Today My Shampoo Ran Out!!

I was about to wash my hair when I realized my shampoo container was empty! So I had to go get more. Right then, right there, I ran to the....cabinet under my sink and had to make a choice, is my hair feeling a little dry, or would I categorize it as normal?? Normal it was, so back to the shower I went! Shampoo is something I always forget to buy when I need it and I used to just buy the cheapest I could find, which left my hair feeling dry and tangly(sounds like a shampoo commercial doesn't it? Well its not, keep reading!)! In May, shortly after I jumped back to crazy couponer status there was a fabulous sale on John Frieda's Root Awakening Shampoo and Conditioner. This stuff is usually $6-7 a bottle, but with a huge sale and great coupons I was able to get them for a mere 3 for $1. At that price I stocked up, I mean really stocked up. I have enough to last myself and my daughters for at least a year, perhaps longer now that Adrienne's hair is so much shorter and Annalina and I are going to get ours cut as well!

So why did I mention this? Often when the topic of coupons comes up, people say, "we just don't eat that way, coupons are only good for unhealthy foods". Then why are my closets filled with free or almost free toilet paper, room fresheners, paper towels, pain relievers, batteries of all shapes and sizes, tampons, razors, soap, laundry and dish detergent and the list goes on and on. Lets see, since May I have also gotten about 20 pounds of seafood at about $1.50 a pound with coupons, and I have cereal to last a lifetime, yes some of it is the sugar coated stuff, but I also have a lot of Kashi, Rice Crispies, Cheerios, what Jake considered to be ok to eat. We also have about 30 jars of peanut butter stored away for back to school, a 6 month supply of tuna fish, lots of graham crackers, Wheat Thins, Gogurts in the freezer, oh and a bunch of A&W Root Beer, its Richard's favorite. I also have salad dress and BBQ sauce to last a long while. Yes, there are bargains on the not so healthy food choices, last month I got Ben & Jerry's ice cream for .25 a pint and half gallons of Breyers ice cream for .50. Organic juices, fresh fruits and veggies, lunch meats, bread and milk....these things are all available for 50-95% off if you know where to look(and no, I am not talking about the outdated stuff). One of the great benefits of coupon shopping is that I rarely pay retail for anything. When it goes on sale and I can match a coupon with it, I buy enough to last a few months at least. Then when the next big sale comes along, I can pick up some more and I am never buying stuff at full price when I desperately need it(when the price always seems to be the highest).

Right now the focus at all my favorite frugal blogs and websites is on how to get school supplies for a bargain! It is a fun and useful hobby. It can be time consuming, but right now before I go back to school in the fall, its a good time for me to focus on building up our food supply. And I am not spending a fortune doing it. Our food budget has dropped incredibly in the last few months, which it would have had to anyway, we just don't have much in the budget right now. I am grateful to be able to help support our family in this way! Some of my favorite sites for checking out the bargains are listed below. There is a lot of info to sort through and it can be overwhelming, but once you get the hang of it, the sky is the limit!

http://www.frugallivingnw.com/

http://krazycouponlady.blogspot.com/

http://www.fabulesslyfrugal.com/

Isn't She LOVELY!!!

This is my daughter Adrienne! Isn't she beautiful! She has had long beautiful hair for a long, long, long time! She decided a change was in order and took herself to the salon, armed with a photo of what she wanted done. And this is the fresh and sassy result! Isn't she just adorable!!!

Music To My Ears & TheOccasional Annoying Static

I think perhaps the most beautiful sound in my world right now is the full bodied, deep belly laughs of my children when they are playing nicely together. They really crack each other up and it is wonderful to hear. I try to keep them busy since it is summer and all. In the morning when I am trying to get up and get ready for the day, they come in looking for something to do. I send them off to make their beds. Annalina is on the top bunk right now and has TONS of stuffed critters keeping her company each night, most are the small beany babies she inherited from her big sister! So she goes in and throws them all on the floor and pulls up her blankets, positions her pillow and calls in the reinforcements-Joseph. He tosses each animal up to her for careful placement on the bed. They make it some kind of game and I don't think the rules are ever the same, but the animals go flying and the kids start giggling, then laughing, then deep belly laughs! One of these days I will have to sneak in with the video camera and try to capture the fun. They do this a lot, playing lots of different games together or trying to accomplish some chore I have given them. I send them off and before I know it they are playing and laughing together. I think of this as innocent fun and think its great they love each other enough to play so well together, however they may have figured out that if they come back too soon, I will just assign another chore. They really are pretty smart kids. Hey, whatever it takes, I am just glad they have great imaginations, kinda like each other and love to play.

