Mitchell Family Journal 2009

End of School Year!!! Yaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!!

2009-06-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I am having a hard time believing this, but the school year has reached its end! I cannot believe that it has flown by for me as a parent, but as a kid, the school year just crept on by!

Bowen did very well in first grade this year. He just has this way about doing things...sort of takes school activities as his job and just does them, no complaints! He is about mid-way through the second grade reading level, and could potentially be in the 4th grade reading level by Christmas time. There isn't much he won't read. Bowen earned three different awards this school year. The first award was a character award that he earned in November 2008 for Safety. I didn't actually hear the story behind this, so not sure what it was for exactly. The second award was the Reading is the Ticket award that he received for reading a certain amount of hours (he got a free ticket to Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho). Lastly, Bowen earned a certificate of Recognition for 'Hard work in all areas'. Now, if we can keep him from getting sick and improving his attendance for next year, I'd say his second grade year will go great!

Jimmy is a spunky kid. He also earned some awards this year. On three occasions, he received "Book-It" coupons for having a high level of reading completed for 3 different months during the school year. The coupons are good for a free mini-pizza at Pizza Hut in Moses Lake. So, that's a nice treat for him! Jimmy's reading is coming along, as is his addition and number/letter writing. He's made a few friends this school year. He'd rather stay at home with mom, still, but hoping that he becomes more fond of his friends during his first grade year!

Emma is getting close to reading, and I am so pleased with how well she's writing. She loves to draw pictures and write...reminds me of how Bowen was when we first came up to Washington. She's also doing addition, so it is exciting that she understands some math concepts as well.

Andrew is just a silly boy who wants to do everything his siblings do! He likes to draw, color, and say rhyming words. He's potty trained (thank god) and soon we'll work on night time dry time... In the meantime, we're helping Emma with that. Like I say, one kid at a time (mommy needs to get some sleep, and I'm already up twice a night for other issues!)

All of the kids will be doing swimming lessons starting next week. I caved in and went ahead and enrolled Andrew in a class (parent participation, which means I'm in the water with him). Bowen, Jimmy, and Emma will be in a class together, and I'll be in the water with Andrew, all during the same time period. So, that's what is going on the next 3 weeks here.

Hopefully, despite the sun coming up at 4:30am, the kids will sleep in a little and let me get caught up on some sleep!

Summer is nearly here!

2009-05-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the kids with cousins during Easter weekend. They're all growing so fast!

Oh, the boys are SO ready to be done with school! Jimmy is getting more difficult to usher out to the bus! He wants to sleep longer, and stay home and play! Bowen is wanting to stay home and play more, too.

The kids have learned a lot this year:

Andrew is nearly diaper free! Mommy is doing a happy dance about that! Yay! He's still got a funny, silly sense of humor. He has lots of smiles, and sounds like the Pillsbury Dough Boy when he giggles :).

Emma is doing really well, too. She loves to dress up in cute and pretty clothes, and she loves to wear jewelry! She loves the necklaces and bracelets that she got from Grandma Mitchell recently. Emma is also doing great with her writing! I'm so excited at how well she's taken to it--she's drawing pictures and writing words daily! She'll be ready by the end of summer, I'm sure.

Jimmy is SO eager to do swimming lessons this summer. I think he knows that the local pool doesn't open until school is out...maybe that's why he's ready for summer to be here! Jimmy isn't as fond of school as I'd hoped, but he has learned to read this year, and his writing has improved a huge amount! He also has some very nice drawings of his favorite things--frogs, turtles, animals, etc. Jimmy likes to build forts, and team up with Andrew to play games. Jimmy is still a pretty social kid, but shy at times, too.

Bowen is excelling at school, academically. He's been in the 2nd grade reading level for about a month now. He is very fond of his teacher and many kids at school. He is also doing addition and subtraction, and can write his numbers to well over 300...he probably can keep going, but runs out of time! He was asking me about "infinity" the other day...good grief! Where did he learn that!?! Bowen loves to swing at the school playground...he can get SO high!

Bowen has a few wiggly teeth, but so far none of the kids have lost any teeth yet.

I did finally get a quilt up on the quilt frame the other weekend. Now, to carve out some time to do more quilting!!!

As the weather stays nicer, it'll be eaiser to get pictures of the kids while they play. They just love playing outside!

hmm...what else is new? Not much...other than swimming lessons this summer, we don't have any firm plans for activities. If gas prices come back down, maybe a road trip will be in the works. We shall see!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I think I'm ready for Easter Sunday, finally! Got some food made, and we'll be heading to my parent's house shortly. My brother, Brian, and his family will be there, and I think it's been about 2 years since we've seen them. CRAZY how time flies!

What I really can't believe is that Bowen and Jimmy have just 2 months left of this school year. That's just crazy! I'll try to remember to post some Easter pictures here after the weekend.

Have a great holiday!

Spring is Near!

2009-03-18T13:38:00.001-07:00

The kids really enjoy sledding. Grandpa Tudor ended up buying a steerable (sp?) sled so that the kids can go down the driveway on the upper property. It's just so nice to see the smiles! They are few and far between!

Andrew quickly got too cold, and decided he wasn't that interested in sledding. Jimmy was also a tad undecided, as I think he also got too cold. Bowen and Emma were definitely hooked, however!

I don't recall if these pictures of the kids sledding were posted or not. Here ya go!

Also, here's a shot of Andrew's 3rd Birthday. Jimmy is famous for trying to blow out other people's candles, so Bowen is seen here covering his mouth! Sadly, when Jimmy had his birthday in January, Bowen blew out his candles and Jimmy was devastated...maybe he'll learn something about that!

I'll have to dig out some more pictures and get them reduced so I can get them posted.

It's been a long, snowy winter, but finally it looks as thought spring has arrived! Today is very sunny, and is very close to 50 degrees out. No wind to speak of today, though it has been very windy the past few days here in Soap Lake!

The kids have been busy with school or illness. We've had a cold/stomach virus being swapped around between each of us, and it seems to be on its 3rd go-round! Maybe once the kids can play outside in the sunshine, they'll get over this bug! I'm looking forward to the sun, and being outside.

Here's Emma with Aunt Heather. So photogenic! Heather was here for a short visit in August (?) and the kids learned that they really like playing pirate!

I started on thyroid replacement medication about 2 weeks ago. It seems to be helping my energy level a bit. That's a great improvement considering how exhausted I was after the surgery. Here's to the upcoming spring! I'm looking forward to it!

Winter Wonderland!

2008-12-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

Hi there! Snow has arrived in the Entiat Valley. It began yesterday, and by today there was enough snow for the kids to go sledding with Grandpa!!

The kids had a blast! It's the best opportunity for pictures of the kids.

Soccer Nightmare! Hello Fall!

2008-10-02T12:54:00.001-07:00

Well, the weather is much cooler nowadays. Thank Goodness! Summer is much shorter here than it is in Sacramento. We're all happy about that!

As for the boys playing soccer, well, it's a good thing I got pictures of them when I did...cause there hasn't been much soccer playing lately! Bowen quit early on, and now Jimmy is refusing to practice, despite me dropping him off (and sugaring him up before-hand). There is a game this afternoon, so we'll see how that goes. After today, there's just one practice and one game left. Jimmy says he likes only to play in the games, but he has a tendency to simply walk off the field when he's tired whether the ball is in play or not.

School is going well for the kids, although Jimmy is having a tough time adjusting to it. He still says he hates school. He does like having friends, though, and his writing is improving.

Today, I needed to run Bowen's glasses to him at school, and Bowen seemed genuinely happy to see me there (even gave me a kiss and hug on his way to the playground!). Jimmy saw me and waved as well. Jimmy's excited about a field trip to the apple orchard today--wish I could've gone to take photos...

But, I needed to go update my address with the Dept. of Licensing...when I left, I noticed she wrote my address down wrong on my card....So, I had to go back in with Emma & Andrew in tow...Well, Emma needs to use the potty anytime we're out and about, so I let her use the bathroom. I could hear her flush on the other side of the door...then she says, "Ugh OH!" as water splashed all over the floor. That darned toilet overflowed!!! So, while I waited my turn at the Dept. of Lisencing, I got to mop the bathroom floor! Yay! All so I can get registered to vote on time!!

Family Firsts

2008-09-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Here are the boys! Bowen and Jimmy started soccer yesterday and here's Jimmy's first day of school! Bowen was home sick yesterday, but both are back to school today. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Mom just might get something done finally!!!

Quilt Show

2008-08-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

I made it out to the quilt show in Reardan this weekend. What a pretty area! Such a nice way they display their quilts, all along the fences and on the barn and The Buggy Barn quilt shop. I'm pretty happy with the picture opportunities, too! There were some craft booths there, as well, and Virginia Cole was there with her miniature quilt art. I just love her stuff! Check her out at http://www.gallopingpony.com/ to see her work.

