Santa Pictures

I'm just a sucker this time of year... they must see me coming! There are just so many fantastic things to see and do during Christmas and it all makes me feel so festive, especially visiting Santa. Actually, I always take my kids to see Santa and usually get the token picture. Now, instead of buying the poor quality prints from them, you can simply buy a CD with the image on it and get your own prints! Gotta love that! I noticed that you are now also allowed to take pictures of your kids and Santa with your own, personal camera (provided you make a minimum purchase). Guess I'll file that away for next year! Anyway, here our three...after only a 20 minute wait ;o)

New Camera!

My fabulous husband got me a new digital camera for Christmas and since my other one is not really working, he gave me the new one a bit early. Besides, who'd want to miss out on Christmas pictures?! Anyway, we went outside and I took a bazillion pictures, trying to see what the different settings did. I snapped a few of Addison whining and they turned out to be my favorites, so I did a little enhancing and this is what I came up with

I didn't do anything to these, I just thought they were really neat

Meet the Thompson's

Have you ever ran into somebody you hadn't seen in years? Sometimes it's awkward and you wish you'd just kept walking, but other times you kind of click and it's like no time at all has gone by. Well, I didn't actually run into Julie, but our encounter was definatley closer to to the later. We went to high school together and haven't seen much of each other over the years. We have exchanged Christmas cards and I can remember meeting for lunch at least once, but we haven't really stayed in touch. Boy was I missing out! Julie and her husband are working on adopting their 5th child and they each have such an amazing story. I hope you'll take a moment to check out her website http://www.bringingerichome.blogspot.com/ and follow them on their journey to now bring Matty home. She is an amazing woman and I am proud to call her a friend.

Which way did she go?

Saturday's are usually busy for us. We spend the mornings cleaning and recovering from the past five days of constant arrivals and departures, which inevitably reek havoc in our home. I also try and get laundry done and clothes ironed. Today was one such day - the kids were busy cleaning their room/playing and I had just taken another load of clothes out of the dryer and had every intention of returning immediately to move the clothes from the washer into the dryer. I got sidetracked, which is a common occurrence and then realized I didn't know where Addison was. I called for her and started looking through the rooms. She's a bit of an escape artist. Now that she knows how to open doors, nothing is safe! Raymond hadn't seen her, so I sent him looking, as well. A few minutes later, he called from the laundry room for me to come and look. At first I was irritated, but when I saw what he had discovered, I was tickled beyond belief! There she sat with grapes in had, enjoying her snack in the comfort of the dryer.

What now?

School's out at 2:45 and typically, Mrs. Cummings doesn't bring my kids over from the nursery until 3:15. It's a sacred half hour in which I am able to do a whole host of things I don't have time for during the school day and am unable to do when my kids are running amok. I also am able to tutor any students needing extra help, at that time. The other day, Mrs. Cummings had to leave early, so she brought my kids over shortly after school was out. No problem, they know their way around my classroom.

I was busy helping a student with algebra when Zachary declared that he had to use the bathroom. Again, not an issue; the bathroom is literally right outside my classroom door, so I sent him on his way. (He's done this before) Several minutes later, I'm deep into a math problem and hear comes my oh so precocious (except when it comes to using the facilities) 3 year old... pants and underwear down around his ankles and toilet paper in hand. I caught a few astonished glances in our direction as I hastily pulled Zach all the way into my room and shut the door. What now? He had brought the TP out of necessity but hadn't gotten around to using it yet (need I say more?) Do I wipe here or haul him back to the bathroom, with his pants still down. ...because if I pull them up...

Happy Veteran's Day

Prayer for our Nation

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

According to ERumor http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/billygraham-prayer.htm , this prayer has recently been circulated siting Billy Graham as the author. This prayer was not from Billy Graham but rather from a minister named Joe Wright who offered it in front of the Kansas State House in 1996. Regardless of who said it, the words still ring true for me.

How blue are you?

