we opened up a can of worms for dinner

Table conversation tonight, over a dinner of Chicken-Broccoli Alfredo with Bowtie Pasta, 'opened up a can of worms'. The conversation began with a review of what the kids were playing outside today. Apparently, Catherine had been adding to her worm collection (i.e.--bucket of dirt and stuff). It went something like this:

Jessica: "She's obsessed with worms!"
Catherine: "They're soooo cuuuute!!!"
Me: "How can worms be cute? They don't even have a face."
Andrew: "Yeah, their face looks just like their behind." (Leave it to Andrew to add the punch line.)

Jim: ....nothing... (but, let it be documented, he was there, however I think he, for one, was more consumed with the pasta dish).

Pick of the Litter

The photos from the ad we found.



We picked out our first puppy tonight! She's about 5 weeks, and won't come home with us until April when she'll be a couple weeks older.
Isn't she cute?

After my countless hours spent searching for the right pups/breeder over several weeks time, Jac gets on OregonLIVE.com to look at the Oregonian classifieds after dinner tonight, and immediately finds the place we end up getting our puppy from! Go figure! We called and found the breeder is in the next town from us, and she said we could come right over. We got there at 9:30 pm and had first pick of the litter, since her ad would first come out in the papers tomorrow. I guess her pups usually sell quickly, so we are thankful to have found the ad and jumped on it as it happened.


The kids were pretty excited tonight. They've been wanting a dog for years. I, on the other hand, am now getting a bit apprehensive now that's actually happening, although I know it is right and time to have a dog. I'm wondering just what I'm getting myself into. I know it is going to be a lot of work. It is kind of surreal to be getting our first dog in a couple weeks, after so many years without a dog, and so many years discussing when we would get a dog. We always said we would when we had property for it to run and all our children were born, so that we all could enjoy raising our puppy together as a family. Jac and I each had one special dog growing up, but for me, that was probably 15 years ago. I haven't been into dogs since losing that one childhood dog I had. In fact, I have kind of been 'anti-dog'. It really bothered me when I'd see people treat dogs as if they were human beings, but I do acknowledge that dogs are special as compared to other types of pets. They are extremely social, loyal and really need the constant companionship of their owners. Nevertheless, I find my heart softening to even the idea of the puppy staying in it's crate in our laundry/mudroom for awhile, and I'm planning to do the crate training thing, and get up in the night to take it out to go to the bathroom. I just want to train the puppy well, so that it will be an enjoyable part of our family and not just another animal to take care of.

Jess liked the runt best at first, but changed her mind after a bit.

Catie just wanted to hold one herself. As you can see, it's already about too big for her to hold!

Andrew's holding our puppy, who just spotted her mama!

We had 3 chocolate lab females to pick from--the runt, one big, brindle (this is the name for a variation in the pure color--she had a touch of yellow hair scattered on the paws), and the medium-sized girl is the one we picked. It seemed like we pretty much all agreed on her together. She has a really mellow temperment, just like her mother. The mother dog, Lucy, is a yellow lab with the sweetest disposition. I am really pleased with that. The stud dog was a black lab, named Duke, and I hear he is a big dog--110 pounds, but really good lines.

Lucy Lou, the mama

If anyone has any good puppy advice, we could use it. We are soaking in a lot of information right now and reading a lot. Jac got panels for building a kennel today. I started cleaning out our laundry room. We took a walk as a family earlier, and were all throwing out potential dog names. I thought the kids would be more into picking a name, but they are as confused as we are. So, we'll see what we come up with!

