LaTurner Family

Mariners Game

2011-09-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

My uncle Dave gave us 4 tickets to the Mariners game last night. Luckily we were able to buy the seat right next to us so Cade didn't have to sit on someone's lap. It really could not have been a nicer night for a game.

Olivo had a great game! He got a double, a triple and a homer. No luck with a single base hit though.

We've got to get Ryan one of these jerseys.

Initiation for the rookies...pretty backpacks.

Thanks again, Dave!

Always Playing Catch Up

2011-09-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

Once again I find myself trying to get caught up on here. Here is a brief update on more of our summer fun.

We had our England family reunion. So fun and perfect weather.

Dale took people up in the helicopter.

The Stutzmans shared their waterfront with us.

Dave took us out in his boat. Cade didn't want to drive but I made him. I think this might be what you would call a set up picture. He was a little concerned about going too fast. I don't think he had to worry about that with Dave.

These are some of my favorite ladies!

After the family reunion, Granny Janny and Papa Butch kept their 7 grandkids and sent the parents away.

Cade finally making it to the Stutzmans floating dock without a life jacket.

You would think Matt and I would enjoy some time alone but unfortunately Matt had to go on a business trip.

We have been needing to redo our bathroom floor and we are finally almost done. What a pain.

Matt goes to Vancouver BC quite a bit for work. This last trip the kids and I tagged along.

Olympic Cauldron

The kids thought the floating gas station was the best.

On the waterfront.

The harbour seals would hangout by the docks because the fishing charters would clean their fish here and feed them the heads.

The cauldron at night.

Looking for starfish and seal.

View from our room.

At the border.

That is about it for summer. Matt took the kids to my parents yesterday so they could hit the waterslides before all the craziness starts. Oh and to see Granny Janny and Papa Butch.

Whats Been Keeping Us Busy

2011-07-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

Cade's Birthday. He finally turned 8!

For his birthday we let him take a friend with us to Northwest Trek.

Watched fireworks on the 4th in Manson.

Cade got baptized!

Swimming.

Papa Butch let the kiddos shoot the BB gun.

Baking with Granny Janny.

Tiling our kitchen.

Cub Scout Day Camp.

Tomorrow the kids are heading over to my parents. Matt leaves Monday pre-6am for Scout Camp. Looks like I will be spending our 15th wedding anniversary by myself.

School's Out For Summer!

2011-06-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Our Last 8 Year Old and Some Other Stuff

2011-06-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

We went over to Granny Janny and Papa Butch's house for Memorial Weekend. We got some rain but we got some sun too. Cade was sick which was a total bummer but what better place to be sick at than Grandma and Grandpa's place. Maddy has been wanting to take her friend, Addy, over to Lake Chelan forever. Lucky for her, Addy's family just happened to be over there then too. The boys got lots of cousin time which is always the best.

Maddy working on her rock-skipping technique.

Ryan and Cade got ambitious one day after school and decided to build us a firepit. They really didn't do that bad of a job. Matt started a fire for them to roast hotdogs but the wood was still green so there was a lot of smoke.

Cade and Maddy thought these might help keep smoke out of their eyes. So lovely.

The big news of June is that Cade finally turned 8! He has waited so long to be able to go to Cub Scouts. I cannot believe he is already 8. Happy birthday, Squid!

The Pinewood Derby and Some Pigs

2011-04-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

Ryan's Pinewood Derby was last night. He did great and even qualified for districts! Unfortunately we won't be here for it. The Pig Jig will win out over racing his pig truck.

Aloha!

2011-04-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

We just took the best family vacation ever! Awhile ago, Matt and I got talking about where we (he and I) would like to go for our 15th wedding anniversary. Somehow the we (us) got changed to we (the whole family). We found some pretty decently priced tickets out of Portland, emailed his aunt and uncle who live in Hawaii and our decision was made.
The Monday before spring break we drove to Portland and stayed in a hotel since we had to be at the airport nice and early. Thanks to Matt's traveling, the hotel was free. They would let us park our car there for $50 for the entire time instead of paying an arm and a leg at the airport (thank you, Marriott).

Day 1-
We made it to the airport Tuesday morning and since Matt is an MVP member, he checked in separately from the rest of us. As I am checking myself and the kids in, Matt says he is upgrading my seat to first class (thank you, Matt)! I'm almost 100% sure that my flight was a bit more relaxing than his. I sat at the front of the plane. My family sat on the very back row. I enjoyed free movies, a fruit plate and macadamia coconut french toast. Everyone else got a snack pack, drinks and a cookie.
Once we landed, we got our rental car and headed off to Costco to stock up and then to Ray and Dede's. What a beautiful view!

We spent the rest of the day at Waikiki Beach. The kiddos weren't too sure about all the salt in the water. It was fun to watch the surfers and the massive waves.

Day 2-

We knew we needed to get to Hanauma Bay early. We ended up being one of the first groups in. Matt and Ryan spent lots of time in the water. It was pretty windy so Maddy and Cade ended up spending most of their time in shallow water checking out the fish there. They saw lots of colorful ones. Matt and Ryan saw bigger fish in the deeper water including an eel.

After Hanauma Bay, we went to the Dole Plantation. Matt and I went there last time and were looking forward to some pineapple bread. We were quite disappointed to find out they don't make it anymore. We all enjoyed the famous pineapple ice cream though. Maddy had been wanting to do the pineapple maze there. As soon as we walked into the maze, one of the kids said "I'm going this way" another said "well I'm going this way." Matt said okay. Not okay. It took us quite a while to get everyone back together again.

When you start the maze, the cashier hands you a card showing where to find some hidden boxes. There are 8 in all. Once we were all a group again, we started hunting for these boxes. Almost 1 1/2 hours later and finding 6 of the 8 clues (including 1 clue 2 extra times), we decided to go on the train ride. It wasn't an active growing time for most of the plants so we didnt' see too many but did get to see some pineapple and mango.

I wanted to do the garden tour and I think Cade enjoyed it more than anyone. It is now an audio tour. Everyone gets a hand held device that you punch numbers into and then hold it to your ear like a phone. Cade had to hit every single stop so he could use his 'phone.'

One our way back home, we stopped by Laniakea Beach to see if we could see any turtles. Lucky us saw 5! The Friends of Sea Turtles group is often here putting red ropes around the sea turtles so no one can touch them. Cade sat on a rock and kept waving to the biggest turtle. Not quite sure what he thought the turtle would do.

As we were driving down the road trying to find a place to turn around, I looked out Matt's window and saw whales spouting. We could just see their backs and the water get blown up from the surface.

Day 3-

Pearl Harbor was our first stop on day 3. We had a bit of a wait until we could get into the mandatory movie so we walked around the museums. It was interesting to see pictures of people at wartime at the entrance of the museum and then to see updated info and pictures of them now (or when they died) at the exit. We had talked to the kiddos before we got there about the importance of Pearl Harbor and why we are quiet. I was really surprised how well they did. Just before we got on the boat to head back from the memorial, we saw oil on the surface of the water. One of the volunteers said the oil was never drained from the ship so it will continue to rise for many many years.

We went to Pali Lookout. The kids were quite amused with how windy it was. There is so much wind, the bees can't fly so they are all laying on the ground.

We stopped by Turtle Bay. Maddy definitely enjoyed the more calm water and less populated beaches so this was a favorite for her.

On our way out, we stopped by to see if any of our turtle friends were still on the beach. The same big one Cade was waving to was still there.

Day 4-

We started off day 4 hiking Diamond Head. We kept hearing how difficult it was but we all made it to the top just fine. Gorgeous views! The boys favorite part of the hike was the scorpion we saw in one of the tunnels on the way down.

After our hike, we toured the Ioloni Palace. This is the official residence of King Kalākaua and Queen Lili'uokalani, who were the last in a long line of ruling Hawaiian royalty. When the government took the building over, they sold everything so not to have any connections with the previous rulers. They are in the process of restoring the palace to how it was under the king and queen. We were not allowed to take pictures inside. Bummer because it was beautiful.

We finished the day at Ala Moana Beach where the boys got some air.

Day 5-

The kiddos knew the whole trip that we were taking them to the Sea Life Park. What they didn't know was that they were going to do the Dolphin Encounter. Everyone got to get in the water with a dolphin. We danced with it, kissed it and it kissed us. Ryan even got to tickle it. We all fed it except for Maddy. There was no way she was going to touch the fish that the trainer ripped in half! The kids also loved the sea lion and dolphin shows.

Of course we couldn't NOT go to the beach. We dropped by Ala Moana Beach again. My camera battery died so no pictures. I'm sure they would look like all the other anyway.

Day 6-

We hadn't been able to do much with Ray and Dede because they had been preparing for the Scottish Festival on Saturday. We had to stop by and check out their dancing. They did great! The malasadas were pretty good too.

One of the things I wanted to do while in Oahu was to see a waterfall. We walked/hiked to the waterfall in the Waimea Valley thru the gardens. Maddy and I enjoyed the waterfall from the side of the pool while the boys got in the water. I am pretty sure this is where the majority of our bug bites came from.

This peacock was trying to impress the female at the gardens. He would shake his tail feathers whenever she came close. She never even looked at him.

On our way back from the falls, we stopped by Matsumotos Shaved Ice (which according to Matt's GPS is 'how to lose your tomatoes'). There was a pretty good sized line so one of the workers came outside to take our orders. Immediately the boys both said they could handle a large. Their eyes were definitely bigger than their stomachs because neither boy finished. Everyone tried the ice cream in the bottom of the cone. Matt and I had condensed milk on ours. So yummy! There is an option of having the shaved ice with Japanese red beans. One lady who ordered it said once you try it, you will never have it any other way. Apparently the beans are boiled in sugar. I think Matt would have his with beans if he were to go back.

Sharks Cove is probably one of Maddy's most memorable spots. Shark's Cove has some calm waters because of the natural rock wall. The kids loved looking for crab and trying to catch the little fish.

We were all down pretty close to the water when the people on the little hill not far off starting yelling "they're jumping!" Maddy ran up the hill first with me following right after her. She got to the top just in time to see a humpback whale completely out of the water! I got up just in time to see just the splash. She knows she is not allowed to discuss this as I stood their for 40 more minutes with my camera trying to get my money shot. Of course I saw nothing but some fins and tails and water spouting.

Day 7-

My cousin, Tiffany, and her family live in Hawaii. Locals get some amazing discounts to the Polynesian Cultural Center so she totally hooked us up. (Thank you, Tiffany!) Some of the major islands are represented here. Our favorite shows were about Tonga and Samoa. Ryan got called out of the audience to help in 2 of the Samoan shows. He got to shave a taro root in one and in the other drank coconut juice.

The guy in the picture with Ryan is also one of the main fire dancers in the big evening show. If you ever saw 'Man vs Beast II', he was also on there racing a monkey up a tree.

This guy was part of the Tonga drum show. He called 3 volunteers up from the audience. All 3 were very good sports but the guy from Japan was hilarious! He ended up knocking one of the drums over and putting a big hole in it.

Day 8-

On our last full day we decided to hit some of our favorite beach spots. We went to Hanauma Bay and realized once we got there that it was closed on Tuesdays. We headed to the Blowhole and then decided to hit the aquarium.

The boys then went to Waikiki Beach so Matt could play on the boogie board and Maddy and I walked around the main street. There are lots of vendors selling a wide range of things. As Maddy and I were wondering, I noticed a shopping cart with lots of parrots on it. I pointed it out to Maddy and when I did a little lady came from behind me and starting loading the birds onto Maddy. I thought I would snap a few pictures. Then the gal started putting them on me. When we were done, the lady informs me our little picture session would be $10.00! I was planning on tipping her a few bucks but not that much! When I told her no she got as in my face as she could. She said, "do you think we are out here begging for money? Just give me $5.00!" I had Maddy grab Matt's wallet thinking I would just grab the ones and say that was all I had. Maddy saw a $5.00 and said, "give her the money! Give her the money!" She wanted out of there.

We also hit Magic Beach again. And Ala Moana Beach again.

Day 9-

Saturday morning we all got up nice and early. Matt and the boys were going to Hanauma Bay and Maddy was going to help me straighten the apartment up. Just before the boys left, a giant cockroach ran across the kitchen and into the bathroom. Maddy decided right then that she was not going to shower that day. I wasn't the happiest camper that Matt left without taking care of the creature. I'm thinking we were lucky to only run across one.

This trip was probably my all time favorite. We had a great place to stay and so many things to do. Thank you, Ray and Dede! Hopefully you will have us back.

The Countdown Begins

2011-03-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

Cade showed us the outfit he is going to wear the first day in Hawaii.

When Did This House Get 2 Moms?

2011-02-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

Conversation between Cade, Maddy and myself.

Me: Cade, you need to go get in the shower or bath.

Cade: Can I wait until commercial?

Me: No, go now.

Cade: But I haven't seen this in forever!

Maddy: We just saw it so go now!

Me to Maddy: Do I need to remind you that you're not his mom?

Maddy: But YOU just said it.

Me: But I AM his mom!

We're in trouble.

