Northwest Moment

Sleep? What's that?

2011-07-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

I was eagerly anticipating the start of summer vacation with dreams of lazy mornings and sunny skies. Boy was I dreaming! So far this summer has been a whirlwind of activity that has left me exhausted!

We did manage to take a 2 week trip out to Utah. The kids all had fun especially at my cousin's house in Southern Utah. It was good to see all the kids reconnect and enjoy the time spent visiting, riding ATV's, and eating. I enjoyed the time visiting with my parents although it was hard to adjust to their work schedule. I wish we had more time to play but they needed to take their vacation time to visit my brother in AK.

When we got back from UT, Connor, Bryce, and Hunter began their raspberry picking jobs. Shortly after they started, Keith and Hunter left for a week at Boy Scout Camp. They had a good time and Hunter even earned a few merit badges. Once they came back from camp, I decided I would pick berries with the boys in the morning. I grab a different boy's punch card every time I fill my half flat. I'm not making huge amounts of money for them but I figure every little bit helps. Keep in mind that we leave the house at 6:30 AM. So much for sleep in time!

Friday night I helped the Band Booster club work at the Tacoma Dome during a concert. Our group gets a certain percentage of the profits. Since Connor is in band and Hunter will be in the fall, I am trying to help out where I can. I thought the night would never end. I couldn't understand why people would pay that much for a cup of beer. And it wasn't even one cup. They would come back multiple times. Good thing I don't drink. I could never afford it! We didn't get home till midnight and I was up the next morning for berries.

I am not the type of person who can go back to bed once I am up and running but Saturday, WHEW! After berry picking, I went back to bed and managed to crawl out around 1PM. I would have slept longer but was having a guilt attack. Berry season is almost over so then maybe I can get those lazy sleep in mornings I dreamed about at the end of the school year.

There are still a number of things on the calendar for the rest of the summer. Connor, Bryce and Keith are going to the San Juan Islands for a biking High Adventure. Connor and Bryce are headed to AK to spend a couple of weeks with my brother. I have also promised the 3 youngers a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge when the boys are gone.

Not to complicate matters, we added another member to our family. Daisy, the puppy. What was I thinking???? It is like having a baby in the house again. We have to take her out in the middle of the night and again around 6 AM. Hopefully she will start sleeping through the night soon. I know I can use the sleep!

It's About Time

2011-04-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! I really stink this year on the blog front. You would think from the lack of posts that we lead a boring and mundane life. Not so!

This Spring has really been trying. The weather has been awfully rainy and cold. If the calendar didn't say April, I would think it was January. Last weekend we did finally see some sun and what a difference! I am hoping for more bouts of sun and less of rain!

Since I haven't been keeping everything up to date, I'll have to give a quick run down of what has kept everyone so busy.

Connor - still really into shooting and has had some really successful matches. He is shooting well enough now that he has been moved up to "Expert" class. He's not happy about the move as it puts him at the bottom of his class. He is still young and has time to work his way up the ladder. He also joined the biking club at school and is looking forward to biking adventures with the group.

Bryce - joined football. Here they play middle school football in the Spring. He is having a great time and is really committed to the team. As a side bonus, his grades have been really good since joining and the missing assignment problem that has plagued him most of the year has all but disappeared.

Hunter - surviving middle school. I think the favorite part of his day is running home from school and beating Connor who rides a bike. Currently Hunter is not involved in any school activities but he is enjoying going to Young Men's.

Lauren - still dancing! She is wrapping up her year of ballroom dance. She only has a month until the end of the year recital. She plans to try out for the older performing group in the fall. She is also trying out with a couple of friends for the school talent show. I think they are doing a Taylor Swift song.

Kiersten - growing and learning so much! She is really becoming a good reader and I am impressed with how well she can sound out words. She has learned to ride a two wheel bike and loves to ride around the neighborhood. She is also in swimming lessons. I may try and put her in a session or two this summer. I haven't decided yet. She also had her first "wiggly" tooth. Not bad enough to fall out yet, but she keeps wiggling away.

Keith - working hard. Even though Keith gets to work from home a lot of the time, I try to keep him busy with "Honey-Do" lists. The last stretch he was home was spent building trellis frames for garden boxes, procuring soil for the boxes, trying to get the lawn looking better, fixing the lawn mower, and adding to our growing collection of camping gear.

Me - counting down the days till summer vacation! (Which are 34!) I have also been busy building our food storage. I have spent many hours since the Fall canning oddball stuff. My friends and I have canned chicken, butter, cheese, and hamburger. I love learning new things! Our next venture will be butchering chickens for meat. One of our friends is keeping 3 chickens for us that should be ready for butchering the end of May.

As you can see, our life is never dull. Most nights I go to bed exhausted and hope that dumb cat, Morgan, doesn't wake me up with his meowing! One of these days, I will actually post a picture or two on here even if it means making more than one blog post every couple of months. That's about it for now. Here's to more sun in the upcoming weeks!

Lost and Found

2011-02-02T14:37:00.001-08:00

Sometime back in August Keith lost his keys. For those of you who know Keith, this is nothing unusual. He was on his way to work and realized while he was on the train that he didn't have his keys. He called the Transit Authority to see if his keys had been turned in with no luck. He checked the parking lot the van was parked in, no luck. He checked with businesses around the parking lot, no luck.

Under normal circumstances, losing your keys means getting copies made from the other set. The keys Keith lost were to our cars, one of which is a computer chip key. To replace that key was going to cost $80. We decided to forgo that expense and make due with switching keys back and forth between the 2 of us. We did make a copy of the van key which somehow I misplaced as I was headed out of town. We made another copy and everything was going almost as before.

Several times Keith called the Transit Authority to see if his keys had been turned in. Each time he was told no and they only keep keys for 10 days before throwing them away. A couple of weeks ago, Keith stopped by a King County Library to check out a book. They told him the Transit Authority had reported to the library they had found his keys. Keith called again and was told they didn't have his keys but then he mentioned the library said they had his keys.

Finally, that triggered a memory of his keys and YES! they did have them. This was almost 5 months after he lost them to begin with! The employee said usually they throw keys away after 10 days but since this key ring had 2 car remotes attached to it, they were sure somebody would be looking for it. My question is why every other time he called and described his keys was he told they didn't have them?

In any case, I am thankful Keith's keys were returned to him and we didn't have to spend the $80 on a new car key. I'm also thankful he had one of those annoying key ring bar codes attached to his keys that was his library card. I am convinced without that library card, we would never have seen his keys again.

December Already?

2010-12-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

Every time I look at the calendar, it seems like weeks have slipped away without my knowledge. I suppose we are keeping busy enough that we aren't marking the passage of time.

Thanksgiving week we had a snow storm that closed the schools for a couple of days. Fortunately those days off fell before Thanksgiving. I was so thankful for the extra couple of days even if it means we will be making them up later this year. I was able to sleep in most days and prepare ahead of time for our Thanksgiving feast. It was also nice to be home bound. Every "normal" day involves running here and there so it was a blessing to be forced to stay home.