Good-bye Favorite Fall View

I wait for this favorite season all year, and love it for all that it is--the sights, smells, weather/temperature changes, harvest bounty, and because of its warm, colorful, earthy feel. So today, under the circumstances, I think it is not eccentric of me to say that I am kind of feeling a little sadness. I've had to say good-bye much too soon to the four large, lush, green, shade-making-early-autumn-color-changing-birdhouse-hanging-peaceful-happy-atmoshere-making Locust trees that line our large backyard. Well, they're still there, in essence, but Jac has trimmed them up so severely that they resemble a short tree in the dead of winter, except with large stubs rather than spindley limbs sticking out. I am so un-enthused that I don't even want to show the before and after pics on this post--but, I probably should or you'll just think I'm being a drama queen.
Now this butcher-job was not an accident, mind you, but a planned event. He even explained what he was doing, and as usual, asked me if it was ok. I, being practical, said it was fine. I just didn't realize what the outcome would really be! You see, what makes matters worse, is that we just said good-bye to our greening-up-nicely-autumn grass when he sprayed out (killed) the lawn in the back last Friday because he wants to till it up, upgrade the sprinkler system, smooth out the gopher, mole, snake and grey-digger ruts that have formed after the 10+ years since the yard was first planted by the previous owner. It will be nice to have new yard, and I am grateful to have such a hard-working husband, so I have given him all my support in his related projects.
This would include the drastic tree trimming so that the falling leaves don't kill out the newly planted baby grass as it comes up, so that the overgrown trees don't break and fall onto the newly plated grass, and so that the trimming he usually does in January/February won't have to be done over the new lawn. These sound like fine reasons--better than his later admission that now we won't have so many leaves to rake up this fall. Yeah, but what's fall without falling leaves, really?
If I were to look on the bright side, I would say that at least the kids have had a blast building forts of the huge branches that are strewn over the backyard, playing army and jungle themed games, and helping their dad move branches with their work gloves on. And, my husband is getting a wonderful upper-body strengthening work out. Anything else? Hmmm--nope! Oh, wait...come spring, we will have a nice, large, dry pile to burn for our bon fires & hot dogs/smores roasting tradition so that we won't have to look at he pile anymore. No, maybe we'll burn it later this fall.
Now, please know I am not complaining, but just so shocked. I am amazed at how much this changes the atmosphere of our home. Our great room faces the backyard--my kitchen window, the windows from where we sit at the counter or dining table to do school, and the view we look at for our entire day, and we are home probably 80-90% of the time. It affects the amount and tint of the light that comes in these windows and our skylights. It is literally like erasing much of the color from our view and replacing it with gray. I guess I am struggling with this more because of the wonderful time we had just two weeks ago schooling in the yard under the green trees, sitting in the green grass, sipping cold water in 90 degree heat, and thinking/hoping then that summer would continue on longer.

I think this post has helped me in my minor grief. I'm spray painting some things outside and working on my computer armoire project. My wonderful husband took our two oldest down to the river with the boat for a ride and some Daddy-time this evening. He is great. My mother took Catherine home with her to her house yesterday (til Tuesday!)--she was up here to watch the kids play soccer games and to give us all haircuts. Yeah, she's pretty great, too. Things are looking up:)! Plus, it's beginning to get dark so soom I won't be looking at those stumps. Hee-hee! I just looked at the pics I added to this page and L'dOL!!!

Specious

'Specious' refers to the brilliant combining of 'special' and 'precious' in Cate's budding toddler vocabulary.

"My 'specious' one!" she cried in the car yesterday when her brother was holding a stuffed animal she wanted.

We were all amused and delighted in her innocent cuteness.

"Baby One...Cute One..."

I just updated my calendar in the sidebar, so you can glance at it to see some of what we are up to--we've been pretty busy this summer. We returned Friday from a great vacation to the Wallowas, where we stayed in a log house near the lake with all of Jac's family. I'll have to post the pictures when I have more time--but for now, I was thinking of a little toddler story to share.