Time to Catch Up

2011-01-22T22:37:00.000-08:00

We decided to stay around here for Christmas this year instead of going over the mountains. I hate to drive in the snow plus Granny Janny and Papa Butch had a full house already. One of my sisters and her family and my brother and his family came up from Utah to visit them. A couple days after Christmas, Matt, Sara and their two munchkins came over here. We checked out the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, the Troll and the Ballard Locks. Note to self: go to the Locks when the fish are running. We went in May and saw so many fish it looked like the water was boiling. This time not a single thing. Lesson learned. The Gardens were cool to see (just wish it wasn't raining) and so was the Troll.

Brother Matt had to fly back home but Sara and the boys got to stay longer. My Matt had 2 free hotel nights he had to use by the end of the year so we used them both for New Year's Eve and stayed in downtown Seattle. We went to the top of the Space Needle and went around the Seattle Center. It was cold but it was a beautiful clear day. We couldn't see the Space Needle from our rooms so we took a short walk down the street and had a perfect view of the fireworks.

Cade finished basketball in December and Ryan started in January. It's nice not having them both play at the same time. Matt is coaching Ryan's team again this year. They have a smaller team which makes things much easier. Ryan had his second game today. He did AWESOME! He scored, he rebounded, he stole the ball a ton. It was so much fun to watch! I wish I could have gotten some pictures of his face but Matt was pretty much standing in my way the whole time.

Stealing the ball

Wondering if he should quit playing football during recess. It looks more like he is trying to play quarterback than basketball.

On his way to scoring after stealing again

You Better Watch Out, Better Not Cry...

2010-12-20T21:56:00.000-08:00

When Maddy was little I took her to get her picture with Santa. She wasn't too sure about the old man in the suit so I had to jump in the picture with her. We have never returned for another picture until tonight. Yes, at ages 9 and 7, Ryan and Cade finally get to pose with St Nick himself. Maddy pouted the whole time. Actually for the last few days she has not wanted to get her picture taken. "I am 12 and am too old to get a Santa picture." Lucky for us, we had 2 families behind us in line who had high schoolers who also had to endure the same torture as our girl. She received no sympathy. We finally made it to the front of the line and it seems Maddy may have warmed up a little bit. The picture turned out great. I am so happy I paid the $10 to Groupon to put Maddy thru this. As the kiddos are getting ready to leave Santa, Maddy turns, trips over Santa's boot and falls flat on the ground! Sing with me now..."you better not pout I'm telling you why!"

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

Whenever the kiddos have 1/2 days at school, I still have to stay the whole day. The kids were supposed to have 1/2 days two Fridays ago and then again last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It was parent/teacher conference time. It started to snow and stick on Monday so all the students went home at the regularly scheduled 1/2 day time. The district strongly suggested that staff should leave as soon as the kids got out. Given the fact that we live across the street from the school, I knew I would be fine getting home but with Matt out of town, I thought my kids would do better with me home. Monday night we got the email saying there would be no school on Tuesday. I was really hoping we would get the same email regarding Wednesday so we could head over to mom and dads sooner. Lucky for us Wednesday was canceled so we all got a long Thanksgiving break. The trip over to Manson took us a long time not because the roads were terrible but there was an accident on Snoqualmie and a slowpoke on Blewitt. We have not been to Manson for a while so it was nice to get away.

Here is a photo recap of our vacation...

Turkey Bowl was inside this year. I think it may have 'warmed up' to 15 degrees.

Sledding

Snow Surfing/Eating Snow (Maddy's picture is blurry but I had to be equal in the eating snow dept)

Baking Lion House Rolls with Granny Janny

The trip home was uneventful which is nice. We did see a lot of wildlife...buffalo, coyote, a hawk capturing a rabbit. Glad the ice was on the mountain and not on the road. So glad we got to go but glad to be relaxing at home.

Our First Winter Wonderland

2010-11-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

We got some snow here a couple days ago that canceled school for 2 days. The kiddos in the neighborhood decided to take advantage of it even though it was well below freezing.

Soccer, Basketball and Soccer again

2010-10-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today our morning started off nice and early with a Maddy soccer game. It was dry but cold. Cold enough to have frost on the ground. Luckily one of the girl's parents bring hot chocolate to the game for the girls. They were nice enough to share with our boys today. The girls team did great. It is fun to see them go out and play hard.
Cade had his second basketball game today. Lets just say the other team cheated (ok maybe not). I heard one boy from the opposing team say as we were walking out of the gym, "my grandma kept score and it was 54 to 18." Whatever. I am going to go with Cade and say we only lost by 6 points. Cade did great! He scored his first basket of the season. It is so funny to see any one of them score and run down the court with arms in the air. Cade did a great job of going after the ball and he will have a nice big bruise to show off.

Notice the tongue in check in these 2 pictures. He is so going to bite it off one day!

One of the boys on the other team was at least a head taller than Cade. He was a very good player. Turns out he has a personal coach for basketball and football (I told you they cheated).
Ryan had a soccer game this afternoon. Oh my goodness! This was one of Ryan's best games ever. He was so aggressive and quick and it was SO much fun to watch him! He scored one goal and almost scored 2 other times. One of those times one of our players made a perfect pass to Ryan. Ryan went to kick the ball and his foot got too far under the ball and it went right over the goal. Ahhh! So close! This afternoon his coach called to talk to Ryan. She told him what a great job he had done today, how he was a great influence on the team and how badly she wanted that ball to go in the goal for him. How awesome is that?! She has been such an amazing coach this year. I wish Ryan could have had her in previous years. I have so many pictures of Ryan playing soccer that I didn't take my camera today. I wish I had. It was raining the whole game and I wish I could show you how muddy they got.
Good game day, kiddos!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a no school day so the kiddos and I went in to find us some pumpkins. Got all the way in there just to turn around and come back home because I forgot my SD card. I was not going to go pumpkin hunting without my camera! The kids were troopers. Maddy was set on a little one, Ryan on a big green one and Cade just wanted one he liked. It was a perfect day for trudging thru the pumpkin patch.

I took advantage of my three photographers and got pictures with each one of the cuties.

And yes, Maddy is really that tall.

Soccer Days

2010-10-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Maddy and Ryan both have their soccer games on Saturdays. Maddys home games are always at 8:30am. Ryan's home games are always at 1:30pm. It's great if they both have games at their home fields because it means Matt and I can make it to both games. If they have away games, we sometimes have to split up. Today I went to Maddy's home game while Matt went to Ryan's game in North Bend. It was a very cold morning. I forgot to check what the temperature was before the game but afterwards it was 36 degrees. One of the parents brought a big container of hot chocolate. They did this last year too and it was so nice.
Last time I put pictures up somewhere, I had people commenting on poor child number 3. Maddy and Ryan had pictures but Cade did not. Cade's soccer season ended already so you won't see pictures of #3 today. I also didn't get to Ryan's game at all and I am the family photographer so I had the camera at Maddy's game. I will be at Ryan's game this next weekend so will get pictures of him to post later. I am hoping I can make it to some of Cade's first basketball game on Saturday as well.
So anyway, enjoy these pictures of child #1.

Maddy was one of the captains today.

I love soccer leg muscles!

Maddy had some great kicks today.

This was a fun game to watch especially compared to last week. Last weeks team was just mean. This weeks team was from Duvall so all the girls knew each other. It was fun to watch them chatting with each other on the field.

Matt said Ryan played really well today. I called him to check in and while I was on the phone, Ryan scored a goal! I could hear all the moms yelling in the background. So glad to know others will cheer him on when I'm not there! His coach gives out badges to put on their shirts for good passes and Ryan got another one today. Way to go, Ryan!

Maddys 10.10.10 Birthday!

2010-10-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

These last few days have been all about Maddy. Friday was a no school day so we had a friend party that afternoon. Originally Maddy had wanted a Halloween themed party. My only problem with that was that I knew not all the girls would have costumes yet. Matt suggested a Minute to Win It party and thats what we went with. The Minute to Win It show has a website with all the games, how to play it and what you need. Maddy ended up picking the Candy Ladder, Face the Cookie and Junk in the Trunk.

The girls all looked like they had been playing in dirt after playing the cookie game...crumbs all over them. Maddy's got a good group of friends and I think they had a good time.

Matt has had slumber parties with the kids ever since Maddy was little. For last nights party, they all decided to stay up until 1:03am since that is what time Maddy was born. Ryan made it until a little past 10pm. The rest stayed awake though.

Maddy requested tacos for her birthday dinner. Matt worked on that while I made Wacky Cake. Matt went to get something out of the fridge and a plastic bottle of Yoshida sauce somehow went flying out of the door. It hit the floor and broke open. There was Yoshida sauce all over the place...on the floor, in the fridge, on the cupboards. He did a great job on dinner though and of course Wacky Cake is always excellent!

Maddy Bean, its been a fun 12 years! You are a beautiful young lady and we are so proud of you. Love you tons!!!

Pumpkin Yumminess

2010-09-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been into following food blogs. I came across this yummy Cinnamon Toasted Pumpkin Tart recipe on Picky Palate and had to give it a try. It was so good and so easy.

1 c canned pumpkin
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 c heavy whipping cream
1 egg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

4 sheets (2 boxes) Puff Pastry, thawed

3 T melted butter
3 T sugar
1 1/2 T cinnamon

Mix the first 6 ingredients together until creamy and mixed well. Set aside.

Lay out the Puff Pastry on a lightly floured countertop. Use a cookie cutter to cut shapes out of dough. I used a pumpkin shaped cutter and got 4 pumpkins to each sheet of puff pastry. Put the cut dough on a greased cookie sheet. Spread a bit of the melted butter on each cutout. (I forgot to add the butter and it still turned out great.) Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Spoon a 2-3 tablespoons of the pumpkin mixture onto the cutouts leaving about 1/4 inch crust around the edge.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. We topped ours with a bit of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Soccer Season 2010

2010-09-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Summer for us ends about the 3rd week in August. That is when soccer begins. All 3 kids have practice and/or games at the same time. Lucky for us Maddy and Ryan both have practice in Duvall. Cade's games are starting just as the other two are finishing. Most of Cade's games are also here in town. Matt is coaching Cade's team so I get to run over and grab Maddy from her practice. Ryan in the mean time is walking home and gets to crawl in the dog door and wait. Today was the first game of Cade's that Maddy, Ryan and I actually got to go to. He did awesome!

Maddy has had the same coach the last 3 years. This year we were a bit disappointed that she had a different coach. Ends up that 2 teams got combined. Her coach is now the assistant coach so all is good. She is doing great and is quite the defensive player (Translation: She likes to use her elbows. No call no foul as Matt would say.).

Ryan is so fast out on the field. He is a lot of fun to watch. Just like Maddy, it takes a few minutes before that aggressive attitude kicks in. He scored the first goal of the season for his team. We really like his coach.

Gourmet Smores

2010-08-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

Matt went on a scout overnighter Friday night. The two previous nights he was in California for work so he asked me if I could pick up some food for him. Three of the things on the list were marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars. That of course made the rest of us want some smores. I had found some smore recipes on a food blog so we decided to give some of them a try. Cade and I opted for the graham cracker, marshmallow and Rolo smore. Pretty good. I wished I could have tasted a bit more caramel. Ryan and Maddy went for the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup smore. After eating part of his, Ryan let me know I needed to put this on my blog so here you go...

Next time we are trying the graham cracker, Nutella, marshmallow creme and banana smore. Yum!

Long Beach and Waikiki

2010-08-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so no California or Hawaii for us. We went to the Washington Coast with my parents for a few days. Matt left on Wednesday and took the kiddos camping. I went on Thursday and stayed in a hotel with my mom and dad. It really is the way to go. The hotel was pretty old but had beautiful grounds and an oceanview. The campsite had a pool and hottub. A good mix. Thursday Matt and I took the kids to the Washington State International Kite Festival. The kids loved laying in the warm sand watching them all.

Friday we spent the day at Cape Disappointment. I think this was all of our favorite place. We started off visiting the North Head Lighthouse. You pay a couple bucks and you can go to the top.

We then headed over to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. They have the Lighthouse Keeper and the Asst Lighthouse Keeper houses just up the hill that you can rent. I would like to stay there sometime. I think Matt and the kids might prefer camping just below the lighthouse at Waikiki Beach.

It is the only ocean swimming spot. It was really nice. There is a lot of nice sandy beach and a jetti to explore. We went down there after the lighthouse. Ryan and Matt took off down the jetti while Maddy, Cade and I enjoyed the warm sand. Cade played fetch with a dog and then joined Maddy in building sandcastles. I could see Matt and Ryan on the jetti watching some guys fishing. Matt stood up and started pointing to something. There was just enough of a curve that I couldn't see. When they came back, they said they were sitting on the rocks when Ryan says "there's a whale!" Matt said a giant seal had swam up and laid it's head on the rocks just below them. That was enough intentive to get Maddy and Cade to go out there. We saw something (not sure what) but didn't get to see anything up close.

The men fishing around us did catch some good sized fish. I felt bad for one of them because as he was trying to get his fish netted, he slipped between the rocks behind him. You could tell he was hurt but not enough that he couldn't get out. I think it always hurts worse when someone else sees what happened.
That night we went into Long Beach with my folks to watch the Night Kite Flying. It was okay. It would have been better if it wasn't so cold. That and the fact that it said it started at 8pm and didn't start until 9pm.

