What kids value most....

So a couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking my two young ones on an adventure! I have been feeling the need to get away for a bit and was invited(or did I invite myself? Not really clear on that) to spend the night in Monmouth with my Aunt Renetta and Uncle Rich. While packing up I told each kid to put what they wanted to play with in their little backpacks and take it to the car. When we got there, this is what I found....
Joseph's bag had cars and monster trucks. And that was ALL he brought. There was tons more room in his bag, but he said he just wanted to bring his favorites.
Annalina's had animals, both beanie babies and littlest pet shop critters. Not surprising, but still very cute!!

Two things that keep me going.....

Celebrating Summer!!

Friday was a beautiful day here in our moist little part of Oregon! After rain, clouds and more rain, it was delightful to get out and spend some time in nature. I took the kids and met Megan and her kids and Marella and her kids at the 53rd Avenue Park, which is just a couple miles up the street from us. The highlight of this park is the water feature. The kids have a blast every time we go. Annalina and Joseph just adore being best buddies with their cousins Leila and Nathan. I had so much fun watching Conrad play. He entertained himself, jumping from step to step, then eating grapes. He is such a happy guy and I loved seeing how his big sister Britlee loved playing with him and chasing him around. She will be a fabulous mother someday! It was also fun to see Kathryn play in the water, never getting to close to the spraying, but splashing in puddles. She is adorable with her curly red hair!

It felt so good to be with my sisters. We talked and enjoyed each others company and this was something I needed very much. The sun was out but there was a nice breeze and we sat in the shade of a new little tree. Family and Nature, both reminders of the Lord's love for us! Getting to enjoy them both together was absolutely priceless!!


Conrad, catching some air!!

50% Chance of Rain...Taking that Risk!!

For my Birthday I got a beautiful new bike. She is named Ariel. We have been out and about a lot lately! I heard about the Banks to Vernonia trail, which is about 20 miles long and I have been wanting to try it for over a month now! It has been a VERY rainy Spring, so every time we have made plans to go ride, it has been raining. Well the forecast for today was beautiful, all week long! Then Friday it changed, to rainy! Just my luck! Early in the morning there was a 10 percent chance of rain, turning to 50% later. We decided to just go for it and got up and headed out. We invited the teens, but only Adrienne accepted our invitation and joined us. Jake's allergies have been bothering him, so I don't blame him for staying home!

We got on the trail at Manning and rode two and a half miles to Buxton where there is a long railroad trestle that crosses a meadow about 30 feet up. There was a slight incline most of the way and Joseph, with his small tires, was working really hard to get that far! After the trestle, we headed back, then stopped for a snack. The kids wanted to go back to the trestle one more time, so we went back and then had a beautiful downhill ride on the way back.

Now would be a good time to mention that Joseph is afraid of hills. Not huffing and puffing his way up, but going down them. The slightest decline and he hops off and walks his bike. We have been working really hard with him on going down simple slopes like from the sidewalk to the street. He has been improving, but heading back to the car I was worried he would walk the whole way back. He kept saying, "wow, it looks like a hill" and we would reply that all the trees made it look that way. So on he went! I was very proud of him. We were almost back to the car when he went over some gravel and fell pretty dramatically! He cried for a minute, then hopped back on the bike and off he went.

Adrienne and Annalina stayed together most of the time. Adrienne was armed with her new camera and took lots of beautiful pictures of our trip, which I have added below. It was such a beautiful morning and I had so much fun spending time with my family. We are going to try to get out as often as possible with the kids, staying active and enjoying nature!

Happy Graduation Miss Adrienne

My Adrienne has graduated from High School and we are so very proud of her! It was a beautiful day to graduate, the first sunny warm day in a long time! After graduation we went to her boyfriend Tim's house for photos and food. His mom is always so kind and generous to feed our family!

Later that night Adrienne headed out to the all night grad party with her friends. They were bused to the SW Portland Community Aquatic Center where they had a full night of friends, fun and food.

