Happy Thanksgiving

We ventured north this year, to spend Thanksgiving at John's sister's house. We were greated with a few inches of snow, which was a wonderful treat, and great hospitality. Thanks for hosting, Rebecca!

John and his sisters

Before the meal, the kids were getting a little crazy. Nana told the kids to close their eyes and fold their hands, but we didn't actually pray for a few minutes. So they just sat there. I had to take a picture of my guy in his praying pose.
What would Thanksgiving be without looking at the ads? It's a little alarming to me that five year-olds are into it too, but I do remember pouring over the Sears catalog when I was a kid. I guess not much changes.

Our host, carving the delicious turkey!

Rebecca made a delicious cranberry stuffing.

We really enjoyed sledding with the kids for the first time. Their neighborhood had a street and an alley-like driveway that were perfect "hills" for the kids to catch some speed. They really had a great time, and so did we.

A's Kindergarten Thanksgiving Program

A practiced her songs and lines for over a week in preparation for the big Thanksgiving program.
She seemed a bit nervous on stage, but, after looking at her peers, I think most of them were.

Song: God is so Good

I Just Have to Say

I don't think I've ever expressed a social commentary on this blog, but this morning I feel compelled to do so. And, based on your feedback, maybe I will again.

Last night, we took the kids out to eat. The restaurant was loud and there was a lot to look at, which we thought would distract the kids while we waited. We were right. What I was surprised to see, and disappointed, too, was how the three tables around us all had teenagers/college students with their parents and ALL of the kids held their cell phones prominently in front of their faces and texted, what appeared to be, the ENTIRE time they sat with their famillies.

I'm not opposed to texting. But, at least for our family, who rarely goes out to eat, going to a restaurant is special. If you are texting throughout the entire meal, are you REALLY with your family? I just had this horrible vision of the future that had our family EXISTING next to one another, but not actually communicating. And it made me very sad.

I know that it is inevitable that my children will be owners of cell phones, and they, like the students I teach, will love to text - or whatever texting will look like in about five to ten years. But, I want to lay the ground rules now, because I want to KNOW my children, and my children know me. I want us to have memories about our shared experiences, not just being in the same room together. At a minimum, I want to eat a meal without a phone on the table, in the pocket, etc. Is the call or text really that important? It can usually wait. But time with my kids can't.

The Hardest Job

This morning:

A to me: Do you know what the hardest job of being a Mommy is?

Me: What?

A: Puttting hair clips in.

If only that were true!

The Pharmacy

When we were driving out to my friend Tracy's house today, A was enamored with all of the horses, cows, llamas, etc. that we were passing along the way.

A: It's like a pharmacy!

The Angel

Me: I'm going to the dentist today, so he can take out my tooth.

A: Ooohhhh, that means the angel is coming tonight.

Me: You mean the tooth fairy?

A: Yeah. I wonder how much money you're going to get.

Me: The tooth fairy doesn't give money to Mommies and Daddies.

A: Well, that's not very fair.

Me: I agree!

Happy Birthday!

My guy turned three today, and I feel like I have a new boy overnight. He's into pirates, Spiderman, Ironman, cars. He makes all those boy noises to show me how the characters fly. He's been shooting the cannons from his pirate ship at me, with the biggest grin on his face. I guess it's official. He's three. That's not to say that he isn't my sweet little boy any more. Tonight he asked me to lay on his bed and talk to him after prayers. He put both of his hands on my cheeks and told me how much he loved me - "to outer space and back." I hope he doesn't forget those moments when he told me how much he loves me. I know I sure won't.

Happy birthday, my little pirate!

Happy Halloween!

Update

When J left for work this morning, he saw the note I left him about the frog in the fish tank. But, the frog wasn't in there. So he went to the front door to put his jacket on, and he felt something on his HEAD. Yep, our frog. Thankfully, he hopped right on out the door. I prefer my amphibians outside anyway.