Catherine, now 27 months, is saying all kinds of sweet little things lately. She is very expressive. Everyone who knows her already knows how fond she is of babies, but, on our trip, she was also very excited about all the animals she saw.
At Wallow Lake, deer are everywhere, like ducks at a pond. It is common to see them whenever you go out, and they are not afraid of people so you will often see them around the decks of homes, napping under the play structure at the playground and in front of the steps of RVs. Catherine loved to see them. She'd yell, "Deer!...Ba-by deer!", every time, regardless of whether it was a buck, doe, or fawn she spotted.
Also, while swimming at the lake, she saw people coming by with dogs, and she'd squeal in her high-pitched voice, "Doggie... Oohhhhh! ...Cuuute one!"
On our trip home, we stopped at a Starbucks in LaGrande for a refresher, and Cate was the only child still awake in the backseat. I went in to order our drinks, and snagged her a blueberry frappacino sample with the tiny, little cup, and the tiny, little straw, and the little mound of whipped cream dolloped on top. Cate saw me getting in the car with the three drinks, and squealed with delight when she saw the little cup for her, "For me?... Ba-by one?...Cuuute one!" She was as happy as could be!
We told the big kids the story when they woke up, they thought it was the funniest thing, and now, "Baby One...Cute one!" is a common phrase around our home.

Silly Sayings

Kids say the funniest things. Here are some I got a kick out of...

...while we were making Easter party plans, setting the table for a big family dinner, putting little egg cups and pastel decor out, in an excited tone Jess asks, "Can we bob for apples?"

...I was given an Easter Lily and said to Andrew, "I'm going to put my Lily in this pot." Andrew says with surprise, "You named it Lily?"

I was dressing Catherine in some new clothes. When I was done she looks down, then back at me, sticks out her little thumb and says, "Dude!" She obviously got this from her brother who often asks us if he looks like a 'dude'.

Just the other day, Cate stomps out of the family room mumbling words and I hear 'bed'. So I ask her, "Are you going to bed?" "Yeeess!", she answers. "Why?", I ask. "Cus'...'Ew...hitted...me!" she said sadly over-exaggerating the fact that Andrew had teasingly tapped her with his foot.
A little drama queen already. She calls Jessica, 'Essia' and Andrew is 'Ew'. She is now saying more complex sentences all the time , and takes breaths in between words to take time and make sure she says the words right. It is fun to hear.

But we are working on showing kindness and love to one another, which may be why Andrew said this the other day: "Mommy, all of a sudden, I'm just getting friendlier and friendlier--nicer and nicer! So, I don't know what's happening to me!"
After questioning him some, and discussing this topic, I have concluded that he was referring to the surprise he had over the loving feelings he was getting towards his family members in that moment. It was very sweet.

Actually, Jessica is the one I have always called our little 'drama queen'. She takes on various personalities depending on who she's been around, or what show she's been watching. (Yes, flags are going up...) It is cute sometimes, though. She is very often impersonating characters from Hannah Montana or Zack and Cody, and says their lines at appropriate moments. "Chill-ax", "Ay, Toots", "Boo-yah", "Sweet niblets", "Yea, me", "Feels gooood", etc. It keeps us amused. Now I've got her listening to classic books on tape, so we'll see what kind of influence that makes--she will be impersonating Anne of Green Gables--that ought to be good!

Nothing Says 'I Love You' Like a Bundle of Weeds

Jessica brought me these 'flowers' she picked from the field the other day. They are complete with roots intact, and she used duct tape to hold them together in a bouquet with a note attached, "I love you. You r gorgis." Very sweet!

I went to a curriculum fair Saturday morning, and when I went to leave there was a surprise waiting for me on my windshield from Jac--he was up early pruning the roses, so he had left roses for me. That was very sweet, too.

Mojo

I got my mojo back...ha! No, some of you have asked...am I still blogging...so here, I'm back. I got really frustrated with my last post. It took so flippin' long for the pics to upload...so I quit blogging for awhile in protest of my dial-up connection that was also bumping me offline time and time again. We are getting DSL soon! Then we're switching to Direct TV so we can pause and record live television--why waste time watching an hour long program when you can watch it in half the time by skipping through commercials. Seriously!? Isn't technology great?

Summer, which technically just began 3 days ago, has been fun so far. So, here's kind of the scoop of what we've been up to this month.