School starts in a few days, and with all the chaos of summer, I'm looking forward to settling down into the routine of the school year.

Here's a little critter that Jim found out in the garage...actually it was hiding in the cover of his motorcycle, and it made its way into the laundry room! I've never seen Jim move so fast, when he was hustling to grab a glass to trap it! I took a picture (I have never seen a black widow before), so that we could all learn what to avoid! Creepy!!!

Is It Autism?

2008-08-03T15:41:00.001-07:00

To further explain Asperger Syndrome:

Here's an excerpt from the website http://www.autismaspergers.net/ :

"This diagram as developed by Daniel Rosenn, M.D. (1997) shows autism as a spectrum disorder with different levels of severity and presentation. Considering autism as a continuum of its own may help solve the problems of defining and classifying people who are within the autism spectrum. The cluster of circles at the Severe-Kanner’s end of the graphic depict the relative ease of diagnosing autism in a person when she is at this end of the spectrum. Towards the moderate area, the presentation of autism becomes more varied as indicated by the introduction of different shapes such as the square and the triangle. The high-functioning-Asperger (HFA/AS) portion of this syndrome has the greatest diversity in shapes because the variation in presentation along with the number of people with autism in this area is the greatest. At the extreme right, those with autism blend into the general population. This autism spectrum severity wedge diagram shows that it is impossible to state unequivocally that a person with autism must have a particular trait or cannot have another trait. "

I'm finding lots of interesting stuff on the Autism Asperger Publishing Co. website www.asperger.net if you're interested in more information.

2008-08-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Day 12 ~ post op, and I'm doing pretty darned good! I haven't had to take much medication today (just a dose of naproxen this morning), despite running around the yard picking up stuff.

Our neighbor with the bulldozer came by today for a few hours. I am amazed at the difference already! We've watered down the dirt for hours, in several places, and it's paying off! Our neighbor really knows his stuff! He's able to get some huge boulders up and pushed off out of the way. After some more dozing tomorrow, we should be closer to being ready to pour some concrete. In the meantime, the dozer gets rid of weeds, sage brush, and thistle in an instant! That makes me pretty happy!

Chicken update: We're down to 7... Sometime during my week away, two went missing. I do suspect that we have two hens a-laying now.

I have to say that, during the past 2 weeks, I'm glad that I took lots of pictures. I have this thing that happens, anytime I have to take narcotic pain reliever, that I have gaps in my memory. Looking through my pictures during the past 12 days, has been a little bit of a surprise! Not only that, but when we all arrived home yesterday, I took a peek in the fridge, and there was zucchini that I had forgotten that my cousin had given me before the surgery...It's all very bizarre to have gaps in my memory.

As for an update on Bowen, the Opthalmologist has said that he does not have amblyopia after all. So, that's a relief! His eyeglass prescription is correct, and there's nothing to be concerned about as far as his eyes are concerned. Great to know!

At this point, I've found a couple of books about Asperger Syndrome (AS) that I think I'll end up adding to my library. The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome is the first, and the second book is Asperger Syndrome and Sensory Issues. The first book seems to be an encyclopedia for the topic, and the second book is a very practical look at how Asperger's affects the behavior of someone with AS. For a long time, I blamed myself for being a bad mother, assuming that Bowen's odd behavior must be due to something I had done wrong. I'm relieved, not only to know that there is a reason for this behavior, but also that there are other parents out there who have faced the same parenting difficulties. Ultimately, I'm concerned not only with raising an AS child, but how to handle the dynamics between Bowen and the other kids. Anyway, that's all for now.

Just for fun, I've added this picture, taken by my friend, Kara, of Emma and Jimmy driving a little Jeep. It was June of 2006, so Jimmy was 3 1/2 and Emma was 18 months old. They grow so fast!!!

Reunion

2008-07-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I wasn't sure if I could make it, but I did get to the family reunion this year. The kids had a great time playing with their second cousins on the playground and also getting their feet wet in the Columbia River.

At 7 days post-op, I'm doing pretty good. I have had some allergic reactions, first to the surgical glue, and now to the vicodin, so I'm off the heavy drugs and going to see if I can make it from here on out with just benedryl and tylenol. I'm feeling pretty sore though. Very happy with the results, but need to get beyond the healing process.

There's a quilt show coming up in Reardan, WA where they hang quilts all over the outside of the barn and nearby fences. I'm looking forward to seeing that and possibly getting a good picture of the scenery there.

Summer is flying by!

2008-07-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post. I took the kids to Ohme Gardens near Wenatchee, WA the other day. It is really pretty there, and I'm glad to find that there was lots of shade, given the temperatures. It must have been hot at home, as well, as a grass fire burned around 5000 acres near our house in Soap Lake. I figure it got to be about 10 acres away from our property. I can see the blackened area from our kitchen. Thankfully, there was a large armada of firefighters helping, from ground crews to airplanes dropping water.

Last week, I was told by an optician that Bowen has amblyopia in his right eye. I'm taking him to an opthalmologist to see if his eye needs to be patched. Also last week, it was confirmed that Bowen has Asperger's (if you're interested in learning more, check out http://www.autismsocietyofwa.org/Resources.html for more information.

The kids finished up swimming lessons last night. I'm really proud of them. All three kids can retrieve toys from the bottom of the pool, which makes for a fun game. Jimmy and Bowen both have declared that they don't like jumping off of the diving board. (Bowen insists that he NOT be enrolled in swimming lessons again because he doesn't want to go off the diving board anymore). Well, as it goes, the rest of the summer is spoken for, so we won't be doing another session of swimming lessons this summer. I'll take them to the pool when I have a chance, and I do feel much more confident that the 3 older kids won't drown while playing near the frog slide or the fountain.

Little Swimmers

2008-07-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

The kids continue to improve during swimming lessons! I am really amazed at how quickly they are picking up the skills. I never did any official swimming lessons as a kid, because I couldn't get my ears wet, and the techniques the lifeguards use to teach the little kids is very interesting. Emma is doing great now, as she is very comfortable going under the water. I went under about 5 times while holding her, and she liked that a lot. Then she was excited to try it on her own. After that, I couldn't get her to stop putting herself under the water! That makes me happy for her, since putting my head under the water was always a challenge for me when I was learning to swim. Bowen says he doesn't like to do "bobs" which is where they jump up and down, each time putting their heads under the water, in quick succession. He does quite well at it, though! He doesn't plug his nose much. Both he and Emma have been opening their eyes under the water as well. I went under once with Emma and told her to look at me underwater...I started laughing, she looked so cute underwater...She just might graduate from the parent-participation class this time! Who knows! Jimmy is really enjoying his class. The only part he doesn't like is when he has to get out into the cold air. Tonight was particularly bad...we were all freezing--it was 68 degrees when we got out of the water, and mommy was the only one without a sweatsuit to put on! What was I thinking!!!

One side note: I will be having surgery on July 21st. Those of you who know me, know my chest got outrageously huge after having kids...well, I visited a plastic surgeon and he submitted a request for the insurance company to pre-approve the reduction surgery. I figure the people at the insurance company took one look at the pictures of me and said, "Yes,,,hurry up and help that poor woman!!!" In case you are wondering, I will be losing seven cup sizes...I'll let you know how much that actually weighs after the fact. I've debated on making a separate blog about the before, during, and after experience (blogs of other people's experiences have been helpful to read), however, I haven't made up my mind yet. Anyhow, when this is all completed, I look forward to swimming for exercise purposes...right now, I can't do much moving around in the water as my suit won't stay on, on top. I do plan to have a bra-burning party afterwards...:)

2008-07-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a sweet photo of Andrew in June. I can't remember if I shared it or not!

Swimming lessons went very well for these kids. By the end of two weeks, Bowen and Jimmy showed that they love playing in the water. It surprised me, but Bowen ended up being the one to virtually swim, face in the water, unassisted. Jimmy is having more trouble relaxing as far as getting his face into the water. Emma really had fun in her class (with me in the water helping). She's nearly tall enough to keep her head above water in the deepest part of the swimming area. the first day, she kept saying, "can I swim now by myself?"... She did go under water a few times, but not exactly willingly. By the end of the first week, she was clinging to my neck...She's more like Jimmy, in that it's hard to relax going under water at first. Anyhow, the kids are schedule to start more lessons this coming week. Jimmy will do level 1 again, Emma in the parent-participation class with me, and Bowen has graduated to level 2. No matter how well each child does by the end of the summer, the best part about it is that they each have tons of fun! There is even a little frog water slide (2 years old and up), that is a huge hit. There is one super giant water slide also, but it's for kids about 10 years old, or so. It's a pretty awesome facility...much better than the one in Pleasanton, for sure!

