Summer Sisters

My friend Lori is in town for the summer. She and her family moved to the Boise area a few years ago but she is here working for the summer and brought along her two cute little girls, Claire who is 7 and Grace who is 3 and a half. We have had them in our home 10 hours a day from the beginning of June. When Adrienne first met them, she dubbed them the Summer Sisters and it has stuck! They will be with us through the first week of August and we are enjoying having playmates over on a daily basis.

We have enjoyed LOTS of playtime at the park, many trips to the library, bike rides, swimming and playing with the huge assortment of Playmobile toys we have. We have also taken advantage of free lunches and local schools and parks. We also got to watch the Fourth of July fireworks in banks with them! It has been a fun summer so far!!

Going Cellular

I had a cell phone about a decade ago. Back when they were SO expensive and could only be used for phone calls. It was never charged, or lost, or leaving 3 hour messages on my voicemail(you know, those accidental booty dials). It just wasn't worth it and I had NO problem canceling THAT contract!! I have recently been contemplating getting a cell phone so I could more easily be in contact with my daughter Adrienne. It also seemed like a good idea in case of emergencies, etc. Well I finally took the plunge a couple of weeks ago and ordered a droid phone with Virgin Mobile. Its a great deal and I have found that I absolutely love my new phone! I text Adrienne quite often, its a fun way to keep in touch. I text Richard occasionally to find out how his day is going. I can track ALL activities and appointments in my calendar. I have found list apps that have helped me keep track of daily things I want to incorporate into my life. I can keep grocery lists up to date and have a place to put important info, like free redbox codes!!

I have a general conference app that has over 10 years of general conferences and I am starting with this Spring and will work my way back. I am almost done with Spring and have been enjoying the spiritual thoughts that are in my mind on a daily basis just from reading an article or two a day. It is that uplifting feeling that general conference brings, but I am feeling it every single day! I hope it is helping me be more patient and contemplative in my interactions with others.

I have a daily scripture widget that puts a scripture up on my screen every day. I love to read them and try to figure out exactly how I need to merge them into my life. There are other apps I haven't gotten yet but I don't want to be overwhelmed, next I think I will probably try the scripture mastery app.

I can take pictures with my phone, and video too! I can use it to help find my way around with the navigator feature, I can look up recipes, check my email, keep my mind sharp with Sudoku, OH, and I can even call people(my least favorite thing the phone does)!

Technology is amazing!!! I avoided this for a long time, not really wanting to be available every minute of every day. Turns out the sound is off on my ringer a lot, whether I mean it to be or not. And that is ok. I will get better at this. But for now I am really enjoying learning all the neat things my phone can help me with!

My first two photos with my phone camera! Yay!

Fun On the Fourth!!

We love the fourth of July! We went to the parade again this year. In the past it has been very difficult to find a good spot, so Adrienne, Tim and Jacob spent the night at the park saving us a nice stretch right along the parade route! They did not get a lot of sleep and neither did I, I was worried about them. But when we got there we had a nice spot to share with Megan and her family and friends and our neighbors Jim and Teresa! It was lots of fun to watch and visit. It was a bit shorter this year than usual, which was also nice! It ended right about the time the temperature started to get up near uncomfortable!

We came home and Richard helped me make several flavors of home made ice cream! Yummy! We got some dry ice and took it with us out to Banks for the fireworks display that has become a tradition for our family. This year we got a couple of pizzas from Main Street right there in the parking lot and had fun eating on our grassy spot and waiting for dark! Lori and the girls joined us as well as April, so it was really fun! Not long before dark Marella joined us with mom and dad and Gabe, Zach and Conrad! It was a fun night!

Park Play

A Whale of a Tale....OK, it was just a trout...