Mom and dad ended up taking Ryan and Cade home after seeing just a couple kites. Matt, Maddy and I left not long after they did.
Saturday we went headed back to Long Beach to check out the whale skeleton. It washed up on shore 5 years ago. It was buried and then a year later a group dug it back up and took it a mile down the beach where it sits now.
After the walk on the boardwalk and grabbing some ice cream, Matt and I took the kids to the Wildlife Park and did a short hike. Matt scared the kids by informing them that the area we were in had a very high concentration of bears. Cade kept saying "I wish we would have gone the other way!" We also checked out another jetti by an oyster farm but it wasn't nearly as interesting as the other. We were impressed by the huge piles of oyster shells we saw though.

The trip was a success. The kids loved camping. Matt woke up each morning to the kiddos naming the bugs crawling on the outside of the tent. They also loved the playground at the hotel. We loved Cape Disappointment. We had great company...thanks Granny Janny and Papa Butch!

Cupcakes

2010-07-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

Maddy decided she would like to try her hand at making cupcakes all on her own today. I made sure she remembered to read the directions on the box and to only fill the cups 2/3 or 3/4 of the way full. She let me know she had made cupcakes before and she knew what she was doing.
I saw her start to work on putting the mix in the cups and I heard her put the pan in the stove. A few minutes later I see Maddy eating out of the bowl. I asked her why she was eating the mix and she said it was just the leftover. Leftover? I open the stove and she had filled each cup all the way to the top. She didn't realize you could get more than 12 cupcakes out of a box. She just figured she needed to put more in the pan and the rest was fair game.
Once the cupcakes came out of the oven, they couldn't cool fast enough for the chef. She sat in front of the fan with the cupcakes trying to get them to cool faster. Once I gave the okay to frost them, Maddy tried going with a beach theme. After frosting one cupcake she decided to bag it. She did add some umbrellas for some extra flair. They turned out beautiful!

Funny Things They Said...

2010-07-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

We were all swimming on Saturday when Cade wanted to show Matt how he could go to the bottom of the pool.

Cade: I can't sit on the bottom of the pool. I keep floating to the top.

Matt: When you go under water, blow all your air out and it will help you stay
under.

Cade: That's called drowning.

Granny Janny took Maddy to the movie Saturday night. They went out for pizza before hand.

Granny Janny: Did you realize before you can graduate from high school, you have to
take some foreign language class? What language would you like to
learn?

Maddy: Italian because I already know some of it...lasagna, pizza, spagetti.

ChelanMan 2010

2010-07-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

Matt has been so busy this year traveling. He signed up for the ChelanMan hoping he would get some good training time in but it just didn't happen. He decided to put his body thru tourture anyway to see how he would do.
Matt doesn't like to travel the day before a race so we left for Manson late Thursday night. We couldn't leave until 8:30pm because Ryan had Cub Scout Day Camp all week and Thursday was his last day. We even pulled him out a little early so we could go. He loved camp but I think he was fine leaving because he was so exhausted. The kids did really well driving so late. Most of us stayed awake.

I had originally planned on just taking the kids to the pool again while Matt did the 1/2 Iron. I don't know why but come race day, I always feel guilty for not going when I am that close. Papa Butch dropped us off in Chelan and we caught Matt just as he was coming in on his bike.

I'm so glad we did because then we had a good idea of how long we would have to wait for the run part to be over with. 13 miles later, Ryan and Cade joined Matt in the last part of the race and crossed the finish line with him. Matt ended up placing 8th in his age group. Not bad at all.

Tour de France Party

2010-07-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

July is a busy DVR month at our house. That is because Matt is constantly recording the Tour de France. He is not the only one here in our small town doing the same thing. Our friends, the Bostrons, actually throw a Tour de France or Yellow (for the yellow jersey) Party. Now a bike party would not be my first thought of having a good time but they actually throw a mighty fine party. Most Saturdays a group of men go out together and have their own version of a playdate or a bike ride. These riders are all invited to bring a yellow colored food over and watch a day of the Tour.

You are also required to wear yellow and chalk up their driveway and the living room is decorated with various jerseys and bike magazines. The backyard is a kids playground with huge water toys, a swingset and a trampoline. We had a great time, Bostrons! Thank you!

Summer So Far

2010-07-11T10:07:00.001-07:00

It took forever for summer to finally come to the Seattle area. It wasn't until the end of June that the temperature finally hit 75 degrees. Luckily we have had a lot going on in Manson so we have been able to enjoy the sun over there. Here is a quick rundown of what has gone on this month so far.

My 20th class reunion was 4th of July weekend. A big ole class of 25 of us graduated together. Many of us went to both grade school and high school together. Friday night we went to Tracy's for a casual dinner. It was fun to see people I haven't seen for so long. It's interesting that you can have people in your life for so many years, not see them for just as many and when you get together, feel like you have kept in touch all along. Saturday we went to Willow Point Park for a potluck and some playing in the water. The boys had plenty of other kiddos to play with. There were boys Maddy's age but no girls over 6 I believe.

My cousin Jared brought down their kayak. Cade loved it. Ryan did it and liked it but I think did it just to say he did it. When Matt took Ryan out, they were almost back to shore and flipped over. They would both do it again for sure.

The boys loved the jetskis but Maddy would have nothing to do with it. A little bit of stubbornness in that girl.

Mom and dad went down to Utah and picked up 4 of their grandkids to bring back here for Cousins Week. No parents are invited to stay so Matt and I took off Monday morning. The kids all did great. They spent lots of time either at the lake or in a pool or in the dirt. The boys came in one of days insisting they found a snake. They took Granny Janny out to see it. They described it as part black mamba, part rattlesnake. Ryan thought he saw something on top of its head so Aden knew it must have been a horned viper.

The best place to watch fireworks is on Lake Chelan. Every year we go to the same spot on the lake. Thanks, Alice!

I went back on Thursday so mom and dad could leave Friday morning to get the other kids back to their parents. Friday night was Michelli's reception so I got to watch Mary put her wedding cake together.

Here is the happy couple with her parents who came up from Brazil.

I just have to throw in a picture of my little friend, Gabe. Such a cutie!

Discovery Park

2010-06-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful summer day in Seattle. We have had very few of these days this year and so we decided to take advantage of it and head to Discovery Park.

We found little crab everywhere. The boys would turn a rock over and several crab would dig themselves deeper into the sand. Cade was even okay holding them and having them pinch him (see Birch Bay post).

I can't remember what these are called. You can stick you finger in the middle and they close up around it. There were also ones that you poke and they squirt you with water.

Maddy found this still alive clam. I think this is our first time finding a live one. The others are all eaten by the birds.

These are the only starfish we saw.

We saw 5 or 6 jellyfish. This is the only one that looked like it might still be alive. Might. We also saw clear and red ones. The red ones are pretty nasty because they look like they are full of blood. Yuck.

The kids posing with Mt Rainier in the background.

On our way out, Maddy spied this little pest. A raccoon. First time I have seen one not on the side of the road.

Maddy's 5th Grade Graduation

2010-06-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

Maddy's last day of grade school is tomorrow. TOMORROW. Sometimes I believe it. She really can act kind of grown up. Other days I watch her be so silly, I really can't believe it. Today was her graduation or promotion.

It was a really nice program. The principal spoke, the 5th graders sang and the teachers each gave their little goodbye speeches. The PTA gave each student a Jones Soda Bottle with a picture of the 3 5th grade teachers wearing silly glasses on them.

Here Maddy is with 2 of her BFFs. I am so glad these 3 are friends. They are just genuinely good girls. Love them!

Congratulations, Maddy!

Cade's 7th Birthday

2010-06-15T17:34:00.001-07:00

Cade has been so excited for his 7th birthday. He kept asking when we were going to get his birthday presents. Then it was when are you going to wrap them? Can I open one (2 days before)? Can I at least hold it?
The big day finally arrived and guess who was up at 4am? Yes, it was Cade.
The afternoon of Cade's birthday, I walked with his class to the park for their end of year party. Matt was going to pick up some cupcakes at Safeway and drop them off. All they had were graduation ones. Oh well. No one complained.
Granny Janny came over to visit and made wacky cake which Cade requested. So yummy!

Poetry Night

2010-06-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

Every year Cade's teacher, Miss M, puts on a poetry night. The kiddos each write a poem and a page about themselves and Miss M makes books out of them all. She makes a stage for the performers and decorates the room with Christmas lights. They even do matching tie-dyed shirts. One at a time the students get up and read their poem. This is Cade's:

Dogs
I was 3. I had a dog. His name was Sparky. He was mean. So we sold him.
Then we got Nigel. He was 5 years old. He was cute.

Nice job, Cade!

Sunshine and Memorial Day

2010-05-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday my dad came over to watch one of Cade's baseball games. We were so glad it didn't get rained out. I let the kiddos skip school on Friday and we headed over to Manson with Papa Butch. I am so glad we did. Matt came over after he was done with some work stuff and got caught in all the traffic.
Saturday morning Cade helped Granny Janny make cinnamon rolls.

While they were busy baking, Uncle Dale and Nick had flown to Stehekin in Dale's helicopter to go to breakfast. On their way back they decided to fly by Granny Janny and Papa Butch's house.

What you don't see in this picture is the big wrapped up cinnamon roll they threw out the window to us. Yummy!

The boys helped make rolls and all 3 kids each made their own loaf of bread.

Can you tell which the kids made and which Granny Janny made?

The boys caught lizards.

Cade helped make homemade ice cream and then got to be the one to enjoy the paddle from the ice cream maker.

Dale called this morning to see if the kiddos wanted to take a ride in the helicopter. He drove into the airport and we were to watch for him flying over the house. That was our clue to get to the landing spot. Ryan and I went out on the deck to keep an eye out for him. While we are out there, we see a bunch of what we thought were hawks. We noticed they were all landing in the same spot in the orchard. Ryan of course wanted to go check it out. We were able to get some pictures of the birds from the deck. I don't know where Ryan had gone to but I ended up taking my camera and heading down into the orchard to try to get a better look. I got about 2 rows in when a little bird flew past and scared me half to death! I knew these other birds I was hunting down were bigger. All I could think of was the movie 'The Birds'. I kept moving down into the trees and saw the birds sitting on the ground. I walked down a couple more rows when all of a sudden 7 (SEVEN) of these monster birds came flying out!

Nope. These were no hawks. These were turkey vultures! I have never seen one and I didn't even know they existed in these parts. They have these red beaks and look like big fat chickens but nastier! These pictures really don't get across their scary side.

The kids had a blast in the helicopter. How lucky are they? We were laughing when it was Ryan's turn to walk up to the helicopter. He is about 4'8" and notice in this picture how low he bends down when getting close to the copter. I think he has seen too many movies/tv shows with them doing it.

Maddy enjoyed hanging out with Dale's grandson, Rock, while his daddy helped get people in and out of the copter.

It was a good weekend. Lots of family, water balloons fights, swimming, sunshine. Of course no one ever wants to leave. And when we did go, this is what we saw the whole way home...

She Really Wanted Sisters

2010-05-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday night our church had a progressive dinner. We went to one house for appetizers with one group. Another group came to dinner at our house for the main course and then everyone finished up at another house for dessert. It was a lot of fun!
We left our 3 kiddos at home during the activity. We told them they could be downstairs while we were gone but when we came back for the main course, they needed to go upstairs and watch tv in our room. They were really good. We knew they were planning on popping popcorn but we were quite surprised to see what we did before we left for dessert. I had Maddy take a picture but I will not post any due to the fact that I would like my sons to still talk to me.
Before we left for dessert, Matt went upstairs to let the kids know there were extra meatballs if they wanted them. He came back down and let me know I needed to go see the boys. As I am going up the stairs, I see a streak(er) go by. It was Ryan in a batman shirt and a pair of Maddy's orange and black striped tights from her Halloween costume. He jumped into my bed before I got a really good look. Then I hear Cade say "I smell like blueberries!" I turn around and Cade has no shirt on, a black pair of Maddy's tights and clip on disco-ball earrings.
I know Maddy doesn't like being the only girl but this is ridiculous!

Playing Catch Up

2010-05-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

The past month has gone so fast!

Cade started baseball. He really likes it. It is nice not to have any Saturday games.

He is doing well running and not playing in the dirt.

Matt has been in California for business.

I have been busy with Teacher Appreciation week. Lots of fun but lots of work. We did personalized Jones Soda bottles, a breakfast, student questionaires, lunch and gift bags. Teaching is such an unappreciated profession so it was really worth all the work.

As soon as I was done passing out gift bags on the last day of the week, we headed over to my parents for Apple Blossom Weekend. We got part way over and I realized I was feeling a bit sick. Not car sick. Just sick. Matt and my sister Sara took the kids to run the Pig Jig Saturday morning. Cade ran the 2k with my cousin Jeffrey. I asked Cade later how he did. He said he came in 15th but if he hadn't had to wait on Jeffrey, he would have come in 1st. Talk about throwing your running partner under the bus! Matt ran the 5k with Ryan and Maddy. Ryan ended up finishing in just over 27 minutes. I never heard Maddy's time but she felt great about it. They did get rained on during the run but the sun came out in time for the parade. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend. Me...I didn't leave the house.

Matt has been in California for business.