Our church held a carnival on Halloween and we, of course, took our kids. They had been promised candy and candy they got. Along the perimeter of the gym were several different carnival games. The boys loved it, Addison was not quite as impressed. What did impress her was the fact that anyone (and everyone) would give her candy if she merely approached them. I opened the first candy she got and started stashing the rest in her bag, waiting until she seemed like she was ready for more. It never happened. That first candy was a blue lolipop which she toted around the remainder of the evening. She didn't put it down, not even once - although I think it was probably stuck to her hand 10 minutes in. I took a gazillion pictures of my sweet baby girl and thought I'd share

and of course the pictures of all the loot... Addison decided to belly flop in it!

GOoooooooo Spirit Week!

So, we had GO Crazy to start the week and somehow I didn't get any pictures... Nor did I get pictures of Go Green Day but here are a couple of Go Team Day. My children were forced to support our teams. Raymond was happy to wear Kevin's Maze and Blue, Zachary less excited about my Huskies (0-7) and Addison, cute as every, supported the Detroit Lions. Actually, I think Zach took issue with the elastic at the bottom of his warmup pants more than the color, but who knows. Thursday was Go West day and that was probably my favorite. The last picture, for those unfamiliar with our school,is of our fearless leader, Tim Minge and his wife Denise. Spirit week is always so much fun, or at least shopping for it was, but it is also somewhat of a relief to return to our normal clothes and actually be able to run errands on my break!

Pumpkin patches and more

We had the best time at pumpkin patches this year. Fall is my favorite season and it wouldn't be the same without going to a pumpkin patch or two. The first day, the weather was beautiful and Kevin was at a football game so the kids and I decided to take a drive up to visit Grannie and Grandpa Bob. When we got there, Grannie had found a website that lists pumpkin patches and related info for every state! http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/ An amazing site with lots of great links. Anyway, we decided to try the Thomasson Family Farm pumpkin patch in Enumclaw. It was fabulous! We had so much fun and there was a ton for the kids to do. I think their favorite (where ever we go) is the corn box. There is just something about it they love. Raymond was especially excited because Grandpa Bob took him through the "big" maze. The next week, Kevin took us to Maris Farms. We've been there before, but they had a lot more to offer this year. Next time, we'll have to go a little earlier in the day so we have time to check it all out. Enjoy the pics!

Back to reality

I have no idea how many people look at this blog or if any of those that do noticed a significant decrease in activity. Decreased to 'nonexistant' I should say. It's not that I didn't have anything to say - I always do! but having returned to work, it is all I can do to keep some semblance of order in our home. But, alas, here we are at the end of the first quarter of school already and I feel like I am just now getting things a bit under control. Don't be fooled, though. Even as I write, the laundry is piled high, waiting to be put away, and the ironing even higher. The floors need to be mopped and the furniture dusted and yet here I type. But if we don't take a moment out of our busy schedules to smell those roses, when will we? As the holidays quickly approach (one month til Thanksgiving and 2 until Christmas?!) time will only become more scarce and I will try and remind myself, as I always must, to slow down and enjoy it... appreciate it for what it is - time with family and friends. Did I mention I am taking my kids to the pumpkin patch tomorrow and leaving all that house work undone?

The stroller incident

So, my sweet baby girl (see blog dated July 28th) is prone to misfortune-usually of her own doing. She is quite mobile now and her favorite pass time is climbing. She has, in fact, made it to Raymond's top bunk without being noticed. Don't ask... so to crawl into the basket of a stroller? No problem. Not her best trick, but it will do when she is bored at the park. Actually, she is always quite proud of herself, regardless of the difficulty of the feat. This last picture is the one I snapped right before she face planted on the ground. Will she ever learn?

I started typing this blog some time ago, but as life would have it, got busy and haven't posted in forever. So, here it is

Happy 3rd Birthday Zachary

His birthday was August 20th... I know, I know... 2 months late! we did celebrate on time ;o)

a picture is indeed worth a 1000 words! It was the first year that he enjoyed opening is presents and anticipted what was inside. I can hardly wait until Christmas this year!

Expect the expected

There is something about kids and water that always make me smile. Maybe it's because, when they are together, it's typically a bright sunny "feel good" kinda day. My kids and this summer were no exception. There was no end to my desire to capture just the right picture while my kids frolicked in the sun. Thankfully, we have a digital camera because there was a time when I would have shot all 24 exposures on a roll of 35mm film, gotten doubles printed and crossed my fingers and hoped that some of them would turn out. And now my camera has a little "video" options that I've just recently started making use of (and love!) Here is a little clip of Zachary helping Raymond to a drink of water. There is no surprise, but it's still funny!