The tree is up. The cats have pulled ornaments off the tree. Keith's Christmas village is set up. The lights are up on the house. Most of the Christmas shopping is done. Only 7 more days of school till a 2 week break. I don't think I would be very sad if we had another snow storm that closed everything down again. Slow life down again.

Life as we know it

2010-10-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

Every week I hope it will be slower than the last but it only seems to get busier. Between work and managing the kids schedules, some days I think I am going crazy! This week has been especially hectic. It is Parent/Teacher Conference week and the kids are expected to attend the conferences so they can be accountable for all their work. So far I have been to 2 conferences. Fortunately, both conferences went well and I am proud of how hard Hunter and Lauren have been working in school. I have Connor and Bryce's conferences tomorrow and Kiersten's on Monday. I am sure those conferences will be good as well.

Yesterday while I was still serving lunch, I sent Kiersten to the library to check out the book fair. She would come tell me how much the book was and I would send her back to find a cheaper book. Finally she settled on a book that I agreed on based on the price. I only had a $20 bill, so I sent her back to the library to pay for her $4 book. She came back so excited and said, "Now I have lots of Park City money!" I told her it was my money and she said, "But they gave it to me in my bag!" Of course it looked like a lot of money too because they gave her change in all $1 bills. It was so funny and just goes to show how much this girl loves to shop. She is saving her pennies for Utah this summer and shopping at the outlets in Park City.

The kids are excited for Halloween. Any excuse to dress up and get candy is a winner in their book. I will have to post pictures later when they are all in costume. Hunter is reusing Bryce's costume from several years ago. Not sure what it is but some sort of spook. Lauren is going to be a vampire. We talked Kiersten into wearing Hunter's old undead pirate costume from a couple of years ago too. She went from wanting to be a fairy princess to a pirate. I'm glad she could be accommodating. I'm not sure if Connor and Bryce will dress up.

I am headed to bed. Lucky for me and Kiersten, we don't have school again until Monday. I am really looking forward to sleeping in! The older kids have half days the rest of the week but still have to get up in the morning. I hope they are considerate and leave me to my slumber!

Reflections

2010-09-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

I am always amazed at how quickly time passes. When you are in the moment, it seems to take forever to get through the day, the week, and even the month. Afterwords, you look back and wonder where the time went.

I have spent a lot of time thinking today. What is special about today? Connor and Bryce turned 14 years old. On one hand, it makes me sad that they are getting so old; but on the other, it is rewarding to see them grow and develop their unique personalities.

When Connor and Bryce were born, I was so overwhelmed with the thought of 2 babies. Due to their prematurity, they had to remain in the NICU for a couple of weeks. From the beginning, Connor was the stronger of the two, a definite leader. I never worried about Connor while he was in the hospital. He did everything he needed to do as a premie, he just needed to gain more weight.

Bryce worried me from the beginning. He had to be placed on a ventilator for a couple of days. Then his sucking reflex wasn't working right. Finally it all came together and he came home two days after Connor.

I still see some of these traits in the boys. Connor is still very much a leader. He is ahead of the game and school is a piece of cake for him. He is still skinny but is starting to "grow" muscles. Connor has been very involved this past year in competitive shooting. He has won many matches and plans to continue improving his scores so hopefully he gets invited to the Olympic Training Center. Also he wants to earn a college scholarship with his skills. He is also trying to get an online aquarium store going. He sells aquarium supplies and just received the first order from his website today.

Bryce is a follower. School isn't easy but the social aspect of it makes school bearable for him. Bryce has tried many different activities and just can't seem to settle on one that makes him happy. He is hoping to take up archery and wants a bow for his birthday. Bryce is very much in the "now". He doesn't want to think about the future, the everyday stuff is enough for him.

No matter what happens today, next year, or 10 years down the road, Connor and Bryce will always by my sons. I will always be proud of their accomplishments, big or small. I will always love them.

Heat Wave

2010-07-12T07:13:00.001-07:00

Connor eating a popsicle in the shade.

Kiersten loving the sprinkler.

Lauren showing how it's done.

First Job

2010-07-07T09:07:00.001-07:00

Connor and Bryce officially joined the work force this week. Their job consists of picking raspberries a couple hours every morning. For this, they are rewarded a whole $3 a flat which is about 6 1/2 pounds. They both have plans to use their earnings to buy shrimp for their aquariums. Hopefully the shrimp will breed and then the boys can sell the shrimp for a large mark up. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Gotta pick the berries first!

I started thinking about my first "official" job. Although I babysat a TON and worked at my parent's medical clinic every Saturday for several years, I think my job as a bagger at the grocery store is my first job. I don't remember how long I worked there but it must not have lasted very long. Also as a teenager I worked for 3 summers in a fish processing plant and a school year at the movie theater.

I hope the boys have a good experience with their first job. I'm glad they have a job even if it is only for a couple of weeks. Hopefully it will teach them some valuable lessons like money doesn't grow on trees, it grows on raspberry bushes!

Happy Birthday Kiersten!

2010-07-05T18:04:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 5!! She was so excited for her birthday to come. We started counting down the days 2 weeks ago. Yesterday at Church, she told me to make sure the leaders knew her birthday was "tomorrow" so they could sing to her. Today, my normally shy girl told everybody at the mall and Walmart that it was her birthday today.

We love having Kiersten in our family. She is really smart and is a friend to everyone. This past year she has learned to count to 39, count by 10's to 100, she recognizes all her letters, knows how to log onto the computer by herself- even entering her password, she can play games on the internet like Club Penguin and Nick Jr., and she loves to be a girl! It is hard to believe that she will be in Kindergarten in September but I am sure she is ready for it.

We missed celebrating with family this year but I'm pretty sure she has had a good day so far. By request, pancakes and bacon for breakfast, lunch at Wendy's, and tuna noodles for supper. Lauren even helped her take a "deep" bath.

We love you!

New Project

2010-07-05T18:00:00.001-07:00

I saw this project on the internet and thought I would give it a try. I took a pair of jeans with holes in the knees and cut them off right below the back pockets and front zipper. I added fabric to the bottom and WA LA! A new skirt for Kiersten! I will soon be making a matching one for Lauren. Right now though, I'm going to start dinner!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

Today I am so thankful for this great country we live in. I'm thankful for the freedoms we enjoy. I'm thankful for the freedom to worship Heavenly Father. I'm thankful my kids can go to school and not have to work. I'm thankful for the freedom of speech. For Connor, I'm thankful for the right to bear arms. Most of all, I'm thankful for my family and that nobody told me how many kids I could have or not have.

The girls and I took pictures before Church in our 4th of July finery. Happy fireworks!

Late Night Visitor

2010-06-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

The kids were in bed, Keith and I were vegging in front of our computers and TV when I heard a commotion in the dining room. Usually this time of night our cats, Morgan and Misty, get into a tiff. That is what I thought was happening. The only thing different about the sounds was the banging of the screen door. I got up to investigate and found this new friend on the back porch.