I have mixed emotions about Adrienne graduating. I can clearly remember her preschool graduation where she dressed up like an angel and sang to us. Can 18 years really have gone by? Have I prepared her for adulthood properly? I started thinking about this very seriously. Figuratively, I have packed her bags over the years, I have given her gifts as well as burdens. What I want most to do right now, is root through those bags and pull out all of the bad and replace it with good, solid advice for life. But as parents of teens know, that time is gone! Did I do enough? I felt some deep depression over this for a couple of days. Then I looked at Adrienne and I saw the strong young woman she has grown to be. I see how she loves her siblings and I see her willingness to serve me by helping out with them when she can. I see her continuing to take part in family activities even though she is not required to. I see her love and compassion for others and I see the great choices she is making in her life. I see how she has learned to work through difficult times and she does not give up. And I know I have done the best I could and she will be alright. I hope she will always feel comfortable talking to me about things and that I can still help to guide her. I know she now has the option to make her own choices, and I may not always agree with those, but I know that I will always love her. I love the adult she has grown into and I love having her around. Probably the main reason I have not completely broken down about her growing up is that she is still home with us. I am so grateful for that and will enjoy the time we have left with her before she ventures out on her own!

Happy Graduation Adrienne! We love you SO much!!

Tim and Adrienne

Grandpa & Grandma Frederick with Adrienne at Graduation
Graduation Family Photo

Our family with Tim's family celebrating Graduation
Post-graduation silliness!!!

Don't they look like the Verizon cell coverage stair step thingy?

Portland Saturday Market

On one of the few non-rainy days we have had this Spring we rode max into Portland and visited Saturday market. The main goal was to get Portland Soap Company soaps. My favorite is Lemon Grass and Richard loves the Cinnamon scrub. The kids loved riding Max and each got a huge elephant ear before we headed home. A fun way to spend a beautiful Saturday morning!

Glencoe High School Prom 2010

Adrienne, my oldest, went to prom on my 10th wedding anniversary, May 15th. She spent the afternoon with her girlfriends at the beauty school getting touch-ups to her hair and a mani/pedi. She looked so beautiful! She went with her boyfriend Tim and with four other friends. This year it was at the Crystal Ballroom. They had a great time and all looked fabulous!

On to Kindergarten

My youngest graduated from Preschool today. I had the pleasure to attending Joseph's end of year program. All I can say is I love, love, love that boy! Although, if that were truly all I could say, this would be a short blog entry. Each year the teachers make the kids a scrapbook of photos from the year. Joseph is very proud of his and has shown it to everyone who will sit long enough with him to look at it, I think perhaps even the dog has seen it. After all the singing and fun, there was a carnival with games and crafts and of course, riding on the ever popular trikes and scooters! At one point, while doing the cookie walk, Joseph got hit in the head by a friend who was behind him, intentionally. Apparently he was not walking fast enough or something. I did not see this happen, but he came running to me in tears. I held him as he sobbed uncontrollably. When he calmed down he told me what happened. He was not crying from pain, but was just so sad his friend would hurt him like that. My little boy is growing up, but he still came to me and let me hold him. I hate for him to be sad, but I love that there are still times when it is me and only me who can comfort him. This is what being a mother is all about! I just love the way he points directly at me at the end of this song! That's my boy! Joseph and Mrs. DeWhitt, we adore this lady!! The Four J's! Joseph H, Joseph L, Teacher Joseph & Jake At the end of the program, she asked each child what they wanted to be when they grow up. The kids have a tendency to copy each other, so there will be about 6 horse keepers out of this group! Another 5 army men, 3 vets and about 4 mom's. Yay!

The Begining of a Journey

A month ago today my life changed forever. At the time, it felt like the worst thing that has ever happened to me, and honestly, maybe it was. But with a months time, I am seeing things a little differently. As with all trials we must face, we are made stronger, though that is often difficult to see in the midst of pain and despair. I am so grateful today for the faith that I have established up until now. It is truly what has kept me grounded and alive. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me. Friends may come and go, my children may wander away from me, people I love may hurt me, but my Heavenly Father is always there for me. He is truly my one constant. I can pray and I know he listens. I can cry and feel his comfort. I can go to the temple and feel his presence. I am not completely there yet, but I am learning that I am a strong person, capable of withstanding the worst life has to offer.

I have been truly blessed with a sister who is my best friend. Megan is my shining star in the darkness. I have sought her out when I have needed her. And when I have not sought her out, she has found me. Calling to make sure I am alright. Checking in on me, offering to take my kids when my mind has not been fit for mothering. From her I learn what true friendship is, she is a wonderful example of pure Christ-like love.