That being said, I will also admit probably the worst possible sound is when they start to argue and fight, or just bicker quietly with one another. As Joseph is getting older, he does not always defer to big sis like he did when he was smaller, and she is none too happy about that. He has opinions and is not afraid to express them! Each night at bedtime they listen to music for a half hour. They take turns choosing what to listen to. The CD in their room right now has Enya, Disney music, Curious George Soundtrack, Coldplay and "My Music" which is what Joseph calls the CD we had on during his birth(Above The Clouds, even as a tiny baby this music would calm him). He still loves it. Anyway, they have usually been pretty good about respecting each others choices, but Joseph has taken to Cold Play since Adrienne listens to that in her car. It is a bit too lively for Annalina at bedtime, so she sometimes complains. The night before last, I just turned on Enya(Annalina's music of choice) so everyone would be happy. No one chose it, but me. Then last night Joseph took his turn and said he wanted Enya so Annalina's baby dolls could stay asleep. So sweet huh? This would have been what Annalina chose, but instead of being happy he was trying to think of her feelings, she got mad because she thought it was her turn and now she was missing her turn. I asked he what she wanted to listen to and she said, Enya. So there, everyone should be happy! But NO! Ahhhhhhh! Two minutes later and I hear arguing and go in. She is crying and says her life is ruined because she lost her turn -her words, not mine. EVEN THOUGH SHE WOULD HAVE CHOSEN THE SAME THING THAT WAS PLAYING!! So I turned off the music and told them to both go to sleep. This tell me that Annalina was desperately tired. They have been staying up later than during the school year, though only be a half hour to an hour, but they get up at around the same time, so they are short on sleep. I will have to be more careful to make sure they get the sleep they need.

Most of the times the kids are wonderful....to me, to each other, to everyone! I am so grateful for them and I deeply adore each and every one of them(yes, especially the teenagers). I am also glad things are not perfect all the time. When they argue, it gives me the opportunity to use and develop the ever important skill of patience. I think I am getting pretty good at it, except when I have not had enough sleep. I have to be more careful about that! I may be an adult, but I am not immune to the results of a late night and early morning!

The Difference Between 4 & 3 - Its not just 1

Things have gone very smoothly with the guys gone. Last year Joseph acted out in lots of crazy ways, but this year he has been very good. Its been fun having them sleep in my room with me and we try to find some fun every day! Yesterday we were picking up our raspberry order and drove by David Hill Elementary(which is no longer being used as a school) and saw a sign that said fun and lunch from 11-12:30. Hardly anyone was there, so we stopped in to check it out. They do this each week, its part of the federal grant to serve lunch all summer long. They also have planned activities and the theme yesterday was Australia. They made boomerangs, jewelry, played marbles, colored pictures, played with a parachute, had storytime, then we ate lunch. There were so few people there, the moms were offered lunch too. They served Roast Beef sandwiches, carrots, chips, oranges, and a cookie. We will have to stop in again, the kids had a really great time!

This morning Richard called and WE HEARD IT THIS TIME!! Annalina was still asleep, but Joseph and I talked to him for a few minutes. There are lots of stories to tell and we cannot wait to hear them when they get home. But he wanted us to know they are doing well and Jake is being a great leader! It was so good to hear Richard's voice and now the countdown is on, in about 24 hours they will be home!! Yippee!

We went over to water the Robert's garden and while watering the zuchini, I happened upon one that was so huge, how could I have missed it before?? We picked it and as soon as my battery is charged, I will add the photo to the blog, Joseph is very proud of it!!

Too many posts???

OK, I am dealing with my husband being gone by blogging just about every thought that comes into my head! To my faraway family who checks my blog every few days, please scroll down, there are several entries that are new from today and yesterday. I'd hate for you to miss them just because I posted so many of them! Love you all!!

My Dream Vacation

If I could vacation anywhere in the world, right now I would choose to stay here at the St Regis on the island of Bora Bora. I thought what a romantic gettaway this would be, then I started thinking how much fun it would be with the kids....jumping right off the deck into the beautiful lagoon. Can you even imagine these deluxe accommodations right over the water? But with airline tickets around $2400 per person.....ahhh, it is good to dream!!

4th of July Festivities

We had a very full 4th of July this year, perhaps too full considering the guys had to get ready for scout camp! But it was a fun day! We started out at the Hillsboro parade, which was entertaining, but long. Megan and her family came along again this year, I believe we may have created a tradition since we have done this so many years in a row now! This year we brought Gabe along and Adrienne's boyfriend Tim spent the entire day with us as well(and they are still going out, heehee). Also Megan has her "little sister" from when she lived in Belgium here visiting for the summer. Big Leila is a lot of fun and fits right into the family! She is not big at all, except when compared to Megan's 5 year old daughter Leila, hence the addition of Big so we can tell them apart! In an effort to clear the streets of Hillsboro immediately following the parade they end with street sweepers which kick up dust and all sorts of unpleasantness. I wish they would wait at least 5 minutes or something! Anyway, after the parade we headed to my parents house for a BBQ where the kids played in the sprinklers and got completely totally soaked. At one point little Zach, who is not even two, got a hold of the hose and soaked a few adults who were not planning to get wet!! While there my sister Marella got a very scary phone call. The propane tank on their BBQ had exploded, luckily a neighbor heard it and did not just assume it was fireworks. The siding in the back of their house was warped and the grill was destroyed and the grass was burned, but there was no serious damage, which was a blessing but it was still a scary experience for Marella and Dan.