I went upstairs and got the older kids, who were still very much awake, to show them our visitor. The raccoon stayed around for quite a while even though 6 people were looking at him and we kept taking pictures. None of the pictures turned out very well through the screen so I had to do a little photo editing. It was pretty neat but now I am worried about my tomatoes when they start growing later this summer. Keith looked it up online and it says raccoons will eat tomatoes. Maybe he will give up and find a new friend!

Ballroom Dance Take 2

2010-06-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here are the videos of Lauren's spring dance recital. The first dance is the Quickstep and the second is the Rumba. She is taking the summer off but is looking forward to the fall session. Lauren really enjoys ballroom dance and she is doing great!

Time To Let Go

2010-05-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

From the time my kids have been babies, I have looked forward to the next milestone in their development. Rolling over, sitting, crawling, walking, talking....all the things that kids do on the road to independence. In the past couple of weeks, Connor has taken a few more steps with more to come in the upcoming weeks.

Last weekend Connor had a rifle match in Wenatchee. Due to scheduling conflicts, neither Keith nor I were able to take him for the first match on Friday. Fortunately, we have some great friends whose son is also on the team and they willingly let Connor tag along. Granted, Connor was still supervised by our friend and in the fold of his rifle team, but I have a feeling Connor experienced some sort of freedom. Keith did make it up to the match on Saturday and they both returned home Sunday with 1 medal and 2 trophy plaques.

Then on Tuesday, Connor wanted to go to an aquarium club meeting in Seattle. I had other commitments that night and Keith did not have time to drive the hour home and turn around and head back to Seattle so we found a solution that actually worked very well. I drove Connor to Sumner, bought him a train ticket to Seattle and Keith picked him up at the station when he arrived. Connor made it safely and is looking forward to the next club meeting and a ride on the train. I'm sure it helped somewhat that we have ridden the train in Utah so he sort of knew what to do.

I know I am able to handle these excursions, letting go of the apron strings and all, because my parents did the same for me. Anytime I wanted to go on a school trip to Washington DC or Europe; visit my aunt and uncle in Germany; fly to Anchorage for a date; or any of the other great adventures I had, my parents always supported me and my hair-brained ideas. Even though I worry about Connor when he is gone, I know I am providing opportunities for him that will hopefully make him a better person and fulfill another one of his dreams.

The Kitchen Sink

2010-04-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been 2 months since we posted anything on the blog!! It's not that we haven't been busy or anything! We decided it was time to move to a new rental and much of March was spent moving our household. Once everything was moved in, we left for Utah the next day for Spring Break.

One of the highlights of our trip this time was a visit to Angie's in Logan. It was here that we ate The Kitchen Sink, two of them actually. And for this feat we were rewarded with bumper stickers. Thanks to Grandpa for taking us for this treat!

The Reptile Man

2010-02-03T23:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight at the Elementary School, The Reptile Man put on a show. I took Hunter, Lauren, and Kiersten. We learned some interesting facts about snakes, turtles, lizards, and alligators. The presenter brought tons of reptiles to showcase. After the show, he had a tortoise, burmese albino python, and a rock iguana out for the kids to touch and in the case of the burmese python, hold.

Hunter, Kiersten, and Lauren all took turns with the reptiles. Kiersten said her favorite part was when the tortoise peed on the floor.

Epic Saying Take Two!

2010-02-03T22:53:00.000-08:00

As we were getting ready for Church on Sunday, Connor was very vocal about needing new clothes. He continued to complain as we loaded up and drove the the Church building. Kiersten quickly put an end to his complaining with a, "Too tight, huh?".

We all started cracking up including Connor. The only one who was not happy was Kiersten who thought we were laughing at her. One day she will understand if you say something funny, people will laugh with you.

Where does time go?

2010-01-19T22:05:00.000-08:00

Here it is, halfway through January and I still can't write the correct year on anything. I look back at the last post and realize it has been a month since I have updated the blog. It seems lately, time has been flying by. So much has happened in the past month, I will hit the highlights.

* Keith's mom came to visit for Christmas. We had a fun time with lots of sleep in days. Grandma took Lauren, Kiersten, and me to the Nutcracker ballet. Lauren really enjoyed it but Kiersten not so much. Afterwords, she thought it was good but it was hard for her to sit still and watch.

*Keith had surgery on his knee. The doctor removed some torn cartilage from his knee. Thankfully he recovered quickly with no complications.

*Connor took 1st place Prone in 2 shooting matches. One of his 1st Place finishes was for the whole state of Washington. Lately he has been building rockets and finding things to solder together.

*Bryce is also doing well in shooting. He has participated in 1 match so far and placed 5th, just a couple of points out of medalling. Bryce also got a metal detector for Christmas and hopes to find something valuable in his treasure hunting.

*Hunter added 2 more hamsters to our menagerie. They are pretty cute dwarf hamsters named Buddy and Cutie. He is really showing responsibility taking care of his pets.

*Lauren started another session of ballroom dance, this time working on the Cha Cha and the Waltz. Lauren also started reading the Twilight series. Will she like Edward or Jacob?

*Kiersten really enjoyed Christmas break, especially the sleep in days! She is back in Preschool and is doing really well learning her letters. She learns scriptures in her Preschool and can quote John 3:16 for you!

*As for me, I am staying busy. I just got back into couponing and had a very successful day of grocery shopping last weekend. Keith and the kids were way impressed!

There you are...all updated. For now.

Lauren's Ballroom Showcase

2009-12-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

Make sure you wait about 25 seconds for dance to begin. This first one is the Viennese Waltz to the song "Once Upon A December".

Again, make sure you wait for the video to run 25 seconds or so before the dance comes on. This one is the Mambo to the song "Mambo!".

Lauren really loves ballroom dance and will be continuing class in January learning the Waltz and Cha Cha.

Connor's Band Concert

2009-12-18T09:22:00.000-08:00

I tried to post another video but it wouldn't upload. Connor still enjoys playing the clarinet and loves to try new music.

Kiersten's Preschool Christmas Program

2009-12-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

A few musical selections from Kiersten's Christmas Program.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree?

2009-12-18T08:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas means time to put the Christmas tree up. The tree had not even been up for a couple of hours when we found a surprise in the tree. Definitely not a Partridge! Morgan thinks he is so sneaky but after a few pictures, Keith pulled him out. Fortunately he has not made a repeat visit.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

I realized I have been very neglectful to the blog. So here goes.

We went to Utah over Thanksgiving and spent a very fun and tiring weekend with my parents, my sister, and her family. My mom, sister, Keith and I were dedicated to shopping the sales and found us not only up at 3:45AM on Black Friday but also making visits to Old Navy and Michaels on Thanksgiving Day. All the cousins got along well and were happy to see each other again. James was especially happy to be with his Lauren again.