I have learned that true friends do not press you for details when they know something is wrong. They are there to offer a hug or kind words and honestly that has helped so much. They are there to listen when you need it, but they don't expect explanations and they aren't hurt when you can't speak to them. Others who did not appear to be friends previously have been willing to sit with me in silence and not feel uncomfortable. That is a true talent. One friend emails me several times a week with words of love and encouragement. I know I have been in the prayers of those who care for me and I have felt that power. I have learned that I have a lot of work to do in being a true friend to others.

The path I walk is dark at this time, but there are points of light all around me, keeping me steady and helping me progress. I just have to remember to open my eyes and see them.

Be Still, My Soul

Be still, my soul
the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently
the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God
to order and provide;
In every change,
He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul:
thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways
leads to a joyful end.

This post is just a reminder to myself. I am really struggling. Please keep me and my family in your prayers dear friends and family!

Joseph Helps Me Shop...For Clothes

So have you ever noticed those coupons that print up at the register that are good for $10 off at Fashion Bug? Well I love Fashion Bug, but have not been able to shop there in ages. My wardrobe is so very sad that I decided to try one of these coupons and see what kind of bargains I could get. Joseph just happened to be with me when this decision was made. So the lucky boy got to come along. He showed me shirts he liked and some of them I grabbed for the fitting room. When the time came to try stuff on, he came along of course. He sat on the bench with his eyes closed and said, " I can't see you naked Mom". OK, all I was trying on was shirts, so he wouldn't actually see anything, but whatever he is comfortable with, right? I put on a shirt, he looked and loved it. I put on another that I really liked and he said, " I don't like it, but I kind of like it". Apparently he did not want to completely offend me. Too funny! After all the trying on, I put on the shirt I came in the door with and bless his little heart, he says to me as he uncovers his eyes, "I love that one Mommy!" He truly did not realize that was the shirt I was wearing when we walked into the store! So I narrowed it down and made my purchase and he was sad I did not get the purple colored top. I told him, maybe next time! And he asked if he could come along! I absolutely positively one hundred percent LOVE that boy!! (I won't go into the story of what happened later in the day that had me wondering if he was the same kid or not, I just take what I can get!!)

Girls vs. Peanut Butter

So my dear teenage son was talking about a cute girl at his school. He was telling me the classes he has with her as well as second lunch. He said he couldn't eat with her because she is allergic to peanuts. So I offered to get him lunch meat so he could have lunch with her. He said, "well the granola bars I eat have peanut butter too." Hmmmm, apparently though girls have gotten his attention, he is far more devoted to his peanut butter! It will be fun to watch at what age the girls win out over the peanut butter!

By the way, I am blogging about this because I do not believe Jake reads my blog on a regular basis. So no teasing him about it or I will be in big trouble! Seriously!!

Easter Weekend..Better Late Than Never(the blogging part, Easter was right on time as usual)

Easter was an incredibly spiritually full weekend for us. Along with everyone else, we got to enjoy two days of General Conference. I was very sick on Saturday and feeling overwhelmed by the weekend full of activities. But as is usual, so much was directed at me and my life I was grateful we took the time to watch on Saturday as well as Sunday. For the afternoon session and lunch we had a sweet lady named Clara Sanchez with us and the missionaries too. Right after conference, we headed over to the Stake Center and Clara was baptized. One of the very first things Richard did when he was called to Ward Mission Leader in January was go with the missionaries to give Clara a tour of the church building. He took Annalina along and she and Clara immediately got along well! They are both the same size!! Anyway, the next day Richard stayed home with a migraine, but Annalina saw Clara come in and invited her to sit with us. Without any family support this sweet woman decided to join the church. She was a bit sad not to have her son there with her, but he did not approve. There was a lot of support from the ward though. I told her sometimes our own families are not able to fill certain gaps in our lives, and that is where the ward family steps in. I feel very blessed to have been there. I helped her prepare for the baptism and then I helped her when she came out of the font. I felt her sweet spirit and am looking forward to being part of her life!
Richard's sister Lesa came up on Saturday and spent the weekend with us. She came along to the baptism and then we took her home and colored Easter Eggs. Richard and Jake went to the priesthood session so it was just Lesa and I and the little kids. Easter morning the kids hunted for eggs and then we watched two more sessions of general conference. At this point, Richard was not feeling well either. I was still sick and Joseph's nose would not stop running! Lesa made breakfast deviled eggs and we enjoyed the day at home.