Jess had standardized testing to finish off the school year. She did quite well, but not as good as she thought she did. I asked her how the test went and her response was, "Mom, I got them all right!"

Jac and Jess finished out the softball season, and it was a great season! The team played really well all season. Most of the players will be back in this age bracket, and so everyone's hoping to have the same group together again next season, with Jac as coach again.

We celebrated our 9th anniversary. Jac even surprised me with taking me to pick out jewelry. I picked out little white gold hoops with dangling diamonds. I really like them. I must say I have been very blessed to be married to such a great guy who loves the Lord and takes such good care of us.


We spent four days at the beach in Lincoln City at Inn at Spanish Head. It was fun and relaxing, with lots of laying out in the sun on the beach and at the pool, swimming, playing in the sand and waves, a visit to the cheese factory, shopping, and games and movies in our room at night.

The kids and I have been playing a lot, with lots of outings and playdates with friends: days at the zoo, parks, fountain, library shows, picnics, bike rides, and playing in the sprinklers at home.

Jessica and Andrew are really into the library's summer reading program. Andrew is reading his big "Dick and Jane" book and Jessica is reading her Pony Pals and Little House books for at least 20 minutes a day--yes, they set the timer. It has been fun to see them self-motivated to read to themselves. In fact, the past several months, I'd say that has been Jessica's favorite activity. She is always reading. Jessica and Madison formed a special book club together, where they email each other, have a secret password, write and make books, and read books. It is very cute!

Jac took Jess to the Father/Daughter Banquet at our church where they exchanged letters and gifts to one another and played beach games, watched movie clips, and even did a little dancing. How cute is that?

We had a BBQ with family on Father's Day.

Dawnelle and I have been planning for next year's homeschool group, and are taking over leadership of the co-op--her as Director, and I as Program Coordinator. This has been exciting and challenging, but we're hopeful and prayerful that it will be a great year with reorganization and growth of the program.

I've been to a couple scrapbooking nights this month with friends, including last night where we stayed up until 4 am.

We also roasted hot dogs and smores with friends next door at their house, and had a great time.

We're picking our raspberries now, and made jam today. We put in a new garage door that Jac painted today.

Today J & A were arguing after dinner. Apparently, the words turned into physical agression, because I overheard these serious words: "Andrew, you shouldn't have slapped me because there's church tomorrow. I'd rather you slap me on Mondays." Never a dull moment...

This coming week, the kids start their sports camps at the park 3 hours every morning. Jess is in Coach Nick's basketball camp for the 2nd year, and Andrew is also again doing the multi-sport Skyhawks camp. There is a VBS at a nearby church in the evenings that they want to go to. We'll probably do that, too, since they (even Jess some days) take naps. We also have a 4-H fair meeting this week. All sorts of fun...

Long Lost Friends...

...back together again!

May 22, 2007--park playdate in Wilsonville

Our friends, J&D and kids, moved back home to Oregon (a week and a half ago) after living in Ontario for nearly three years because of a Freightliner promotion. It is a ‘goose-bump’ kind of story how God worked all the details, and that they are able to move back here so soon. They are again building a home in Tualatin, working at FL, attending our church, and homeschooling. We are excited that they are living in Wilsonville (what we consider our home town) for six months while their house is being built. The kids are doing sports camps in Wilsonville together, as well as church camp, this summer. Our girls actually did their basic skills homeschool testing together this week.

The guys commuted to work the first week they were back, while J&D awaited the moving truck with their vehicles and other possessions. D & I have gotten the kids together for a few playdates already, and they are quickly becoming fast friends again. It has been nice that we were able to keep in touch while they were gone, as we got together once or twice a year when they came to Oregon to see family for holidays or summer vacation. Jim actually was able to visit them several times on his business trips to the FL plant there in Canada.

Welcome back, guys! Here is a picture tribute to you of just a few of our many adventures together. We look forward to many more!

