First Job

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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.