A week ago, Jim took Bowen and Jimmy to work. They had a great time seeing the dams up close and personal! That was a pretty big treat for the boys to see. They went places that no tour takes people in our times of increased security!

Emma picked some flowers at cousin Wendi's house...you can sort of see her left eye is swollen from a mosquito bite. Still, a cute pic of her.

TWISTER!!!

2008-06-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here's Emma helping me with eggs. Notice, there is egg everywhere except in the bowl! It's on her hands, counter, toes, and floor. So, I cracked the rest of the eggs for the cupcakes...Emma decided that we needed to make cupcakes, because it is "getting close to her birthday." Hardly! But, we made some anyway!

We had a little dust devil twister come through our yard a couple of days ago. It was breezy, and I was outside by the well, getting ready to water. All of a sudden a large wind came up from behind me, and when I turned to look, I could see this twister (dirt & debris getting pulled upward) coming toward me...it turned and circled around toward the garage. It sent a large box airborne and some scrap metal was lifted up and thrown. Then it moved around to the back of the garage and behind the house, where all it lifted was more dirt... All I could do was stand there with my mouth gaping! And then it was gone. And the wind stopped. It was SO BIZARRE!

I've seen those kind of dust devils out in crop fields before, but I've never been caught in the middle of one! I'm a little shocked at how powerful it was!

Jim blasted another rocket today. We haven't found it yet!

Did You Ever Watch the Brady Bunch?

2008-05-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Remember the episode when Jan borrows earings from her mother without asking? She sets them on the bathroom counter, walks away, and when she returns the earrings are gone. Remember how in the end, each person in the family somehow was involved in finding them?

Well, that's how I felt today. Except there were no earrings and I wasn't missing anything. Jimmy was...

I came home from a meeting last night to hear the story about how the kids were dumping dirt on each other. They were subjected to showers and all the dirty clothes, shoes included, were put into the washer. Jim mentioned this to me and said I might want to get it into the dryer before I went to bed. Well, I forgot...

Earlier today, Emma had some wet clothes, so I sent her into the laundry room to change and get the dirty clothes into the hamper. Meanwhile, I started cleaning up from lunch. Afterward, I sat down on the couch, and began to wonder where Emma was. Next thing I know, Emma comes out of the laundry room, all clean with dry clothes. I asked her if she put her clothes in the hamper. "No, I put them in the dryer" she says. Well, I knew the clothes in the dryer were clean and dry, and not wanting her soiled clothes in the dryer, I quick hopped up and went to check the dryer. I discovered that Emma had cycled the wash loads...

She put the wet clothes from the washer into the dryer and put her dirty clothes into the washer. WOW, I thought! She's really getting to be a helper! But, that's when I rechecked the dryer and noticed a pile of laundry soap inside the dryer (the new 3 month old dryer)!

Apparently, she wasn't satisfied putting laundry soap into the cubby drawer for the washer, she needed to put some into the dryer for good measure. Not knowing if this would kill my dryer, I used the shopVac to suck up as much of the powdered soap as I could. I figured the rest would collect in the lint screen where I could vacuum that out periodically during the cycle.

I did clean the lint screen after about ten minutes, and planned to check it again in about 10. Well, the next time I came into the laundry room, the dryer door was open, and the cycle was incomplete. Knowing I hadn't opened it myself, I decided to examine the dryer to see why it would kick itself off like that.

That's when I saw it.

The WAD OF GUM...

At first it looked like silly putty, but this was pink. That's when I remembered that dad just bought some new gum for the kids...Double Bubble...Remember that gum? Thinking that the single piece of slightly warmed gum may not be the only unacceptable item in the dryer, I slowly pulled the clothes and shoes out of the dryer, one by one. Slowly...

I got to the end of the items, and thinking it strange that I didn't find anything else, I examined the lint screen again, then the drum. There it was...the second piece of gum had melted and was gummed up in a few spots around the interior of the dryer!

SO! I can just hear Jimmy saying, "Where's my gum? I put it in my shorts pocket!" then, Dad says, "Well, I put your shorts into the washer!" (everyone races to the washer) Not there...then, Emma says, "Well, I put the wash into the dryer!" (everyone races to the dryer) That's when we discover what happens to gum when it is in the dryer for 15 minutes! The first one comes out clean...then the second one comes out damaged!

Just like the Brady Bunch! The first earring came out of the dryer looking nice. The second came out crumpled!

hmmm...maybe Goof-Off will clean up this mess...

Three, Two, One Blast off!

2008-05-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

This was really fun. Jim decided to set off a rocket. I had to quick get the kids dressed so they could all watch, and grab my camera too! It happened so fast, but the really funny thing was, we COULDN'T see WHERE the darned thing went! We walked around looking for the rocket, and now I'm convinced it must have landed on someone else's property. If we do find it, we could set it off again. Otherwise, Jim will have to head back to Walmart for another one to build!

After the rocket blast off, I spotted a bunny rabbit running around. The kids decided to chase it--I think they all got a good look at it! That's pretty fun.

Yesterday, I spotted a quail egg just laying out in the open by the road. We have a quail 'couple' that I see regularly, but darned if they can't figure out a safe place for their eggs! I was tempted to take the egg and keep it warm somewhere, but decided to leave it there. This morning it was gone. I can't imagine the anguish little birds feel when they lose eggs like that. I mean, they can't pick up their eggs and put them in a safer place. 'Gee, maybe laying my egg out in the open isn't a good idea'... There are plenty of sage bushes that they could use! Maybe I need to get some nesting boxes out there!

Grandpa has been doing some landscaping of his yard, and things are looking pretty neat! Helps to have a tractor to move those rocks! Here, he's got some rock stairs laid down. Also, this is the hummingbird that got stuck in the garage. He didn't seem well, and alas, died the next morning. Such a beautiful creature!

Last night, I took Jimmy to get enrolled for Kindergarten. He was excited to visit the school and see the gym. Come fall, both Jimmy and Bowen will be going to school all day, every day. WOW! I'm going to get some things done for a change! How exciting is that?!?!

I'm trying to get some older pix of the kids onto digital format. So, I may periodically post pictures of them when they were babies. They grow too darned fast!

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

2008-05-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit from Grandma over the past few days. We tried to do a little site seeing while she was here. We took her up to Grand Coulee Dam and walked through the visitors center.

(In this picture, Bowen is showing everyone the two caterpillars he found outside...well, what I didn't know was that he brought them with us to Grand Coulee Dam~stowed away in a plastic lunch sack...and they somehow escaped! Not to be found again...there are probably caterpillar guts on the floor of my car somewhere!)

On the way up hwy 17, we stopped at Sun Lakes/Dry Falls State Park, which looks like a really nice place to camp/swim/boat as well as have a picnic with the kids! I had never noticed the park before, so it was quite a pleasant surprise! The weather held out for the kids to play a bit, then we got a few sprinkles after that.

We also took Grandma and the kids to see dad at work. We were able to take a sneek peak at Wanapum Dam, but we didn't go all the way in, as it would have been a long walk for the little ones. It was fun watching the kids try to keep large hard-hats on their heads.

After we got back to town, the kids played a bit at the McPlayPlace...Grandma witnessed Andrew's ability to scarf down a whole ice cream sundae! He's a pro, I tell ya! The kids were sad to see Grandma leave. Emma has been asking me today, "When's Grandma coming back?"

Hope you all had a great Mother's Day weekend!

Stick to the good stuff!

2008-05-05T00:06:00.000-07:00

When I first decided to start this blog, I decided I'd only put in positive stuff. I really don't want this to be an outlet for any parenting frustrations I might have, unless I can do it with humor. If we can't laugh at the crazy stuff that happens (Jimmy flooding the bathroom, Emma stealing money from my purse on a daily basis, Bowen crashing his bike into Jimmy on purpose~that kind of thing), then what is the point of all this child-rearing business? Who'd want to do it if there wasn't any good stuff to talk about??!