We also took everyone to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. My favorite tree was a huge one covered in red lights. There must have been thousands and thousands of lights. It was really cool to look up underneath the branches.

As always, we had a great time and can't wait to come back to Grandma and Grandpa's for another visit.

A Hot Date

2009-11-18T23:44:00.000-08:00

No pictures to go with this one only because we weren't supposed to take any. Keith's name was drawn to fly down to Portland on his boss' airplane and attend the Portland Trailblazers game. I got to go with him. We boarded the plane and quickly got settled in comfy seats and enjoyed a drink, water for me and Sprite for Keith, and warm mixed nuts. It is only a 35 min flight from Seattle and it quickly passed.

We were met in Portland by a bus that was literally 2 steps from the boarding stairs of the plane. The bus shuttled us over to the Rose Garden where we entered under the building. On the bus we were given Executive Guest badges to wear. Once at the Rose Garden, we went up to the suite and enjoyed salmon kabobs, pizza, shrimp cocktail and other goodies. After about 15 min. or so, Keith and I, along with 6 other people were led down to the basketball court. We were lucky enough to have courtside seats. We were almost at center court and had a great view of the game.

We were allowed to order anything off the menu so I got chicken wings, fish and chips, and Dibs ice cream for dessert. Keith shared the wings, had a hamburger, and a pint of ice cream for dessert. We were stuffed!

Highlights of the game include the Blazers winning, a player from the Detroit Pistons stepping on Keith's toe as the player threw in the basketball, and Fernandez from the Blazers almost running me over and patting me on the shoulder as he returned to the game.

After the game, we were led back to the bus and taken back to the plane where we enjoyed hot chocolate and a gianormous cookie on the ride home. It really was a fun night and I would love to go again if we have the opportunity. A big, huge thank you goes out to Keith's boss!

By the way, the kids survived just fine without us for the evening. A neighbor checked in with them and they texted us a few times. They even saw us on TV!

2009-11-03T22:22:00.001-08:00

These are 2 targets from practice tonight. the center 2 targets are sight in targets. Not to bad for someone that never had shot a gun until this summer.

Ballroom Dance

2009-11-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

Lauren is taking Ballroom Dance this year. Currently they are working on the Mambo and the Viennese Waltz. Here is a short video of the first part of the Waltz. They added more onto it tonight including a lift! Lauren is pretty nervous about the lift but with practice, she will feel more comfortable. Her showcase is December 17.

Halloween

2009-10-31T20:35:00.001-07:00

The kids and their candy stash! We did the Ward Trunk or Treat and then went to a friends neighborhood. I think it will keep the kids in candy till at least tomorrow night! Lauren was a witch, Kiersten was a devil, Hunter wore his skeleton shirt, and Connor and Bryce didn't dress up but still went for the candy.

Another Great Craigslist Find

2009-10-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

Our new acquisition today is a 37 gallon fish tank complete with a nice table stand and tons of food and supplies. The price was just right... FREE! Connor, our aquarium guru, is head over heels excited to have a larger aquarium to set up. So far, he has cleaned it and filled it with water. Now we have to let the water filter through to clear up the sediment. Once the water is clear, we will begin to add plants and fish. This will make 7 aquariums of various sizes throughout the house. I'm sure glad fish don't make any noise or chew up shoes. Much better than a puppy!

Capitol City Jr. Rifle Club

2009-10-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

At Boy Scout Camp this summer, Connor placed 1st out of all the campers in a Marksmen contest. This sparked an interest in shooting which led to Connor joining a rifle club. He has to go to Olympia once every week which fortunately we split with another family in our Ward. Connor's coach says he has great potential as a marksman. Eventually, Connor will be in competitions held all over Washington and Oregon. There have even been members of this club who have gotten scholarships to college and gone to the Olympics. No pressure!

Kiersten's 1st Field Trip

2009-10-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

Kiersten went to the Edgewood Fire Department for her Preschool field trip. Keith got to go with her. The couple of preschool classes before the field trip were spent learning about fire safety, stop lights, and fire trucks. One day she came home and asked Keith where our special meeting place was. Needless to say, she was WAY excited to go to the fire station!

Kiersten with her Sunbeam and Preschool friends, Kendall and Nora.

Sitting in the drivers seat.

Checking out the oxygen tank.

Goofy Kiddos

2009-09-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

An Early Birthday

2009-09-20T21:45:00.001-07:00

Connor and Bryce decided they wanted BB guns for their birthday this year. Since their birthday is on Friday, Keith took them down to Cabellas Saturday to pick up their guns since we knew a trip down there this week wasn't going to happen.

I can't believe the boys are turning 13. It seems like just yesterday when they were so tiny and I had no idea what to do with twin babies. Now I just have no idea what to do with twin teenagers!

Look Ma, No Hands!

2009-09-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

Kiersten's Cool Trick!!

Kiersten Goes to Preschool

2009-09-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

Kiersten finally started Preschool on Thursday after weeks of counting down the days. She had a great first day! She started off by putting on a name tag and then right on to painting! Kiersten had Oreos and apple juice for snack, had recess, learned "Little Miss Muffet", and got to have free play. She said everyone got to pick a toy, bring it back to their seat to play with and then when they were done, they had to find a home for their toy. I really hope this lesson of finding a home for your toys starts to work it's way into our house! Kiersten can't wait to go again next week!

Preparing for the Winter

2009-09-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

After many days spent on canning this past month, here is what I have accomplished. With the peaches, pears and apricots, two of my friends came over and we worked together to get all of our fruit done. I feel more prepared for the winter now and look forward to enjoying the "fruits of my labors". I joked with my friends that I will not let anyone touch anything we worked so hard to bottle until October. We'll see if I can hold out that long.

This year I bottled for our family: 20 quarts of pickles, 12 half pints of cherries, 3 1/2 quarts of cherry pie filling, 7 pints of blueberry pie filling, 7 quarts of applesauce, 38 quarts peaches, 35 quarts of pears, 15 quarts of apricots, 9 1/2 quarts of pear sauce, 13 half pints of jalapeno pepper jelly, and 13 pints of pizza sauce.

I learned a lot and especially enjoyed working together with my friends. Already I am planning what I want to do next year. Hopefully I will acquire a pressure cooker so I can venture into canning vegetables.

Ward Campout

2009-08-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

We went camping this weekend at Ensign Ranch up in the Cascades about an hour and a half from our house. It was the first time our Ward has ever had a campout. We had a great time and Ensign Ranch is full of activities. Two brave souls took the kids who were over 8 years old floating down the Yakima River on their tubes. The kids loved this adventure but were freezing when they got out of the river. Keith jumped in and quickly turned numb. I don't know how the kids lasted so long in the cold water. They wanted to go again, but after a hairy ride for the adults and some of the kids, it was decided that once was enough.

On the way to the drop off zone.

Another highlight was the slip and slide. With the help of a tube, you could slide all the way to the end of the rubber mat. Hunter thought it would be fun to become a human Life Saver roll!