I went home to make our traditional 4th of July ice cream, vanilla and strawberry. In the past we have served the ice cream at a gathering here at home and set off an arsenal of fireworks for the family to enjoy. This year fireworks were not in our budget, nor anyone elses, so we deviated from the usual. I do not like crowds, I don't think there is anything fun about being in a huge crowd of people even if it is to watch fireworks, espcially on a hot summer day. So I was less than thrilled at the idea of going to a big fireworks display out in Banks that Jeremy discovered. But I also did not want to do nothing on the night of the 4th, the kids were so looking forward to fireworks. So we headed out around 8 and found a small hillside off Hwy 6 and 47 overlooking the park where the fireworks were launched from. Across from us was an off/on ramp for the highway and in the center of that were emergency vehicles and a life flight helicopter. There was a demolition derby going on so we thought maybe they were there as a precaution. After a while Richard put Joseph on his shoulders and decided this was a perfect learning opportunity for our future pilot! He asked the pilot for a quick look and they got a tour! After about ten minutes they turned and ran from the helicopter and stopped to watch at a safe distance. When they got back Richard explained that there was an accident in the mountainous region of the freeway and an ambulance was bringing a patient to the helicopter who would then fly it on to a Portland hospital. It was fascinating to see it take off so up close and fly right over our heads. The fireworks were to start at 10, but shortly before then our friend the helicopter was back and within about 15 minutes another ambulance arrived with yet another patient. Needless to say the fireworks were delayed while the helicopter was in the area. I do hope both of those patients are alright. I tried to look up information on it, but found nothing. Again we watched it take off and around 10:30 the fireworks started. The sun was down, it felt wonderful out and the display was fabulous! We were not the only ones who chose to watch from where we were. We had parked in a small grocery store parking lot with one exit and it took about an hour to get out after we loaded up the car. Next time we will park out on the street after dropping off our blankets for a quicker escape.

I must commend Jeremy on his great idea and apologize that I wasn't completely on board with the plan he and Richard came up with while with the Nerd Herd(a story for another post). I would gladly go do this again next year and would love to have the whole family there with us if they can! It was funny, when we headed out to Banks Annalina was feeling a little upset that we were not setting off our own fireworks at home. But all the kids loved the fireworks display and were laying in a cute little row on blankets watching them in awe! Priceless!!

I'm Lonely....But I WILL Survive!

If it isn't enough that my husband and oldest are away, my sister left with her family yesterday and I will not be able to talk to her until Friday night! Yikes! What is a sister to do! I had a moment of panic Monday when I called her and it went to voice mail! I was worried they had already left! But she called and I think I got my fix for the week, although it is Wednesday and I am wishing I could pick up the phone and call her! Megan, if you check your blogs while you are away, just know that I MISS YOU and I love you too! I hope you are having a fabulous relaxing time with your family!

My husband is so sweet. Last year after they returned from camp I admitted to him that I often called his work number and his cell phone just to hear his voice on the answering service while he is away. So it may seem a bit weird, but it is comforting to hear his voice when I am missing him. So yesterday he called and left us a message,we were actually home and my heart broke when I heard his message, we were cleaning up the downstairs and had the music up too loud and we missed him(but the kitchen sure looks nice) :-( ! He had climbed to the highest bluff at camp and said if he stood in just the right spot facing the right direction he could get a bar or two. He talked for a while and had things to say to the children, it was very sweet. Of course, I have saved the message and have already listened to it a few times. The kids were excited to hear his voice as well. He said they are doing well so far. This year they are at Camp Meriweather, over on the Oregon coast, so they are closer than they have ever been before. They have a ton of boys and only two leaders, so I am sure he is working hard this year trying to keep track of everyone and keep everyone on track. I am proud of his dedication. When they released him from the Scouting program, I thought he might pass on a full week of scout camp, but he is there and I know Jake appreciates it. This year Jake is the Senior Patrol Leader, with three boys serving under him. He is about to advance in rank again and should be working on his Eagle project before long! Go Jacob!!!

So you may think that scouting is taking over our lives, and you might be right! Today I spent the day just beyond my backyard at Camp Ireland with our cub scouts who are going to day camp there this year. It is my first year going without a son in the program. It was fun, but I am glad I only needed to go one day. It was a full day of activities and trying to keep seven boys together, some of whom have 10 year old attitudes, was not always easy. But I was glad to help out. And it was fun to get to know some of the boys I have not had a chance to work with!