The kiddos have one month of school left. It has sure gone fast! Maddy is excited to move on to middle school. Ryan will be in 4th grade and Cade in 2nd. My friend, Katie, and I are in charge of 5th grade graduation. I'll post our PTA gift to the students later.

Matt has been in California for business. Really, Matt has been gone a lot. He is working on a big project with the Gap. He came home a couple trips ago and informed me he would not be traveling for awhile. Guess who was gone the next week?! Silly boy. Now that the kids are getting a bit older, its not that bad. Trying to coordinate all the schedules is a bit more difficult. He finally got signed up for the Chelanman Triathlon so is getting geared up for that.

I know a lot more has happened but I just can't remember.

Happy Birthday, Matt!

2010-04-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Matt has been in California all week and came home just in time to celebrate with some strawberry shortcake.

Happy birthday! We love you!

Birch Bay and the Tulip Festival

2010-04-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

Matt and I decided to finally do something this spring break and took the kiddos to Birch Bay for a night.

View from our room.

These planes kept flying over our hotel.

Looking for crabs.

Finding a crab.

Cade after getting pinched by above crab.

Beautiful sunset.

Ryan enjoying some last beach time.

Just a couple of the millions of tulips.

Matt and I.

Brothers.

Maddy, Ryan and Cade.

Cade trying to get his picture taken while a bug flies in his ear.

April Fools!

2010-04-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

I like April Fools Day. I like nice tricks not mean ones. For the past several years I have tricked my kids with food. We have done eggs (marshmallow creme and 1/2 a peach), grilled cheese sandwiches (sliced pound cake with orangish yellow frosting), juice with a straw (jello). They've gotten a kick out of it. This year we did the fake eggs again but a scaled down version. I melted 5 white chocolate chips and put a yellow M&M in it. They end up being about the size of a quarter.

My friend, Katie, and I co-chair the recognition committee for the PTA. We wanted to do something fun so came up with this idea.

Fake sushi! We served them in take-out boxes with chopsticks. The teachers loved them. They turned out so cute I decided my kids would have sushi for dinner.

A Coach's Gift

2010-03-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. Again, life is a bit hectic.

As you know, Matt coached both Ryan and Cade's basketball teams this winter. Here is an article one of the parents wrote for the local newspaper.

A Coach's Gift

My son, Mason, started playing basketball this year. I attended the obligatory meeting at the beginning of the year and was pleased to see that I knew his new coaches, Matt LaTurner and Scotty Edwards. I knew he would be in good hands, but I didn’t realize how much more than just basketball would be taught.
Matt and Scotty have been coaching together for the last two years and this year they took on two teams. The teams are sponsored by the YMCA and included about 30 local boys. Somewhere in the middle of the season Matt told the parents that we would be having a party at the end of the year for the boys on the team but the coaches did not want a coach’s gift. For those of you who are veterans of the child sport phenomenon, the coach’s gift is given to each coach as a way to make up for the endless hours of time and effort that the coach puts in while you run to the store and celebrate that hour of peace and sweet freedom. When all of us looked around with that deer in the headlights look of “what do we do now?” Matt suggested that we raise money and donate it to a charity.
The discussion then changed from what do we get the coaches to who should we donate to? The answers were obvious. On each team there was a player who had a family member personally touched by a major charity. The younger team chose the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the older team chose the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This choice was easy for the boys because they actually knew someone who had been affected by the kindness of others. Matt and Scotty also felt that it was important for the boys on the team to realize how fortunate they were to be able to play basketball and to participate with their teammates.
Payton Burpee, one of the boys on the younger team, was a recipient of a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. When he was 3 months old he was diagnosed with an extremely rare heart condition. His wish was to swim with dolphins. He was able to do just that at Sea World and he also got to spend his 4th birthday at Disneyland. His older brother Davis has the same rare heart condition and was able to have his wish of meeting the Seahawks and being on the sideline during a game. This charity was a natural fit. When asked what he thought of the coaches giving up their gifts Peyton replied "I think it is really nice that Coach Matt gave up his gift. I had so much fun on my wish; Donald Duck made special time with me! And I got to feed and pet Dolly (a dolphin) and see her new baby. Coach Matt is letting another boy have a wish come true. I think it is very nice of him. I really love Coach Matt."
The older team chose the Muscular Dystrophy Association as their charity because they also had a personal connection to the charity. My nephew and Mason’s cousin Brennan has muscular dystrophy. By all accounts he is a typical 9 year old but you quickly see that he can not run and play as well as many kids his age. His legs and arms are starting to be significantly affected by his condition. They expect him to be confined to a wheel chair within a relatively short period of time and his life expectancy is about 18 years. Mason was glad that the coaches decided to donate to charity saying: “I think it was nice because they could find a cure to help Brennan so he doesn’t die.”
In fact the boys all seemed to think this was a fine idea. Rick, one of the boys on the team, said “It’s a good idea to help people who cannot play. Helping is more important than having.” When asked what he would remember most about the season Rick also said “the coaches, how special they are and donating the money to people who cannot play.”
The Boys really did their part in getting donations. All told they gathered over $600 for the two charities. Matt and Scotty’s decision has already started to change things in our community. I have received an email from a coach who was inspired by this and will be doing this for his team next year.
Jen LaTurner, Matt’s wife, had a son on each of the two teams. She said “The hope is for each player to realize not just how much fun it is to be able to participate in an activity like this but that there are others who don't have the chance at all. I think both boys are starting to realize that we either have things or get to do things that a lot of others don't. They also realize that giving is better.”
Matt and Scotty are the kind of roll models we all want for our kids. They teach the fundamentals, they work with each kid individually, they make 15 screaming 8 and 9 year olds into a team and on top of it all they throw in a life lesson on gratitude and giving. And, when it comes to coach’s gifts can you really ask for a better gift then that?

A Letter to Obama

2010-02-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

Maddy has started the DARE program at school. I love when one of my kids gets so excited about something good (or bad in this case) and wants to do something about it. Maddy decided to write President Obama about the tobacco industry. Here is her letter.

Dear President Obama,

Every year, 400,000 Americans die from tobacco related causes. In addition to this, 3,000 more Americans die just from breathing the smoke of a cigarette. I care about my family and friends and I don’t want them to be one of the 403,000 of those people who die. So I want you to get rid of all the smoking and tobacco companies in America, and I have reasons why.

In cigarette smoke, there are 200 known poisons. What about the unknown poisons? Two of the known poisons include nicotine and carbon monoxide. Nicotine is a very strong poison that causes addiction. Carbon monoxide is like car exhaust. That’s what is killing so many people now. It’s also polluting the air and harming the environment. Not only does the cigarette smoke kill humans, but it kills plants and trees. We need trees to put oxygen in the air to survive. This eventually will kill all of us.

If someone smokes or uses tobacco, they are at great risk of dying. These products may cause lung, heart, throat, bladder, kidney or mouth cancers. They also cause heart and gum disease. If this doesn’t happen and the smoker plays sports, one minute they are about to kick a soccer ball into the net, the next, possibly off to the hospital. Why? The shortness of their breath from smoking. Smokers tend to have more colds and upper respiratory problems. This could lead to death. Another possible sickness is emphysema and may complicate pregnancy. Doctors would have less busy lives and focus on treating patients with other problems.

If people stop smoking now, it reduces the risk of dying or sickness. Their families won’t bug the smoker about quitting anymore. Interventions could stop and doctors could lead easier lives without cigarettes, tobacco, or cigars. There would be less pollution in the air and 403,000 more Americans could live each year. Instead of planning funerals, babies could be welcomed into the world.

For those people who work for smoking and tobacco companies would lose their job. I am well aware of this. But they could use the money from all the cigarettes people buy to open a therapy center to help worrying Americans. Instead of killing so many Americans, they could try helping them.

Right now, there are about 304,059,724 people in the U.S.A. If all of us smoked, America could be GONE. No one could survive with the toxic air and poisons. The age when people start smoking is now coming close to 6th grade. If this reaches 5th grade, this could be a real life nightmare. Kindergarteners could get one from fifth graders. Babies would be exposed to smoking because of their parents. Try living with parents who smoke. I don’t, but some kids do. And if parents do this, they really don’t care about the kids they have. This real life nightmare is closer then you think. In fact, possibly a few years with 403,000 Americans dying per year.

You may think this is a horrible idea, but when other countries see this, they could think this is a good idea. Those countries would stop. This could spread around the world. Just by this one letter I write to you now. Our world could be so much better.
In conclusion, you may think I’m just one crazy 5th grader who doesn’t know what she’s doing. But please consider this idea of saving 403,000 Americans lives every year. We could have 4,030,000 more Americans in the next 10 years. Imagine less busy doctors with easier live. Happy families with less worries and now, no 200+ poisons in the air.

A Fifth Grader with a Plan,

-Madison LaTurner
age 11

(some of this I researched with my D.A.R.E book and internet and most of this I did on my own)

Way to go, Maddy! We are proud of you for taking a stand!

Just When You Thought Life Couldn't Get Any Busier, the Bishop Calls

2010-02-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

2010 has started off pretty busy for us. Matt is crazy busy with work. Besides his normal managerial responsibilities, he has been doing quite a bit of traveling. He and another co-worker have been visiting __________ in California. (At one point I was told I couldn't say anything about who it was but my mom knows so now everyone might know. Sorry mom...Dale made me say that! I'll have to see when I can say more.) It is pretty close to being a done deal. The big issue is that there is the potential of Matt traveling every week for the next year. They are trying to cut that back. In all his spare time (hahaha) he is still coaching Ryan and Cade's basketball teams. I think their last game is March 6th. All three boys have loved it but it will be nice when it is over.
I have still been subbing at the school. I don't know if at this point you can still call it subbing. I started November 30th. I finally took 2 days off last week and loved it!! I was finally able to clean just a bit and get some other important things done that have been ignored. I am enjoying being a co-chair on the PTA for the Recognition committee. My co-chair, Katie, and I put together a hot chocolate bar for the staff. They loved it! It was so fun to listen to them and actually hear how appreciative they are. We have put a lot of work into it but it has been worth it!
I really didn't think we had many more hours in our day but apparently the bishop did. Bishop Lee stopped by a couple weeks ago and asked if I would be willing to accept a calling as Relief Society president. When he called to set up the appointment, I listed in my head the many reasons why I felt like I could say no. When the bishop is sitting across from me the only thing that comes out is 'yes'. That was 2 weeks ago and so far so good. I really really am feeling the support of the sisters in our ward. I am so excited to serve these ladies. I have the best counselors, the best secretary and the best Visiting Teaching Coordinator ever!
In the middle of all this, Ryan turned 9! He was able to invite some of the neighborhood boys over to watch a movie and have ice cream cake. After basketball is over we will take the kids to Great Wolf Lodge as his big birthday gift. It has been fun to see Ryan grow. He is so much like his Dad. Same smarty pants attitude. We love you, Ryan!

This past weekend we were able to have my Mom and Dad and my sister, Sara, from Boise come visit. Saturday morning we went out to breakfast at the Maltby Cafe..yummy! The boys got to show off their amazing basketball skills to our visitors. Maddy got to show off how tall she is getting.

Maddy's Turn

2010-01-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Last night we watched 'Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs' for slumber party night. Afterwards, Matt turned regular tv cartoons on until the next movie. It happened to be Popeye. I don't think the kids have ever seen it before and none of them were too impressed. Maddy says, "It's like a creepy old man smoking pot!" I was upstairs at the time so Matt ran up to tell me what she said. My reaction was "How does she know about pot?!" (She later told me a friend at school told her about it...yikes!) I came downstairs and asked Maddy how she knew about pot. She says, "Well, it's the same thing Santa smokes." What?! She then takes her hand and draws an imaginary something from her mouth. I said "Maddy, that's a pipe, not pot!"

Did he really just say that?

2010-01-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

Ryan was sitting on my lap last night talking to me. (He very quickly got thrown off.) He asked me who the guy was the started Microsoft. I told him that was Bill Gates. He started giving me some Microsoft information and said something about how long they have been around. I made the mistake of telling him I was older than Microsoft and he made the mistake of telling me how old I was.

Tonight I took the kids to Safeway with me to pick a few things up. They really like the rotisserie chicken so I asked if that's what they would like for dinner. Cade says, "I don't know what chicken you are talking about!" Maddy, Ryan and I tried to describe the bird to him. He then says, "Oh, you mean the chicken with the turkey legs!"

Those are Matt's boys.

Basketball...game 1 and game 1

2010-01-09T18:24:00.001-08:00

Ryan and Cade both had their first basketball games today. Here is Cade showing off his shooting skills. He scored 8 points! He did really well. He probably needs to work on passing a bit. Once he made one basket, he realized it was easier to score if he just took the ball all the way and did it himself. I'm guessing his teammates might want a chance sometime. It was fun to watch him play defense when his team had the ball. I'm sure it was a tactic used to throw off his opponent.

Ryan just hung around while Cade warmed up.