Today I spent a magical day with my family! I have the most wonderful children in the world and my husband is a keeper too! In May as I was going through the Parks and Rec Summer activity book I came across an activity that was too good to pass up! Free family fishing day at Hagg Lake. Annalina has been asking for a fishing experience for a long time, but it was not something in the budget until yesterday! I signed our family up and then noticed that check in time was 6:30...in the morning...on a Saturday! Jacob was not sure he wanted to join us, too early for his teenage blood, but he made the right choice and even Adrienne came along!!! We had a great time with the whole family there!

Richard caught a fish early on and he was quickly named Bob. We put him in a bucket of Lake water so he would stay fresh longer. The kids took turns petting him and comforting him. That is when the attachment started. When I asked Richard how a trout is fixed, Annalina got very upset and cried! A little later Annalina headed back over to check on him and he was belly up, poor guy! Annalina was so sad! Later Richard took Joseph along to the fish cleaning station. I was glad Annalina was not there! We put the fish, minus his head and guts, on ice and from then on Annalina seemed to accept he would be our dinner. And she got back to trying to catch her own fish!

It was a perfect morning for fishing! Cloudy, but not cold and a light breeze. We set up at a picnic table right next to the water! Joseph cast his hook into a bush out in the lake and I had to wade in to get it unstuck. My capris were wet, but I was still not cold! Everything was provided for us, poles, weights, bait, worms, buckets, and even a person to clean the fish for us! There were tables full of food and drinks. In the morning they served Starbucks hot chocolate and doughnuts, bagels, muffins, etc. Lunch was hot dogs & burgers, chips, salad, and they even served ice cream! The kids got visors and toys! It was an amazing experience and we will surely go again next year! Care to join us??

Bob the fish!

Adrienne showing off her stylish casting skills!

Feeling better about Bob!!

Jacob came for the food!

Joseph, in Jacob's hat and Adrienne's sun glasses!

Jake also came for the nap!

Wow, A Very Happy Birthday!

I turned 38 this month! I had an amazing Birthday this year surrounded by people who love me! It all started a week early when a dear friend was going to take me to lunch to celebrate. I invited my sister Megan along and at the last minute it turned out to be just she and I. She took me to Chipotle and even picked up the bill! Wow, what a sister! We had fun visiting and the food was great! Then on my birthday Megan brought her cute little family over and we had burrito bowls(inspired by Chipotle). Melia also came and it was fun to have a house full of happiness to celebrate surviving yet another year of life!

I did not have a car on my birthday and the little kids had an activity to go to. Adrienne kindly took them! On their way home Joseph panicked and asked Adrienne if she could help him get me a gift. For mother's day I was given his prized tambourine, inscribed with a personal message from Joseph telling me that he loves my heart! But he wanted to get me something for my birthday and I was touched by that! Adrienne gave me a gift card to Panera Bread, a favorite place for lunch! And she helped little a&j get me a gift card to Jamba Juice! Yum! I had a very nice birthday and am so grateful to my little family and my sister for making it such a special day!

New Sleeping Arrangements

While clearing out the kitchen so we could bomb for bugs, we discovered that we don't really need all these bedrooms! The kids are perfectly happy to move in to the pantry. They especially like the idea of putting food on the other shelves so its right there if they get feeling a bit snackish!

Of course, there ARE four shelves, I wonder if we could cram Adrienne and Jacob in there too.....

I like to ride my bicycle....

We love to ride bikes! Last year Richard got me a wonderful new bike and not only does it carry me around the neighborhood, it helped me complete two triathlons! Well the kids both love to ride bikes too, but they outgrew their bikes long ago! We were so happy to have the chance to get them each a new bike that actually fits them! We are taking the bikes with us on a camping trip next week to Stubb Stewart State Park. It is near the Banks Vernonia Bike trail which we have tried before, but never got more than 5 miles due to tired little legs! We hope that the kids will be able to ride farther now!

Happy Anniversary!

Today Richard and I celebrated our eleventh year of marriage! We have had many ups and downs, we have suffered loss and found great joy. It has not been easy and there have been times when I questioned whether we could go forward. But I can honestly say there is no one else I'd rather be on this journey with. He is my best friend and biggest supporter. I am more in love with him today than I was eleven years ago when we married. And I am so very grateful to be able to say that! I love you Richard! May the next eleven years bring peace and happiness to our family!!