Adrienne was kind enough to babysit the kids for me today and Joseph went with Christy Smith and her kids to a library activity this morning. Adrienne took Annalina out for Sushi! Lucky girls!! Now Adrienne is at a swimming party with the Laurels and her friend Cynthia. It was a cool day, so I hope the pool is heated!

Tuesday Without The Men

We went to the park this morning for a while. The kids played while I went through one of my new library cookbooks, (Don't Panic-More Dinner's in the Freezer). Definitely one I will have to buy eventually. I put sticky notes on the recipes I want to try and write what ingredients I'd have to buy if I was going to make that particular recipe. Eventually I will compile my favorites into a shopping list and have a big cooking day. But no time soon due to budgetary reasons. Its still fun to plan for.

So the kids played and after a while I got up and played frisbee with them. We got in a triangle pattern and took turns throwing it to each other. The kids were surprisingly good at it and there was much giggleing going on. When Joseph threw, he'd wind up and end up throwing himself onto the grass from the exertion. It was a good work out for us all!

Then we drove over to the Robert's house and watered their beautiful garden. Since our last paycheck was so tiny we have struggled with cash flow this month and it is something that is always in my prayers. I have wanted a garden in our back yard for a while now. But for some reason too complicated to try to explain, that has not happened yet. A few weeks ago Lori MacGregor gave us a dresser they were not using anymore and on her porch were a half dozen large tomato plants. I asked where she got them since I would have to get some so big to have any hope of a crop this year. She said someone gave them to her and she did not need them all! She let me take a couple home which I have planted and are sitting on our front porch so we remember to water them! Yay, can't wait for tomatos! Then my visiting teacher Jennifer Roberts was going out of town and asked if I could water her garden while they are gone. She said to pick anything ripe during that time, so we have enjoyed lettuce, radishes, lots of peas and blueberries. We got to see how they set up their garden and will hopefully be able to make ours similar when the time comes. Then yesterday Beth Stimpson dropped off a HUGE bag full of peas, my favorite garden item to munch on!! It has been so fun to have some fresh produce to enjoy and I feel that all these things have been blessings. The Lord is mindful of our situation and even if others are not, I am grateful to those who have listened to those promptings to offer help or to share. I am sure they do not even know they are being an answer to my prayers!

So I just finished cleaning up the upstairs hallway. No more toys or laundry strewn about and I even cleaned off the walls, it is amazing just how much dirt Joseph has smeared on the walls of our home!! It is freshly vaccuumed and looked so great I decided to organize the closet in that hallway. I can now actually walk into the walk-in linen closet! It is inspiring to have a small part of the house perfectly clean. There is hope for me yet....

Partying With a 7 & 4 Year Old

Richard and Jake left for boy scout camp EARLY Monday morning. Adrienne is on a camping trip with her dad. That leaves Joseph, Annalina and I. All on our own! So what did we decide to do? Have a PARTY!! We popped popcorn, bought peaches(hey, it's what they wanted) and ate a TON of fresh peas from Beth Stimpson's yard. (Thanks Beth!) We had waffles and eggs for dinner and watched some movies, played some games, told some stories and THEN....we all slept in my room! Annalina has actually learned to sleep on her side of the bed instead of invading mine all night long and for Joseph we brought in the little futon matress from the chair in their room. It is only about 4 feet long, but it was perfect for him. He was giggling for a while and Annalina was complaining that he kept waking her up(this after 2 minutes of actually being in bed). I gave him a warning that he would have to go back to his own bed if he could not be quiet and about 30 seconds later I heard the tell tell sign of sleep...that smacking sound he makes as he sucks on his bottom lip, which can get surprisingly loud! Too cute! So he was curled up under his blankey, which is not long enough to cover his whole body stretched out and everything but his head was completely covered. I don't know how he does it, he sleeps in a little ball! In the morning I looked down at him and it appeared he had not moved the entire night! He slept until 8, Annalina was up around 9:30. For them, that is sleeping in! What time was I up?? 7:30...bummer!

My list of things to get done while the guys are gone is very similar to last years list. Clean my bathroom, organize my closet and get our room cleaned up once again! Maybe I will get a chance to work on the laundry room and I would love to get the main pantry organized, oh and I'd love to get some weeds out of the backyard, but I don't want to expect TOO much from myself, otherwise the pain of failure will be deep! Aside from getting a few things done around here, I really want to just have some fun with the kids! Its cool this week, we have had the windows all open and I am loving it, though the kids get cold easily. I think some trips to the park are in order! I'll post more later about the end of swimming lessons and our glorious 4th of July fun this past weekend!