Couch potato

As I sat on the floor last night, eating popcorn and watching the A-Team, first one child and then another and finally all three where on or very near me. I couldn't help but think, when did I become a piece of furniture to be sat on, climbed on, hung from? I love my children and I thoroughly enjoy playing on the floor with them, but at some point I had had enough, so I retreated to the couch - and so did they. It became a game and when I finally reconciled to the fact that it was "play time" I gave up being annoyed. After all, there will come a day when they will no longer willingly sit by me and all the coaxing in the world will not get them into my lap. I better enjoy it will it lasts!

Take pity

I'm new to this world of blogging, but generally enjoy the opportunity to express myself- I'm a word person and apparently like to hear myself talk, or so Kevin says. I also read other blogs and have notice that most have at least the occasional comment left. I, too, have left comments. But alas, there have been none posted on my site. Take pity, if you read this - could you leave me a comment?!

Sleepless nights

I don't recall the last time I actually slept through the night. It's been several years, I'm sure. Even on the rare occasion when I am "childless" through the night, it seems that my body still feels the need to wake up and be sure all is well. Then there are nights like last night when the kids are sick: wanting a drink, throwing it up, fever, chills - you name it... added to the "usual routine", last night seemed to never end.

My usual routine consists of feeding Addison and putting her down by 8pm and the boys follow by 9. By the time I actually turn off the bedside light after reading myself into drowsiness, it's close to 11pm. The dogs inevitably wake me between 2 and 3 and want outside. I am seriously considering doing this before bed... anyway, Addison wakes once or twice looking for her pacifier and then she's up around 5 am to eat, then back to sleep for all of us (with any luck) until 6:30 when the alarm goes off. By my calculations, I never get more than 2-3 hours of consecutive sleep! When does this end?

So it is now 10am and thankfully a Saturday because I am still sitting in my pajamas, waiting for Addison to take her morning nap so I can take a shower and try and revive. Zachary has thrown up 2 more times since his first episode at around 11pm last night and is near comatose on the couch, watching Robots for the 3rd time today. His whining is understandably at an all time high, poor kid! Perhaps we'll get through a fourth viewing of Robots more uneventfully.

Addison is One!

Addison Grace turned One. We thougth we'd do something simple... so we invited a few of her friend and had a little party. As usual, she had to be the center of attention. I laughed so hard when we tried to get this picture. It took all 5 moms to try and keep everyone sitting up and in line, and of course, it was my little monster that ruined (or made!) the shot. Gotta love her spunk. The next several years should be interesting as we watch her personality develop. My odds are on her being a handful - mostly because she already is...


Of course, she had to have the obligatiory first birtday cake. I wish I could say, as we could for Raymond, that this was the first time she had sugar, but it wasn't. As I'm sure anyone who has more than one child can attest to, it is difficult to follow through on every intention as you did with the first. No sugar with Raymond until his first birthday... some accidental samplings (and sneaks by Grannie) with Zachary and no pretense at all with Addison. I think someone gave her her first cookie when she was about 6 months old! Oh well, we apparently become more lax with each one - better stop now!!

No more network

Some time ago we weighted the pros and cons of having cable television (or television at all) in our home and seriously began to toy with the idea of cancelling our Directv and returning our beloved Tivo. In a move that still surprises me, my sports junkie husband decided we could do without it all. I don't know if he realized what he was getting into! No more ESPN, no more Monday Night Football, no more televised sports!

When we told Raymond, (7)who knew what was on TV at our house, he said, "Yah, no more football or basketball!" (We'd been watching a lot due to the road to the Final Four.) I had to laugh and personally, I haven't missed it at all. Oh, I miss listening to the news in the morning while I make breakfast and clean up the great room and I miss some of the programs that we use to watch in the evenings, but TV has never been my thing. As a family, we are all adjusting just fine. It certainly has freed up time to spend together. We watch movies together or play board games or just sit quietly and read. We recently subscribed to Blockbuster online and are watching the A Team season one.