In April the Elders Quorum hosted a Saturday of learning to cook. A real trained chef ran the class and my dear husband was one of seven men who attended in order to be able to make a nice mother's day meal. Well I was spoiled on Mothers day. Not only did he make an amazing five course meal for dinner, he prepared mushroom fettucini alfredo right after church for lunch. Dinner was fabulous steaks, garlic mashed potatos, delicious BBQ'd bread, a yummy tomato and cheese salad. It was great and I felt like a queen! For our anniversary, he once again pulled out all the stops and made terriyaki salmon that was so very good! I may have to turn over the Sunday cooking to him! It is obvious he payed close attention in his cooking class!

I told Joseph, our six year old, that we were married eleven years ago today and he said, "so you were married in two thousand and zero?" He has a very analytical mind, thinks hard about everything and asks lots of questions. It is fun to watch his mind ticking away at something!

Still running

Jacob is still running. Track season for his Junior year has just ended. He PR'd in the 3000 at 9:40 and for the 1500 his best time is 4:29. I enjoyed going to his home track meets and cheering him on, rain or shine! I am so proud of Jacob for his determination and hard work!

Bundle of Energy

This video was taken at one of Jacob's track meets. They started to play the music and Joseph started to dance!!! This little boy makes me laugh so often! He is a bundle of energy and I adore him!! Below is another one, the song is rather appropriate as Joseph is a little firework!!

Mormon Prom

Jacob went on his first date in April to the Priest / Laurel Prom at the Beaverton West Stake Center. His lovely date was Tiernan Hoffman! She looked beautiful and Jacob looked very happy! They had a great time! She came over for dinner before the dance and ended up playing Monkey in the Middle with the little kids! Joseph spent a lot of time in the middle. Both kids adored Tiernan! We enjoyed having her over and hope to see her again sometime!!

The Adventures of Amy The Spoiled!!

I was able to go with Richard on a business trip in March, in fact the week before Spring Break. I scheduled my finals early so I could be ready for the getaway! Richard has been spending a lot of time north of Seattle lately working on a big project at Tek's sister company Fluke. It was only supposed to be one week, but ended up stretching out to 10 days. We left Adrienne in charge and things went smoothly at home! I am so grateful for her patience with the kids and her desire to run the household! I enjoyed lazy days sleeping in, watching huge planes land and take off, having my bed made for me EVERY SINGLE DAY, swimming in the hotel pool which I always had to myself and reading, reading, reading! In the evenings Richard and I went out to dinner. I had purchased some restaurant.com certificates and Tek picked up his part of the bill, so it was really inexpensive! We went to the movies THREE times, and toured the Boeing Flight Museum. It was a fun week and a half! It was also neat to see Richard in charge and taking care of things. This was HUGE project that he was responsible for and he worked very hard to make it happen smoothly!

This was the view from our room, which you might think was annoying, but I loved hearing and watching these huge airplanes take off! Very exciting!