The Mind of a Four Year Old

Joseph is four years old and he is so amusing! His primary teachers are a young married couple expecting their first child in a week or so. He came home to tell us how his class got to touch her large tummy. I asked him if he felt the baby kick, he said no, the baby was asleep. So I asked him how her tummy felt and he informed me that he did not feel her belly because he did not want to wake up the baby! Then yesterday in the car he was talking about primary and he mentioned that he thinks the baby has fallen out of her tummy now, oh if it were truly that simple!! A few weeks ago we were at Target shopping and we ran into them. Joseph gasped and said, "They are here at Target" He was shocked to see them outside of the usual church setting and could hardly say hello. From there we went to Winco, and guess who we ran into? Yep, we saw them again and once again Joseph was shocked to see them!

We have the soundtrack to the movie The RM and if you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it. It is hilarious and my entire family LOVES this movie. Anyway, the soundtrack is church music that has been redone in a mainstream manner. Very fun and upbeat. It is one of Joseph's favorite right now and every time we go anywhere in the van, he wants me to turn it on. So I do. And he sings along with every song he can, though his favorite is the primary song Give Said The Little Stream. And when he doesn't know the words to the other songs, he often makes them up. I think he is just like me. When I hear a song I like, I am not truly happy until I can learn the words and sing along. So what is my deal anyway? Why is it I can sing every lyric to every sappy 70's love tune that played during my years in retail, even when I haven't heard them in 15 years and yet I am a bit fuzzy on the order of the states on the east coast. I felt bad about this for years because my husband would make fun of me for not knowing my states as if I was an ignorant grade school dropout. So when Jake had to learn the states and capitals in 6th grade, once again I learned them all right along with him, but just four years later the fuzziness is creaping back in and yet I can still sing every line of "Midnight at the Oasis"(send your camel to bed...yes that really is the next line). In trying to be a good citizen of this wonderful country, should I take the time every couple of years to brush up on my US geography, or is it ok to be one of those people in those poles where they say, "75% of people poled don't know the capital of South Dakota"(I just looked it up, its Pierre, but then YOU knew that didn't you?)...Oooops, this blog entry is not about me, its about Joseph, so back to him....

Sometimes I steal glances to the backseat and strain to hear his sweet little voice singing along. The look on his face is always so serious, probably because music is such serious business to him. I often turn on youtube and play music there. Lately we were introduced to a song that is a blend of Love Story and Viva La Vida(the link is on my facebook page if you are interested, I haven't figured out how to get it here yet). It is an incredible song played by a piano and a cello. Joseph always asks for the Piano and Jello song. And then he runs around in circles, his feet hitting the ground in time to the music. We also play a lot of songs by the SilverSun Pickups, which he calls the SiverSun Hiccups. My little Jeterinarian may also have a future in music!

Oh yes, Joseph is also a rotten egg. It is true. Whenever we go anywhere, do anything, get in the car, go through the front door, he always says in a sing song voice, I'm the rotten egg, you are the winner! I don't know why he has the idea that being a rotten egg is a good thing, but hey, it has stopped a lot of arguements with the 7 year old, who does NOT think being a rotten egg is cool. She happily agrees with him that he is the rotten egg and peace is continual in our happy home....HA! Yeah, they find other things to fight about, but at least its never about being a rotten egg.

I love Joseph's sweet little mind. He is such a fun little boy and I feel blessed every day that I am his mother! I was thinking recently, what if Richard and I had not decided to have children together. My youngest would be almost 15 now. I would probably have finished my schooling and have been a nurse for several years now and I am just certain I'd be very skinny...HA. Life would be so different and possibly so much easier, but happier?? No! When I think of all I would be missing out on I am so grateful Joseph and Annalina came along. I would not give up the experience of being their mom for anything!!

Summer Fun....Part 2`

So the biggest news of that last week of school was Richard was home with us ALL week long. Tektronix had their first furlough, a week off with no pay. Fun stuff! This may be the first of several for this year. We spent Monday organizing the garage and it looks so much better. It was really nice having Richard home! On the kids first day off from school we took them all to see UP in 3D. I was a little skeptical about the 3D part, the last movie I saw that way was Spy Kids 3D and it gave me a headache. But instead of cardboard glasses, they hand out nicely sanitized glasses that are like sunglasses. They were comfortable. The movie itself had a very sweet story and the 3D was not just for a few special effects, the entire movies was in 3D and it was done beautifully. I highly recommend this movie to anyone. Go see it, you won't be sorry!

Adrienne has taken an almost full time job this summer babysitting for a family that has two kids ages 10 and 7. She loves the kids and is having a fun time caring for them and there is no diapers or spitting up to deal with, a great perk. Each day they take a walk to one of the nearby schools to play. She works each day from 8:30 -2:30 so she has her evenings and weekends free which is important for teenagers! I am proud of her and am glad she decided to take the job. She will be able to put away some good money this summer!

Jake is running a couple times a day and will soon be meeting up with the cross country team to run with them. Other than that, he is somewhat bored so far this summer. I am encouraging him to invite friends over for movies of video games and hopefully can take him to the pool for some open swims. He and Richard leave for Scout camp in just a couple weeks and he is excited for the classes he signed up for. As luck would have it, the week of Scout Camp is another company wide shut down, but at least there is the option for vacation pay. Tek is pretty much eating up all vacation pay with forced shut downs, so it is nice this one coincided with a week Richard already needed off. I am getting prepared for that week by not having the kids in swimming lessons or scheduled activities. I think we will just have a lot of unplanned fun!!