So! Here is some good stuff! Bowen was excited about the letter he got from his grandpa, and he's needing my help to write another letter. (He was thrilled the other day because he was the one to check the mail on the day his letter arrived!) There was a short period following that I had to remind Bowen that not all letters come with money inside! Fortunately, he got over it, and was eager to write another letter! (It is still in progress Grandpa!) This morning, Andrew woke me up at 6am sharp...came into my room...'Mommy...where your glasses? Get up Mommy!'...How can I fault him! He's such a cutie-pie, whether I get any sleep or not! After that, I sat on the couch, chugging my caffiene, I mean coffee, when Jimmy emerged, thumb stuck in his mouth and dragging his blanket behind him (I swear he looks like Linus from the Peanuts Gang sometimes!). He flashes me his blue eyes and dimpled smile (not removing the thumb, mind you), and he curls up to snuggle in my lap. I mean, WHY would I want to sleep, when I could have Jimmy curl up in my lap? Later, Emma comes out of her room, thumb stuck in her mouth and dragging her blanket behind her. She plops onto the couch (she's always last getting up--I swear it's a girl thing. If it were up to me, I'd sleep until lunch time. Who needs breakfast anyway???!!! Anyway, Emma has started having some bad hair days. Her hair points every which way but down! And, it doesn't help that she attempted her own 'hair style' the other day. (I'm still cringing about that!--I begged her not to ever cut her own hair anymore, and I'm trying to remember that her hair will grow back!) As I was saying, she's the last to get up, so there's no chance for her to snuggle on my lap. But, alas, her cute endeavors happen in the afternoon, apparently. She caught a chicken today (forced some hugs onto it), and darned if she didn't have that chicken eating out of her hands, literally! Enjoy that picture...rest assured, if this grosses you out, Emma was fully bathed afterward. Oh, and remember, she's refusing to use the toilet too, so actually, I feel sorry for the chicken!!! Cluck, Cluck, Save Me! Save Me!

Okay, it's the middle of the night now and not a creature is stirring. Off to bed I go! Enjoy!

Spring is Here!

2008-05-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the four kids back in March. Also, Bowen's spring school picture turned out very nice. That's a miracle, since he was throwing up the day after it was taken!

Some of the things that I've planted around the property, while small, are showing signs of survival! There are several lilac plants, forsythia, and flowering dogwood (which may or may not be alive!). There are a few baby fir trees, a few baby pine trees, a mountain ash and two different birch trees that are about 6 feet tall. I've planted about 4 different raspberries, though only one is showing signs of growth. I planted a seedless blackberry, which I hope will grow. There is also one blueberry root that I planted, but don' t know yet if it'll grow. We've scattered
lots of wild flower seeds around, as well as some giant sunflower seeds that the kids planted. I don't see much signs of growth from the seeds out there...it may be too dry to germinate. It's hard to keep all the areas wet all the time. At least I've found some long hoses to reach the yard with, and the outdoor frost-free water line outside has a great deal of pressure.

Here's a picture of Jim with Bowen & Jimmy on the snowmobile. We did this over at my cousins' house, and I think that was before Christmas. Shoot, I can't remember anymore!

We have had some feathered visitors here. So far, we have lots of white-crowned sparrows. We have a few house finches. There are at least 3 goldfinch who come to the feeder each day. I've also seen some chickadees, crows (duh), and caught a few glimpses of the meadowlark. The meadowlark have a powerful and pretty call, so I hear them daily, but don't often get to see them. The birds can hide well among the sagebrush.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2008-05-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

We're finally back online and very happy to say that our connection is speedy fast (as Junie B. Jones would say)! We've been in our house for 2 months now. During that time, aside from getting most things unpacked, we also had a pole building garage built. At this point, Jim is working on figuring out how to get power out there. He's not happy with the situation, as he's trying to dig down to locate the conduit that was placed in the ground prior to the hole being filled in. (Don't mention the issue to him...might tick him off!)

Our baby chicks aren't so little anymore. They sure love me, though. They think I have food, so they come a-runnin'! It's funny. Here's a picture of me and Emma on a snowmobile. I don't remember if I ever posted pictures of that day.

Andrew is teething....that's why he's chewing on 2 pacifiers. It was funny so I had to get a shot of it! Emma is delighted at putting several hair things...that is, when it is HER idea...!

Let's see...what else has happened since we've moved in? Bowen started school here, and he's becoming an expert on the numbers and types of buses that the Ephrata School District uses. His favorite web site is http://www.schoolbusland.com/ if you'd ever like to check out the various buses pictured there. He's bonded well with his two bus drivers, and they think it's fun that he likes buses. They had a remote control bus at their office and decided to give it to me for the kids. How nice of them!

It didn't take long for Andrew to learn to climb the ladder and slide down the slide. He was so excited!

More recently, we were all visited by the 'stomach bug' and though us grown-ups didn't get it (thank god), three of the kids got it. Andrew was the worst off, and after 2 1/2 days of V & D (he couldn't keep anything in his tummy), I ended up taking him to the clinic then the ER for IV fluids. Now I know what dehydration looks like! The doctor did run a blood test to see just how dehydrated he was, and he said he was 'pretty dry', so they gave him a second Bag of fluid. The best part of it was that they gave him some anti-nausea meds in his IV, and he's been able to drink and eat more and more ever since. He's perking up quickly. I had to laugh at the hospital though. Andrew was pretty mouthy...saying things like, "Get OFF ME!" and "I WANT MY DRINK" I told the nurses that Andrew was going to be their biggest biligerant patient for the evening.

Emma has probably had the most difficult time adjusting to the move. Potty training has gone in reverse. I won't buy anymore pull-ups, and she hardly ever 'goes' to the bathroom. Some days she gives me some hope, but really it's got to be her decision to do it. At three and a half, she's really becoming a challenge! On the other hand, she seems to have one foot in baby-land and the other in grown-up land. She likes purses, fancy shoes, and even tried to give herself a haircut! (Don't ask!) This week, she's shown much interest in writing her letters. She can write MOM and is working on Emma. She also decided to plant some flowers, so she pulled off most of the blooms from the African Daisy, and stuck the stubs into little pots with some dirt. It was cute at first, but since Jimmy had sort of 'claimed' the daisy pot, he was pretty ticked at her.

Jimmy is enjoying his final few months of no-school. He's been quite interested in helping to plant some plants. He's not super outgoing, but I think that'll change when he meets kids at school. I have also caught Jimmy talking to Andrew and getting Andrew to play with him. Jimmy's a pretty social kid. He's keen on motorcycles, and really wants to get a bike that looks like a motorcycle. I told him maybe for his birthday...

I need to do another post later. I need to hit the hay!

Getting Closer!

2008-01-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

Things are finally happening! I went to the property yesterday, with Bowen, and we were able to go inside the house. It was very dusty, as the workers were sanding drywall (or whatever it is they do to it!), but I was so excited to finally SEE the inside! I was able to go into every room except the master bedroom. Cabinets, counters and windows all have protective plastic on them, but I think you can get the idea.

I hope that in 30 more days, we can actually live in the house. We should have electricity hooked up by middle of next week. The contractor was digging the hole for the septic tank yesterday, as well as trenching for the electrical conduit and water pipes.

Bowen, Jimmy and Andrew have been sick for about 2 days now. I didn't know Bowen was sick when we drove out to the property, so he 'surprised' me about 5 times during the car ride.... Jimmy had been throwing up all night during the night before, and Andrew had been throwing up during the day before. Pretty fast moving bug! I hope I can avoid it this time!

Bowen was enjoying the piles of dirt that the contractor created on the property. Apparently, dirt is more fun to play in than snow!

Not much else new here. A few weekends ago, Jim and I took the kids to try ice skating. When I was a kid, I was able to stay up on the ice a little bit. This time, I felt my age! Jim, surprisingly, managed quite well. Jimmy and Bowen were holding the wall for dear life...Andrew wasn't sure what to think, and Emma wasn't doing too well either. So, needless to say, I could not take any pictures of this adventure, as both Jim and I were trying to keep the kids up on the ice, as well as ourselves! The whole skating attempt probably lasted about 15 minutes! I'm glad we tried it, though. Maybe when the kids are a little bigger, they'll be interested in trying again.

Our House Has Arrived!

2007-12-27T17:21:00.000-08:00

Last friday, we had the chance to finally see our new house...in pieces, however! But, it's now sitting on our property! Whoo Hoo! Finally, it seems real! It should take a few weeks to set up. I don't know when we can move in, and then there's the job of getting the moving company to bring our belongings up from California. Couldn't we just start over? I don' t know if I have the energy to unpack...!

The kids had fun running around on the foundation before the house arrived. They were disappointed when we told them that the house was going to be sitting on that spot!

Christmas was exciting for the kids. The presents were everywhere! Mom is glad the day is over. In addition to presents,Santa must have brought along the stomach flu...it has hit us all, and now 2 days after Christmas, several of us are still suffering. I guess that means we won't gain our usual holiday weight!

Winter Wonderland!

2007-12-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

Well, November is gone and winter is here! It's been a busy few weeks, for sure! The snow really started to fall here in early December. We had non-stop snow for about 2 days straight right after my parents arrived here from Arizona. That was their initiation, I think! My parents are fully moved now and are officially living in Washington now.