Ryan's game was exciting but not for the same reasons as Cade's. The other team was able to get a lot more practice time in than our team and it was obvious. I didn't realize 2nd and 3rd graders would be running plays. Not just 1. They had at least 4. Our boys really did try and the second half showed a lot of improvement.
This last picture is of Ryan and the boy he defended. I should have known the kid was trouble when he came out with a headband and matching wristbands. When Ryan is defending someone, he tends to have his arms out and is touching the opposing player. Apparently this kid didn't appreciate it and starting hitting Ryan. Both boys were pulled out...Ryan crying thinking he was in trouble and from getting hit and the other kid screaming about not being able to do anything out there. The YMCA staff guy came over and talked to Ryan and let him know he hadn't done anything wrong. He said the other kid was frustrated that Ryan was defending him so well but that he might want to keep his arms down just a little. He really was good with Ryan. Ryan got back in the game in the second half and did a good job.

Glad game 1 and game 1 are over.

Maddy's funny

2010-01-02T21:27:00.000-08:00

Matt took Maddy and Ryan to the pool this last week. The three of them were sitting in the pool when a big man wearing a little speedo got in as well. Maddy looked at the man, turned back to Matt and said, "Dad, I am so glad you shave your back!"

(Matt wants me to make sure everyone knows he doesn't have to shave his back.)

New Years Eve/Day

2010-01-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

Matt did a really good job picking my Christmas gifts. My big gift this year was a new camera. LOVE IT!!! I have been playing around with it every day since. I got to practice some 'light painting' with the sparklers the kids lit. I still need to fine tune my mad skills but I am having so much fun! (Nick, can you help me out?)

Cade made the circles and the camera snapped him as he was walking away.

Maddy and her star creation.

Matt working on hearts.

Ryan trying to burn himself?

The Boys

2009-12-28T16:27:00.001-08:00

Videos

2009-12-18T22:48:00.001-08:00

This first video is of Ryan giving his ASB speech. He was so excited to get up there. He did a great job!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00edQZktkCA

The second video is of Maddy performing her first ever flute solo in the school Christmas assembly. You got to love 5th grade band!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d67dGZS74o

A Lot of Catching Up

2009-12-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

So again my lack of posting is due to the fact that so much has kept us busy.

Sports...In mid November, Maddy and Ryan finished soccer. Finally. This week...Ryan and Cade have both started basketball. This is Ryan's 2nd year and Cade's 1st. Both are very excited and both have Matt as their coach. It works out really well because both practices are on Wednesday one right after the other.

School...All 3 kids are going great. We had parent/teacher conferences before Thanksgiving break. Ryan has been involved in ASB and decided to run for Activity Person. There were already 3 people running so he decided to go for Secretary instead. Two reasons for that: 1. there was no one to run against him and 2. he thought it was security not secretary. He won. He is most excited because he gets to tell people to quit talking when he thinks they have gone on long enough.

Thanksgiving...We went over to Granny Janny and Papa Butch's for Thanksgiving. It was the first time in awhile we had all been together in Manson. The kiddos loved seeing their cousins. Matt, Maddy and I went to see 'New Moon' with Sara, Sara, Kelsy and Aleasha. Matt and the boys played in the Turkey Bowl.

Work...I have been busy subbing. I got a 10 day sub job working in the special ed room at the elementary. In the mornings I am assigned to a little girl (www.jaydaswebsite.org) and after she goes home I am kind of a floater. It has gone really well and the days go by fast. Matt has been crazy busy too. He has been doing his normal job but they needed someone to work a short term gig as well. On top of that he got called to jury duty and was selected. They are expecting the case to take 2 1/2 weeks. He gets to go into downtown Seattle 4 days a week for that. He seems really interested in whatever the case is about. He says he will tell me in 2 1/2 weeks. For some reason he thinks I might want to let him know what I think (or how he should think)! December was supposed to be a busy travel month (Spokane, California, Dallas and back to California)but the jury duty thing is pushing that back. He had to go to a work meeting after a day in court. He walked in and everyone started applauding. He asked what that was about. They told him he had received the President's Award for the last quarter. He says, "Jen said something about that." They then asked who had texted me and Matt informed them that BT has sent something in the mail. They were a little irritated that BT would send something before they even got to let him know. He has done a such a good job there. There is usually a lot of flexibility which is nice.

Christmas...I went to a Relief Society meeting the other night and came home to a decorated Christmas tree. Thank you Madison, Ryan and Cade! It looks fabulous!

Duvall Christmas Tree Lighting...Last night our town turned on the lights on the community Christmas tree. They have booths and there is an area in the parking lot that is covered with hay. The kids dig through it and find candy and cheap little toys. Cade was playing with one of his toys last night when the little ball inside fell out. Ryan grabbed the toy on the floor just like it, took the ball out and put it in Cade's. "There you go, Cade." I told Ryan that what he did was so nice and showed what a big heart he had. Maddy looks over and says, "That was my toy!" Ryan says, "I never told you it was mine!"

More soon...maybe.

Maddy and Cade

2009-10-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

Usually if two of the kids are snuggling with each other, it is Ryan and Cade. Maddy isn't too much of a cuddler. Tonight this is what I saw.

Cute, huh?!

But wait. You have to see the expanded view.

Nice socks, Maddy!

Kristen

2009-10-18T22:19:00.001-07:00

Last summer we drove down to Utah to see family. We saw Sara in Boise. We saw Matt and Sara and their boys and Beckie and Doug and their kids in Salt Lake. While we were in Salt Lake we got to go to the wedding of another family member. Family in a kind of not really related sense but close enough. Matt's brother's wife's sister, Kristen got married. (Matt's brother, Hyrum, is married to Karyn. Karyn and Kristen are sisters.) Kristen accomplished a lot in her pre-40s life...college, went on a church mission, had a good career. Last summer she was able to marry in the Manti Temple. This past spring she gave birth to a little girl, Kaylee.
We received an email from Karyn last night. Kristen was at the airport in Las Vegas on their way home from visiting Karyn and her family. She complained about being very tired and then passed out. They got her to the hospital where they discovered she had blood clots in her lungs. They gave her blood thinners but unfortunately some clots made it to her heart. She passed away Friday night.
It's kind of a strange feeling. It's not like we saw her everyday so it almost doesn't seem quite true. The last time we did see her was at her wedding. The kids were talking tonight about going to the reception and sitting in the limo Kristen and Keith got for the night. They remembered the bubbles in wedding cake shaped containers. They remember the jelly beans, the waterfall, going into the bridal suite.
I have been emailing Karyn. One of the hardest things for everyone is knowing this little girl won't remember her mommy. She won't ever taste the bread her mom was so good at baking. She won't be able to share the Dr Pepper her mom would sneak to her nieces and nephew.
Being so far away makes us feel a little helpless. We have decided to make a book for Kaylee. A book about Kaylee's mom. A book that will hopefully bring her a little closer to someone who loves her so much. We want to add Kristen's favorite things and the everyday things. Her pictures. Her recipes.
If you were in Kaylee's place, what would you want to know?

Life (with lots of pictures)

2009-10-04T18:36:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a while and it's not because nothing is going on. We've been quite busy as a matter of fact.
Soccer started the middle of August and has been keeping us busy 4 days a week. Maddy and Ryan have practices Tuesday and Thursday and games on Saturday. Cade had practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Now practices have been replaced by games those days. Matt is coaching Cade's team for the second year now and is enjoying it. Cade isn't sure about that set up because he sees Maddy and Ryan at practice without a parent and thinks he should 'be on his own' too. There is one dad on the team who has been our team photographer. I'm so glad because his pictures turn out so much better than mine.

Ryan is quite the soccer star. He is so much fun to watch because he is so fast. We are trying to figure out if he has a dominant foot because he scores with both his right foot and left. Unfortunately his team doesn't have a team photographer so you have to look at my pictures.

Maddy has been on the same soccer team for the last 3 years. We really like her coach. She has been playing defender (which is not her favorite) until yesterdays game. She finally got to play middy (don't know how they spell it) which is what she wanted. She soon figured out how tiring it is to be there...a lot of running. Almost all of her games are at 9:00am so it is getting pretty chilly. The assistant coach's husband brought a huge container of hot chocolate for the girls yesterday. Very smart! Maddy's pictures aren't as clear because of the fog.

My mom and Dad came over this weekend and my sister Sara flew in from Boise. The three of them and Maddy went to see Wicked in Seattle. Matt and I went in September and loved it. I think Dad was a bit skeptical knowing it was a musical and not knowing any of the story. All 4 ended up really liking it. I'm so glad they got to go.

(Doesn't Dad look happy in this picture?)

School update: Maddy is loving 5th grade. Her teacher is amazing. She is starting to play the flute this year. I am so glad she opted not to get the drums or the sax she had talked about. Ryan is starting 3rd grade off really well. I was a bit worried about the teacher he was assigned but it has actually worked out great. He was just voted to be one of the ASB Reps for his class and is waiting to hear if he gets to be a Tech Kid again. Cade loves first grade. He has the same teacher Ryan did. He actually likes to get homework. I think it is the feeling of being 'grown up' like the other kiddos. He (and I) loves the fact that he can walk home without someone having to pick him up.
Parent update: Matt is on his way to California right now. He will probably be going down a lot for the next 6-8 weeks with work. He has really had fun coaching soccer and the kids love him. He is also busy with Scouts. I have been at the school a lot. I am PTA co-chair for the Recognition Committee and we have been busy staying on top of that. I also worked in morning kindergarten class for the first month of school getting them ready for parent volunteers to come in. I finally decided that I am over there so much that I might as well get paid for it. I turned in my sub application last week and had my first job last Friday. Hopefully it will keep me busy as well. I was also put into Relief Society as one of the counselors.

Ballard Locks

2009-09-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

Monday Matt and I took the boys to the Ballard Locks. The Locks are where the sea water from the Puget Sound meets the fresh water from the lakes (Lake Washington and Lake Union). The water level of the lakes is 20-22 feet higher than sea level. What does this mean? It means when boats want to go from the sea water to the higher lakes or the other way round, they have to go thru the locks. The boats go thru one set of gates and 'park' behind another set. Once there are enough boats in between the gates, the back gates are closed. They raise or lower the water level between the gates and then open the front gates.

Besides the boats, we were all entertained by the fish. The salmon were going crazy! I don't think I have ever seen fish jump out of the water like they were then.

In the second to last picture you can see the splash the fish have made from jumping and I think you can see one fish in the air. In the last picture (bottom righthand corner) you can see the fish flying.
I was really hoping to see some of the boats from "Deadliest Catch". No luck with that but we did see the bar they all hang out at.

A New School Year

2009-09-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

We reached a milestone today in our family. Today was the first day in almost 11 years that I haven't had a child at home with me for at least part of the day. Today was the first day of school.
What did I do on my first 'free' day you ask? Why, I spent it at the school of course! Katie and I were in charge of making the teachers back to school snack bags. I made the bags and Katie decorated the front of composition notebooks...very cute! I think the teachers really appreciated them.
While I was busy doing the PTA stuff, Matt was at home getting kids ready...packing lunches, writing checks for supplies, making sure teeth were brushed and everyone had on clean clothes. Maddy and Ryan had already told Matt it was fine if he walked them to school. Cade would have nothing to do with that. "Not on the first day, Dad!" Matt took two pictures of the 3 kids together outside and they were off. I saw Matt at the school wondering around and he had already lost everyone. We found Maddy and Ryan exactly where they should be. We decided to divide and conquer to try to find Cade. I ended up chatting with another mom when I hear, "Hey, mom, what's up?" We got Cade to where he should be and all was well.

Maddy was pretty excited for school this year. This will be her first year having a man for a teacher. She also gets to do DARE and the High Tea (which she is was the first one to finish this year). As fifth graders they also get to do a rotation so they get to have all the 5th grade teachers.

This was Ryan's first day as a 3rd grader. He was also excited but also a little nervous. I don't think he had any idea what to expect his teacher to be like. He came home saying she was nice so that puts my mind at easy some.

Mr Independent, I mean Cade came home a little disappointed. He couldn't believe they didn't have 2 lunches today. I told him there is only supposed to be one. He says "Well there should be two because I am STARVING!" Apparently the long day is going to be an adjustment for his eating schedule. He did mention he made some new friends. There is one girl in his class that bugs him though because she keeps telling everyone to SHHHH!
Besides doing the PTA stuff I got to help in Ryan's class and in the office. I got home thirty minutes before the kids did just so Cade wouldn't think I was picking him up. I might actually take the day off tomorrow. Maybe.

He Said What?!

2009-08-05T21:32:00.001-07:00

We were all sitting around the tv tonight watching "Wipeout." I see a gal on there with shorts on and I made the comment "She's as white as I am." Ryan apparently mishears what I say and replies, "You're not as fat as she is, Mom."
I clarify myself. "Whiter, Ryan, not wider!"
Thanks anyway, Ryan. I think.