Jim and Jason, working together at FL in materials, discover they were both Christians, dating much younger :) women about to graduate from different Christian colleges with teaching degrees. So, they decide, with so much in common, it might be fun to take the girls out on a double-date to a Blazer game. So begins our friendship…
Dinners out, like the three-hour fondue meal at the Melting Pot, game nights, like sports trivia to see which of us girls were better sports fans, playing indoor soccer, skiing, shopping for dresses together to attend that extravagant wedding at the Governor Hotel…secretly dreaming of our own weddings one day, and the guys shopping for our rings together…little did we know. But, you were engaged first. I was happy for you…really, I was, but…at the same time, pouting a little to myself because I thought it would never happen for us…Jim was taking forever! Finally, a month later…ta-dah! Wedding plans, college graduation, bridal showers, interviewing for teaching jobs, planning our homes, and the big day…we shared in it together. Shopping for furniture, vacationing together at the beach for our first 4th of July after we were married, teaching together our first year at the same school, attending the same church, the guys playing basketball in a league at Costco SportsNation, and running Hood to Coast…how many times?...pregnant together with our girls, and then, two years later, our boys…stroller aerobics, mommy and baby swim class, trips to the mall, getting portraits of our matching babies done, dressing them alike, our Seattle trip when the girls were 8 months, the Tigard Balloon Festival, Bible Study groups, church events, antique shopping for 'vintage' fabrics, teaching the ‘Christmas in July’ craft class, many outings, playdates and birthday parties with the kids as they got older… so, now here we are…three kiddos each…quite an adventure…and so much fun to share it all together…with good friends.

Seattle Trip in 2000

Summer 2006--playdate at our house





August 2006--at beach house in Manzanita

Memorial Day Camping

Diamond Lake, Oregon--the place that holds so many childhood memories of our family camping trips. We went there almost every Memorial Day when I was growing up.

Today we're leaving to camp at Diamond Lake with my family for the first time since 1997 (when Jac & I were dating--see photos). Diamond Lake is just north of Crater Lake and is a beautiful place. The lake is surrounded by snow-capped mountains--Mt. Bailey, Mt. Thielsen, and Crater Lake. We would fish in Dad's boat and catch huge trout--that was back when fishing was fun to me. Back when there were more fish to catch, it seems.

Now I feel trapped when I go out on a boat and have to sit for hours when I could be biking, hiking, sight-seeing, playing with the kids, crafting, shopping, etc. when we go camping. I don't think I have very much patience anymore (if I ever did). I feel bad that I don't enjoy it more because it is one of Jac's favorite hobbies. But, at least that is the only hobby I don't enjoy so much. We do a lot of other things together, since we both have a ton of interests. We have even planned our hobbies for when we are older and the kids are out of the house. We are going to go backpacking again, and sometime we are planning to do a Sunriver trip without the kids where one day we will pack a picnic and mountain bike along the Deschutes river trail and see all the falls.

Anyway, Diamond Lake has a paved trail all the way around the lake (12 or 13 miles) and we've biked around there several times before. We plan to do that again this trip--we'll see how far our kids get.

I guess it has been 32 degrees in the morning and 70 in the afternoon at the lake--and we're tent camping. At least my family has trailers for the kids to sleep in if it is too cold. I also heard there are a lot of bugs/mosquitoes hatching out. Sounds nice, huh? Well, really there's nothing like getting outdoors and experiencing nature--the crisp air, the smell of the forest...waking up to the sound of water slapping against the shores...and my mom cooking breakfast and entertaining our kids with endless crafts and ideas, while I snuggle back into my warm sleeping bag in our tent and sleep in--just kidding...better go finish packing...

To Relish Quiet Days

Everything could be going along smoothly, meaning tasks are manageable/there is order to life, when all of a sudden it feels like life takes a jump into high gear and it is all a blur...this past week or two has been such a time, with the culmination of a year of many activities coming to an end.
Now, I am assessing the damage and preparing to deal with the aftermath Monday morning. It is times like these when I could never be prepared enough, and there are never enough minutes in a day to get it all done. Thankfully, this is just a temporary condition, for I am so grateful for quiet days at home.