As a family, we LOVE to travel together. We have many great memories of long vacations as well as short last minute getaways. Travel is not something we have been able to do over the past couple years due to financial issues. Well I had the chance to book us a room in Depoe Bay for a couple of nights and the money was actually in our account, and since Richard has been working 60 hour weeks and has been on call 24/7 forever, we decided he could use a getaway! The older kids both decided not to miss any school, so Richard and I took little a&j to the beach! Yay! We got there Thursday afternoon and went to dinner and got settled in. The next day we went to the beach area and played in the windy cold ocean! The kids loved it and I had a lot of fun watching them run around in just their suits. They claimed to be warm enough though! The tide was coming in and we were up on a peak of sand and the water came up around us, but we stayed dry. It was a fun day! Later I took the kids swimming while Richard napped. I had not planned to get in with them, but could not resist! They are little fishies and I had so much fun with them! We had the pool to ourselves, it was great! That night Annalina woke up with a stomach ache and threw up most of the night. My poor little girl, bless her, she is finally old enough to get to the bathroom and did not need my help, but I did sleep in her room with her just in case. I worried about trying to drive home with her the next day. Richard went down to the office and asked if they had any cancellations, but we were told to check online. Of course, being a Saturday night there was nothing available. But a few minutes later the front desk called to let us know another family had left early and their 2 bedroom was available. We moved two doors down and spent a nice quiet day watching the ocean. Annalina rested and recovered. At one point Richard was called to work and when he came back from the Rec Center where he had hooked up his laptop, he brought back a clown...yes, a CLOWN! The resort had brought him in to do a show, but only two kids showed up. When he was done, Richard was talking to him and mentioned sick Annalina, so he came on over and did a wonderful magic show for the kids who LOVED it! Even with the sickness and Richard getting called to work, it was a nice weekend and we were grateful that we had the funds and the time to get away! Next time we hope to take big A&J too!

Adrienne's Last Year As A Teen!!

As happens every year, Adrienne aged yet another year over Spring Break! She is now 19 and enjoying her last year as a teenager! She is very responsible is doing so well at College. She loves her siblings and is an enormous help to me! I don't know what I would do without her! In the morning of her birthday she slept in, then I sent her to the beauty school for a facial. Later, Richard and I took her out to dinner to P.F. Changs. It was fun to spend time with her! Happy Birthday Adrienne!!!

Ahhh, Sunday!

We share a long middle row at church. We just don't fit so well on the side where we would prefer to be. Yesterday Joseph was sitting in the very middle and when the sacrament was being passed, he was not paying attention and our row neighbor Pam was holding the tray and no one was taking it from her. I leaned over to get Joseph's attention and tell him to stop playing until after the sacrament. Do you know what my sweet little five year old was doing? He had his scriptures open and was studying them closely. Well, he can't read, but still you don't want to discourage that kind of thing!! Later he was flipping through the pages looking for this week's sight words from school. He flipped to Alma and told Richard that this part was about Alma the Younger. No doubt he learned that from big sister Annalina. Wow, that really makes a mom proud! We really wanted to get Annalina scriptures for her 8th Birthday, but money was too tight with the move last year. We were thrilled to get her her very own full set this year. She took the Book of Mormon she had been using and gave it to Joseph so he could have something to take to primary. He absolutely LOVES his scriptures!! I have started reading with the little kids each day. Sometimes other family members join in, sometimes not, but that is ok. I decided if I wait for the whole family to be together for scripture study, it just won't happy. It is especially fun when little a&j remind me its time to read. I adore my kids!!

After Jacob blessed the bread, Annalina had a dreamy look on her face. I was thinking maybe a boy smiled at her or something so I asked her what was up. She said that it makes her feel so happy to hear Jacob bless the sacrament. I think often of the different experiences my kids have because of their age spread. The little ones have great examples to look up to in big A&J.

Sunday night we read some scriptures and then Richard and I and the little kids played a fun game of Scrabble! We haven't done that in ages! It was very fun!

Dining out with the family!!!

Last night we went out to Olive Garden for dinner. We took all the kids which is something we rarely get to do due to the expense of dining out with 6! For my Birthday last year Richard's parents sent me a gift card, and for Richard's Birthday they sent him one as well. We decided to take everyone out since we all got great grades last term! Boy was I glad we had gift cards, Olive Garden has gotten far more expensive then I remember! The kids all did so well and enjoyed all you can eat bread sticks and salad while we waited for our main meals to come. Even with a 45 minute wait for a table, the little kids were wonderful. Our family has changed since the last time we went out together, when Joseph was at the age where we had to be sure to get in and out fast and bring along things to keep him busy. It is nice to go out without a diaper bag!! Sometimes I am so sad at how quickly my little family is growing up, but I am really enjoying this new stage of life in our family! (while I write this, little a&j are playing checkers together, it is too cute!)