2009 England Family Reunion

2009-07-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

There are some trips you go on and you are so glad to be back home. There are others that you wish you didn't have to leave so soon. We just got back from the England Family Reunion and I really wish I was back at Kara and Todd's.
We first went over to Manson so Matt could participate in the ChelanMan 1/2 Ironman. This is one race I don't mind him doing because we stay at Granny Janny and Papa Butch's house and they make it very easy to get to the race. Matt did great. He finished first in his age group. Because he did he got a little glass mug that is tinted yellow at the bottom. Everytime I look at it I think it's dirty.
From there we drove to Boise and stayed with my sister, Sara for 2 nights. Her complex has a nice pool that the kids (and Matt) took full advantage of. Matt also requested that we stop by Sonic so he could get his double jalapeno cheese burger he has been craving. As we ate our dinner I noticed my burger had a bit of a kick to it. The jalapenos had been put on my burger by mistake.
From Boise we headed down to Matt and Sara's house in Salt Lake. We took the kids to Cowabunga which is a waterpark in Draper. As soon as we parked, Maddy informed me that there was no way she was going on any of those slides. (She can be a bit of a chicken.) We dragged her inside and all the kids loved it. We were even able to talk the kiddos into riding on some of the non-toddler slides. Great place to go for 1/2 day if you are in the area.
Friday we headed to Kara and Todd's in Pleasant View. Matt and the kids spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool. I had a pretty good sunburn going so opted to avoid the sun. Later that night we pulled the kids from the water and went into the Ogden Rodeo. Crazy. Parking was insane. We walked into the rodeo grounds and could not find a seat. The place was absolutely packed. I finally found some nice people who let us squeeze in next to them behind the grandstand box. Every once in awhile we were able to see something. The kids enjoyed it though.
Saturday we went back to Kara's and had family pictures. I think there were 90 of us there. We had yummy burritos for lunch and hung around the pool some more. It was so nice to visit with people. After dinner we dragged the kiddos back to the hotel. None of them were too happy to leave. After everyone else went to bed, a group of us went to the hotel hottub and just talked. We decided at about 12:30am that we should probably get to bed. On our way to our rooms, we heard a lot of noise coming from the breakfast room (those Englands can be loud!). We stayed in there chatting away until about 2am. It was fun.
Sunday, my cousin Brynne had her mission farewell but we had to miss it so we could get Matt to the airport in Boise. We brought back a lot more baggage than we went down with...Kelsy, Aden, Thaddeus and Ben tagged along for the drive back to Washington. The 7 grandkids are all at Granny Janny and Papa Butch's house until tomorrow. They have had a blast and I will have to do another post for that. I'm glad they were there with air conditioning instead of here. It was 105 degrees yesterday according to weather.com.
So Kara and Todd, we tip our hats to you. You were fabulous hosts and we had a blast. My kids are already asking to go back. You took such good care of all of us and went far beyond what anyone expected. You are awesome! Next time, Kara, I hope you get to relax and come visit with us! Thanks for a great time!

Chalk Art

2009-07-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

Cade and his friend have been drawing all over the street this afternoon. I went out to see how they were doing and came across this lovely drawing of their 'friends'.

Notice the lines coming out from under the arms of the friend on the right? Cade says that is armpit juice. Nice.

Top 5 reasons why Lake Chelan is the best place to be for the 4th of July

2009-07-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

1. Sun- The whole weekend was beautiful. High 90s, low 100s made bearable by air conditioning and the lake.
2. The Lake and Stutzman's beach- Our family has known the Stutzman's for years. They have a beautiful piece of property right on the lake and they are always so generous with it. Matt took the kiddos down Friday and Saturday for hours. Cade 'cannonballed' off the dock and Maddy and Ryan learned to snorkle.

3. Time with Granny Janny and Papa Butch- I don't know if our kids realize how lucky they are to have grandparents so close who just love to spend time with them.
4. An uncle who will take you for a ride...a helicopter ride that is!

5. Fireworks- I love watching the fireworks show in Manson. We are lucky enough to have a prime waterfront location to watch from. This year the barge where they shoot the fireworks from was directly in front of us. I love hearing the echo of the explosions bounce off the mountains. I love seeing all the boats in the water and hearing all the horns honk when the boaters approve of the show.

And just to be mean, I have to throw this one in.

Words of Wisdom by Ryan

2009-06-25T15:46:00.001-07:00

Today Ryan asked me when the next holiday was. I told him the 4th of July and then asked him if he knew what happened on the 4th to make it a holiday. He said it was the day America won its independence. One point for Ryan. He then asked me what happened on the 24th of July. I told him that was when the Saints (or pioneers) made it into the Salt Lake Valley. Ryan said, "Oh yeah, I knew that. You mean its when the Saints go marching in!" Ummm, sure.
We also just found out that Michael Jackson passed away. I switched the TV on and turned to MTV so I could show the boys who Michael Jackson was. They were showing the 'Beat It' video. After about 30 seconds, Ryan looks at me and asks "Michael Jackson was a girl?" I informed him that he indeed was a boy. "But how can he sing that high? I'm pretty sure she is a girl." Can ya' really blame the boy?

Happy 6th, Cade!

2009-06-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

Today Cade turned 6 and this whole weekend has been all about him. Yesterday we took a group of his friends to see the movie 'Up' in 3D. All the kids seemed to really enjoy it. As part of the birthday deal, each kiddo got a drink, popcorn and a treat to have during the show. I think we only had one boy lose his food when he stood up from his seat, put the treat box on the seat and let go. There wasn't enough weight to hold the seat down so the treat box went flying. After the movie, someone took us all on a tour of the projection room. We could have skipped the whole tour part. I don't think the guy had much experience in dealing with the younger crowd because he didn't try very hard to keep their attention. Oh well. We went back to the party room where Cade got to open presents. I had talked to him before the party about not saying anything bad about any of the presents. I could just imagine him saying something like "I didn't really want this." He actually did a great job letting each guest know exactly how much he LOVED everything.
Today was the family birthday celebration. Cade opened gifts this morning and then after church we had cake. Much more laid back than yesterday.
Happy birthday, Cade!!

Busy Busy Bees

2009-06-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

This point in the school year is when I feel I am so ready for summer break. I thought we were busy when we were in baseball season but now that school is winding up for the year, we are getting hammered with things to do. Here is a (kind of brief) breakdown on what's been going on.

Ryan is finally done with baseball. I was a little worried at the beginning of the season on how well Ryan would like being in (and how well he could play) baseball. Midway thru the season though, things clicked and Ryan did GREAT! This is a picture of him with his almost double. He would have made it to second base but he missed first and had to go back. He improved a ton and ended up being quite the player.

Cade really liked his first year of tball.

Maddy took this season off from softball so got to (or had to if you ask her)go to all the boys games.

We were able to enjoy Duvall Days.

Worked on putting in a new pathway to our gate.

The kids came up with 'Make Your Mom Happy Day'.

Matt, Maddy and Ryan have learned a few piano tunes.

Cade got to celebrate his birthday with his fellow kindergarteners.

The boys were boys.

And Maddy...I'm just not sure.

Pinewood Derby

2009-05-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

I was reminded of and/or learned two things last night.
1. Our family sticks together.
2. Our family is consistant.
Last night was Ryan's 1st Pinewood Derby. We knew it was coming for quite awhile but either we were too busy or too lazy to find the time to work on his car. A few days before the race, Matt finally starts cutting the wood into some kind of shape. He proudly shows it to Ryan. Matt leaves for work and Ryan starts to laugh. I asked him what was so funny. He says, "this doesn't even look like a car!"
So in just a few days, Matt managed to carve 2 cars, buy 2 pre-cut cars and paint and decorate all 4. He and the kids were set to go.
To make a long story short, all of our cars came in last. If there were 30 cars there, our cars placed 27, 28, 29 and 30. No joke. I think the kids were okay with that. Sure, they would have liked to win at least one race but there is always next year. And the next. And the next. And...

Brothers

2009-05-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my kids make me want to pull my hair out. They can drive me absolutely crazy. Tonight was not one of those times. Cade has been so into Ryan lately. He wants to snuggle with him. He wants to read with him. He wants to play with him, draw him pictures, make him something.
Tonight, Cade decided to he wanted to wrestle me. Ryan jumped in and 'took him down'. With a little effort on Cade's part (and a lot of Ryan "letting" him), Cade pinned Ryan. Any attention Ryan will give to Cade, Cade will totally eat up. I love seeing them get along so well. They wrestled for about 15 minutes before I made them take some pictures together.

2009 Apple Blossom Festival

2009-05-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

The Manson Apple Blossom Festival is always held the second Saturday of May each year and every year we head over for the festivities.
Before the parade began on Saturday morning, all 5 of us ran in the Pig Jig. We did it last year too. Last year, Matt and Ryan ran the 5K. My sister, Sara, went with Cade for the 2K and Maddy and I were going to do the 2K together. Just before the race starts, Maddy turns to me and says, "I am going to kick your butt!" She gets an early lead but it is not too far into the race that I realize that I don't see Maddy. Ends up she didn't see the turn for the 2K runners and ended up doing the 5K race instead! Of course I had to wait for her at the end to let her know I had indeed beat her to the finish line. This year she ran with Matt and Ryan so he could point out the turn point to her. Sara missed her crossing the finish line this year so had Maddy re-enact finishing the race. She is so not the actress.

Cade did great. He ran and talked the whole race.

Ryan ran with Matt and did super. He beat his last years time.

This year marked the 89th year of the festival. It was especially neat this year because my youngest cousin, and my grandparents youngest grandchild, was a princess. Whitni is grandchild number 37.

Dale, Whitni's dad, was named Citizen of the Year so he got to ride in the parade as well. He is the one in the Hawaiian print shirt.

Matt, our brother-in-law Doug and my cousin Marissa all drove fancy cars in the parade. Maddy and her cousin, Kelsy, rode with Marissa. Ryan and his cousin, Aden, rode with Doug. Cade opted out so he could grab candy that was being thrown along the parade route.
Looking forward to next year!

He said WHAT?!

2009-05-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

Every year for Mother's Day, Cade's kindergarten teacher, Ms C, invites all the moms in for snack time with the kids. Each mom brings a special snack for her and her kiddo and then the kinders sing some songs. This year she also had the kids answer some questions about their mom. The questions were simple enough. What does your mom like to snack on? Cade's response was ravioli. Really? I like ravioli but don't ever recall 'snacking' on it. What is your mom's favorite sport? He says all of them. What does your mom do in her free time when she is not doing mom stuff? The paper says shopping. The mom filling out the sheets tells me Cade actually answered quite differently. His original response was "looking for a man to marry." Wonder if I should tell Matt.

Toothless Twins

2009-05-07T20:02:00.001-07:00

Cade has had a lose tooth for awhile now. Ryan had one tooth that was just a little wiggly. In the last 3 days, Ryan has lost 3 teeth. (We are doing a 'lose tooth' inventory tonight to make sure he won't come home with anymore missing teeth.) Cade's little front one just kept hanging in there. Finally this morning, Cade's aunt, Becca Jean, asked if she could wiggle it one more time before she left. It took Cade a few long seconds to realize that she had actually pulled it out!

The joke is on who?

2009-04-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Matt tries telling Maddy the following joke the other day seeing if she could 'get' it.
Three women die and go to heaven. They are looking around and see ducks everywhere. Peter comes up to them and explains that they are not to step on a duck and if they do, there will be a punishment.
An hour goes by and the first lady accidently steps on a duck. Peter comes over and handcuffs her to a really ugly man. Six hours pass and the second lady accidently steps on a duck. Peter comes over and handcuffs an ugly man to her too. About a month passes and the third lady is doing a really good job of not stepping on the ducks but Peter approaches her and handcuffs this really handsome man to her. She turns to Peter and says, "but I haven't stepped on a duck!" Peter says, "I know, but he did!"
After Matt finishes the joke, Maddy says "I don't get it." Matt asks her what the punishment was for stepping on a duck. She replies, "being stuck with a man forever?"
I think she got it more than Matt wanted her to!

Cade's First Tball Game

2009-04-22T21:18:00.001-07:00

1st time on base

Cade and Daniel

Cade making the first out of the season

Cade kept dancing around funny so we kept asking if he had to go to the bathroom. Nope. Guess he was just excited.

This looks just like Ryan!

Cake Lollipops

2009-04-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today is Ryan's teacher's birthday. I turned 12 the day she was born. Hmmm. Anyway, I like her a lot so I made some birthday treats to take into the class. These yummy cake lollipops were a hit.

Happy Birthday, Matt!

2009-04-17T18:51:00.001-07:00

Crazy 8's Baseball

2009-04-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

Ryan is doing baseball again this year. He had his first game last night. I could see a lot of improvement over last year. He did really well batting. He is 4/4 so far. He also did really well out in the field even though I know it had to be hard for him to just stand out there for so long. (In other words, he did a good job not playing in the dirt!)

My kids better watch out!

2009-04-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

How do you rate? Let me know!

16

April Fools

2009-04-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

The past few years for April Fools Day, I have 'tricked' the kids with food. I have done fake eggs (marshmallow creme), fake grilled cheese sandwiches (toasted pound cake with yellow frosting), fake french fries (toasted pound cake sliced) and fake juice (jello poured in glasses with straws). This year I made un-chicken pot pies. The last two nights I cut orange starbursts and shaped them into cubed carrots. For peas, I rolled pieces of green taffy. I was going to use bananas as potatoes but Matt and Maddy took the last two as snacks. Today I made the pie tops and the vanilla pudding. I assembled everything while the kids were in school.