This morning, I was doing the dishes and Raymond was sitting at the counter playing with his toys (a one time, he would have been watching cartoons) and I asked him, "Ray, do you miss not having TV?"
"No," he said. To which I replied, "I thought maybe you'd miss watching cartoons." "Ah, mom" he said, "I didn't even think about it until you just said that!"

Besides, now I have more time to blog!

If your kid gets sick...go anyway, right?

This happened some time ago, but I thougth it was worth sharing...
One of the struggles of parenthood is deciding whether or not to cancel plans based on a child's potential illness. On the morning of our planned departure to Seaside, Oregon, Addison woke up with a fever. Do we cancel? No,we decide to pack her up and head south. After all, a sick baby at home is the same as a sick baby on the road, right? Not exactly! Poor baby fussed much of the way there, so my mom finally drove and I sat in the back seat with her. Once there - we thought we were in the clear, but I think she missed her bed because she was up constantly both nights... and frequently hot and miserable. On the second night, Zach fell out of the bed once and Raymond had an accident so they all eventually ended up in bed with me! No problem, I wasn't sleeping anyway! Are you laughing at me yet? Just wait! Our stay was actually quite nice, so when Addison woke up the morning we were to leave, we held our breath. No worries, she was in a pretty good mood, so we thought the drive home would be uneventful. Zachy thought otherwise! First of all, he was tired from the previous nights fall from grace, or I mean bed!... and the ensuing meltdown so he was crabby to say the least. So, when he started bawling just as we started over the bridge from Oregon to Washington, I got a little upset with him and threatened to pull the car over and spank him if he didn't stop. Well, he stopped - right after he threw up all over the back seat! For a minute, I thought there might be a chain reaction (did I mention I was already car sick from an attempt to retrieve a pacifier from the floor of the back seat, while on a very windy road). We finally got a cross the bridge and found a gas station to stop at and try and "clean up"... yes, that's in quotes because there really is no cleaning up after such an episode. It was a stinky drive, the rest of the way home. Just to be safe, we moved Zach up, next to Addison, so Raymond wouldn't have to smell him all the way in the back - yes we did change his clothes, but it just wasn't coming out of the hair so easily... and my little angel boy, that little Zach Attach waited until we were on 176th street, almost home, and he erupted again - so that makes two (or 2.5 actually) seats that are now in need of a serious cleaning. Maybe if I can get Kevin to drive my van, he'll agree that I need to get that interior detailed. I've been hoping to have it done for awhile, anyway. It really was a good trip - minus the going and the coming - and my dear mother was most helpful and cheerful through it all, bless her heart.

She walks!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

OH, Baby girl!

I remember growing up being somewhat of a klutz. In fact, my dad always called me "Grace". I always thought my boys would be more accident prone, especially our little Zach Attack. But it seems that our sweet baby girl has inherited that particular trait. Coincidentally, we named her Addison Grace! - like mother, like daughter! Seriously, this girl is one tough cookie! I could go on and on about the many times she's gotten hurt and just sort of looked at us with that little distressed look -for about half a second -and went right on playing. Since she has been mobile, she has managed to hurt herself way more than either of my boys did at this age. Let me share 2 of the biggies. Well, one biggie and one somewhat smaller, but still significant to mommy.

THE BIGGIE

While on vacation several weeks ago, she brought a glass table top down on her chubby little hand. Now, before getting all worked up and calling CPS, unless I had been following her step by step, it couldn't have been stopped. She pulled herself up onto one of those unstable, round, patio tables and somehow managed to dislodge the glass on top and all but slice her right ring finger off just below the nail bed. Kevin thought I was over reacting until we took a close look at it and realized what we were seeing was the bottom of the nail... you know, the part normally under the skin... so off the the ER we go and several shots (guess who got to hold her down!) of anesthetic and several stitches later, she was bandaged practically to her elbow. Oh, did I mention she managed to break it and the nurse tried to tape a splint on, but she kept pulling it off - hence the overkill on the tape job. Poor kid - tough to crawl with a soft cast on your hand! She's a trooper though and managed nicely. 6 weeks later, it is looking relatively good - note: relatively. I'm still not convinced it is ever going to look normal, but Kevin seems to think it will.

