Thursday, September 25, 2014
Happy Birthday, Anneca!
Yesterday, September 24, we celebrated the delivery of Anneca Ruby, the angel in our lives. It was a beautiful day and we felt the love of many reaching out to remember and honor her. We feel so richly blessed for the love and peace the Gospel provides, for the pure love Christ so many people share with us.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Someone is Three!
Andon celebrated his THIRD birthday on Saturday, September 20. He wanted a repeat of last year's cake--a choo, choo train, and he was so sweet about it. Andon is a very grateful for boy: for anything you give him, he exclaims, "I LOVE IT!" He willingly gives hugs and kisses to everyone. His sweet little voice saying, "I love it!" with his arms wrapped around your neck melts your heart very quickly!
We celebrated by having Skyler's first soccer game and shoveling another dump truck full of dirt (12 yards) on to our yard (the front this time). (Sounds like a party, eh?!) We stopped long enough in between those activities to open presents, sing him "Happy Birthday" and eat the train cake. The kids also got to go play at the Thomas' house while we worked in the yard, and Andon thought that was all for his birthday party, too! (He LOVES the Thomas' house!) It was a fun day.
Andon has grown leaps and bounds this past year. He has a tender and determined heart, both at the same time. He loves his siblings and wants to do everything they are doing. He no longer thinks he needs a nap, but he gets to have "quiet time" each afternoon. He loves building and looking at books, playing trains for hours, crashing down something that was built by his siblings, doing Legos, playing outside, jumping on the trampoline, etc. He is just starting to cut with scissors and color pictures. He is a great singer and likes to sing out in Sacrament Meeting and during nursery singing time. He is a go, go, go kind of kid and takes a long time to fall asleep at night because his body just doesn't want to stop. He rolls around, kicks the wall and bed, and squirms for at least 30 minutes before his exhausted body crashes for the night. He is going to go far and accomplish a lot in life! His sweet little voice is so tender and excitable and he is speaking very clearly. He will tell you a story or what happened for several minutes at a time; just don't interrupt him! He loves going to the school every day and taking or picking up the big kids.
We love our Andon!
We celebrated by having Skyler's first soccer game and shoveling another dump truck full of dirt (12 yards) on to our yard (the front this time). (Sounds like a party, eh?!) We stopped long enough in between those activities to open presents, sing him "Happy Birthday" and eat the train cake. The kids also got to go play at the Thomas' house while we worked in the yard, and Andon thought that was all for his birthday party, too! (He LOVES the Thomas' house!) It was a fun day.
We love our Andon!
Friday, September 12, 2014
Projects and Pets
Skyler found a book at the library with different projects in it. He wanted to build the sugar cube ice castle. Here is his creation:
He spent about a week working on it: building the walls, waiting for them to dry, putting the castle together, making the flags with balls, forming the penguins, then painting them, etc. He worked so diligently on it. He is a definite engineer at heart and loves constructing things.
Kylene has always wanted a dog. Well, when we moved into our new home, we discovered our next door neighbor's have three of them. (The other side has one, too.) They work long days, so have hired Kylene to come check on the dogs and play with them on the days they are both at work. She loves doing it, and loves having her first official job. I must admit, even I have warmed up to them, which is saying a lot for me. Bailey's eyes are amazing, Pickles has a playful personality, and Rupert is just Rupert. It's been fun watching them get to know Kylene as well.
He spent about a week working on it: building the walls, waiting for them to dry, putting the castle together, making the flags with balls, forming the penguins, then painting them, etc. He worked so diligently on it. He is a definite engineer at heart and loves constructing things.
Kylene has always wanted a dog. Well, when we moved into our new home, we discovered our next door neighbor's have three of them. (The other side has one, too.) They work long days, so have hired Kylene to come check on the dogs and play with them on the days they are both at work. She loves doing it, and loves having her first official job. I must admit, even I have warmed up to them, which is saying a lot for me. Bailey's eyes are amazing, Pickles has a playful personality, and Rupert is just Rupert. It's been fun watching them get to know Kylene as well.
School Is Here
Another school year has begun, ready or not....
Kylene, Fourth Grade, Mrs. Eileen Ayersman
Skyler, Kindergarten, at home with me!