Matt wanted to see the kids reactions so we waited until he got home to eat. Each kid moaned as their dish was placed in front of them. I told them if they each ate one pea or carrot, they didn't have to eat any of the other vegetables. Maddy was practically in tears just thinking about having to eat a pea. My brave eater, Ryan, finally took a bite followed by Cade who tossed his pea in his mouth to get it over with. Even when Cade declared that the 'peas' weren't so bad, Maddy wouldn't try it. Ryan couldn't hold it in anymore and let Maddy in on the joke. At that point, she didn't know if I was fooling her or her brother was. She finally stuck her tongue out and licked the tiniest spot on her spoon. April fools!

Now to get them to eat their real dinner!

Here are the Starburst carrots and taffy peas.

One of my favorite things

2009-03-31T07:20:00.000-07:00

Matt, Maddy and I were finishing up Maddy's most recent book project, designing a cereal box, last night while the boys were in watching tv. When we got done, we went into the living room to say family prayer and this is what I saw. Can't they always be like this?

It is all in who you know

2009-03-25T16:00:00.001-07:00

We live right across from the elementary school. I love being so close because I don't have to worry about my kids getting from here to the school with any problems. They walk out the door to the waiting crossguard and there they are.

Living so close does have some disadvantages. One problem that we are reminded of again and again is parking during sport seasons. People park on the main street just off ours to take kids to practice. They park so close to the intersection that when we try to pull out of our street, we can't see cars coming down the hill.

I got frustrated enough with it yesterday that I called the city to see if there was something that could be done. The city told me I would have to call either the police station or the fire department. I called the police and they told me to call the city. When she found out they referred me to them, she offered to talk to them herself. She calls back a little later and tells me who exactly I needed to talk to at Public Works Department of the city. I finally got ahold of the guy who then tells me I needed to call the police. Umm, I don't think so. He finally said he would pass it along. Right. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like he totally blew me off. I called back and got his name.

I then thought I would use my best resource...my sisters group. It's a group of women in our town who ask questions, offer advice, etc. Let me tell you, I should have gone there first. One gal lives next door to one of the Public Works supervisors and one emailed a gal on the city council. I get a call this morning from the supervisor who says he is on it. I just got a call from him again. They have our no parking sign up already. Take about knowing the right people! Thanks, sisters, I couldn't not have done this (this fast) without you!

Egg-cellent Trick

2009-03-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

Apparently on the spring and fall equinoxes (maybe on all 4), you can balance an egg on its end. I don't know if it is really true that it is just on an equinox or if you can do it anytime. I just remember to try this the first day of Spring. Check it out! No tape, no glue, just skill.

Cade-ism

2009-03-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

This past week Cade's kindergarten class has been learning about 100. They have reached 100 days in school so have done different projects about the number. This week I was able to help out in his classroom twice. On one of the days, Ms C had the kids draw pictures of what they thought they would look like when they are 100. The pictures were so cute (in a 100 year old sort of way).
I overheard one of the girls in the class tell Ms C that when she (the girl) was 100, she wanted to still be in Ms C's class. Ms C told the girl that she would be too old to teach when she was 100.
The next day Cade came home and said that Ms C was gone today and that they had gotten a new teacher because Ms C was now too old to teach. Apparently Ms C had an art program meeting to go to that day. Cade, also hearing his teacher tell the girl she would be too old to teach, assumed she was leaving due to old age.

Duvall Sonics

2009-03-11T17:05:00.001-07:00

This is the first year Ryan has played basketball and Matt is one of his coaches. They have both really enjoyed doing this together. The boys have been fun to watch and have improved so much. (First game = painful to watch) They missed a lot of practice time due to snow storms shutting down the school. They have their last game this Saturday which unfortunately I think I will miss due to the fact that it is at 8:30 am in Bothell.

Sunny California

2009-03-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

Last Monday morning was almost like Christmas here. We needed to get the kids up at 5:30am so we could catch a flight to Orange County. It is funny how easy or difficult it can be to get a child out of bed depending on the reason. We had no problems getting our three kiddos dressed and out the door.

We arrived in California at about noon and were able to check in at the Paradise Pier a bit early. When we were checking in, they asked us if we were celebrating anything. I told the man it was Ryan's birthday. It was really in January but instead of going to the Great Wolf Lodge (waterpark), we did this trip instead. They gave Ryan a balloon bouquet, a badge to wear that said "happy birthday" and a card to put any pictures on that they take at Disneyland. You still have to pay for the pictures.

We went to the park and quickly learned how much Maddy, Ryan and Cade are just like their mom. I am not a rollercoaster person. We had no problems getting them to go on 'It's a Small World' or 'Mr Toad's Wild Ride' or 'Autopia'. They loved those. We have about 20 drivers licenses from 'Autopia' to prove it.

We went back to the hotel after goofing off at the park and in our room was a plate of Mickey Mouse shaped rice crispy treats for us to share on Ryan's 'birthday.' Talk about the best birthday ever.

The trip was a success for sure. We did have a few things we would have hoped had gone differently. The weather was beautiful the whole time except for one day when it poured most of the time. Enough that we had to buy ponchos to stay mostly dry. It also would have been nice if after we bought those ponchos, we all would have worn them when we went on the 'Grizzly Rapids' raft ride. I was the only one either thinking or the only one quick enough to put mine on. Maddy and Ryan got soaked. They liked the ride but were very wet and cold afterwards. One person (I won't name names because she will probably get mad at me for doing so) informed us that until we bought them new shirts or took us back to the hotel to change, she wasn't going on anymore rides. We bought a towel and basically said "deal with it." After awhile both the kids and someone's attitude warmed up.

Matt would have loved some company on some of the more wild rides like Space Mountain or California Screamin but no matter how much he pushed or what he promised, he had no takers. Cade saw the loop on the rollercoaster and didn't want Matt to go on it.

In the end, Cade ended up being the bravest (he at least rode 1 rollercoaster), Ryan said he would ride Space Mountain and got into line with Matt before changing his mind ("at least I made it that far so I was the bravest") and Maddy didn't really care about being brave.

We also went to a couple Character Breakfasts and saw some Disney characters...Chip and Dale, Lilo, Stitch, Goofy, Pluto, Daisy, Minnie. I was kind of surprised that we didn't see more characters roaming the park.

We decided to take one day off from Disneyland and go to either Universal Studios or Legoland. We had friends give us some passes into both. Both Ryan and Cade like Legos and since all three weren't big riders, we opted for Legoland or as Matt and I now refer to it as Lame-o-land. The kids loved it but now we wished we had gone to Universal. I was also playing a game with Cade, dropped the camera and broke it.

After Legoland we took the kids by Oceanside to see the ocean. As we were walking down the big pier, we saw 3 big pelicans. Matt stood by one and the bird took a step away. Matt took another step closer. Pelicans are faster than you would think. The bird swung its beak around and bit Matt on the leg! I would say the boy deserved it.

The last day we hurried over to the park so we could fit a few last minute things in. We had tried to go to the Jedi Training Academy earlier but the show was canceled due to rain. This time the weather was great and Ryan and Cade were both selected to participate in the training program. About 30 kids were chosen to 'train'. Each was given a training light saber and a robe to use during the program. The boys loved it. Ryan ended up fighting Darth Mal and Cade fought Darth Vader.

Overall, the trip was a blast. The kids played all day and swam every night. They got up early each morning and crashed every night. This was Cade's first time on a plane and to Disneyland. One of my favorite pictures from the trip is of Cade as we are going into 'It's a Small World.' Pure joy and amazement on his face.

As we landed back in Seattle, Cade leans over and says, "In Disneyland they say all your dreams will come true. Well, I wished for no airports and no cats and they are still here!" A truely Cade statement for sure!

By the way, it's snowing here in Duvall!

A Night at the Theatre

2009-02-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

Maddy's Christmas gift from Matt was a night at the theatre. They planned on leaving at 4:00 so they could hit the Cheesecake Factory for dinner beforehand. They finally got out the door at 4:30 and headed into Seattle. They walked into the restaurant and were told it would be an hour wait. That didn't give them time to eat and get into their seats so they opted to go to the Seattle Center and eat at the food court there.

The theatre has open seating so Maddy picked front row middle. She of course picked front row middle.

The play, which Maddy kept calling a movie, was 'Pharaoh Serket and the Lost Stone of Fire.' Both she and Matt liked it. Maddy's favorite part was when people would touch the lost stone and get shocked.

Afterwards, the two headed back over to the Cheesecake Factory to order dessert. On the way over, someone on the street asked if they were on a daddy/daughter date and then proceeded to let Maddy know she was one spoiled girl. There are benefits to being the only girl.

Matt and Maddy ordered their cheesecakes (Chocolate Coconut Cream and White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut) and Maddy also got some apple cider. She drank it all before her dessert came and then was too full to eat all her cheesecake.

Harlem Globetrotters

2009-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year, Matt decided he wanted to get the kids a gift where they got to do something together. For Maddy, he got tickets to the childrens theatre. For Ryan and Cade, he got Harlem Globetrotter tickets. He asked if I would mind ordering all the tickets. When I ordered the Globetrotter tickets, I got floor tickets and I am so glad I did.

I showed Ryan and Cade some Globetrotter footage I found online so they would have a clue what they were in for. Nothing I found did the team justice.

When Matt and the boys got to the arena, they found their seats right by one of the hoops. Not long after they sat down, someone approached them and asked if the boys could participate in the game. Matt signed a waiver and the boys got to go to Globetrotter University. Both boys were asked to come out onto the floor and dance with a group of kids and the mascot, Globie. Cade was more than willing to show off his mad dancing skills but Ryan opted not to.

Here Cade is waiting his turn to go at it. Matt tried to get a picture of him dancing but couldn't get a good shot. Hopefully the team photographers got one. Apparently Cade totally let loose and put everyone to shame incorporating his karate moves into his dancing. I wish I had video of it!

In the third quarter, the boys were asked to go out and try to steal the ball from one of the players, Airport. Airport is 6'8" so he cut his advantage and got on his knees so the kiddos had a better chance.

Ryan didn't want to go out so Matt told him if he was able to steal the ball from the Globetrotter then he would pay him $10.00. It got him onto the floor but I don't think I saw a single picture of him smiling. I think he was too focused on earning the money (which he didn't get). Cade is smiling in every picture you can see his face but he was never really close enough to get the ball.

All three boys had a great time. They came home talking about how Globie ate someone cheering for the other team (Washington Generals) and how the Generals coach cheated (put a lid on the Globetrotters basket, rigged the scoreboard to give the Generals more points). Airport made Cade cry though. After the boys went out and tried to steal the ball from him, he came over and signed their basketballs. Cade was quite upset that someone would write on his new ball. He asked Matt "Can you lick this off with your tongue?" He woke up this morning and told us he was okay with it now but he will like it more when he is 6. I asked him why. When the player signed his name, he also put his number...#6. Now we are counting down the days when Cade will be fine with his autograph.

When we get the pictures the team photographers took, I'll post them too.

Cade Should Turn Pro!

2009-02-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, my mom and dad came over at the last minute for Ryan's basketball game. After the game, Matt suggested in front of the kids that mom and dad should take the kids back to Manson with them. I could go over after church the next day and come back Tuesday since the kids are on mid-winter break. So the plan was set. We hurried home and packed the kids clothes up and off they went.

I left on Sunday and went from warm weather (50 degrees is warm for here in February) to snow. The kids just about drove me crazy since they were stuck inside because in our rush to pack, we didn't pack any outdoor winter clothing besides a coat. No boots, no gloves.

Granny Janny suggested turning on the Wii and Cade challenged Maddy to a game of bowling. The kid is awesome! He bowled a 230! He got 8 strikes in a row. Maddy, knowing she was no match for Cade, changed her goal of scoring any points to trying to get gutter balls in her neighbor's lane. Way to set your goals so high, Maddy! We are so proud! Cade, we are taking you to Vegas!

A Boy Named Boob

2009-02-11T19:25:00.001-08:00

I am writing this down for 2 reasons:

1. So Bailee's mom will know it is not just girls.
2. So I will have something to either embarrass Ryan with later or to remind Ryan what he put us thru.

Take your pick.

Matt took Ryan into Scouts tonight and as soon as he was away from his son, he called me. He called to tell me the conversation he had just had in the car with his 8 year old.

Matt: "How was school today?"

Ryan: "Fine. I thanked Bailee for the cookie."

Matt: "That's nice."

Ryan: "Then she told me I was going to be her future husband."

Matt: "What did you say?"

Ryan: "Uh, oooookay and then I walked away. I have a friend nicknamed Boob who tells us things we should know about girls. Girls like shiny things. Girls are always jealous. Girls will totally faint if you flick your hair like this. I did it and Bailee totally fainted. Jackson has done it and made 26 girls faint. Girls love it. I have 3 girls totally in love with me."

I'm thinking a few things: why is a boy nicknamed Boob? what makes him a girl guru? what is this hair flick that induces fainting? do Ryan and his friends even know what fainting is? what is Matt going to think when I tell him it is time to have a talk with Ryan about girls? Hopefully after Ryan has this talk with his dad, he will still have Bailee as a girl friend, just not a girlfriend.

I Told You So!

2009-02-11T16:03:00.001-08:00

Don't get me wrong. I feel bad when my kids get hurt. At the same time, after I tell them to stop doing something and they keep doing it and something happens, I want to say, "I told you so!" Sometimes I do. Like today when Cade was running outside on the sidewalk at the school and I kept telling him to stop. He did stop...with some help from the sidewalk.