THE NOT SO BIGGIE

What prompted me to write is the more recent event, which has confirmed the fact that my girl is going to be less a girlie girl and more of a rough and tumbler. She's already getting in the middle of wrestle-day with the boys, but that's a story of it's own...As I mentioned, she is walking, albeit, somewhat precariously... well, in her little, jammy covered feet, she doesn't have great traction. In an apparent effort to come visit me in the kitchen, I can only imagine (I had my back turned until I heard a sickening thud) she slipped and whacked her head right on the corner of the island. Oh, baby girl!! I have never seen a "bump" grow so quickly or turn quite that shade of blue. She looked like Frankenstein! - so I panicked. I was sure she must have a concussion. Sure that her eyes were too dilated... but Kevin was right this time, I over reacted. In minutes, with some help from an animal ice pack that somebody gave us years ago and I never thought I'd use... the swelling came down, but that beautiful shade of blue stayed for a day and is currently the biggest, uglies bruise I ever hope to see on my sweet baby girl again.

You don't know how good you got it

This morning, I woke up extra tired... Addison is still not sleeping through the night and I must have slept wrong, because my back and neck hurt. It's Sunday, so I knew I had to get up and make the kids some breakfast before we got ready and headed off to church. The sky was overcast and my spirits were a bit low, I was grumpy. I listened to the sermon, but my heart wasn't really in it and so I came home, put the kids to bed and thought I'd be a bit indulgent and spend some time doing something I wanted for a change. I looked again at my newly minted blog site and thought perhaps I'd spend my afternoon working on it when it occurred to me there was someone else's site I had long meant to look at and never had.
So, I spent my afternoon reading somebody elses' blog. Not just anyone, but Pastor Paul Kwon's blog. He and I have only met on occasion, but his wife and I have become friends since our boys, Raymond and Jeremy became fast friends in kindergarten. I have talked frequently with his wife Sun Young over the past 6 months, since his sudden diagnosis with acute leukemia, but I had not, until today, read his story in his own words. It almost brought me to tears. Thank you so much Bro. Kwon for choosing to document your journey for the rest of us to read. It humbled me so completely and reminded me so intently of how fortunate we all are, how truly blessed I am. Even when times seem tough, there are surely others who suffer more. But by the grace of God, there go I...

We are who we love

We've lived in the house that my dad built for a year now and it has been just over 4 since he passed. Every day that I come "home" I can't help but think of him and miss him. A friend of mine told me once that it never gets easier, just different. There is a difference... now I can think about him, all the memories we've created and smile. I see him every where: in the perimeter fence that he and Kevin spent long, grueling hours putting up, the wild ducks that fly from his pond in the spring, the occasional glimpse of "his mountain" that I get from the kitchen window in the winter and especially the grapes growing down by the gate. In the year plus that my dad was sick, and in the time since, watching that grapevine grow has not failed to tug at my heart. I would often stop on my way in the gate for a visit and try to get them to grow where they were suppose to.
Yesterday, I climbed a tall ladder and finally wound those vines around the cables that my dad had years ago put in place for them to climb on. There was nothing magical about it and it only took a few moments, but in doing so, I did something my dad would have done, had he still been here. There are so many things that he would have done that I and my family are now doing. All are gentle, daily reminders of him. Maybe that's why I love this place.
As I stood in thoughtful contemplation, I wondered if that grape will ever make it over the cross bar, to the other side. I wondered if I had finally made it to the other side of my grief. Kevin has said, on occasion, that he would have done that crossbar differently...he would have used another railroad tie and match the supports. I never did get to ask my dad why he didn't... why he used the log that is still in place. Indeed, Kevin and I frequently look at each other and say, "Why on earth did he do that?" So many unanswered questions. Still, the only thing missing is a sign hanging from that crossbar. I've long been of the opinion that "The Funny Farm" would be a fitting name for this place. Here, where my folks and my brothers with all their crazy antics and all of our families have congregated since becoming adults. I have thought more than once of buying my folks such a sign to hang. After all, this has occasionally been a farm and always a place I would come to laugh.