Spencer, Second Grade, Mrs. Michelle Hennessy
Kylene and Andon; he is showing off his new favorite face for photos.
The joys of my life, stair-step order. I keep telling them to stop growing, but they don't seem to be listening.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
The Rest of August---Sad to See the Summer End
We finished summer with a bang! So much fun in a short period of time.
On Saturday, August 23, we threw a surprise 40th birthday party for my dear friend, Sara Edge. We actually pulled off the surprise! Her husband, Mark, took the family to the first Eastern Washington football game while Julie Dumlao and I went over and decorated and welcomed people as they arrived. She was very curious when she pulled into her long driveway full of cars! Surprise! It was a great time.
The next Tuesday we left on our final family vacation of the summer. Besides our trip to Oregon, our only one, actually. I was really stressed about leaving in the middle of all the yard work, end of summer things to accomplish, getting ready for school, etc., but we had planned it at least nine months ago with the Brown and Bybee families (Beth and Memory), so ready or not, we were going. And I'm SO glad we did. It was a complete blast and just what we all needed!
We left Tuesday and headed to Seattle with Kyle. He needed to go visit a couple of accounts out that direction, so we decided to go a day early with him. We stopped at some neat viewpoints to see the Washington Gorge (beautiful country), and loved the drive through Snoqualmie Pass into Seattle. We then made a brief stop at the Seattle Temple and enjoyed walking around the grounds. We got a little goofy trying to mimic the different family statues. It was a beautiful day.
We stayed at a hotel about a block away from the Puget Sound waterfront in Lynnwood (north of Seattle). We booked two hotel rooms--one with Kyle's business account, and one personal, then asked them to put us in a room which was connected. Of course, they didn't. Then I realized that Kyle would be gone half the night. (He was mainly going to Seattle to visit an account that was installing a brand new kiosk in a mall; they can only install kiosks while the mall is closed, so he was there from about 10 p.m. till 2 a.m.) My children are still too young for me to feel comfortable leaving them in a hotel room by themselves. So....the kids and I got a room and Kyle got his own. So much for the first night of togetherness:). I got to sleep in the same bed as Skyler, though, so at least we got to be close:). We went swimming at the pool, pigged out at their free breakfast, and walked around the pier and boardwalk along the Puget Sound while we waited for Kyle to get done working the next morning. So, it wasn't totally spoiled after all.
Then we headed back to the East. We drove through downtown and saw the Space Needle and experienced too much of Seattle traffic. Then we stopped and got food for a picnic and drove to Snoqualmie Falls and ate and walked around there for a little bit. (The picture on the bottom left is from the Washington Columbia River Gorge.)
Then we headed to Ensign Ranch for the real start of our vacation! Ensign Ranch is in Cle Elum, Washington, just east of the Cascades. It is a beautiful, huge ranch owned by the LDS Church with all kinds of neat amenities: horse back riding, lake, river, fishing, canoes, rope swing, a huge slip-and-slide, hiking, cabins, teepees, tent camping, playground, etc. We rented the "rustic" family cabins for only $35/night. It has electricity, beds for four, a huge loft area, fridge, microwave, picnic tables with fire pit, etc. We each had our own family cabin close to one another, but we mainly hung out at Beth's cabin/campfire area, and took turns doing the meals, which was super nice. We had a campfire with s'mores each night and the kids played games in the dark, we sang a few songs, told hilarious stories (that didn't always make sense, but who cares?) and laughed a lot. It was sooo fun and so incredible to me that there I was 20 years later with my two best friends from high school and their sweet families. Good times for sure.
Each of my kiddos got to do a led horse ride around the corral for 20 minutes (for only $3!). They loved it. Kylene is hoping she gains 10 pounds in the next year, so she can go on the trail ride next year. (You have to be at least 70 pounds to do the trail rides.) The mommies and teenaged girls all went on the hour long trail ride (for only $15!). It was beautiful riding through the woods, crossing a river, and trotting a bit. I really wish I were more comfortable with horses; they are so beautiful and I love any chance I get to ride one.
We went canoeing a couple of times on the little Crabtree Lake. We even had a race; Kyle's "boys" canoe won, not surprisingly.:) It was very picturesque.