Young Valentines

2009-02-10T17:51:00.000-08:00

Dinner tonight was scrambled eggs and bacon. One of the kids favorite. As I am cooking, we hear a knock on the door. Ryan's (girl)friend*, Bailee has come over to deliver a special Valentines cookie to him. I told him he couldn't have any of it until he had eaten his dinner. I don't know if I have ever seen him eat so fast and that is saying something!

Ryan loved the cookie! He wasn't too happy that I am made him share with his brother and sister but I did let him have the biggest piece. Thanks, Bailee! Ryan is lucky to have you as a friend.

*I'll have to write about Ryan and Bailee's 'relationship' another time!

Hide and Seek

2009-02-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

I went upstairs this morning and noticed the hall closet door was open. Ryan was standing across from it and starts pointing to the top of the closet with a silly grin on his face. More of a "I'm glad that's not me" look. This is what I see on the very top shelf.

Ryan's Weekend

2009-02-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

Ryan's birthday was January 30th and he was baptized on January 31st. Granny Janny, Papa Butch and Tutu (Matt's mom, Amanda) all come for the weekend.

We wanted to take everyone to breakfast on Saturday for Ryan's big day. We tried getting into Maltby's but even trying to make reservations 2 days in advance, we couldn't get in. We ended up going to the Woodinville Cafe. I had the Almond Crusted French Toast...yummy! It was really good except the place is very small so I wouldn't go back with a large group.

Tutu helped my mom make fruit pizzas for the baptism. So good! I'll post a picture so you can see the deliciousness we got to enjoy.

The baptism was very nice. Ryan was so excited. He was baptized with his friend, Dylan. Matt confirmed him and the blessing was beautiful. He gets emotional during special occasions like this and it is a side of him that I wish everyone got to see more (including myself).

After the baptism, our family took Tutu to Snoqualmie Falls. It is always beautiful but is so much more impressive when it has been raining a lot and massive amounts of water are coming over the falls. Matt took the kids down the trail to get a lower look at the water. Amanda and I stayed in the gift shop and waited for everyone to get back so we could get some hot chocolate.

It was a very nice weekend. Just wish it was a big longer.

Ryan's Birthday is Coming!

2009-01-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

Ryan turns 8 in 2 days...happy birthday, Ryan! I ordered him a birthday present online (these are personalized M&Ms, not balloons) and it came in the mail today. Check it out! That is Ryan as a baby on there. He was such a cute baby! Looking thru different pictures to find the 'right one' made me miss the days he was a little munchkin. We love you, Ryguy!

Murder on the Argosy

2009-01-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Matt got me (us) tickets to a dinner mystery murder cruise on the Argosy. We went last Saturday and had a lot of fun. We knew one of us may be involved in the story somehow but we wouldn't find out until we left the pier. Lucky Matt was picked as one of the suspects. If I had known then what I know now, I probably would have chosen a different date. He was interogated by the 'detective' and we were all made aware that apparently Matt had been fooling around with the 'cruise director'. We also found out that he has an anger issue and has been taking the drug damnitall but hasn't taken it for awhile. He was eventually cleared because they found out he had also been messing around with Jennifer Aniston, Angelia Jolie and Cloris Leachman and he must have been way to busy to murder someone. Now if they would have made up a story with him pedaling off on his bike, I might have believed some of it. Anyway, it was a fun time and good food!

Ryan's New Suit

2009-01-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

Ryan has wanted a suit for I don't know how long. I don't know why. I think he knows it will only add to his good looks. He is getting baptized on the 31st and we figured what better reason than that!

What did your parents listen to when you were born?

2009-01-12T22:25:00.000-08:00

A friend sent over a fun link today. www.joshhosler.biz. You click on the month you were born and the date and it will give you the song that was the number 1 hit the day you were born. Matt's was 'Joy to the World' by Three Dog Night. My song was 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' by Roberta Flack. Maddy's hit song was 'The First Night' by Monica. Ryan's was 'It Wasn't Me' by Shaggy featuring Ricardo 'Rikrok' Ducent. Cade's was '21 Questions' by 50 Cent featuring Nate Dogg. We couldn't listen to Ryan and Cade's due to the language used or what they were describing. I don't remember or didn't listen to any of the kid's songs and I hope they don't either!

Just a Little Water Problem

2009-01-08T11:26:00.001-08:00

Yesterday right after the kids walked out the front door, I got an email saying that school had been changed to a half day because of the flooding occuring in the valley. When we have flooding here, there are two ways people react. If it is minor flooding, people know that a couple roads might get shut down and it is no big deal. If it is major flooding, people can kind of get into panic mode. Safeway is crazy with everyone stocking up on groceries, getting gas, preparing for island desertion. You see, we have 4 roads that lead into/out of Duvall. One from Monroe, one from Carnation, the 124th bridge and the Woodinville/Duvall bridge. The roads from Carnation and the 124th bridge closing are really no biggy. Those can close with minor flooding. It just means you are going to have to wait your turn to cross the bridge into town. Yesterday some friends had to wait an hour to cross. If the Woodinville/Duvall bridge closes, Duvall becomes an island. People cant come and people cant go. It also means no deliveries to the 2 stores we have here. Last time we had major flooding, Matt didn't make it home. Lucky for us, the bridge closed during the night so he gets to enjoy this one with us. Once the bridge does get closed though, it is like things calm down a lot. At that point there is not a whole lot you can do so you better just live with it. We took the kids to the bridges to see the water. I think we would have stayed longer or checked out the trail but it was windy and cold (Okay it was 47 degress but the wind made it feel a lot colder.) Here are some pictures.

When did I have this kid?!

2009-01-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas was good this year. The kids went to bed so well Christmas Eve. Matt and I finally got to bed a little before midnight. I was almost out when Ryan came in.

"Hi, Mom. Whats going on? Did Santa come yet?"

Umm. "Nope, it is still Christmas Eve Ryan. You better hurry back to sleep."

"Okay."

Half and hour later...

"Did Santa make it yet?"

"Nope. Back to bed."

I don't recall how many times he made it back in to our room to check on Santa but finally at about 7:00am we all rolled out of bed. The boys each got a new bike and Maddy got a clock/Ipod player for her room. This year Matt decided to go 'waste free' and got each kid a date night with Dad. Matt and Maddy are going to go to a play together at the Childrens Theatre. Ryan and Cade get to go with Dad to a Harlem Globetrotters game.

A few of my gifts from Matt didn't make it in time for Christmas due to weather. Matt, not able to keep things secret for too long, told me he had gotten me an heirloom quilt. It has 9 pictures of our family or the kids on it. He pulled up the pictures so I could see which he had put on the quilt. As we are going thru each one, he comments on how cute each one of the kids are. We get to one picture and he says, "Remember when Ryan wouldn't even touch Cade let alone hold him?" I said, "Sure I do but this isn't a picture of Ryan and Cade." Now I have a beautiful quilt to put on my wall with my beautiful family...plus one. I am thinking that it is Rebecca and Jeremy's youngest, Jayden. I'm attaching the picture and if this kiddo belongs to you, let me know! He does look mighty cute in the picture!

(Picture is on bottom row, center)

Winter (Not So) Fun

2008-12-23T15:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday wasn't the best of days around these parts. I went to bed at about midnight and woke up at 1:30am because our power had gone out and someone's house alarm was going off. I also realized that I was freezing. I came downstairs to check the thermostat and it read 61 degrees. I started a fire and tried to see if there was something I could do but wasn't able to figure anything out. Matt got up, tried a few things and went back to bed. I planted myself in front of the fireplace to keep it going all night. Once daylight finally came and with some help from my brother Matt, we decided it was the ignitor thinger. My Matt (not brother Matt) decided it was an easy enough fix and he could do it. (I keep having to remind Matt about his dryer fixing experience.) That's when I decided to call the heating people. They made it here pretty quickly and it ends up the part we thought was broken was. Problem is that the part to fix it was in Everett in his van that was currently stuck in snow in his driveway. He could go pick one up but then we would be charged for travel time. He told Matt where to find the part and how to put it in. So one heater part and $180.00 (for 1/2 hour) later, we finally have heat!
We haven't gotten mail (or UPS) in a week due to road conditions. Some friends have been able to get to the post office and pick their mail up there. Once we got the heat issue taken care of, Matt decides it is time to get to work. First he is going to stop by the post office. After a while, I call him on his cell to see if he was able to make it there. Nope. He is in a ditch. Someone tried to help him out but his tow rope broke. A couple of guys in a big 4x4 see whats going on so try to help. It puts the car further in the ditch and gets them stuck. Luckily they were able to get themselves out. Others came by to see what they could do but the car was too far in and the roads were way to slippery. We were finally able to get ahold of a tow truck driver who thought he might be able to help. $192.00 later, we got our car back. It needs the alignment checked but all considered, thats not bad.
So today I am so grateful. Grateful for heat and tow trucks.

Christmas candy trees

2008-12-23T15:35:00.001-08:00

I made these cute candy Christmas trees for teachers last year and made them again this year for some friends. So cute and yet edible!

Holiday Decor

2008-12-20T12:40:00.000-08:00

Maddy decided our house was not sufficiently decorated for Christmas so she has so kindly fixed that. Here are some of her holiday decorations. The three round balls are Cade's contribution. They are kissing balls. Whichever ball you touch determines how many kisses you get. One is a 3 kisser, one a 2 kisser and the other is the 4 kisser.

Winter Freeze

2008-12-20T12:27:00.001-08:00

We are busy trying to prepare ourselves for the big storm that is supposed to hit later today. More snow and winds of up to 90 mph! I can handle the snow but ever since our storm 2 years ago when we were without power for one full week, I hate the wind that sometimes comes along with it. True Value got a shipment of de-icer this morning and it was all gone by 9:00am. I am so thankful we have friends with generators and a wonderful next door neighbor who works at Safeway. I have called her more than once to bring something home for me! Here are some more pictures of our winter scene.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-18T14:39:00.001-08:00

Monday and Tuesday Cade didn't go to school because it was late start due to icy conditions. Wednesday school was cancelled completely due to snow. Funny thing is, we didn't get more than a trace of snow and it actually ended up being quite warm. So it was more like the thought that is might possibly, just maybe snow that cancelled school. That or someone had some Christmas shopping to catch up on. Anyway, this morning we woke up to a few inches of snow so of course, school was cancelled yet again. It has continued to snow all day and we now have about 12 inches! That is huge for us. It is still coming down but it looks like it is slowing down. Here are a few pictures of our winter wonderland. The first picture is of the kids picnic table out back. The second is our cars. The kids couldn't tell they were our cars. The third is of the ruler we have been using to measure the snow. It is at about 11 1/2 inches in this picture.

All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth

2008-12-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

I had wanted Ryan to pull his 2nd top tooth before I sent out Christmas cards but no such luck. On our way home from the ward party he finally got it out. Just a few days late.

Christmas Party

2008-12-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

Night before last, Ryan came into our bedroom at midnight and said his stomach hurt. I talked with him for a few minutes and got him back to bed. At 1:30 someones car alarm went off. At 3:30am Ryan came back in and was running a fever. I got up to get him some medicine and when I came back, he had made himself pretty comfortable in my spot. He patted the bed and said, "Come on, mom, there is still room for you." Sweet. Sweet except he is the worst person to share a bed with. I stayed there for a while and finally decided everyone would be a little more comfortable if I slept on the couch. I actually didn't have much of a choice. Matt never woke up during this whole time and Ryan had finally gotten back to sleep.
I was really hoping Ryan would wake in the morning and feel fine. Sometimes my kids do this thing where they run fevers because they are just worn out. No such luck. The fever was still there. When I told him he would be staying home from school, the poor boy cried. We were finally able to make him feel somewhat better by rotating Motrin and Tylenol and he finally took a nap around 4:00.
I finally decided that he was feeling well enough that I would be able to go to Matt's work party with him. It was going to be at Little Maggianos in Bellevue. I have never been there and I love Italian food.
Ryan wakes up an hour before we are leaving with a temperature of almost 103 degrees. Dang! At least he wasn't throwing up. Oops, shouldn't have said that because guess what happened next. Anyway, my decision was made. Maddy was going instead of me. Spoiled.
They ended up having a ball. Matt said Maddy was a little quiet at first but did a fine job visiting with everyone. Someone happened to mention that she was the guest of honor. She took it literally. She felt like quite the little adult. She loved the food (except the manicotti) and the desert. The waiter brought out a slab of cheesecake for desert. Not a whole one, but enough for the whole table. As soon as it was placed on the table, Maddy takes the cake, cuts it in half and puts it on her plate! I'm feeling I need to get etticate for her for Christmas. Someone apparently shouted, "You go girl!" so she did. She ate almost the whole piece on her plate.
She came home on cloud 9. She said she met a lot of nice people and even someone who works at Cherry Valley. She couldn't believe she went to this fancy party and met someone from home. I'm glad that if I couldn't go and have a good time, she could.

Santa's Little Helpers

2008-12-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

http://getyourvideo.jibjab.com/aox/78q/9ha/mtq/q2g/aw9/r7l/86c.mpg

Oh dear...

2008-12-03T22:02:00.001-08:00

Here is my little nephew with the new tie he made for church. At least if he spills the sacrament water on himself, he is super absorbent!