The following pics are from the Quatama Ward Easter Breakfast and Egg Hunt the weekend before.So we found these adorable overalls for Joseph at DI and he doesn't care for them. We talked him into wearing them for the egg hunt but the next time I tried to get him to wear them, he said no, they are his egg hunting pants!

Mother of the Year....NOT

Last Wednesday there was a track meet at Glencoe. It started at 4pm, but since most of Jake's events are near the end of the meet I picked up my dad around 5pm and took the kidlets along. We got there and on our way to the track, Jake and a friend came jogging up. I said hi and he said he had just finished running the Varsity 1500. Bummer! I love to see him run! So I asked him how he did and he said, "I did good". So as is usually the case with Jake, when I want more info, I have to specifically request it. I asked him what he placed and he said, "Oh, I won". My son won the varsity 1500!!!! Way to go Jake! I can't believe we missed it. If I had parked in the back of the lot right away instead of looking for a closer spot, we might have seen him finish! So as we are walking in everyone I know is telling me what a great race it was and how great Jake did! It was exciting and I was thrilled so many people were able to watch him and pass along the blow by blow! Apparently he was running with someone most of the time and he pulled ahead to win it at the finish!

His next two events were not until the end of the meet. I was tempted to go home and come back, but there were people to visit with and I had brought dinner. So I fed dad and the kids Stromboli and capri suns and we waited and waited and waited! The 3000 finally came along and Jake stayed in second place almost the entire run. One runner made his move at the very end and passed Jake taking second by just a few seconds. So third is fabulous and I am so proud of my son who works so hard at EVERYTHING he does. Nothing comes easy for him and as a mother my heart aches sometimes to see the struggles he goes through. But I know he is becoming a stronger man and he has great things in his future that he is being prepared for now.

Saturday he was able to go to the Sandy Invitational with the top two Varsity runners from each event. He had a good time and did very well! After the coach took them out to Chang's Mongolian Grill. He liked it!! Yay!

Birthday Transformation

Happy Birthday Adrienne! Today Adrienne turned 18 years old. Look at her in the morning while she is still 17.... And look at her after the magical time of her birth...1:23 Quite the transformation huh? One of her gifts was a haircut and color, a manicure and pedicure. I dropped her off at the beauty school in Aloha and she spent over 4 hours being beautified! And for the first time in her life, she signed her own waivers!! I don't think I have shared the story of her birth, so that is soon to come. We will see just what I remember of that miraculous day 18 years after the fact!

I Have the Greatest Calling....

So for two months of bliss(oh yes, my life has been ever so blissful lately) I did not have to worry about making phone calls, preparing lessons, blocking out time during the week, or any other duties pertaining to a church calling. I am very grateful for that time off, but when the phone call came for an appointment with a member of the bishopric, I knew my time was up! I worried a bit and pondered what calling I would get. Life is so chaotic right now that I was really scared I wouldn't have the energy to give a calling. But I went to the appointment anyway and was asked about my past callings. Then I was asked if I have any experience with special needs children. No, not a lot unless you count having raised one!! I explained my personal experience with my autistic son and of course he was shocked to learn this about Jake. Most people are.

Well the Lord does work in mysterious ways. I have been asked to be an assistant to an 8 year old severely autistic boy in the ward. I will spend one to two primary hours with him each Sunday. We will stay in the primary room, or if need be, I will accompany him on walks up and down the hallways. I could not be happier. This is just what I need right now! What a coincidence! NOT! I know the Lord is very aware of my life and my feelings and I know that is the reason I have gotten this fabulous calling! I really am thrilled. So I met him yesterday. We sat in the back most of the second hour and he snuggled up to me some of the time, leaning up against me. Towards the end he started to cry, which I am told is not normal for him. So his father came and got him and they went home a little early. What a sweet spirit this dear boy is. I am grateful for the chance I will get to spend time with him and hopefully get to know his family!

After church the missionaries came over for dinner. I made Hawaiian Haystacks, with the help of my veggie cutter Richard. What would I do without him!? Not only does he not mind cutting and prepping food, but he seems to enjoy it! Awesome! So the kids were very excited for the Elders to come eat with us. Joseph sat in the window and watched for 20 minutes. When they arrived he yelled down to them, "missionaries, missionaries", just so we would all know they were here. Jake got to ask them questions about being a missionary and they will be taking him out with them very soon! This is great! Last Sunday Jake told me he had read the scriptures that morning and felt the spirit. He also told me he feels very strongly that he will serve a mission. Isn't that great? So, how do Mom's do it? How do you let go of your handsome dishwasher unloading sons knowing you will not see them for two years? I have heard many stories of the blessings that come while a family member is serving a mission, but will I be strong enough to say goodbye for two years? OK, I'll just try not to think about it!

