2009-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

A Baby Meme

For Regans 7th Birthday

I've seen this meme in quite a few places in blogland and thought it might be fun to do it on each of the kids' birthdays.

How long had you been married at the time of the birth? Eight months to the day.

What were your reactions when you found out that you were pregnant? Scared. We weren't married yet and were terrified of what our families would do/say.

How old were you? 23.

How did you find out that you were pregnant? I took a test at my Drs office. I hadn't missed a period yet but I just knew.

Who did you tell first? My brother (who drove me to my appt. Then Michael.

Did you find out the sex? No. And it made people crazy. Some of them were even mad about it.

Did you deliver early or late? I was induced two days early.

Did you have morning sickness? No but I have IBS and was in the bathroom a lot so I told everyone it was morning sickness.

What did you crave? Salty foods.

Who irritated you most? Everyone irritated me when I got hungry.

What was your child's sex? Girl.

How many pounds did you gain throughout your pregnancy? About 30 lbs.

Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Just the usual back and hip pain

Where did you give birth? A hospital in Olympia.

How many hours were you in labor? My Dr started induction around 8 am. Labor started a little after 10. Regan was born at 2:22 pm.

Who drove you to the hospital? Michael

Who watched? Michael

Was it vaginal or c-section? Vaginal

Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Heck yeah! And it was awesome!!

How much did your baby weigh? 8 lbs 7 oz.

What did you name your baby? Regan Marie

How old is your baby today? SEVEN!!! Happy Birthday Honey!

January 14, 2009

2009-01-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

A-Z Me Meme

Here is another meme that I found over at Heather's Hodgepodge. Please feel free to join in. Be sure to let me know if you do so I can go check your list out!

A: Attached or single? Attached. It will be 8 years in May

B: Best friends: probably Julianna

C: Cake or pie? Cake. I'm not a big pie fan.

D: Day of choice? Friday

E: Essential item? Hmm...my laptop?

F: Favorite color? Blues and purples

G: Gummy bears or worms? Both. As long as they aren't sour.

H: Hometown? Orland, CA

I: Favorite indulgence? Fabric

J: January or July? My birthday is in January but I prefer the warmth of July

K: Kids? Four. And I am done.

L: Life isn't complete without....? Family

M: Marriage date? May 18, 2001

N: Number of brothers & sisters? I have one brother and two step brothers.

O: Oranges or apples? Apples.

P: Phobias? Heights. The kids getting hurt.

Q: Quotes: My favorite quote would depend on my mood at the time.

R: Reason to smile? I have a million

S: Season? Spring

T: Tag 5 People: Amy, Marianna, Jess (in CO), Jill and you!

U: Unknown facts: As a teenager my life goal was to become a politician.

V: Veggie? Cucumbers and jicama

W: Worst habit: Laziness. Is that considered a habit?

X: X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound.

Y: Your favorite food? I really love Mexican food.

Z: Zinc or sunscreen? Sunscreen

January 11, 2009

2009-01-11T17:55:00.001-08:00

Thank you to everyone who called or emailed asking how we were doing. Our house wasn't flooded but MANY people were. After reading some articles on past flooding and the conditions that led up to it I'm beginning to think this might be a yearly event. Hopefully not but we'll be as prepared as possible just in case.

If you would like to see more pictures of the flood just click on the link.

Jan09FloodPics

January 7, 2009

2009-01-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

I found this over at Heather's Hodgepodge.

Copy and paste it to your own blog if you'd like to do it too.

Just boldface the items that you HAVE done, and leave the rest normal.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41 Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60 Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66 Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67 Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

January 6, 2009

2009-01-06T23:13:00.000-08:00

Michael had Monday and Tuesday off from work this week. The owners and head honchos at his company had their annual safety meeting. Personally, I think he should have been invited to attend but hey- its not my decision.

So he and the kids had a big Wii competition going on. They pick an activity and each person does their best to get first place. Its a lot of fun for them but a little annoying for me. How on earth am I supposed to get on these top 10 lists when they have them so full?!

I did have a lot of fun watching them, though. Michael doing the Warrior pose? Awesome! Ryan trying his best to run in place? Adorable! Regan flinching every time a soccer ball flew her way? Hilarious! I'm thinking about hunting down the camcorder so I can share some of it. Well, I'll have to clean the living room first. So it might be a while.

January 4, 2009

2009-01-04T17:14:00.001-08:00

One of my resolutions for the new year is to do more sewing. I have so many ideas floating around in my head that I really want to work on. So today I set my sewing machine up on the dining room table and brought out a few projects.

The fabric squares in the front of the picture are going to be a lap sized rag quilt for my nephew Kyle. His birthday is later this month.

The quilt in the back is Ryans. I still need to finish stippling it but my machine is acting odd and doesn't want to cooperate. Do a straight stitch its just fine but when I change my foot to the free motion foot the thread on the back makes giant loops. Does anyone know how to fix that?

If you look closely between those two fabric groups you can see a little of the fabric I'm using to make some notebook covers. Skip To My Lou sells a really cute pattern using Steno notebooks.

January 3, 2009

2009-01-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

We had a very busy holiday season with lots of sledding, baking, visiting family, playing with our new Wii and enjoying each others company. My house still hasn't recovered.

Snow!

2008-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Yeah! Its snowing! While I'm not a big fan of the cold I just love snow. The weather peeps have been teasing me with promises of snow for about a week now and its finally here! AND according to them it will be here through the end of the year. Do you know what that means? It means we should be having a WHITE CHRISTMAS!! Michael and I were talking about that possibility and neither of us can remember ever having one before.