And, here are a few pictures from the hit of the trip: the giant slip-and-slide. It was sheer laughter and smiles. You can go down on your bottom or tummy, but it is better with one of the inner tubes. We went every way we could imagine: by ourselves on tummy and back, with a buddy (Andon was my buddy), in a train, and spinning. Kyle spent at least 30 minutes one day swinging people like a pendulum, then letting go and sending them spinning down the slide. I don't usually like spinning, but I loved this! I sat at the bottom and just laughed and laughed. Beth and I went down once together (one of us holding on to the others feet), and we fell off our tubes at the bottom laughing hysterically for about five minutes. I haven't laughed this hard in a very long time. It was very good for my heart. The kids loved every minute of it.
We stayed there Wednesday through Friday morning. Then we drove right outside Ensign Ranch and stopped along the Yakima River to have a picnic lunch and try our hand at a little fishing. No success, but in the trying, I suppose. The kids loved practicing their casting and playing in the water. It was special family time.
Our final stop on the trip was the Grand Coulee Dam. It was "on the way home", or so we thought. We were supposed to meet the Edges and Arbogasts there at 4:30 to do the final tour of the day at 5:00. But, things didn't quite go as planned:).
Kyle wanted to take the scenic route through Wenatchee, which was beautiful country. The only problem was my not-so-fine navigating skills. My phone had no service and his was dying (with no car charger), and we missed a very critical turn. We thought we were going the right way just because we were still following the Columbia River. We realized it when we had gone 30 miles past the correct turn! We made a fast u-turn, turned his phone back on to see if there was another route, and quickly took that one. We sped across amazing high-country farmlands with the most interesting rock formations, and arrived at the Dam at 4:58! Only problem, it turned out we were at the WRONG Visitors' Center. Oops! After all that, we still missed the tour, but it turned out the best part of the tour is closed for 11 years (!I know! They are replacing the turbines.), so we didn't miss much anyway. We met up with the Edges and enjoyed the Visitors' Center and a couple of movies about the history of the Dam, then went to dinner at a little local pizza place, then headed back to the Dam for the laser light show. We made hot cocoa on our little gas camp stove for everyone enjoy while we waited (not because we were that cold; mostly because it was fun!), then watched the show and headed home. We got back home at midnight, exhausted but full of fabulous memories. It was so fun being at the Dam with friends, too. We had a great time visiting and the kids loved being together.
Everything about the Grand Coulee Dam is fascinating to me. Just its' size and the remarkable engineering feat it was at the time it was built is neat. But the difference it has made to the Washington economy, and the millions of acres of land which it irrigates and provides sustainable agriculture for is fascinating to me. I look forward to going again, especially when the glass elevator is re-opened and I can go down into the dam and see the turbines.
Anyway, that was a long post, but suffice it to say, we had a great vacation and time with dear friends the last week before school started!!
On Saturday, August 23, we threw a surprise 40th birthday party for my dear friend, Sara Edge. We actually pulled off the surprise! Her husband, Mark, took the family to the first Eastern Washington football game while Julie Dumlao and I went over and decorated and welcomed people as they arrived. She was very curious when she pulled into her long driveway full of cars! Surprise! It was a great time.
We left Tuesday and headed to Seattle with Kyle. He needed to go visit a couple of accounts out that direction, so we decided to go a day early with him. We stopped at some neat viewpoints to see the Washington Gorge (beautiful country), and loved the drive through Snoqualmie Pass into Seattle. We then made a brief stop at the Seattle Temple and enjoyed walking around the grounds. We got a little goofy trying to mimic the different family statues. It was a beautiful day.
We stayed at a hotel about a block away from the Puget Sound waterfront in Lynnwood (north of Seattle). We booked two hotel rooms--one with Kyle's business account, and one personal, then asked them to put us in a room which was connected. Of course, they didn't. Then I realized that Kyle would be gone half the night. (He was mainly going to Seattle to visit an account that was installing a brand new kiosk in a mall; they can only install kiosks while the mall is closed, so he was there from about 10 p.m. till 2 a.m.) My children are still too young for me to feel comfortable leaving them in a hotel room by themselves. So....the kids and I got a room and Kyle got his own. So much for the first night of togetherness:). I got to sleep in the same bed as Skyler, though, so at least we got to be close:). We went swimming at the pool, pigged out at their free breakfast, and walked around the pier and boardwalk along the Puget Sound while we waited for Kyle to get done working the next morning. So, it wasn't totally spoiled after all.