Here is what last week looked like, as best as I can now recall:

M-Picked up my new grain mill, buttermilk starter culture, raw milk for making cultured foods, raw cheese, and honey at Blessings Farm and was coaxed into listening to two demos on healthy skincare & cookware (Mannatech & Saladmaster--interesting info. I hadn't heard before), while the kids had a playdate there on the farm--Jess's softball game in Sherwood, dinner out.

T-A day at home to do school, plan lessons, housework--began storing away the grains we got on Sunday, reordering our pantry, and started soaking a mix of seeds for sprouting, submitted article for NHH's Basic Cooking Class section of their e-magazine and it was selected/published this week. Went on a family walk in the evening, then I went to church at 8 to set up for our final Hearts @ Home meeting.

W-Hearts @ Home, and luncheon for ministry help following, errands(library, dropped off bags of clothing for donation, picked up gifts)--Jess to her choir/drama team rehearsal for upcoming musical, more errands at Bridgeport (got screen for sprouting jar at Wild Oats, and containers for grains at the Container Store)--Jess's softball game in Sherwood, dinner out again--stopped at FM for fortgotten items on the shopping list--up late preparing final scripts, plans for class at co-op.

T-Up early to finish plans--co-op classes & dress rehearsal for assembly--Awana Awards Night, fixed dinner for J & kids, went for walk at dusk.

F-Final prep for coordinating co-op school assembly--finished program, scripts, powerpoints, display items, answering emails, most of day--

Assembly @ 7--it went so well, and all the kids were so endearing in presenting their projects to show what they have learned this semester! Even Catherine stood on stage so sweetly with the preschool class, and her and Andrew presented me with Mother's day gifts--decorated, framed picture of themselves, and a pretty picture of their handprints made into a flower. Jessica read a story she wrote and showed the puppet she made for her Dr. Seuss class, sang a Spanish song, and reported the medical terms of bones of the body for Science class.

My 3rd-5th grade Oregon History/Writing class was the hit of the assembly, I have to say--These kids were so fun to teach--they work really hard, and are so excited to learn and do whatever I ask of them...for the assembly, they put together their own costumes, wrote their monologues for characters from Oregon history, and presented the whole thing from introduction and narration, to conclusion. They also displayed their timelines and models of settler's villages, and had 'johnny cakes' (an authentic recipe of the Oregon Trail pioneers) for the audience to sample.

S-4-H Pre-Fair Event for our club of 55 members from 10am-5pm. We were all there for awhile, until after lunch, then J took Catie home for a nap. The other kids and I stayed. I was so pleased with Andrew who wanted to stay and practice showing the animals. They judged and showed 6 species of animals (rabbits, chickens, beef, sheep, pigs, and meat goats) in 8 rotations. I was the cattle judge for the event--back in my element, and left with manure on my boots and the feeling that no time had passed since the years I was showing.
We went to my brother's professional basketball game--he's in his 2nd year in with the Salem Stampede of the IBL league, and says it is the most talent he's ever played with. They are undefeated and score well into the hundreds every game. This game they won with 143 points, but I heard that was even a lower score than the last few games! We ate out at Olive Garden with my family for Mother's Day following the game.

S-Made sourdough pancakes & applesauce for breakfast after sleeping in and missing church for the first time in forever (pretty unheard of w/ J--we'll have to get the cd of the service), took a day trip through gorge and Mt. Hood scenic routes, with stops at Multnomah Falls, Bonneville Dam and the locks, Hood River, Timberline. The sun was out when we were up at Timberline and the kids had fun in the snow. We toured the Lodge and looked at their displays, and ate at Calamity Jane's in Sandy on the way home. The kids were so funny in the car--we all came up with a lot of new jokes and laughed a lot. Yes, it was all very warm & fuzzy for Mother's Day.

"What Have You Been Up To Lately?"