Yesterday the kids got to visit Santa. This was the first time we've done this since Emma and Andrew were born. Andrew was a little shy, but the other kids warmed up to him just fine. The kids also were able to make some gingerbread houses from graham crackers and frosting. The candy we have around here would make Willy Wonka jealous! The kids are bouncing off the walls!

The kids just love the snow, and it adds some magic to the season. Grandpa worked on a sledding run behind the house here. The kids just LOVE to sled! Andrew isn't too keen, but it is great fun to watch. Andrew laughs as the other kids slide down the hill. They wear smiles from ear to ear! Bowen says sledding is his most favorite thing to do in the whole world!

Bowen had a Christmas performance last week. It was great fun to watch! All the kids took turns acting out some of the Christmas songs. The kids really did a great job!

Two week ago, we finally had groundbreaking on our property! The contractor dug the huge hole, and the next day he poured the concrete foundation. Woo-Hoo! It's been a long time in coming! We're still waiting for the well to be completed. Once the water is tested, then we're in business! I'm getting anxious to see the house and watch the finishing process!

Enjoy the pictures! Best wishes to you all, and hope to hear from you soon.

Hello November!

2007-11-10T22:17:00.000-08:00

Shortly after my last post, I found out that I was going to be having back surgery to fix a herniated disk (some of you might remember that my back blew out last February). Well, the MRI showed that I have a significant compression to my spinal nerve, which the doctor felt should be taken care of soon. So, I am having surgery on Monday...wish me luck!

Halloween was fun...rather than doing costumes, we did face painting. Jimmy started, but the white didn't show up very well (he wanted to be a ghost), then he was getting itchy and wanted to quit the paint. Emma and Andrew were game, and I thought if I did my own face, we'd all have a little more fun! Bowen wasn't interested...just wanted the candy!!! Anyway, I think Emma looked darling (that is, before her paint got all smeared)!

Emma told me a story today..."Batman helps me...he helped me outside. He is nice, and helped me to get in this house, because I couldn't open the door." It was very cute!

Big excitement this morning. A Bald Eagle that I spotted flying up river yesterday, flew RIGHT into the tree in the back of the house...maybe 30 feet away! Stunning view, and he wasn't the least bit afraid of me being so close, trying to get a good picture! Two others were flying nearby--didn't know if they were females or just juveniles....Monte, you'll have to educate me!

Emma turned 3....had a good party with the siblings. Balloons still seem to be the most fun play thing!

The computer hasn't been cooperating, and the dial up continues to be painfully slow. I'll quit for now, and try to give you an update sometime after surgery.

Oh, just for fun, I thought I'd include a picture of Jim and I from our wedding...it's been 7 years (holy crap!), where DOES the time GO???!!!

Fall and Winter!

2007-10-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

We could see the first bit of snow on Tyee on October first, and now at the end of the month, we've had several more dustings. The trees up and down the valley here are just beautiful! In fact, it has made me wonder why anyone goes to the east coast to see fall there when it is just as beautiful here! Fall is my favorite season, and it's delightful that we are able to experience the marked changes here--much different than the Sacramento area!

Bowen continues to go to school and really loves riding the bus. He's able to draw pictures and write the story to go along with it. He says he wants to be Barbara Park when he grows up and make books!

Jimmy is enjoying some time being the oldest around the house (while Bowen is at school). He is very interesting in doing things with his hands. He really likes to cook and peel carrots and potatoes, though he did nick his finger tip the other day. He still carries around a first aid kit filled with band-aids, and wants to be there to help anyone who might get hurt.

Emma is just growing and playing. She says, "I not a baby! I BIG GIRL!!" That is, when she isn't arguing with you as to whether she's a boy or a girl!

Andrew is doing well and has a mind of his own! He gets really mad when other kids take away his toys. He's talking quite a bit (bus, train coming!, Mommy, fire engine, airplane, helicopter). The latter two are probably his favorite things.

On the home front, we've moved forward a little bit, in that the company will begin building the house around November first. Won't take very long once they start. We're still working out the kinks in the rest of the process. I'm looking forward to when I can post pictures of the progress! Here's a general look at the floor plan (the fourth bedroom will be where the master retreat is).

That's all for now! I'll try not to wait another month before I make a post!

Great Quilt Show

2007-09-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to a quilt show sponsored by the North Central Washington Quilt Guild at the Wenatchee Convention Center. It was a great show--many quilts and many vendors. The featured artist at this show was a woman named Ruth Geyer, who had several exquisite quilts on display. The majority of the quilts at the show were made by members of the local quilt guild (all skill levels, all ages), but there was a row and a half of space dedicated to Ruth Geyer. I walked from one end of the row that displayed her quilts. I noticed that she had some very different techniques in her quilts. They were all very beautiful. As I got around to the last of her quilts, I could hear someone complimenting Ruth on her quilts (she was out of my view at this point). Well, as I rounded the corner, I was pleasantly surprised to see a very delightful white-haired elderly woman. I was so surprised that such a delicate woman could be responsible for making these elaborate quilts! She said that it wasn't until after her 4 kids were raised and her husband had died that she started to make quilts. I didn't ask her how long she had been quilting for (could be 5 years, could be 20...who knows?), but wish I had. She was dressed very pretty and sitting next to a small end table with a small lap quilt draped over, and 2 large quilts hanging up behind her. It was such a pretty display, and with her sitting there, I thought how I'd like to have a picture of her. I asked her if I could take her picture to which she replied, "I would really rather you didn't, but feel free to take pictures of my quilts." I couldn't help but laugh! I guess I thought that being photographed with her quilts would be something she would be proud of, but she seemed very modest like that. If I had to guess her age, I'd have to guess 85...so hard to know.

One of the tasks for those attending the show was to vote for your favorites in a variety of categories. My favorite was one made by Linda Riesterer. It appeared to be hand quilted, and it was just SO beautiful.

I did joing the Guild, so I am now tasked with sewing my name tag (a small quilted patch, 3 inch x 3 inch with an apple at the center). I'm glad I joined, and it appears that I could possibly be one of the youngest in the guild.

Here are the kids with Candy, the bus driver--all the kids love seeing the bus, although Andrew wasn't too keen on being ON the bus! Candy drives Bowen home from school, and he likes her bus best because "it goes fast and it is bumpy."

FIRE! FIRE! FIER!

2007-09-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's what I meant: Fier! That what Andrew screams in the morning (sometimes 5 am) when he can't find his paci-FIER! Just when I thought the house was getting quieter, my sweet baby turns into a LOUD talking toddler! Right now, Andrew is in the tub simmin' (swimming), and Emma is standing outside the tub washing his hair with the baby soap! Now she's putting soap on her belly, so now she's getting into the tub also. Chaos, but on a low level!

We've had some gorgeous sunflowers sprout here. It was interesting to see the bees collecting pollen (not the yellow-jackets that have been piling up quickly in the traps). Also, Jimmy discovered that the green beans out in the garden are a blast to pick AND they stick to his shirt! HOW FUNNY!

Yep, that's the scorpion that was in the garage...I do all my own pictures, in case you were wondering. I don't pull anything off of the internet. Above is one of my favorite pictures of the 3 kids on the tire swing.

Well, as you may have guessed, the home-building process is taking us longer than we originally hoped. Since we don't think we'll be able to move into our new house until late November, we decided to go ahead and start Bowen in school here in Entiat. This is the school that my mom attended and graduated from (still think it's cool that the graduation pictures of ALL the alumni line the hallways). Bowen loves to ride the school bus now (first couple of days were rocky). It is not difficult to get him ready in the morning. He's an eager Beaver!

A couple of weeks ago, we had a well 'guy' come and fix the problem with the well here. THAT was a learning experience for me! I'm glad I was here to see the work get done, as I'll have to go through this again out on our property in Soap Lake!

As far as the process in Soap Lake goes: The well should be drilled in about 2 weeks. I have to send a form off, plus pay a fee. THEN there are the permit things...lots of checklists, plus I need to construct a plot plan (a drawing showing where everything will be on the property--including easements and setbacks). Think of your worst homework assignment in college....that's what this feels like! PAINFULL!! Not to mention all the paperwork for the loan.... And I'm trying not to bug Jim too much about the little details--he has enough stuff to worry about! We have selected our contractor who will be building our garage, doing our septic system and also doing the foundation. Nice guy... Hope I still feel this way when it's all said and done!

Highlights of the past couple of weeks: my back went out again; well guy worked on the well here; rat smell seems to linger in the house; scorpion was found here in the garage; Bowen's school open house went really nicely; Jimmy is now pretending to be driving a 'food truck' around the house asking if we want something to eat (I call him the Schwann's Guy); Andrew is saying several words plus 3-word sentences (hamburger, yogurt, apple, monster truck); Bowen has constructed an 'animal cemetary' in the back...so far just for grasshoppers and maybe a moth or two (however, we did observe a chipmunk 'spazzing out' this morning, so maybe we'll get him in there too!), but Bowen has been making grave markers (Jim is reminded of a Vincent Price creepy movie...).