All the boys in at our campout had a lot of fun making chains going down the slip and slide hill. By the time they reached the bottom, the formations had broken up but everyone is smiling!

There was also horseback riding. I led Kiersten around on this horse named Micah. She got to ride for 15 minutes. Micah liked to stop especially as we neared his food. It took some healthy tugs to get him going again. Kiersten liked her ride but was happy when it was done!

Lauren went on a trail ride with Harry the horse. After a 15 min orientation video, she got to ride for about 45 minutes. There was a group of 7 riders plus 3 workers. It was great fun for her! I thought it was pretty cool she could ride by herself and not have to be doubled up with a more experienced rider. I hope a pony will not be on her Christmas list!

We also went on a hay ride around the camp with the Auna's. Kiersten and Lauren really like to hang out with Tania and Ruth! Ensign Ranch is about 325 acres and houses lots of campsites and also an area just for Girls Camp. It took an hour for wagon to drive all of the loops around the various campsites.

We had a great time! The only downside were the vast number of yellow jackets that made their appearance anytime food was out. There were several bee stings among our fellow campers but fortunately, none of our kids were stung. I am very thankful I didn't get stung either. To this day, I have never been stung by a bee and hope to keep it that way! Keith and I look forward to the next time we can go camping. Hopefully the kids do too!

More Crabbing and Fishing

2009-08-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

While Connor and Bryce were at Scout camp, Keith took Hunter crabbing several times. Overall, they caught 5 red rock crabs and 2 dungeness. Keith cooked them up and put them in the freezer for another day. When the boys came home from camp, Keith took all the boys fishing. Bryce caught a 20 inch pink salmon which is also now in our freezer.

First Crabbing of the Season

2009-08-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

After the Blue Angels we went to Dash Point to try our luck at crabbing. 2 hours later we gave up with only one keeper and lots of hungry kids. We gave our solo crab to a fellow fisherman and headed home for supper. Not crab but chicken!

The Blue Angels

2009-08-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the show to start

Kiersten and Hunter dipping their feet into Lake Washington

Connor picking blackberries before the show

"Fat Albert" started the show

Today we went to Seattle to watch the Blue Angels perform. We left in plenty of time to find a spot and ended up with great seats right on Lake Washington! It was sunny and hot but a breeze was blowing off Lake Washington so it was almost perfect. Kiersten got impatient with waiting for the show and was ready to leave before it even started. I'm pretty sure the rest of the kids were impressed with the acrobatics.

Eat Mor Chikin!

2009-07-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

While in North Carolina, Chick-Fil-A sponsored a cow appreciation day. All we had to do was dress like a cow and Chick-Fil-A gave us a free lunch. Bryce opted not to come because he didn't want to dress like a cow. Oh well, he missed lunch and the rest of us had a good time.

Happy Birthday Kiersten!

2009-07-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

In the midst of all our travels, Kiersten turned 4 years old! We celebrated her birthday on the 4th of July at Tanya's house in Idaho. She had a great day! First there was the parade, then a picnic lunch complete with Scooby Snacks and Salsa, a water fight and finally cake, ice cream and presents. Because Kiersten's Uncle Jeff has a birthday a couple days after Kiersten's, Tanya arranged for a cake to celebrate both birthdays. Kiersten loved all the time with her cousins: James, Joseph, Ben, Emma, Logan, and Aiden!

We love Princess Kiersten! We're thankful you are in our family!

North Carolina

2009-07-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

Bryce, Keith, Kiersten, Hunter, and cousin Andrew at the Turtle Hospital

Hunter, Lauren, and Kiersten walking home from the beach with the cousins

The 3rd Generation

The Birkeland Family - 3 Generations

John showing Connor how to fly a kite with Hunter watching

Melanie and Kiersten making a sand castle

Lauren showing off her new hairdo compliments of Dottie

Keith flipping off the sea kayak after being hit by a wave

Our family with Lois

We were very fortunate to go out to North Carolina this month. I spent 2 weeks in NC with the kids and Keith was able to come out for a week. During the time we were there, we attended the Birkeland Family Reunion. Keith's mom, Lois, and her sister, Joyce, planned a fun filled week on Topsail Island. In total, we had 30 adults and 20 kids. Our kids had a great time playing with their cousins!

We spent most of our time on the beach digging holes, boogie boarding, and body surfing. One day, Keith's cousin's husband took all the boys way out on a sand bar to give them a good push on their boogie boards. By doing this, the boys could ride the wave half way back to the beach. Keith perfected flipping over the waves. Kiersten didn't like the water very much because she got pummeled by a few waves. She would walk up to the surf and fill buckets with water to use in her sand creations. Lauren just LOVED having girl cousins her age and spent a lot of time playing with them and even had a few sleepovers.

Bryce, Connor, and Hunter were just 3 of the group of 11 boys that ranged between 6 and 13. There was one other boy cousin who was 2, so he missed out on a lot of the boy stuff. One night all of the boys spent the night at our house. We decided to play a joke on Keith's Uncle Don. We took all the boys over to Uncle Don's house with their pillows. They knocked on the door and demanded a sleep over. It was pretty funny! Afterwards we took the boys down on the beach with flashlights and went ghost crab hunting.

Keith has also discovered Geocaching. Keith took the kids and many of the cousins on Geocaching adventures. This is something fun our family is going to continue with. If you want to learn more about Geocaching go to: www.geocaching.com

We had a great time with Keith's family and the kids can't wait to get together with their cousins again. Everyone talked about another reunion in 3 years. We sincerely hope this will happen.

4 Wheeling Fun

2009-06-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

All of the kids have started young on Papa's "Scooter". We have pictures of Connor and Bryce's first ride when they were 9 months old. We would strap their car seats on the back of the 4 wheelers. When my parents lived in Alaska, they had two 4 wheelers but now Grandpa just has one. It means that they have to take turns to take a ride and the kids are really good about sharing. Papa even lets Connor, Bryce, and Hunter control the gas and steering now. It is definitely a highlight to go on a ride around the neighborhood.

Classic Bryce

2009-06-30T20:39:00.001-07:00

Crikey!

2009-06-30T20:35:00.001-07:00

Look at what Connor caught tonight in Grandpa's yard!

Lagoon

2009-06-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa took us to Lagoon yesterday. It was the first trip for the kids and it brought back many memories for me. My Grandma and Grandpa Holjeson used to take me and my siblings every summer when we visited them. We were worried about the weather forecast but it turned out to be a beautiful day. The thunderstorms held off till about 7PM. As you can see from the pictures, we all had a GREAT TIME!! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Teacher Gifts

2009-06-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

With the end of the school year, I have to think up some fantastic idea to give the kids' teachers. With Connor and Bryce in middle school, I didn't do anything special for each of their teachers. I did send a tile for Connor's band teacher since she was his favorite teacher. Bryce had 3 teachers this semester and 2 of them are out of school, one on maternity leave and the other for knee surgery. Bryce didn't get along with the 3rd teacher so I didn't bother and he didn't care. So you see from the picture what I came up with for Hunter and Lauren's teachers. I think they turned out pretty cute!