I thought I'd go ahead and post an email I sent to my sister-in-law today, in resonse to her question: "What have you been up to lately?" There's something interesting about how personal letters/emails capture such a candid snapshot of the little details of life. Here is a pic of Mindi and I at her wedding.

"Min-
Thanks, for the email. There are days when I longingly remember the life I had (all 16 months of it)when it was just Jim and I, and you trying to decide what to do on a day off reminded me of that, today. As well as when I saw part of a scene on tv where a husband called his wife from work and said, "Meet me at Alexander's for dinner at seven." She showed up in a pretty red dress...don't get me wrong, my life is fulfilling, but often in a less peaceful and glamorous way.

Jim got back from Brazil yesterday morning, and visited us in class at co-op on his way home from the airport. We came home and had a picnic lunch on the deck, then, he spent the rest of the nice-weather-day mowing and moving dirt with his tractor, while the kids played outside, and I went for a five mile walk. I weighed myself this morning and had apparently lost 4 pounds just yesterday!

We left for softball practice at 4:30 (Jim's coaching, so I'm 'the coach's wife' which makes me in charge of fun things--like handing out papers and uniforms yesterday--but I like to get in there and dirty practicing with the girls, too, when I can--which means when it's not in the 40s, pouring rain, and blowing 30 mph--which it was the last practice I came to, so I had to stay in the car with Catie--and then, Andrew, after he got too wet and cold.

Next, we all went straight to AWANA after softball where I 'pulled my hair out' because I had a headache, was hungry, tired, and the kids were SO LOUD--kind of ironic that we had to fill out a questionaire that very night on our intentions to help with club next year--Jim had to be my voice of reason on that one--I was in no frame of mind to say 'yes' right then--but he clarified that WE both wanted to be Sparks leaders at least one more year because we could do it together with Jess and Drew on a team together--and lastly, we were home at 8:30 where I GOT to make dinner. Luckily, we had decent leftovers and I whipped together a salad. As I was putting Cate in her high chair and removing her jacket, I saw a label stuck across her tummy that read 'PIG'--I remembered her nursery teachers were holding a labeler when I dropped her off (I assumed they were using it to label cubbies or toy bins), but it clicked that perhaps they were playing a joke with us because Catherine always crams down all the Cheerios at snack time--pretty funny. Yes, I do feed her. She gets 2 or 3 'dinners' on busy days like yesterday. She sat in her stroller and snacked all through softball practice, so I guess the label fits.

Love, Tami"

Just a Walk in the Park

Last week, the kids had morning swimming lessons in O.C., so on the way home one day, we grabbed lunch and stopped at Willamette park on the way home . Luckily, I remembered that I had my camera with me in the car, so I was able to snap these photos.

It was nice to have the park all to ourselves for the hour, or so, that we were there. Two ducks came within a foot of Cate, and she was brave. She picked up wood chips and pretended to 'feed' them, while tossing the wood towards them. As Jess and Drew came over, their size intimidated the ducks, who turned and waddled off. The big kids were excited to lead Catherine around the play equipment, and to watch her toddler antics as she tried climbing, swinging, and sliding on the jungle gym. There was a lot of laughing and friendly interaction amongst them. "Jess,... look! I can jump from here!" "That's cool, buddy! I'm too afraid to try that." I had a 'mommy moment' then. As I watched the three playing together, I reflected on the scene earlier at swimming lessons, when Jessica found herself near the rope dividing Andrew's group from her own. I saw her stretch across the rope and give him a hug, and he hugged her back. They were genuinely and innocently happy to see each other.

These are times I cherish with my children--we love to have our own adventures and explore, and, homeschooling allows us the time, space, and freedom to learn in this way, and has given us more of an opportunity to strengthen the bond of friendship amongst siblings.

Phew!