Then we headed back to the East. We drove through downtown and saw the Space Needle and experienced too much of Seattle traffic. Then we stopped and got food for a picnic and drove to Snoqualmie Falls and ate and walked around there for a little bit. (The picture on the bottom left is from the Washington Columbia River Gorge.)
Then we headed to Ensign Ranch for the real start of our vacation! Ensign Ranch is in Cle Elum, Washington, just east of the Cascades. It is a beautiful, huge ranch owned by the LDS Church with all kinds of neat amenities: horse back riding, lake, river, fishing, canoes, rope swing, a huge slip-and-slide, hiking, cabins, teepees, tent camping, playground, etc. We rented the "rustic" family cabins for only $35/night. It has electricity, beds for four, a huge loft area, fridge, microwave, picnic tables with fire pit, etc. We each had our own family cabin close to one another, but we mainly hung out at Beth's cabin/campfire area, and took turns doing the meals, which was super nice. We had a campfire with s'mores each night and the kids played games in the dark, we sang a few songs, told hilarious stories (that didn't always make sense, but who cares?) and laughed a lot. It was sooo fun and so incredible to me that there I was 20 years later with my two best friends from high school and their sweet families. Good times for sure.
We stayed there Wednesday through Friday morning. Then we drove right outside Ensign Ranch and stopped along the Yakima River to have a picnic lunch and try our hand at a little fishing. No success, but in the trying, I suppose. The kids loved practicing their casting and playing in the water. It was special family time.
Kyle wanted to take the scenic route through Wenatchee, which was beautiful country. The only problem was my not-so-fine navigating skills. My phone had no service and his was dying (with no car charger), and we missed a very critical turn. We thought we were going the right way just because we were still following the Columbia River. We realized it when we had gone 30 miles past the correct turn! We made a fast u-turn, turned his phone back on to see if there was another route, and quickly took that one. We sped across amazing high-country farmlands with the most interesting rock formations, and arrived at the Dam at 4:58! Only problem, it turned out we were at the WRONG Visitors' Center. Oops! After all that, we still missed the tour, but it turned out the best part of the tour is closed for 11 years (!I know! They are replacing the turbines.), so we didn't miss much anyway. We met up with the Edges and enjoyed the Visitors' Center and a couple of movies about the history of the Dam, then went to dinner at a little local pizza place, then headed back to the Dam for the laser light show. We made hot cocoa on our little gas camp stove for everyone enjoy while we waited (not because we were that cold; mostly because it was fun!), then watched the show and headed home. We got back home at midnight, exhausted but full of fabulous memories. It was so fun being at the Dam with friends, too. We had a great time visiting and the kids loved being together.
Everything about the Grand Coulee Dam is fascinating to me. Just its' size and the remarkable engineering feat it was at the time it was built is neat. But the difference it has made to the Washington economy, and the millions of acres of land which it irrigates and provides sustainable agriculture for is fascinating to me. I look forward to going again, especially when the glass elevator is re-opened and I can go down into the dam and see the turbines.
Anyway, that was a long post, but suffice it to say, we had a great vacation and time with dear friends the last week before school started!!
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Part of August and Trip to Oregon
My parents came the last day of July and first week of August to help in our yard. My dad had a business trip in Sandpoint, so they came early and stayed after to offer some major help. We built the trampoline retaining wall one day, brought in the gravel to back fill it and the river rock for underneath another day, brought in the 50 yards of dirt, and roughly shaped the lawn another day. It was amazing how much we got done in a short time period. My mom helped out in the yard and in the house, keeping the kids fed and in control, and kept us hydrated. My dad was a workhorse out in the yard: the Energizer bunny who didn't want to stop even when Kyle and I did:). We hired Caleb to work for us a few of those days, too, and he was a great help.