There have been several things that lend themselves to this blog, but darned if this internet dial up is PAINFULLY slow! But I hope to get the next post on here sooner.

Did I mention that I'm having a great time sending Bowen off to school? He spends about 1 hour 45 minutes on the bus (adding up to and fro) which is probably why he loves going to school so much. LONG bus ride!

That's it for now. Enjoy!

Road Trip, Part II

2007-09-03T08:51:00.001-07:00

(Side Note: Bowen and Jimmy are now on 2 wheels!!! They are SO excited, and doing SO well!)

Well, after getting back from our CA trip on Thursday evening, we had to get ready for a trip on Friday to western Washington. My cousin was getting married that afternoon, so we got ready and headed out to Everett, WA. The wedding was beautiful, and the weather could not have been nicer. The next day, some of us went over to La Conner, WA to go to the Quilt Museum at Gaches Mansion. That was very interesting to see. The mansion was beautiful, and the display of quilts included old and new. Some quilts were double sided, which is a heck of a trick!! La Conner was a great place to visit, and I'm glad that I had a chance to go with my mom and some of my aunts. It was a nice outing, and I think it was the first time my mom and her sisters have had the chance to gather since my mom and aunt finished their cancer treatments. It was a special day, and I'm very grateful for the chance to spend the day with the girls!

After spending the day in La Conner, we drove up toward the Canadian border to spend the night at my aunt's house. It was rainy by then, which was fine since we were all tired from walking all day! It was a great chance to see my aunt's quilting frame and machine, plus and Electric Quilt program that she uses to design quilts. It was all very inspiring--so much so, that I finally took the step to order a quilt frame for myself (Little Gracie II). I haven't gotten it yet, but I'm eager to get it up and running!!!

The picture of the kids on the tire swing was taken at Smallwoods Harvest, in Peshastin, WA. One of my favorites!! And, here are the kids at Crooked River Gorge in Oregon...cool that the sun was setting when we got there.

Couple of Road Trips

2007-08-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, last monday, I made a last minute decision to take a trip south to California. We had a great drive south and the kids did very well. There were only a few complaints along the way. All the kids had their jobs: Bowen was the navigator; Jimmy was in charge of safety; Emma was in charge of silliness; and Andrew was in charge of sleeping (which he did VERY well).

These deer ran across the road in front of me...it was a beautiful site during the daytime. Later that night as I was driving in the dark along I-97 through Oregon, more deer ran across the road in front of my car. I was darned lucky that the deer decided to move out of the way, as I had decided not to swerve to avoid hitting it.

All the kids enjoyed seeing their grandparents, and we were very busy on several outings during the time we were there. We went to the park, went to the circus, went to another park, went to Costco, went to ride on the Sunol to Niles Canyon train, and probably some things I am not remembering at the moment! As it turned out, the kids were able to see all of their cousins in California, which made me really happy. It was really fun seeing the little kids find a common bond with the older cousins by putting money into the gumball machines at the pizza parlor! (okay, I had fun doing that too!) I have a few 'charms' hanging from my purse and my cell phone.

Along the drive to and from Washington, we stopped at several Dams: Rocky Reach, Rock Island, John Day, Shasta, Bonneville, The Dalles, and Wanapum Dams. I also was able to stop at the Crooked River Gorge in Oregon, just as the sun was setting. I tried to get a picture of the kids there, but they weren't very cooperative during that stop!

As it turned out, most of the dams had little parks where the kids could stretch their legs and use the restroom. This trip was much easier on Mom--maybe the kids are getting better at doing road trips!

The kids also enjoyed visiting some family near Portland, OR...here's Emma petting the doggy. The kids are really liking any time spent with dogs and cats. It helps to bring the kids out of their shells.

Thursday evening, when we were nearly home, I had to stop for gas in Quincy, WA. That's where I heard a little noise and sensed that I was being watched....I looked down on the ground a saw the little albino praying mantis there on the curb next to the gas pump. So, you know me...had to get a good picture of it! It's getting harder to find interesting creatures to feature in the 'sitings' section! Funny--I haven't seen a praying mantis since I was a little kid...Then last Tuesday evening, my sister-in-law and her husband showed me a picture of a praying mantis that they saw in Oregon. The, low and behold, I see one in Washington!

So, I said that we made a couple of road trips....well the second trip was to a wedding in Western WA...I'll have to leave that story to my next posting...Lots more pictures to sort through!

Long Damned Dam Outing!

2007-08-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

Today we took a pretty long day trip to see some dams that we hadn't yet taken the kids to. We left Entiat, and traveled up 97A to Wells Dam. This dam has extensive fish spawning areas and fish ladders. It also has a nice small park with restrooms and viewing area. No tours available as far as I could tell, but a nice place to stop.

Next, we continued up 97A and then headed East on 173 which eventually brought us to Chief Joseph Dam. Boy, I didn't realize how BIG this dam is! Since 9-11, security at all of the dams tightened, and it is less accessible to visitors. However, Chief Joseph Dam was offering a tour, which we made it just in time for. No cameras (damn!!!), no purses, no cell phones....the tour guide was from the Army Corps of Engineers, and she tolk us all about the dam as she drove us across the section with the turbines. As we drove, we passed several members of the Colville Indian tribe, who are the only people allowed to fish from the dam. There were about 20 tribal members fishing. Chief Joseph Dam has no fish ladder, so the salmon and any other fish going up stream are at a dead end, so to speak. To my knowledge, the Colville tribe was hurt badly when the Grand Coulee Dam was built...they relied so heavily on the fishing on the other side. Anyhow, the tour was FABULOUS at Chief Joseph Dam. The kids did pretty well, too. I did get a shot of the dam from an outside viewpoint, though no pictures are allowed to be taken inside.

Next, we headed to Grand Coulee Dam. First we stopped at a view point, and I was able to get a pretty good picture from far away. Grand Coulee is the largest concrete structure in the U.S. Very impressive to see. But, after going through the previous tour, we didn't have the energy to do much walking in the visitors center.

The other dams that we saw today are Dry Falls Dam (small dam at the base of Coulee Lake), Lake Chelan Dam (which is actually on the Chelan river, not the Columbia), and the one we see all the time: Rocky Reach Dam.

I'm glad we did the trek today...we won't need to do that again for a long while!

Bowen has taken to map reading, and he loves to pour over maps to find the dams and airports. He's reading very well, and if he's not reading a map, he's drawing one of his own!

On the home front, our house in CA has closed, and we've finally placed the order for our new house. It could take up to 17 weeks to be delivered and set up....around Thanksgiving, but with any luck it'll happen sooner. Lots of work to do in the meantime, and we're hoping to get a garage built before the home is put on the property.

I could write more about all the things we've been up to, but I'm too tired! Enjoy the pictures!

Snake Eyes

2007-07-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day that the kids are to help feed the local dog, Shelby, and the local cat, Smokey. So, I took the kids over and watched as the dog and cat were fed. Afterward, I sat and watched as the kids played outside on the swing playset and in the dirt with the trucks. After about ten minutes, Bowen hollered, "snake!" so I went over to take a look. Hiding under the dump truck was a small snake....making a distinctive 'rattle' sound. I knew immediately that I had to kill this snake... Quickly looking around, I spotted a small garden shovel with a long handle. Getting into a good position, I yelled "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH OMG!" as I whacked at the snake with a small shovel! After 3 good whacks, the snake's head was 'removed' and I could relax and try to think of what to do next!

Needless to say, we didn't stay long after that! Since the dog and cat seemed extra interested in the snake parts, I felt that I had to take it all with me. Plus, (you know me!) I wanted to get some good pictures of it. So, there you have it. My first, and hopefully LAST rattle snake kill! And I like this picture of him SO much that I won't be bothered if I never get another chance like that!

Summer's Here...So is Fire Season!

2007-07-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

We have a small troupe of chipmonks that like to steal food from the bird feeder out on the back porch. The kids have affectionally named them, "Chip-monkey Goodness", and they get rather excited when they are at the feeder in the mornings. I finally got a decent picture of one of them, so here it is.

Well, I suppose since the temperatures were up so much on the 4th of July, it shouldn't be a surprise that we have a nearby wildfire. The Easy Street fire started around 2pm on saturday, in the hills north of Wenatchee. I've heard it was started by pyrotechnics, but also heard it was someone 'breaking' the burn-ban by trying to do a controlled burn. Don't know what the truth is, but that person has been charged by the authorities. Today, I drove up highway 2 and could see the blackened hills, and it was pretty clear how close the fire came to some of the houses on the hill. There was no visible smoke today, and the spokesman on the radio says it is now 80 percent contained, and hope it'll be fully contained by tomorrow evening. So, a little excitement, but it is far enough away from us that we need not worry.