Well, it has been 10 days now, and Cate is still doing well with potty training. Phew! She has wetting accidents once in awhile, but not the other, and she quickly does her business whenever she sits down on the toilet--no messing around now. She does a big surprise face, where her little mounth makes a big 'O', and opens her eyes really wide whenever she hears a 'tinkle'... or 'plop', and then she smiles really big and acts very proud of herself. I tell you, it is the most fun one can have with bathroom business.

We drove to Bend over the weekend, so I took the potty chair in the car. We drove all the way there, stopped and ate lunch, then, finally, I remembered to take her potty--and she stayed dry that entire time--almost 4 hours!

Those of you who are not yet parents just don't get why this is worthy of being such a topic of discussion, but believe me when I tell you how great it feels to be successful at a feat such as this--and the first time you work at it with the child! It gets your hopes and dreams going--"my child is brilliant and so disciplined...at this rate, she'll be reading by 3, and reciting poetry ..." No, just kidding, but it does make a parent feel accomplished.

Things I've learned...

Things I've learned from my children this year--I mean, this month...dishwashing detergent is fun to dump on the kitchen floor and play in like sand...get out of your robe in the morning because you never know when your child might call 911 to test the process and a policeman might come to your door without warning...picking up and sorting through Cranium after a toddler has found it, takes at least a half hour, which is 30x longer than it took her to 'play' with it...don't ask your toddler who ripped the book, because she will just blame it on her dolly...pay attention when your toddler says 'uh-oh'...pay attention whenever it is quiet for more than a few seconds...come to think of it, the more you pay attention, the better!!!

Potty Training

I have been busy potty training Baby Cate—can’t believe how easy this is going. She is 23 months old. Pinch me, am I dreaming? I still hesitate to mention this to anyone, lest it be a false alarm. However, it has been 3 days and she has only had a few wet accidents. I certainly wasn’t ready to potty train, but she asks to go potty all the time. She wants to sit there all day, I think. A few times, she has cried when I’ve taken her off the toilet. So, I finally pulled out the thick training undies, and some cute Barney and Pooh panties big sister used, and rewarded her after her success at the potty on Saturday. She is telling me when she needs to go, but, mostly, I am reminding her to go every so often (half hour-hour, upon waking, after eating). We went to town today for 3 hours, and she came home dry; she is dry after naps. I put diapers on her at night; she hasn’t been dry in the mornings, yet. My two older children potty trained quickly when they were ready, and were dry all night, but this wasn’t until 2 ½. Well, this timing has worked out well; with Jess and Drew at Grandma’s the past couple days for Spring Break, I have been able to concentrate on a potty routine with Catherine. She has been so excited and happy, to be the only child for awhile with all Mom’s attention, and to be treated like such a big girl! She’s been singing, dancing, wiggling, playing, tickling, teasing, and cuddling with me. It has been so much fun!

That's A Whole Lot of 'Proud'

My husband surprised us with this email he sent from the airport, while leaving for a business trip this past week. It is very sweet. He actually is very good about writing us notes (with illustrations for the kids) and leaving them on the kitchen counter in the mornings, but this personal email was different. He had even included a smile face and rose graphics at the end. The kids love that stuff; and they love their dad. I love their dad, too.

"Good morning/afternoon/or evening.......when ever you log on next.

Not sure the last time the kids received an email, so thought I might include them in one.

Jessica - thanks for the beautiful drawing of the horse, and the great message, your cursive is getting really good. I am so proud of you! I am looking forward to softball!

Andrew- thanks for the wrist band, I have it packed in my bag around my socks. I will put it on if I get to go running this week. I am so proud of you! I am looking forward to working with you on riding without training wheels!

Catherine - thanks for getting up with me this morning, and sneaking a bottle (thanks for letting me know that is what you wanted, and don't let mom know, she probably thinks that you no longer need these). I am so proud of you! I am looking forward to more basketball!

Tami - thanks for all that you do, and the berry cobbler. Save some for when I get home. I am so proud of you! I am looking forward to working with you this weekend.


Have a great day! I love you all, Dad/Jim.

Happy First Day of Spring!"