August 2nd was mine and Kyle's 11th Wedding Anniversary! We went out to dinner with the kids and my parents on our actual anniversary, then had a "get-away weekend" planned for the following weekend. We had tickets to Huey Lewis & the News in Sandpoint, then were going to go hiking to a natural made waterfall that flows into Priest Lake. Unfortunately, some of the kids started throwing up two days before we left and kept it up for three days. We ended up deciding we couldn't leave throwing up kids with the babysitter we had planned (Mary), and we cancelled the plans. It was a major bummer but definitely part of life. I also ended up having to cancel a baby shower I was hosting at my house, but we still made the freezer meals for Ashley, so it all worked out. This was the first time we were sick since being in Oregon last Christmas, so I couldn't complain too much.
The next week, August 13, Kyle left for his High Adventure and the kids and I left for Oregon. I had been wanting to get there all summer, but with the yard and house keeping us busy, it just hadn't happened. I decided we'd better go while Kyle was gone as well. I had caught a mild version of the "bug", so didn't feel very well, but we headed out and made it there fine. Once we got there, the kids had a blast playing with cousins and friends, so I got to lay low and felt better.
My parents were watching Alva & Wendy's six kids while they were in Mexico, so they were at my parent's home when we arrived. Grandpa spent the week spoiling the kids day after day. We had a great time. We went to the Family Fun Center (go-karts and miniature golfing), to Critter Cabana (a great local pet store), out to eat, to Costco and got ice cream, swimming in their pool a few times, roasting s'mores in their fire pit, to Fir Point Farms (a fun local farm with goats, turkey, rabbits, ponies, a yummy sandwich shop, etc.), and to ride the "donut" train. (You ride the local commuter train to Tualatin, walk to a donut shop and get donuts, then ride it home.) Kylene had two "late-overs" with her friends, Lidya and Hailey. I got to go to lunch with Beth and Memory (always wonderful!), and we all went down to Salem one day to visit the Schnell's and Weber's. While we were there, Gwen came over, so Kylene was able to see three of her good friends when we lived there: Gwen, Gabe, and Rachel. They did two years of preschool together and and had lots of play dates from the time they were toddlers. It was so cute to take a picture of the four of them together, all grown up! It was also a lot of fun to go back to Wilsonville Ward and see lots of familiar faces; they were so full of love for us.
Even though we missed daddy while we were gone, we had a great trip.
August 2nd was mine and Kyle's 11th Wedding Anniversary! We went out to dinner with the kids and my parents on our actual anniversary, then had a "get-away weekend" planned for the following weekend. We had tickets to Huey Lewis & the News in Sandpoint, then were going to go hiking to a natural made waterfall that flows into Priest Lake. Unfortunately, some of the kids started throwing up two days before we left and kept it up for three days. We ended up deciding we couldn't leave throwing up kids with the babysitter we had planned (Mary), and we cancelled the plans. It was a major bummer but definitely part of life. I also ended up having to cancel a baby shower I was hosting at my house, but we still made the freezer meals for Ashley, so it all worked out. This was the first time we were sick since being in Oregon last Christmas, so I couldn't complain too much.
My parents were watching Alva & Wendy's six kids while they were in Mexico, so they were at my parent's home when we arrived. Grandpa spent the week spoiling the kids day after day. We had a great time. We went to the Family Fun Center (go-karts and miniature golfing), to Critter Cabana (a great local pet store), out to eat, to Costco and got ice cream, swimming in their pool a few times, roasting s'mores in their fire pit, to Fir Point Farms (a fun local farm with goats, turkey, rabbits, ponies, a yummy sandwich shop, etc.), and to ride the "donut" train. (You ride the local commuter train to Tualatin, walk to a donut shop and get donuts, then ride it home.) Kylene had two "late-overs" with her friends, Lidya and Hailey. I got to go to lunch with Beth and Memory (always wonderful!), and we all went down to Salem one day to visit the Schnell's and Weber's. While we were there, Gwen came over, so Kylene was able to see three of her good friends when we lived there: Gwen, Gabe, and Rachel. They did two years of preschool together and and had lots of play dates from the time they were toddlers. It was so cute to take a picture of the four of them together, all grown up! It was also a lot of fun to go back to Wilsonville Ward and see lots of familiar faces; they were so full of love for us.
Even though we missed daddy while we were gone, we had a great trip.
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