All About Adrienne

Adrienne is my oldest and she never ceases to amaze me. She is a wonderful daughter, very helpful around the house, she is a great big sister, she works hard at her job and she is going to school full time and then some! I am so proud of her! I love having her in our home. We are very blessed that she is living with us while attending her first couple years of college.

In December Richard and I had the opportunity to get away for three nights to the beach. Little a & j were still in school so Adrienne volunteered to play mommy while we were gone. She got them up and out the door to school. She made lunches, fed them dinner and even took them out for ice cream. For Christmas she made Richard and I a very special gift. She had a photo shoot with her siblings while we were gone and had a beautiful collage made featuring each of my sweet kiddos! Not only is she willing and happy to help with the little kids, they absolutely adore her! I don't know what will happen when she decides to venture out in the world on her own, but hopefully we still have some time with her here at home.

Adrienne and I are both going to school full time this year, but while I am taking the bare minimum three classes, Adrienne is taking four and last term, with 15 credits, she got straight A's! Anyway, we filled out our FAFSA's and I was certain we would both qualify for financial aid grants. Well, it did not work out that way and because she did not want to start out her adult life in debt, Adrienne turned down all loan offers for the year. Luckily she worked lots and lots of hours over the summer and last term to save up money. She has paid her own way and has enough saved away to get her through this term. I have felt very bad that we are not in a better position to help her out with her expenses, but we are giving her a place to live and food to eat and by taking a couple classes together we share on the book expenses. Her internship at Intel ends in a couple of weeks and jobs are hard to come by. She is hopeful that she can find some sort of part time work and continue to save away for next year. By the way, if any of you reading this need to get away from your kids for a weekend, give Adrienne a call! She is great with kids and could use the funds for her education!

As I mentioned, Adrienne is working at Intel for two more weeks, and has been there for a year now. It has not always been the easiest work and she has come home frustrated on many occasions. But she has stuck with it, working long hours. I am so proud of her! As my first child, it has been my pleasure to watch her grow and learn and develop into such a strong, independent woman. I have every confidence that Adrienne can and will succeed at everything she sets her mind to! I love my daughter and feel so inspired by her!

Technologically Challenged

I am having issues when it comes to technology! My laptop has been taken apart by my dear husband in an effort to get the battery to charge again. Some flaws in design have made it necessary to plug it in when I want to use it, and its a laptop, so that is no fun! Also, the power cord connections inside are loose and loses power easily which is not good for the hard drive. The computer I am using now is the family computer and it is running Linux with Ubuntu, so it is not possible for me to access my camera storage card, so my posts for a while will be pretty BORING!! No photos! I will try to post on fun events like Christmas and Annalina's birthday and will add photos when I can!

Banana Milkshake...YUMMY!

2 Ripe Bananas

2 Scoops Vanilla Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt

1/4 Tsp Vanilla

1 Handfull of Ice Cubes

1 Cup Milk

3 Tsp Sugar(I might leave this out, but my bananas were not very ripe so I added it for sweetness)

Drop Handful of Ice Cubes into Blender. Drop 2 Scoops of Ice Cream into Blender. Pour 3 Tsp Sugar into Blender. Peel 2 Ripe Bananas. Cut them into smaller pieces and drop them into Blender. Pour 1/4 Tsp Vanilla into Blender. Pour 1 Cup Whole Milk into Blender. Blend until all lumps are gone.

My New Ninja

I got a Ninja blender for Christmas. I have destroyed many blenders in my short 37 years on earth, so I have been very leery of sinking money into yet another! But I LOVE me a good smoothie! Well for Christmas my dear husband got me a heavy duty Ninja! I tried it today and made an Orange Julius, which I haven't done in YEARS! I have many fond memories of making these during the hot summer months of my youth! YUMMMY! The ninja performed beautifully! Here is the super easy recipe if you wanna give it a whirl!

6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8-9 ice cubes

1. Combine all ingredients in blender.
2. Blend for about 1-2 minutes. Enjoy!!