Conversation in the car

I told the kids that when we got home from church today, Daddy wants them to wear their Seahawks gear for the game today. Allison said, "I know who you like, Mommy." "Who?" I asked. "The purple team," she answered. "That's right!" "Mommy, the purple team is gooder than the blue team." No comment from me, but a smile, in response. "But I'm going to cheer for both teams, so Daddy doesn't feel bad." Large grin.

A Curious Thing

The house is quiet, and I'm the only one up. I relish these times - the early mornings and the evenings after the kids in bed. I prefer reading, but tonight I've had an important job to do - install our new printer. To some this may not seem daunting, but I really don't enjoy the process of plugging cords into strange places, clicking "install" and "next" and "trial print." But, much to my amazement, I was not the only one up in my house. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something jump, I looked toward the floor and saw a small frog, about 3 inches, hop under my couch. I was dumb-struck. How did it get in here? How LONG has it been in here? Where is it NOW? I'm not afraid of frogs, but I was too shocked at having a visitor to know how to react in a timely manner. So I layed down on the floor to look under the couch, couldn't find him, and then wondered what to do next. In theory, he's been in the house for at least 6 hours - when I last closed the back patio door. So apparently, he's survived this long and could very well continue living here just fine. But, I'M not fine with that. It creeps me out to think that I could be sitting on the couch, while the frog just hops below me on the carpet, or, god-forbid, on the couch beside me. I was thankful, therefore, when I saw it hop again on the other side of the family room. I quickly grabbed a bowl, since I had enough time to think through my game plan, and trapped the little guy. Of course, I hadn't thought through what to do next. Like I said, I like frogs. But this one didn't look like an ordinary little tree frog. The coloring was different. And I couldn't help but think that if I touch it, I might be poisoned somehow. Apparently I'm not fearless. So, I threw him into the fish tank. Frogs like the water, right? Except that as soon as I threw him in there, I had second thoughts. I mean, he's survived 6+ hours in a dry, waterless environment. Maybe this frog doesn't like water. I didn't mean to kill the little sucker. He's sprawled out on the surface of the water and he's not moving. His "jaw" area is moving up and down. So I think he's still breathing. I'm seriously concerned. The lid of the tank is on securely, so I feel safe to go to bed and not wake up to something hopping in my bed. But I will feel awful if I wake up to a dead frog in the fish tank. I think I'll google "how to care for a frog."

The Best Day of My Life

While A and JD were eating chocolate chip cookies tonight, A announced, "This is the best day of my life!" JD nodded in agreement. His mouth was too full to comment. I have Phoebe Buffay's grandma's recipe to thank for such praise.

First Day of School

We knew this day was coming - you know that commercial? Yep - my daughter started kindergarten, the day after she turned five. And, I know she's ready. She's smart and eager to learn. But, was I ready? Logistically, maybe. I got the school supply list and filled it a month before school began, including labeling each and every crayon with her name. But I, like most parents, probably, felt an emotional struggle. Did I prepare her enough? Will she be okay? Probably not, and yes.

She had a good first day - other than the fact that she only ate grapes for lunch. I'm trusting my pediatrician on this one - when she's hungry, she'll eat. But, hopefully she won't have too many grape-only days.

A with Mrs. Hutchin

JD is moving up from the Lion Cubs class to the Koalas. He did great, by the way. He loves his teacher and knows several of his classmates. He's also been using the potty really well. I LOVE peer-pressure potty training!

Happy Birthday!

We celebrated A's 5th birthday with a fishing party. They enjoyed fishing for prizes in the backyard and taking home a goldfish. A few days later, on her actually birthday, I had to work, but we were still able to enjoy dinner together. A chose macaroni and cheese for her dinner choice - shocking, I'm sure - for those who know her. She eats little else. And, she asked for cake with the sprinkles, so we enjoyed that too. Birthdays are surreal moments for mommies, but this one seemed especially monumental. Where did the last five years go?