End of the School Year

2009-06-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

It has been crazy at the Erickson house for the past couple of weeks. I don't know how we have been able to fit all the activities in, but somehow we have managed. Sometimes it takes some creative coverage to make sure a parent is at each function and it sure helps to have Connor and Bryce old enough to be in charge.

Some highlights:

Connor and Bryce finished Track and had their banquet. They both received a certificate of participation.

Connor and Bryce also went on their 1st Night Hike/Campout at Lena Lake. They can't wait to go again.

Lauren and Keith had a Daddy/Daughter night for Achievement Girls at Church.

Lauren tested into the Gates program and will be in the 3/4/5 combined Gates class in the fall.

I survived organizing and executing my first "Craft Night" for our Enrichment Groups through Church.

Kiersten has done amazing in swimming lessons. She is in the Starfish class(Level 4). She has 2 lessons left before we take a break for the summer. I'm not sure if she will continue in the fall or not since we will have Preschool to schedule in as well.

Hunter and Bryce have moved into their own "rooms". We split the front room into 2 spaces using partitions and a set of curtains. Kiersten moved into Hunter's old room. Currently, she is sleeping on a mattress on the floor, but we have high hope of getting a bed frame off Craigslist.

The weather has been really nice and the kids are enjoying being outside and riding bikes around everywhere. We are a few bikes short but maybe Santa Claus can bring bikes for everyone.

We are gearing up for the end of school. Only 3 1/2 more days to go. We are all looking forward to Utah and North Carolina this summer and are wishing the days would pass quicker!

Lakeland Elementary's Talent Show

2009-05-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

Lauren and her friend Ashlyn sang in the talent show Thursday night. They did a great job and received a certificate to get a milk shake at Red Robin. They sang Love Story by Taylor Swift.

Fishing Saturday

2009-05-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

Every year Federal Way sponsors "Hooked on Fishing". We made 3 trips to Steel Lake so Hunter, Lauren, and Kiersten could catch a fish. In the lake there is a huge net where tons of rainbow trout are dumped for the kids. Volunteers help the kids and minutes later, you walk away with 2 fish each. The kids all had fun and Kiersten even got a Sponge Bob bobber as a prize.

Backyard Camping

2009-05-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

Connor and Bryce went on an overnight hike with the Scouts so we thought it would be fun for the younger 3 to pitch the tent and have s'mores. Hunter, Lauren, and Kiersten really enjoyed roasting the marshmallows in the fireplace out back and making the s'mores. When it came time for them to sleep out, Hunter decided his bed was more comfortable so he slept inside. Lauren and Kiersten made it through the night but Kiersten said she was really freaked out and kept waking up. Typical Kiersten!

A New Friend

2009-05-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

Kiersten found a new friend outside today. I don't know why my little princess loves bugs so much, but give her a roly-poly bug (potato bug), a slug, or now a caterpillar and she is in heaven. It was such a nice afternoon, we walked to the elementary school to pick up Hunter. Of course her caterpillar came with us.

Mary, Mary and the Unwanted Residents

2009-05-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Our garden is starting to take off. We have beans, peas, broccoli, carrots, and zucchini starting to come up. Our onions are doing great and most of the herbs are too. Only the basil looks like it won't make it. The lettuce and spinach are doing pretty good but I noticed some holes in the leaves this week. I know we are in a slug prone area so I laid down some slug bait yesterday. It rained most of last night and today. Hunter went out to check the garden this evening and came back with the news that slugs were everywhere! Kiersten and Hunter picked out the slugs from the garden and saved them to show Keith when he got home.

What Keeps Us Busy

2009-05-11T22:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a few weeks since I last posted. I have not been ignoring the blog, just been incredibly busy! The past 2 Saturdays we have set up a booth for our vinyl business. Since these have been the first shows in 18 months, we had a lot of work to do to be ready. We have searched the internet high and low and attended other craft shows to get ideas where we needed to be to compete better with other vinyl companies. I think we have come a long way since we first started out.

This picture is from the Farmer's Market and is the way we set up our booth when we provide the tent and tables. We will be doing other Farmer's Markets through out the summer but for now, we need to replenish everything we sold! Today I even got a phone call from somebody who saw us at a show almost 2 years ago in Indiana. I don't care where the business comes from as long as it comes from somewhere!

Thanks to all who have helped out with ideas and word of mouth!

Check out our website! Keith is updating that as I update the blog.
http://www.mycustomvinyl.com

Garden Time

2009-04-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we planted spinach, 2 types of lettuce, walla walla onions, 2 types of carrots, and herbs in our garden. Kiersten really wanted to help so I found a Dora the Explorer gardening spade at Lowe's. She really loves to dig holes! This morning when she woke up, she told me we had to check the carrots. I think it is going to be a long couple of weeks until those little carrot seeds start to sprout!

We will also be planting zuchinni, brocolli, pole beans, snow peas, and cucumbers in the garden. We will do tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets and hopefully a potato mound. I really hope we can have a decent harvest so we can be excited to do it again next summer.

Track Meet

2009-04-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Lauren had her one and only track meet on Saturday. The elementary kids would meet once a week after school to practice their skills. There was another track meet last month but Lauren was sick so I'm glad she got to participate yesterday. She did the softball throw, long jump, 100 meter dash, and 4 x 100 meter relay. She placed 4th in her heat in the 100 meter dash. For that she earned a pink ribbon!

K-I-E-R-S-T-E-N

2009-04-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

Easter Dreams

2009-04-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

After the rousing success of St. Patrick's Day, you would think I would have gone all out for Easter. Boy, are you wrong! The kids did an Easter Egg hunt or two and I bought Kiersten a new dress. Let me explain.

When I was a kid, my mom would set out one Easter basket with all the candy in it to split between the siblings. We spent the morning dividing the candy one jelly bean at a time. I know how much I hated having to share with my brothers and sisters so I vowed when I had kids, they would each get their own Easter basket. I think that lasted only a couple of years with Connor and Bryce. Candy and Easter themed goodies are expensive! Not only that, the kids really don't need more candy after Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day!

For playgroup, Kiersten did have an egg hunt in the park. I splurged and purchased two buckets of prefilled eggs, one to hide for Kiersten and her friends and the other to do with our kids. The day before Easter, Lauren ended up going with a friend to their family egg hunt and was gone all day so she missed the eggs I hid for the kids in the backyard.

Also, the day before Easter, I decided I would get a new dress for Kiersten and searched through 5 stores before I found one that was cute and not 100% cotton. Kiersten warranted a new dress mainly because she is growing SOOO tall! Lauren was really disappointed she didn't get a new dress but if you could see her closet, she definitely DOES NOT need any more clothes! Lauren was also very disappointed when she woke up on Easter morning and found the Easter Bunny did not visit our house.