Summer Fun!

School was out for all the kids last Wednesday! Thursday I had to pick up my 30 pound bucket of strawberries. Each year the stakes in the area get together and order in mass quantities from a grower in the Salem area. Its a great way to get Oregon berries without all the work. They come picked, cleaned, sliced and ready to go! So Megan came over to help me with them. We made some freezer jam, our first attempt ever and it turned out wonderfully. We had a fun time visiting and Mom even came over for a while to help, although the pectin I was using had different recipes than she had ever used. I froze a bunch of the berries and will thaw some more out when my raspberries come in a couple of weeks. Megan and I will go crazy making jams! We may even try to can some so as to save on the freezer space. I am still big on the freezer cooking thing!

Adrienne had a Laurel campout on Friday night and they had asked Richard to go along as a priesthood leader and help out. Adrienne asked me to come along too. So I did. I have not camped since I was pregnant with Joseph. It was not a pleasant experience for me, nothing like stumbling to the bathroom through the dark trying not to trip and wake up the campers all around me while being absolutely certain bears were waiting around the corner! Our matress lost its air so sleeping was not comfortable at all. I cried the second night and told Richard I never wanted to camp again. But hey, I was pregnant. I decided this one night trip would be a nice trial run to see if I could actually stand camping. And guess what??? It was fun! We had two great campsites and we weren't too far for the bathrooms. And we were just a short walk from the beach! It was beautiful. It rained all day before we left so I was sure we were in for a wet night. But except for a drop here and there it stayed dry the entire time. Hopefully we will get a chance to take the whole family camping someday soon. The whole time I kept thinking, I wish the other kids were here!! But they were having an adventure of their own spending the night at Aunt Megan's house. They even got to go to Chuck E Cheeses, what could be better?? I really appreciated Megan's willingness to temporarily double the number of children in her home. From three to six is a big jump, so THANKS MEGAN! I LOVE YOU!

Jane, Kelsey, Crystal, and Adrienne

We got home from camping and headed down to Monmouth for Uncle Rich's retirement BBQ. It was great to finally see Rich and Renetta's beautiful home and their yard is to die for! They had cherries on their cherry tree and strawberries in the garden(I didn't check to see if the kids left any for you Renetta, sorry if they ate them ALL!). It was a fun night and Joseph actually fell asleep in the car on the way home and that NEVER happens! We are looking forward to another visit with Rich and Renetta in early July when my BCF Jill(Best Cousin Forever) will be in town! Can't wait!

The kids had so much fun in Renetta's backyard, this was the best photo I could get!

Today began swimming lessons! Joseph is in the catfish 2 class and Annalina is a goldfish. They both did very well. I am so proud of them and have so much fun with them! Summer is good. OK, so its only the first week out from school, my tune may change, but for now, summer is GOOD!!

Oh Happy Day!

I went in to wake up Annalina this morning for school. She was lying in bed reading a book!! I went downstairs to start breakfast and make lunches and there was Joseph on the sofa...READING A BOOK! Yippee! As a mother who adores reading there is no better sight than seeing both my little ones reading(or attempting to read) books! My two older kids do not have the passion for reading I do. My husband does not either and I get a lot of flack from them about how much I enjoy reading! So my hopes are now high that maybe Annalina and Joseph will be my reading buddies! My idea of a great vacation is sitting on the beach...with a book. Or relaxing by a warm fire...with a book. Or sitting in a hot tub...with a book. Maybe someday I will get to try lounging on a cruise ship...with a book! You just never know!

Take Me Out Of the Ballgame....

This weekend is Annalina's t-ball tournament. And she couldn't be happier. Not to be playing t-ball, but because the season is almost over! She has been a bit bored this year and here is what she had to say about it when I asked her. "I like the part where you hit the ball and run, but I don't like the part where you have to use the mitt". She gets very bored when she is out on the field and has a tendency to pick grass, play in the dirt and do various yoga poses rather than pay attention to the game. She is only seven, so I suppose I understand. But I am torn about how to feel. I love to watch my kids play sports. Whether they are good or not, I love to see them try! Although if she chooses not to play next season, which she has told me is the case, just think of all the evenings and Saturdays that will free up! I think I will take the registration money(if I can find it in the budget) and sign her up for a couple of community classes. She loves the Yoga class and has shown interest in taking the begining Karate class. The photo below pretty much sums up her feelings about t-ball.
She also is not sure she wants to play soccer in the fall. Her comments on that one were, "you have to run a lot, and it makes me tired". Sounds like a teenager thing to say does it not?? We play soccer at the church. It is not sponsored by the church, but someone organized a soccer club and word spread and now there are over 130 youth playing there in the huge church field. And while the Hillsboro Soccer League charges $100 per player and has required fundraisers, this little group charges about $3.50 for t-shirts for the kids so we can tell the teams apart! Joseph is old enough to play this year and so I am trying to decide whether to sign him up on his own or just pass this year on the whole thing. As it stands, the final Anatomy & Physiology class I will be taking in the fall will be an evening class, so it might be just as well if we hold off a year on the soccer.