Newport and Seaside, OR

We decided that the best way to celebrate J's graduation was a trip to the beach. We spent 2 1/2 days in Newport, where we enjoyed the aquarium, Undersea aquarium, the boats and freshly caught fish, and the seals. We also went to a lighthouse and enjoyed two different beaches.
Then, we met up with J's family in Seaside for a few days. One evening we enjoyed a fire, s'mores and "ghost" stories - Papa E style. Check out JD's expression below.

Clark County Fair

Last night we took the kids to the fair. They enjoyed seeing the world's largest alligator and pig. Imagine - the world's largest alligator and pig were at OUR fair! They also toured the animal barns, saw a performing pig act, ate corn dogs and their first-ever elephant ear (a big hit!), and rode some fun rides. We went to a midievil knights performance, but A announced after 5 minutes: "Why are we here? There are no girls! We are wasting our play time!" So, we went back to the giant slide.

Fish on, 5 times over

We took the kids back to the Rainbow Trout Farm near Mt. Hood a couple of weeks ago. They had a great time. The set-up is perfect for kids. There are 8-10 ponds with varying depths and sizes of fish. You can fish at any pond you want, but they're all full of fish. The kids put their lines in the water and within seconds, it seemed, they both had fish on their lines. I think the final count was 5 fish in less than an hour. They loved it!

Overheard at Wal-mart

I was pushing my kiddos in a cart at Wal-mart today, when I overheard:

A: JD, do you believe in God?

JD: No.

A: (absolute shock) Oh, no, JD. If you don't believe in God, you will go to a very dark place. God isn't there. And there are ghosts! (Disclaimer: I didn't tell her about ghosts.)

JD: (shock and horror on his face)

A: So, JD, do you believe in God?

JD: Yes!

Fire-and-brimstone evangelism at its best.

I can about bet what the kids were talking about at day care today.

Sun River, OR 2010

We went to the High Desert Museum this year, which was a first. My oldest child was quite convinced that she didn't like museums, which confused me, because I'm pretty sure I've never taken her to one. But she left singing a different tune and could not remember saying she didn't want to go in the first place. Maybe it was the outhouse that helped her make her decision?
We went with "the cousins" to the museum, but Ben stayed behind for his nap.
We spent lots of time in the pool. JD refused to "swim" with anyone other than Daddy, so John made many a trip across the pool leading the blue dolphin.
A really had a good time, especially when she realized it was absolutely impossible for her to sink since she was wearing a life jacket AND clinging to a floatie.
Before we left for Sun River, we had the cousins over for lunch. As you can tell, my kids were really shy and hesitant to show their true excitement.

ND 2010

How do I sum up our trip to ND this year? Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! The kids flew airplanes. I mean, how can you top that?
We had a picnic in the park.
We went to Velva for their 4th of July parade. My favorite part was how the announcer named EVERY person in/on each float - no kidding. And, my second favorite part was the fact that the parade only paraded down 2 city blocks, so when we saw every entry they came around for a second go-round. Very cute.
Our trip could not be complete without a ride on the choo-choo (never mind that we ride the big one to get there/go home every year). Both of my kids are train lovers, and we are happy to oblige.
Great Grandpa Jay was transferred to a nursing home so he could attend rehab/physical therapy. While we were there, we got to see his new home-away-from-home.
I love this shot. I'm glad JD sat still long enough for me to take it.
JD really, truly believes that Papa's tractors are his too. And, despite the sheepish look on his face, this ride was an absolute highlight for him. Thanks for the ride, Papa!
Just a run in the park
I loved our attempt at mini-golf. A shows true potential for golf - which I can not take credit for. JD somehow lost his ball around hole 7, even though it was a bright orange color. A few holes were completely skipped, and no one kept score. But everyone left with smiles. A week later, we passed a glow golf business, and with all confidence A announced, "Oh yeah, we should play that. I'm good at it."
We enjoyed many an evening on the lawn. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes knew we were there.
I think we went to the "sprinkle park" three times this year. Every time, JD sat with me for a good 15 minutes saying he didn't want to get wet. Eventually he decided to give it a go, and then it took quite the convincing to get him out.
A was a pro. She did a little modeling for me, before she got completely soaked.