I have read many blogs and looked at many Facebook pages where people have shown all the goodies their kids got for Easter. It kind of makes me feel like I should have done more for my kids but on the other hand, Easter is not about the Easter Bunny. Easter is about Jesus Christ; His Crucifiction and His Resurection. How thankful I am for my Elder Brother.

The Looonnnggg Way Home

2009-04-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

On a good day, the trip between our house and the Grandparents Reid's house is 12 1/2 hours including gas, bathroom, and lunch stops. We began our journey at 6:00 AM and made good time with traffic being very light. The kids were doing well, watched some movies, had some snacks, and dozed now and again. We got past Yakima and saw there was a road advisory. After listening to the radio, we discovered there was a back-up in Snoqualmie Pass due to lanes being closed for avalanche precautions. Had this advisory been posted earlier in our journey, we would have detoured through Portland. No big deal however, we were now past the point where we could have easily turned around without adding tons of additional driving time. Long story short, we waited out the delay in the Pass. It was stop and go for just over 2 hours but we made it home much later than anticipated, ready to not be couped up in the van for a long time.

You can kind of see Lauren's sleeve behind Hunter and Bryce is crashed out on the back seat under the gray blanket. We did not leave any children behind!

The Gateway

2009-04-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our Spring Break trip to Idaho and Utah was a ride on the Front Runner train from Ogden to The Gateway in SLC. The train took an hour to get to SLC and then we hopped on a trolley to get to The Gateway. The weather was cold and snowing. We all came dressed in light jackets thinking the mall would be inside. Instead it was a glorified strip mall. Shopping would have been much more pleasant in warm Spring weather. The kids didn't seem to mind though. Hunter, Lauren, and Kiersten spent their money at Build-A-Bear. Bryce had fun at Game Stop and Connor finally got to spend his gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods that he received last summer from his old baseball team. We also had a picnic lunch in the food court and visited a couple of other stores before we returned to Ogden. Thanks Grandma and Papa for a fun day! And especially Grandma for funding some of the kids shopping!!

Fun With Cousins

2009-03-31T10:39:00.002-07:00

We're on Spring Break so we drove to Idaho to spend a few days with my sister, Tanya and her family. The weather hasn't cooperated but the cousins did find a few moments to play outside yesterday. Tanya's house is so fun with a swing set, trampoline, and an apple tree that just begs to be climbed! We will head to my parents house in Utah tomorrow morning for the rest of Spring Break.

Look Ma, No Hands!

2009-03-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

After a year of not having a trampoline, I was surprised at how well Connor, Bryce, and Lauren could land their flips. We're glad Tanya's family has a trampoline for the kids to practice on!

Finding Your Happy Place

2009-03-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

Bryce found his happy place!

Happy Birthday Hunter!

2009-03-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Hunter had his birthday party at Laser Quest. In the days before his party, I was getting really nervous as we hadn't had anyone RSVP. Thursday, I had Hunter call the people he invited to see who was coming. In the end, only 2 friends didn't make it but 2 of Connor and Bryce's friends came instead.

When the kids signed in for each game, they chose their game name. Hunter chose Tic Tac for both of his games. The kids all had a good time and Hunter was happy with his gifts which was mostly of the green variety. He went today to Walmart and blew almost all of it on a new Star Wars Lego set.

Happy Birthday Hunter! I can't believe you are already 10!

The Zoo

2009-03-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

I went with Lauren on her field trip to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Amazingly, my group was well behaved and everyone had a good time. We didn't get to see all the animals because the bus was leaving but we were happy with what we saw. Hopefully we can go again and spend more time at each exhibit and see everything. Maybe next time we won't get rained on either!

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T19:33:00.001-07:00

It all started yesterday at the Music Store when the salesman asked Kiersten if she had a green dress to wear for St. Patrick's Day. Kiersten of course, wanted to know what St. Patrick's Day was. I decided to really get in the spirit today with the kids. We had green pancakes for breakfast, Kiersten had green macaroni and cheese for lunch, and for dinner we had key lime sherbet and Sprite Shakes. Kiersten also wore green goggles to swim lessons.

Connor asked me why we were celebrating St. Patrick's Day when we have never done it before. I told him it was because Kiersten was so excited about St. Patrick's Day. He told Kiersten to get excited about every holiday so we can do more "special" things to celebrate. I answered with my standard response, "We'll see."

H2 Whoa!

2009-03-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Connor had his Spring Band Concert tonight. Every piece with the exception of one, had to do with water. If you are really interested in hearing the Sequoyah Middle School Beginning Band, I am posting the three songs they performed. Connor also is in Band Club which played two songs but we didn't record those.

Connor is sitting on the right side of the band, on the left of the girl in the green shirt. I know it is hard to see so I thought I'd give you a heads up.

Connor's Band Teacher, Ms. Kreider, had her left arm in a sling because sometime between the end of school and the concert, she had a piano fall on her arm. She left right after the concert to go to the hospital. This will be one concert she will never forget!

Adventures in hauling wood Part II

2009-03-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

Finally, after 6 weeks, we are seeing the end of the pile of wood in our driveway. Thanks to a couple of friends, one who lent us his chainsaw and one who lent us her log splitter, all the wood has now been cut down to size and split. The kids have been working hard the past 2 days to stack all the split wood. Keith especially has been working hard with the chainsaw and log splitter. There is still wood in the driveway waiting to be stacked but we are hoping people from church will want what is left.

Epic Sayings

2009-03-06T11:24:00.001-08:00

Once in a while one of the kids will say something that cracks us up for years to come. The last epic saying before today was when we were driving out to Utah for Tanya's wedding. Bryce was 4 years old at the time. Since we were driving west, the sun was setting and the angle of the sun hit the kids right in the eyes. Bryce was complaining about the sun but there was nothing we could do about it. His reply was, "Do you want me to go blind?"

Today we woke up to frost. Keith was getting ready to take the boys to school so Connor thought he would help out by scraping the windows. He scraped the top of the windshield instead of the middle of the windshield to which Bryce said, "We're not looking for airplanes!"

Hopefully the kids will continue to keep us laughing through the years!

Museum of Flight

2009-03-05T20:38:00.001-08:00

There are several museums around Seattle that sponsor free admission on the first Thursday of every month. We went to the Museum of Flight tonight. It was pretty cool with tons of airplanes on exhibit. I would have liked to spend more time reading all the exhibits but with Kiersten and the others in tow, we had to book it through the museum. I was able to catch a few photos of the kids before my battery died and I wasn't able to get a picture of Keith or Connor.

One exhibit had small model planes which were used during WWII. There were probably two hundred of these little models and one person built them over the course of 7 years. If only I had that much free time on my hands!