Ohhhhh, speaking of Jake, on Friday I took him to get spacers! They are driving him crazy! On the way home I stopped in the church parking lot and turned the van over to him for a while. It was his very first time behind the wheel. He did well. He was nervous but not terrified and it was nice when I gave him the option of pulling over or doing a few more laps, he chose to keep going. I did have to remind the two lil ones to be quiet and stop giving him advice(can you imagine, advice from an 8 and 4 year old?) because he needed to concentrate! He took the permit test a few weeks ago and passed on his first try. He may be the only teenager in the history of Oregon to actually read the drivers manual cover to cover! And for the last year, when we have been in the car together he has asked very practical questions. He will be a great driver!! I am so proud of my son!

Working up to working out

So I have finally taken advantage of my gym membership at the Tektronix employee gym(weren't they generous to include the spouses?). I signed up about a year ago, but it never fit into my schedule due to the 25 minute drive there and then back again. But now it is conveniently located just a few miles down the road, so I really have no excuse anymore!

I got there at about 8:45 this morning and the place was empty, completely empty! Oh joy, the ENTIRE place to myself!! So I jumped on the elliptical for a while and got my heart rate into the range of a 30 year old, yes I was feeling proud since if you are not aware, I am actually 36. Feeling good I pushed a little harder and got my heart rate to that of a 20 year old.....ummmm, yeah....after picking myself up off the ground and defibrillating my heart, I hopped back on and slowed into a nice easy(HA) rhythm. I had forgotten how much I love the low impact movements of the elliptical machine. It was then that I noticed the small print below the heart rate read out. It says, "Stop exercising if you feel pain, faint, dizzy or out of breath..." Well, there you have it! Life Fitness, the health equipment company has single handedly caused the health crisis we here in the US find ourselves in. I mean...really?? Here I am huffing and puffing and trying to see past the pain that IS exercise and I read this little notice that says STOP!!! BEFORE YOU DIE!!! Ok, I am being a tad bit dramatic, but I did have a good but brief laugh, which is not easy to do when you are pretending to be 6 years younger than you really are. Next time I see my doctor I am just going to say, Sorry about the weight thing, but the pain and shortness of breath due to working out might just kill me first!!

When my time was up I did something I rarely dare to do....I did the weight circuit trying out all the machines(except the one that turns you into a human pretzel) and working on my muscular physique, yep, I have a long way to go. I always avoid those machines since I can only imagine what I look like trying to figure out how to use them, but with no one else there I had time to look at the directions and try it out and actually contort my body into the shapes necessary to lift weights like a pro.

After my invigorating workout I headed for the shower room. There is a private family shower room, but since I was the sole person utilizing the facilities, I opted for the changing room showers and the complimentary blow dryer. I turned the water on and proceeded to wet my hair down in the trickle that emerged from the shower head. I put shampoo in and then dialed the nozzle from shower to jet... which in reality changed the dribble to a drip. Now, I have a lot of hair, it is not as long as it once was, but it is still fairly thick. I began to envision myself running to the car looking like an old lady with white hair piled on my head. Thoughts of cutbacks at Tek began filling my head and I could almost see the memo going out about water consumption and how rationing it carefully would save the company in these trying economic times. Could they not have posted signs stating, "wash hair at your own risk"? Wait, maybe they felt that would be an unnecessary expense. Well what is the use of having an entire army of showers at your sole command if you are afraid to use them? I streaked to the neighboring shower stall and wah-la, a pressurized gush of hot water!! The rest of the story is fairly boring, the locker room remained empty, the blow dryer worked great, I parted my hair on the usual side, sadly the scale was recently calibrated making it appear that I had gained weight since my last visit. Or maybe it is just all the fat being replaced by lean, heavy muscle??

This was actually my second time using the Tek gym, but it most certainly will not be the last. I love the way I feel the rest of the day, it always invigorates me and inspires me into activity where I would normally just sit around blogging....like I am now....hmmmm.....