I have to say that I had such a good time going to that last quilt show (alone, mind you) that now I want to go to a show every weekend! Unfortunately, there isn't a quilt show being held every weekend....I'd be luck if I could find one per month! I have a few on a list that I plan to go to. If you know of a quilt show anywhere in Washington (shoot, even Northern Idaho), please tell me about it! I just may go!

I had a blast from the past...When I was in fifth grade camp, the counselors had us all singing a tune called "I've Got the Malathyon blues." The jist was that it was a 'bad' thing for the spraying back then. I recalled this recently, as there are a couple of guys spraying up river here to spare us the bad mosquitos. THANK GOODNESS!!!! We're quite thankful for the relief (really, it was so bad that they could drain a cow dry in about 5 minutes!). Anyhow, it made me remember back in the day when California areas were being carpet-sprayed with Malathyon (targeting the mediterrainian fruit fly) from teams of helicopters flying overhead. I can remember the rumble of the windows as the helicopters flew over. All I knew is that even though it was fun to watch the helicopters, it was bad to be outside when they flew directly over our house. One time, I got caught outside, and was so scared that I didn't know which way to run...A neighbor man ran out in the middle of the street, grabbed me under his arm, and ran us both into his house. Like he was saving me from poison...it was dramatic. Anyway, I don't know what the concentration was back then, but the spray they're using out here is quite dilute, 'not enough to kill a fly, just a mosquito!" So the kids are enjoying watching the tracter come through, spraying for mosquitos. It has helped tremendously!

Where Does the Time Go?

2007-06-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that the fourth of July is just around the corner! The past few weeks have been very busy for us in the home selling/buying process. We should close both our property purchase and our CA home sale by the 12th of July. That will mark a huge hurdle for us. Shortly after that, we'll be making final decisions about the layout and look of our new home that will go on the property. It is SO exciting to know that we'll finally have the huge kitchen we've wanted, plus plenty of bedrooms for the kids and anybody who decides to visit.

Recently, we've had the excitement of eating some things from the garden (like I said before--it's not rocket science, but it's the very first garden that the kids and I have ever grown ourselves). The radishes grew pretty fast and easy, and during the past few days we've gotten enough lettuce to make a salad that the kids and I have all really enjoyed. One of the pea plants survived and it has a few pods growing on it. Several of the bean plants did well and should be ready pretty soon. The carrots are growing, but may be too close together to really get big. I guess that's what happens with the planters are all aged 5 and under!

Something very exciting that has happened here recently is the resurfacing of the main road in front of the house. It was a grand parade with a rock layer, tar sprayer and six or more bright red dump trucks. The kids were absolutely thrilled! And there was Bruce, riding on the rock layer, looking like a cowboy! The boys think Bruce has the best job on the planet!

A few times, we've gone to the local dam and the kids have had a wonderful time playing at the park there. It is such a beautiful park...the trees are gorgeous there.

Great News!

2007-06-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well, were very excited to say that our offer on the 5 acres of property just outside of Ephrata has been accepted. Now comes the task of getting through to closing, getting septic & well installed, then finally a house. And all of this needs to happen before school starts in the fall! Yikes! We'll be extremely busy, but I'm looking forward to the process.

In addition, we may have a buyer for our house in California. So, by the end of July we may be closing both ends of our move! We're more than ready!

Is it Summer Yet?

2007-06-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

We had a couple of days where the weather was 100 degrees, then it pummeted down into the mid-70's the next day! Big change, but I'm glad that we aren't in full-blown summer yet. When it was hot, the river raised up pretty high (mosquitos came along with it), but now that it has cooled down, the river has gone back down. What was interesting was seeing the kid's reaction to mosquito bites. Jimmy's arm, eye, and forehead puffed up so bad that I thought he was needing medical attention. Emma has a bite under her eye and it swelled up pretty bad, too. Thank goodness for Benedryl and Calamine lotion!

Mom and Monte drove out here, arriving this past Sunday. They mainly needed to get the trailer on the upper property in good enough condition for Monte to live in. That meant removing the rat evidence (to put it nicely) and getting the other things in order. They left this morning to head back to California, but hopefully we'll see them again soon. The kids really enjoyed seeing them both! The crazy thing about their visit was that those Grosbeak did not show up at the feeder AT ALL while mom and Monte were here. Good thing I have pictures to prove their visit!

Jimmy found a HUGE dandilion (maybe they are always this big here, but I've just never seen them), and made his wish--to be Bob the Builder! Then later that day, we saw cousin Bruce (who works for the County maintaining the road here) working out in front of the house, so Jimmy quickly dressed in his 'safety' gear, and showed Bruce how his clothes look just like Bruce's clothes. After that, Jimmy says he wants to be Bruce when he grows up! The boys LOVE that Bruce works with construction equipment.

Finally, Dad found this critter outside one evening. He says it's a gopher snake (I personally don't know). The kids are really excited about all the new animals they get a chance to see here!

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

We had a nice memorial day weekend...didn't do anything in particular. Jim was off for 4 days though, so that was nice for us all to be here continuously. Lots of American flags waving over the weekend. Another good thing to see!

We've seen a few new critters here during the past 2 weeks. I saw a Great Blue Heron near the river yesterday and we spotted a very fancy moth the other day (see sightings). I took 3 of the kids up to Silver Falls (I keep forgetting the name of it, thinking it is called 'Sacred Falls' which is in Hawaii). This time the walk was a bit easier, though I carried Andrew most of the time. I also had a coyote run across the road in front of my car as I drove down river. I thought is was a dog at first, until I got a good look at his tail. It happened too fast to get a picture!

I took advantage of the sale at JoAnn's fabrics this past weekend...bought a few quilt books that I've had my eye on. Now I don't know what to do first!

The garden has started to grow. I don't know how big anything will get (or if it will produce anything), but still glad things are happening. The weather is supposed to get into the 90's over the next few days, and the mosquito activity seems to be getting heavy in the evening.

Good Golly Grosbeaks!

2007-05-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well, look who came back to see us this morning! These are Evening Grosbeak and the group seems to like going back and forth from this feeder out on the back deck to a tall tree near the river. I was able to count 19 clearly out on the tree. I couldn't get more than 11 in one picture, though. I think this shot is a nice one...

Scooter Crew!

2007-05-18T22:52:00.000-07:00

Well, the kids are now decked out with scooter gear! This is a new challenge for them--learning some balancing skills. Bowen & Jimmy want to zoom zoom zoom, and Emma is taking it slow, but doing great so far. Jimmy is excited about all the knee and elbow pads...he's really into the 'equipment' that goes along with everything. He loves to pretend he's a worker carrying around the tools for the job. Bowen is excited to be on the move. Emma is thrilled that she's getting to do what her brothers are doing!

Andrew is really becoming a full-fledged toddler. Yeah, sure, he's been walking for six months, but he looks so much like a baby still that I forget he's growing up! He's talking more. He says 'Daddy' very clearly now. He loves his daddy! You should see Andrew's face light up when dad gets home from work! Andrew runs to dad for hugs. He's also saying 'No', 'mommy', 'Go!', and a few more things that I can't think of! And after several months without any new teeth, he has 4 eye teeth, 4 molars and the 4th bottom tooth that never seemed to want to show up. He's also getting a mind of his own...he is insisting on feeding himself yogurt--won't take anything from a spoon now if mom tries to help (you know, I dread any more mess than I already have to deal with!). So, we're getting to the power struggle part of toddlership. Here's a picture of him feeding his ice cream to the other kids... He's giving big-mouth kisses now, and also gives great hugs! He really wraps his arms around me and squeezes! Makes mommy's heart melt! Makes all the daily craziness worth it!

Anyone who has witnessed me give the kids a bath has seen the CHAOS involved (usually), but tonight things went pretty well. Got a good picture of Andrew in the tub--he's 17 months old now. Funny thing--Emma managed to dump the whole container of baby body wash into the dry tub, so everyone used the same BUBBLE water for their bath this evening...you'd better believe that water was BROWN when we were done! I guess that means the kids are really getting their fair share of outdoor time!

Jim says he saw nearly 20 grobeaks out here on the deck earlier today. Unfortunately, a bit later today, a pair of grosbeak flew at top speed right into one of the large windows here on the side of the house. Bowen saw it happen. The birds died. Such a shame... I'm glad I didn't witness it, I'd probably have flipped out.

Garden plants are growing...some of the indoor seedlings don't look too good after being transplanted outdoors, but I haven't given up on them quite yet. There are beans growing outside that look like they've gotten a good start. Time will tell!