Color Crayons

2009-03-05T16:16:00.000-08:00

Both Kiersten and Lauren LOVE to color. We have many sets of crayons, markers, and colored pencils scattered about the house. Grandma Lois came to visit last week and lucky for me, she loves to color with the girls. Many hours were spent coloring with Grandma. Kiersten is showing off her Pony Picture she colored with Grandma.

Polka Dots

2009-03-05T16:12:00.001-08:00

I saw a really cute idea on another vinyl web site. Since Lauren and Kiersten already have a bedspread that has circles on it, polka dots were just the thing they needed for their walls. Even better, there was no painting involved! Both girls love their updated room. We will have to see what Papa Reid says next time he comes to visit and has to sleep in the pink polka dot room!

Science Fair

2009-03-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

I really hate the Science Fair. I dislike picking a topic, conducting the "experiment", and compiling the data on a tri-fold board. I really do not like any part of it. At Hunter and Lauren's school, the science fair is only mandatory for 4th and 5th graders so we got off with only one project this year. Hunter chose "Which Brand of Microwave Popcorn leaves the least Kernels". Fortunately for me, this was something he could do mostly by himself. All of the kids benefited by eating all the bags of popcorn he popped.

When it came time to compile the data, Hunter wrote out most of what he wanted to say. Even though I hate the tri-fold board displays, I hate worse display boards that look sloppy. I told Hunter we could vinyl his board to make it look neat. Usually this is not a problem and goes about as quickly as trying to write in straight lines. Not this time. For some reason the vinyl was not cooperating and it took 4 hours to get to where we were ready to apply the words to the board. I was beyond frustrated and didn't take too kindly to Keith's suggestion that maybe we should just write on the board. My stubborness would not let me quit but in the end, the display looked very neat and definitely not sloppy.

Hunter received a 95% for his project with the only fault being his graph that was missing a label on one of the axes. I am glad to be done for another year.

Snow Caving

2009-02-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

Connor and Bryce had the chance to go with their Boy Scout Troop snow caving at the base of Mt. Rainer. They left early Friday morning for the 2 hour drive. When they arrived at camp, each of the boys had to build their snow cave with the help of their cave-mates. Bryce and his mates had to rebuild theirs several times until they got it right. After many pairs of socks and gloves, their caves were ready to sleep in. I'm not sure what all they did once their caves were built but they made it through the night and safely back home. The boys did say that it was so cold, anything wet froze overnight. As I was starting their laundry, I came across many socks that were rolled up with ice in the middle. They did come home with a nice sunburn and an appreciation of the warmth of home.

I hope to get pictures from their Scoutmaster and will post them once I receive them.

"Me" Time

2009-02-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of years I have managed to escape the responsibilities of being a mom and get away for "Me" time. Other years I have gone with friends but this time, I went by myself to Utah for a week to visit with my parents. Keith did an admirable job getting everyone where they needed to be and the kids even complimented him on his cooking skills. I think it is a good lesson to the boys that when they are married with kids, it is okay for Dad to be in charge and let his wife recharge her batteries. It is also a lesson to the girls that it is okay to leave your family when you need some time to yourself. I am very thankful for a husband who recognizes when I need a break and allows me to go galavanting around the country when I need it.

While in Utah, I was able visit late into the night with my sister, get my hair done, beat my Mom at Hand and Foot, visit my Grandma Holjeson, run errands and out to lunch with my Dad, eat Mormon Muffins and giant scones, go to the movie and most importantly, relax. I now feel able again to face the trials and happy times of being a mom.

Swimming Little Mermaid Style

2009-02-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

Kiersten just finished her 4th round of swimming lessons. She loves the water!! We are going to Topsail Beach in North Carolina this summer for Keith's family reunion. I thought she should have some background in swimming before we went. It is also a good way to kill a couple of mornings every week.

She is in the Eel class at the YMCA and is one of the top students in her class. Her teacher Miss Kasey does a great job with the kids and Kiersten follows her direction most of the time. She is not afraid of the water and is very close to swimming independently for more that a few strokes. I am very proud of her progress and hope she will continue to love the water.

End of an Era

2009-02-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

You know you are getting old when things that were common to you are now foreign to your kids. Today I bought a new set of phones. Our old ones were all having problems holding a charge and they were at least 5 years old so of course we couldn't find new batteries. The set I bought included 5 cordless handsets and 1 corded phone. We decided on this set so we could still have phone access in the event of a power outage. While all 5 of the cordless handsets are charging, we only have the corded phone to use. All of the kids were baffled by the corded phone. Questions like, did we get a new phone number and how do you use this thing were prevalent. Lauren tried to dial the phone without picking up the handset.

Another mystery is the VCR. The kids all know how to work the DVD player but today when Kiersten wanted to watch a video cassette, none of the kids knew how to do it. What is this world coming to?

Tweens

2009-01-29T18:54:00.000-08:00

This is it. We are officially parents of 4 "tweens". The first 3 hit the "tween" years without any perceptible change. It must be due to the fact that the first 3 are boys. They don't seem to be as affected by the "tween" mentality.

Then we come to Lauren. She came home from school on Monday very excited. Tuesday was going to be her 5th month anniversary with her BFFs (Best Friends Forever). The BFFs decided that they should give each other gifts but they had to be homemade. Nothing from the store, not even the dollar store was allowed. Lauren decided to make an art project for each of her BFFs. She spent much of her time afterschool carefully crafting her creations. She delivered her projects the next day to celebrate their anniversary.

I hope Lauren will have many anniversaries to come with her BFFs!

Adventures in hauling wood

2009-01-26T12:15:00.000-08:00

Craigslist is the best thing going out there. On Friday, Keith found someone wanting to give away a bunch of firewood. We have wanted firewood for quite a while but haven't wanted to pay the going rate of $250 per cord. Free is just the right price. Of course we had to rent a Uhaul trailer, get work gloves for everyone, and pay for the gas to get there but we ended up with a TON of wood.

After talking with the guy giving the wood away, Keith decided it would be too much for our family alone and put the word out to our friends that their help would get them free wood too. We started early on Saturday morning and drove up to North Bend to load the trailers and truck. In the end, we ended up with 2- 6x12 trailers full, 2- 5x8 trailers full, 2- little pickups full, and 1- full sized pickup full. All together, 6 families will benefit from the wood. Keith and his friend will be going up again on Tuesday for one last trailer full.

As you can see, our driveway is now full of wood. We need to get an axe now to split the wood and chop it for the fireplace. Lucky for us, we have a bunch of kids that will get to help stack the wood. I know they aren't excited to help, but they will sure enjoy the warmth of the fire!

2008-12-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

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2008-12-22T14:39:00.000-08:00

Well we ventured outside today and went to the post office. The grand total for the storm is 9 inches of snow. Driving was a bit rough but not to bad. Although driving in snow could involve an entire blog post.

We just finished building a snowman that is about 5 feet tall. I will have pictures of it later to put on here.

2008-12-21T21:26:00.000-08:00

Not sure what I should write on here. Namely because I have no idea who would want to here about what I am thinking. So this is a test post.