We are starting swimming lessons in a couple of weeks. They are a bit tough on our budget and I almost decided to pass on that this year, but Richard thinks its really important that the kids learn how to swim, and he is right. So just one session this summer and Joseph is SO very excited! I told him classes start after school gets out. He thought I was talking about his school and was a bit bummed out when I didn't take him right down to the pool the day preschool let out. So that will be a highlight of the summer. I am sure we will find lots of other fun and free things to do too!

A Pretty Good Year

I realized after I posted my last blog entry that I have now been blogging for an entire year! How fun it has been to write about and post pictures from my life to share with family and friends! Looking back, a whole LOT has changed in just 12 months. Some for the good, some not. But it is great to be able to focus on all the wonderful things we have been blessed with!

Adrienne is working toward getting an internship with Intel this summer. If she gets the position she would like to have she could work all summer and part time through the school year loading software onto computers and configuring systems. She has an intense interest in computers and is hoping to learn more about them and eventually get a degree in programming. I hope she is able to get the job, it would be a great way to spend the summer!

Richard continues working especially hard at Tektronix, though now for less pay...again. The IT department has had two pay cuts in the past few months, which has been a huge adjustment for us since losing my income. Now they are implementing furloughs, which means forced time off without pay, in addition to company wide shutdowns where employees are forced to use their vacation time up. His first unpaid week is just a couple of weeks away and we weren't given much time to prepare for it. We have been very blessed to make it through these tough times thus far, but it seems as soon as we adjust to less and start to get comfortable, even more is taken away. It is sparking some creativity however. I have returned to my old ways of coupon shopping and in the last month or so have been able to store up a lot of food, which will help during the lean times(yes, we have a year's supply of Mac & Cheese, Capris Suns and the makin's for Smore's, what else could we need?). Adversity is not fun, but I do know it is necessary in making us better people. I think of all the changes that Richard and I have made in our lives in the last year and it is amazing that while it is a struggle, we are becoming stronger people and a stronger family!

More Preschool Fun

In my post about Joseph and his preschool adventures I forgot to mention two really fun things! First since they are not in school in June, they had a special Father's day at preschool in February. The dad's went with the kids and they had fun building a sand pendulum and painting in and then had tacos for an early lunch. Joseph though this was the greatest, being able to take Daddy to preschool with him!

In May, we had a fun Mother's day activity. All the tables were set with cute place settings and there were fun tea pots everywhere filled with lemonade. The kids had been practicing their serving skills and made sure to keep our cups filled with something to drink. We were served a lovely little brunch followed by cake. We then got to go around to different stations and helped the kids make fun crafts, necklaces, a sun visor and a cute little bag. Then Joseph went outside and showed me his skills on the tricycles. It was a fun morning to spend with him. And it was the first time I got to go to a school event of any kind without either bringing along a little one, or finding someone to watch that little one! It felt good!

The First Signs of Summer...

Summer has begun! Its been hot for a week or two now and Joseph has finished up preschool for the year. What a great experience he has had. Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending his year end presentation and carnival. They sang many lovely songs, then the teacher asked them each what they want to be when they grow up. Some cute answers were 6, a big sister, many I don't knows and Joseph who decided right there on the spot that he wants to be a karate man. I don't know where that came from, but that's ok. A karate class may be in his future! We were also each presented with a scrapbook of our own child, filled with photos from the entire year! The girls had put these together for each preschooler. How cool is that???

We celebrated with cake and outside play and a carnival of games where the kids won fun prizes. It was so cute, all the senior girls were so sad they would not be seeing the kids again. Joseph gave out hugs like crazy, though I am sure he had no idea why. The younger girls were happy to hear he was going to be back next fall. The program barely escaped the budget cuts that have been happening all too often lately.