So last week I pulled out the tub of snow clothes and tried to figure out who needed new stuff and who would still fit into last years stuff. Devon needed new pants and boots. (Despite my threats she keeps growing) Ryan needed new pants and Regan needed new boots. Since I keep everything they out grow Payton has everything she needs. But I probably won't let her go outside. Its too cold and she's just a baby!

Timing Is Everything

2008-12-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

The last month or so we have been having some serious problems with our modem. It just wasn't keeping us connected to the Internet. Every time it disconnected we would have to go unplug it and the receiver and do the whole rebooting dance which took at least half an hour. Half an hour of waiting for the little green lights to stop blinking. It was lots of fun.

So yesterday I headed up to exchange our dead modem for a new one. (Which is much prettier) After trying and trying to get everything installed correctly I ended up having to call the help line to get things going. It turned out that the new modem hadn't been registered to us before they handed it over. A little snag. Not a big deal. At least they hadn't given us a dud.

So now I have a fast connection. Life is good. Oh, and I woke up this morning to LOTS of snow. I don't drive in snow. So its a good thing I got the new modem yesterday instead of putting it off for today.

2008-12-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

This afternoon Michael and I loaded up the kids and headed out to pick our Christmas tree. We went to the same tree farm that we went to our first Christmas together.

So we spent the evening hanging lights and decorating the tree. Listening to Christmas music and looking through our Christmas books.

I really love this time of the year.

2008-12-01T08:38:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was a big success. We had about twenty people over for dinner. Which I had started preparing for on Monday. I let each of the the kids make their own dish. Devon and Regan each made a pudding pie in a graham cracker crust and Ryan made a jello salad. I made the mashed potatoes on Wednesday and had them warming in the crockpot Thursday morning. That was a huge timesaver! This was also my first year where I made the turkey and ham by myself. We usually buy a spiral cut ham from the store but this year I made one of the hams we had from the pig we had butchered this summer. There wasn't a big difference in the cooking time and it tasted great.

I was a little nervous having that many people over thinking it would be too crowded but I thought a lot about where to set up tables and it worked out really well. There was plenty of room for the guys to watch the Cowboys/Seahawks game (that was just sad) and for people to visit.

So now its on to Christmas and the New Year.

2008-11-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Michael and Devon bought me an early Christmas present last night. Two baby Lovebirds!

For our first anniversary Michael bought me a parakeet. I had never had a bird before and had no idea how much I would love them. So for the next four years Michael bought me another parakeet on each anniversary. When we moved into my Moms house I gave my birds to my Mother in Law who also has parakeets. I missed having birds but life was pretty busy so it was ok.

So now I have two new babies! They are so cute! They cuddle and kiss each other all day. The kids are so excited to have them and ask constantly to have them on their shoulders. Well, except Ryan. He is so ticklish he can't handle having them on his shoulder so he puts on a stocking cap and carries hem on his head.

2008-11-11T11:08:00.001-08:00

Anyone looking for some really good gift ideas? I know Christmas is coming up and people are wondering what to get their kids that won't end up in the trash in two months. Well, here's an idea for you.

The cleaning basket. I made this for Regan after she begged for a cleaning kit like Devon has. Devon just has a few things she uses for the bathroom. Its nothing special. For Regan I went down to the dollar tree and checked out their cleaning supplies. I found a lime green basket and filled it with lime green cleaning supplies. She just loves it when things coordinate! By she I really mean I.

Some of the things I put in the basket are: a duster, two sizes of scrubbers, a bag of pink scented trash bags (the little ones), a washing mitt, a sponge and a travel size container of all purpose wipes. The girl was in heaven!

I have a few more gift ideas I'll share in the coming weeks.

2008-11-07T20:45:00.001-08:00

Sunday evening Paytons arm was injured. Devon was holding her and she decided to fling herself backwards. Devon tried to catch her but only managed to grab her arm. Poor Payton started crying and crying. After checking her out and noticing she wasn't moving her right arm I decided to take her to the ER to have it checked out.

I was beyond shocked when the ER doc took us right back to a room and got stuff going. He too thought it was a dislocation but after trying unsuccessfully to get it to pop back into place he ordered xrays. The xray techs brought their machine to our room and took two different views. One of her elbow and one of her wrist. The Er doc looked at them and didn't see a break so he tried again to get her elbow to go back in. No such luck.

So then he thought it might be her shoulder. It was really hard to tell where she hurt because she was freaked out by all the strange people who were touching her and she screamed everytime someone came too close. We had another xray done and even that showed no breaks. The doc was feeling so bad about messing with her arm he said he would try one more time to get the elbow back into place and if that didn't work we would have to have her arm put in a cast/splint.

She got the cast. It went from her fingertips to her shoulder. The ER doc told us to make an appointment with an orthopaedic dr. for Thursday or Friday. When I called to make the appt. they said they could squeeze us in on Wednesday.

The orthopaedic dr. looked at the xrays from the ER and checked her out. He removed her cast and moved her arm around a bit and determined that is was dislocated but had gone back into place. The pain she was feeling was most likely from a tendon getting caught on a bone.

So today is Friday and she is finally using her arm again. It was a little freaky watching her walk around with her arm hanging limply beside her.

Oh, from the time she got hurt to the time we got home from the ER was only three hours! How amazing is that? I've had to spend longer than that just sitting in the waiting room!