Here's a picture of the beautiful Iris's out on the bank, with Tyee in the background. Things are getting colorful here! Until next time!

~Stacy

Good and Bad...

2007-05-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today has been hopping with animal activity. There were four grosbeak out at the feeder today, and just as I went to take a picture, SIX more flew up! There were ten (5 mating pairs) total, but they didn't stay long enough for me to get a picture of all of them together. Quite a site.

On a sadder note, our guinea pigs must have gotten into something poisonous. I had them outside on the patio and around 4 pm this afternoon, Jimmy noticed that they were sleeping. I looked at them, and decided to move them into the shade, and oddly they didn't scurry about the way they usually do. I brought the cage into the house, and then I witnessed Cinnamon take his last breath...he just stopped breathing altogether. I couldn't believe it, and since Brown Sugar was also behaving listless, I figured that he was sick somehow as well...minutes later, he joined Cinnamon. Jim and I are trying to figure out what happened, and if they somehow got exposed to the rat poison out in the garage. Maybe a snake got to them, or a wasp, or something poisonous. Pretty sad thing.

I can't say that traveling with guinea pigs is a picnic, but the kids sure did like those piggies. Emma called them the 'pinny pigs'...So, here's to a couple of tough guinea pigs, may you rest in peace.

Jim was sitting near the garage a little while ago, when a spider came down on a web, touching his head, then coming down to hand in front of his face....he said it was a huge black widow spider...Good Grief! He also found the frog shown above...I think it's a tree frog, but I didn't look it up.

Crazy Weather!

2007-05-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been in the mid-80's during the past few days, then overnight we had rain and thunderstorms! It was 42 degrees this morning around 8:30 am, and there is a fresh new blanket of snow on Tyee!

Jim filled one of the bird feeders on the back deck yesterday, and this morning we saw our first Grosbeak pair (male/female) since being here. VERY colorful male! I did get a picture of his tush... Maybe we'll get a bunch more birds if we keep the feeders filled!

Yesterday we went to the 'Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center' dedication in north Entiat. It is a kind of fire museum that has pictures and historic information about the forest fires in the area. It also includes a trail that leads to a lookout tower. The tower used to be at Chelan Butte, but it was brought down and set up as part of the museum. The trail is very pretty and shows the various plant life. We all walked the trail over to the lookout tower, then we all climbed up the tower with my uncle Wayne. It was a little more difficult getting all of us down... The stairs are quite steep! I'm not sure we'll do that again until the kids are bigger!

Keeping Busy!

2007-05-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

The top picture is of Emma with the WONDERFUL Lilacs that are growing here all over the valley. My cousin Garci brought some here to the house this evening! They are really fragrant! The picture of Bowen and Jimmy was taken yesterday as they tried to 'build a fort/house/tent" with some wooden stakes that I bought....I ended up nailing them together, but the nails didn't old very well! The nearest picture above is of my grandpa holding me (yes, the bald toddler!) with grandma in the back, plus my brothers and a whole crowd of cousins, probably at Easter 1972--11 kids in the picture, but there ended up being a total of 18 grandkids (the rest hadn't been born yet). Anyhow, that picture was taken on the very same property where I am right now. There's heritage here...The pine trees in the background are gone, of course, from the 1994 Tyee fire that also burned that house down, but BOY the memories are still so alive!

Well, the wildlife here continues to fascinate us. The other day, I noticed that the Canada Geese that we've seen on the river (every day, all day long--about 3 mating pairs) have BABIES! Two sets of goslings were taking one of their first swims with their moms--probably 12 or so goslings total. Very cute to watch! I've also tried a few times to get pictures of the baby finches in the nest out the back door, but nothing to clear...they're tucked down pretty good. I am, however, watching two wasp nests develop out the back door. Obviously, we'll remove them asap, but in the meantime, it is fascinating to watch how quickly these wasps work! Jimmy has decided that he 'hates' the wasps (probably because he's scared they'll sting him), and he's found several more abandoned nests that I failed to notice before. He's an observant kid!

As far as the other birds here, I've just seen the common variety--mallards, quail, brewers blackbird, robin (very fat robin, at that!), finch, swallows...still no sign of the bald eagle from the other day.

We've got a little compost pile started, and Bowen and Jimmy are now 'in charge' of taking the kitchen waste to the compost pile. They like that. We've also started rotating the sprinklers around various placed to try and keep alive the few plants my dad has put in here. During this last week, we also have attempted to start a little garden outside (the kids haphazardly placed the seeds--granted, this is a learning experience, and I want them to be involved, but it got a little chaotic!), however I'll be delighted if anything actually grows!

Just in case the outside garden does flop (Emma has been walking through it, and digging in it after the seeds went in, plus I've never had my own real garden, so this is new!), we do have some containers of seeds 'started' in the house that could be replanted outdoors soon. They ARE growing, so that's exciting. I swear I witnessed the sunflower plants grow nearly an inch just today! Not having cable TV is really turning out great! Every so often we'll watch a movie, but mainly it's the radio or nothing at all. It's great to see the kids wanting to do something rather than be glued to the boob tube.

It's been pretty warm here over the past few days--over 85 degrees, but thankfully it does cool down pretty quick in the early evening--SO unlike California, which would be 80 degrees all night long! Pretty windy in the evenings as well.

Andrew (17 months old) is starting to say some new words. He was saying 'daddy' pretty clearly yesterday. That's pretty fun to hear a 2 syllable word...He's also getting pretty fiesty--wanting things his way! Half of us have colds today, and in the midst of him pointing at things and then refusing them, I finally sat him down on the floor of the kitchen, gave him a spoon and let him go at it....well, he was just pleased to feed himself with a spoon with no help from mom. Mind you, I've been trying to avoid the 'feed myself' mess...but he did a darned good job!

Emma is doing well and really having fun playing outside as well as with the other cousins. There's really lots of new things for her to see. She doesn't really understand why we haven't 'gone home' yet. She's brought that up a few times. Especially when she's tired. Hopefully, this interim period won't last a long time. She'll feel better when she has her bedroom back.

Jimmy is having an absolute BLAST here....He'll stay outside ALL day long if I let him. Lately, he's been carrying around my tools (hammer, etc.) or a small first aid kit, asking "do you need a band aid??" He's such a tactile kid! He's really great.

Bowen is totally aware of why we're here...and knows just about every landmark up and down Entiat River Road! Now he's watching where things are compared to the mile markers. He doesn't understand why I won't go buy some more wood so he and Jimmy can build a house outside....He's writing more and more...making signs that say "welcome to washington, bi bi california"...

That's it for now... Check back once a week, and I'll keep the postings coming! Plus the pictures!

~Stacy

Enjoying Nature

2007-05-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Well, the kids sure have been enjoying their new freedom to play in the dirt! They have also reached a new level of creating dirty clothes! Besides seeing the variety of birds around here, there is also a birds nest right out the back door that has babies in it. I can hear when the mom comes to feed the babies...the babies are all chirping loudly. The mom flies away, however, anytime I try to get close enough to get a picture. You can't see the babies unless the mom is there to feed them. They stay tucked down pretty low. I haven't seen any signs of the bald eagle from the other day. I'm still hoping to get another glimpse of him.

The weather here has been very nice. Pretty cold in the mornings (around 35 degrees this morning), but warms to the low 60's around noon. We don't miss the California heat! That's for sure! Last night the kids got together with their second cousins (my aunt and cousin, plus my cousin's kids), so there were 7 kids playing last night. Pretty fun to watch them all get along so well.

We've Arrived in Washington!

2007-05-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

We survived the 2 day drive from California to Washington with 2 cars, 2 parents, 4 kids and 2 guinea pigs! Yay!

March and April of 2007 was such a busy time for us! It’s hard to believe that this snow picture (above) was taken a little more than a month ago...it feels like much longer!
Jim interviewed for a job in Washington after this group picture was taken, and later was offered the position as safety coordinator of the hydro-electric operations at Wanapum Dam. So the whirlwind started shortly after that! Jim started working the day after Easter while the rest of us in California worked to get the house on the market.
Now at the end of April, the whole family is together up in Washington. We’re looking forward to new adventures and to learning more about the area up here.

Above is a group picture of Jimmy and Bowen with Bowen's preschool class. That was his last day of school in California. The boys sure had a great time with the other kids and the teachers.

Also above is the picture of the kids playing in the dirt here, and also some of the kids looking out at Tyee mountain. Yesterday it was quite warm (in the 70's) and we all got a little sun, but this morning we woke to rain! What a surprise. And some more snow on Tyee!

I hope this blog helps us all to stay in touch. Internet brings the world closer!

~Stacy