When Annalina went to preschool, I took her to the Calvary Lutheran school near our old house. It was expensive, but she like it well enough. It was a good program. Since we are fairly close to Glencoe, and since big brother and sis both go there(and since it is so much cheaper), I thought it would be fun to try it out for Joseph. I admit, before this I was a bit of a preschool snob, thinking my kids couldn't possibly learn what they needed from a high school program. Oh how wrong I was! Here is what I have learned, aside from the fact that preschool is not really supposed to be academic... The preschool teacher is not being paid by the families of the children, she is getting paid a fairly good salary to teach the high school students to be teachers, so most of our very minimal tuition payments(less than a third of what I was paying at the other school) go to activities, field trips, art supplies, etc. They went on three field trips this year, the zoo, the childrens museum and the pumpkin patch and I was not asked to send in extra money for any of these excursions, WOW! Also, there are 24 preschoolers in Joseph's class. Guess what, there are 24 high school girls in each class. This means a 1 to 1 ratio. I have watched these girls develope attachments with these little 3 and 4 year olds. I have seen them taking the time to help a little one learn to write their own name, or read them a book. It really seems to me that Joseph was showered with attention from teenage girls who for the most part really want to do this for a living as adults. Joseph began writing his entire first name about halfway through the year. He can count almost to twenty and knows most of his letters. With another year of preschool still to come he is well ahead of where Annalina was right before Kindergarten. I don't really think this is terribly important, he will learn at whatever pace is best for him, but he got the attention he needed to learn many things very quickly!

Joseph's teacher is Mrs DeWhitt and I have never seen someone with more love and patience for these little ones. She is truly an angel and I am so glad Joseph will be going back next fall. The really fun thing is that most of the neighborhood boys will be joining him next year! Yay, good times ahead for Joseph!

Joseph's flower balloon sculture popped, so one of the girls gave him hers! Sweet!

Suprise Awards

Thursday night Richard and I went with Jake to school for Spring Tide, which is where they give out awards to the high school kids for various things. We were called the day before and told about it, but no one could tell us what award Jake was getting. He was in the dark too and was told it was a surprise. Jake was in the first group of kids to get his award, which was for Good Citizenship! There was a mixup with the plaques so he will not get his for a week or two. I'll post a pic when I have one!! Yay Jake! We are so proud of you!

It's been too long...

I haven't posted in a while, and that is not because there is nothing going on in our lives, quite the opposite actually. So much to do, so little time, but everyone reading this can relate, I am sure!

Last week my little Annalina got sick on Mother's day evening. She had a fever and had very achy muscles and joints. Richard set up his camping cot and she stayed in our room with us. We gave her motrin and later gave her tylenol but she still had a fever of about 101. After consulting with the nurse we just kept her as comfy as we could and by Wednesday she was feeling pretty good! But Thursday morning a sore throat set in and coughing and again the fever so I took her in and she was tested for strep and the flu. Nope, nothing too concerning except for the fact that she was so miserable. So back home we went! Many popsicles later she was feeling better and finally by Saturday she was back to her usual self, minus the voice, which she had lost a few days before. It was a very confining week for me. I didn't want to leave her and yet could not get errands and normal running around done. I am grateful that Annalina is normally a very healthy girl. And she handled being sick very well. We read lots of books and watched LOTS of movies!

Friday was Richard's and my 9th anniversary. We ended staying home watching the last few episodes of Freeks and Geeks. I just love that you can check out tv shows from the library! After we got the kids in bed Richard went out and got us Strawberry Milk shakes from Burgerville. Yummy! Saturday was my birthday and I woke up to breakfast in bed and singing. I got lovely flowers from a couple of Grandma's in the family and the older kids got me a gift card to Barnes and Noble, my favorite place to browse! Richard took me out to dinner to a Sushi place in Portland that has great prices on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Then he took me to see the choral group Cantico at the Old Chapel in Portland. It was very hot on Saturday and we had time before the show so we wandered the PSU campus and made it back in time to get good seats for the program. They sang some beautiful songs, some fun songs and some foreign songs that also fit into the first two categories! It was a great day!

On Sunday we had visitors from Palm Springs! Richard lived with Donna for a while when he was younger and she happened to be coming through the Portland area with her daughter. We have not seen her since Annalina was a baby and it was so fun to sit and visit with her. The kids adore her, she showers them with love and attention and she truly is one of the family. Joseph even got her to play a game of Mexican Train with us. She is a very talented jewelry maker and for my birthday she brought me two stunning necklaces that I will cherish! It was sad to see them go!

Last night we watched Annalina play a game of Softball with her team the Pink Panthers-and they won!!! I will get pics soon, cause they are just so cute to watch! It was a hot day. We got to the field and there was a hot wind blowing! Everyone had on shorts and tees. But a half hour later the tmperature must have dropped from 80 to 60 because it got very cool. Clouds rolled in and we were lucky to get to finish the game before the rain came. Luckily I was prepared enough to have a blanket in the back of the van. We wrapped up Joseph and he kept me warm, though he sure did wiggle a lot! It rained much of the night and some of this morning and then the clouds moved on and its been fairly nice.

This morning Joseph and I got to go see Annalina perform in the Spring Fling Music program at her school. It was short and sweet and the smile on her face when she saw we were there was priceless! I love my children all so much. I think how boring life would be if I did not have them filling it full of sporting events and programs and such. Sure, I'd have a lot of time to myself, but that seems like it might be a bit boring compared to all the great things I get to experience with my children!