Jones

(John Denver is Jones' favorite music right now so here's a John Denver song for your enjoyment.)
This weekend me and the kids went down "south" and got to spend a time with the fam. Let me tell you why I like Jones. I can't stop laughing when I'm with him! If he's not saying something random and hilarious, he's running into corners or people or cupboards or completely biffing it and he doesn't slow down or cry a tear. He just keeps going. He is a rock. The last time I came down he hurt himself three times in the short amount of time I was with him at the playground. He fell down a step and hit his head hard (no bruising), knocked his head again on a rocking toy (bruise in the center of his forehead), and then, in slow motion, lost his balance and tipped forward onto the cement where is hands did not stop him and instead scraped the top of his forehead very slowly on the cement ground. He got a little sad finally and needed a little tylenol to help dull the pain in his head. Good thing he has bangs cause we took pictures of him the next day!
I know many of you hear Ryan and Jess' stories but they don't even do justice to the amount of shock and entertainment you receive from being with that little guy. My kids even get a kick out of him. He was yelling over and over at them as if they were doing something wrong and finally clued us in that he was playing a game! The kids had to keep apologizing and then Jones demanded that they go to time out. They giggled for quite a while.
He's so smart, too. He acts like he's so innocent and then he pulls a fast one on you. He loves Izzy and follows her, destroying whatever she's playing with, and they often fight over toys or personal space. Izzy did not want the dog (Lucy) outside but Jones did. Izzy would send Lucy in the house and shut the sliding door and then Jones would come and open the door and call Lucy back out. Izzy was getting very frustrated and we told Jones that Lucy needed to stay inside. He conceded and decided he didn't want to play outside anymore. Then, as soon as that door was opened for him to come back inside he yelled, "LUCY", as quick as he could! It was just a ploy! That little guy surprises everybody with what he knows. Ryan and Jessica got Jones a piggy bank and they told him it was so he could save all his money and he said,"It's like a little bank account!" What two year old knows about bank accounts!?
I need them to come visit me now. I'm always the accommodating one! "Oh, I'm deathly ill. Oh, I have a newborn." All excuses. Where's the giving in this relationship? I gotta get me more of that 2yr old. ( And India.) (And Ryan and Jessica.) Poor Tara. She only gets a sampling. I hope Jones likes her. (Kidding) Pretty soon we'll have more great 2yr old stories from Malak and India. I shall have few more of my own stories... 2 yr olds rock.

Disclaimer: Make no assumptions on the funniness of my own children. They are funny! They're just not 2 anymore!

Dressing Up!

Dress up clothes are great. Children pretend to be someone and use their imaginations. We have acquired a good amount of dress up clothes and it's paying off! Good 'ol grandma made Aiden a fireman costume two years ago. He's been a fire man two years in a row because he loves it. Guess what he wants to be this year? You guessed it. Good thing she made it big! Two years ago Emma was Cinderella. Last year she was Jasmine. This year she would like to be Cinderella or Jasmine! Very inexpensive. Two years ago Izzy was a ballerina, leg warmers and all. Last year not only was she a dinosaur but also a lion! This year she will be a ballerina but with a new costume... from our dress up clothes! Easy as pie! How long will this last? Maybe forever!

Ode to Annie

For those of you who have not heard, Aaron and Chelan's lab, Annie, was hit by a car this week and had to be put to sleep. May she be honored by these words.

Annie
Beauty
Harry
Cozy
Fun
Black
Loving
Good Dog

An Ode
She knew me and loved me
Sometimes she just peed
She barked at Paul Neilson
But never did breed

She loved going hiking
And swimming and fetching
As long as she drank water
There was little retching

Aaron complained about
wanting more dogs
Chelan said "no way"
More hair would just clog
(their vacuum)

But she came when he whistled
She was there in a jiffy
She was the perfect sized dog
And looked mighty spiffy

She traveled 'cross country
to remain with the fam
Her loyalty exceeded
the wishes of man

She layed next to Ella
And then next to Miles
She came when he called her
And it made him smile

Poor Annie went running
After one sweet lil kitty
and the site that occurred
did not look so pretty

We thank God for doggies
who make our lives good
And know he brings comfort
Just like he should

We'll always remember
that cute little dog
and remember the times
that we shared with her
Thanks, God!

"I gufaught!"

These words come out of the mouth of my daughter Izzy everyday.
"I keep gufaughting, Mom."
"Oops. I gufaught!"
"I gufaught. What's her name?"
She used to be able to say this word correctly and then one day she messed up.
I even tried to correct her and help her figure out how to say it right but she just couldn't.
And this is the time in a kids life when they are gaining so much new information and are figuring out how to tell stories and use long sentences with all the new words they learn. And sometimes... they just forget. How can one remember it all? It takes work! Sometimes you just gufaught! Over and over and over!
No more correcting. It doesn't help. We just enjoy this time when she gufaughts all the time and we try very hard to help her figure out what she has gufaughten!

Tag?

Whatever! Here's eight things about me. (At least I don't have 100 things like my friend Ike. However, they were very interesting!)

1. I don't like running errands.
2. I never try different things on before I decide what to wear.
3. I use my bread machine at least twice a week.
4. I now realize the joy of having sun 90% of the year. I find joy in other things now...
5. I think I would read books on tape if I knew how to get an "in".
6. I overwhelm myself with a love of arts.
7. Candles keep me sane 1/2 the year.
8. I don't have one completed journal. But I do have many partial ones.

Prayer Request

This morning a family came to the church building. Their 16 month old child rolled over onto their 3 month old child and suffocated him. Along with the terrible grief they are experiencing they do not have a permanent residence. They have been spending today at CPS doing tests and questioning to make sure there was no neglect. They were probably only a few weeks from getting a place to live, the husband is working consistently and Ben said they're just good people. Because they don't have a home, their 16 month old will be taken away from them.

I am without words. I am grieving for them and seek your prayers on their behalf.

The Woods Fam

Homework

Well, besides growing up and having to do all of my own homework, I have had two years of practice doing homework with Emma to prepare for this year. A well oiled machine? HA! First off, this is the first time I have felt like my children regressed during the summer on their knowledge and own personal skill levels. So, it's really important that they practice to improve by completing their homework.
Can you say "nightmare"? Emma argues about which books to read and always tries to pick the ones with two words on each page. It's great that she's willing to read and that there are things that she feels confident in doing but I'm trying to explain that in order to be a better reader she needs to try books with more vocabulary... Then we have a new teacher with new methods and new ways of completing homework and Emma argues with me that I'm telling her the wrong way to do it. She wants to do it how she had to last year. She tries the,"Mom, I'm getting Izzy her blanket for her. Can you write the rest of my title for me?" And then she's furious when I tell her I can't do her homework for her. Furious is what Emma seems to be a lot lately. She's indignant about many, many things. Maybe I need to obsurve how I'm responding to her...
Then there's Aiden. Homework is new to him. He's only had it twice now and it is not every day. He was actually very excited to receive his first piece of homework and talked about how he couldn't watch any t.v. or anything when we got home because he had a LOT of homework that he needed to do first. Once he got inside, however, he changed his mind. I finally got him to come start his work and he wouldn't follow a single set of directions I gave him. He tried to do the exact opposite of anything I asked and then when he was convinced he needed to color the picture part first I didn't have the patience to sit there and watch him color... very slowly... But, if I leave the table, he quits! He got me so irritated I ditched the homework. It was a Friday so there was plenty of time. Needless to say, it was too painful to get him to finish it and he was forced to tell his teacher he didn't complete it. When the next homework came home it went like this:
I ask him to bring his homework to the table which takes him ten minutes with multiple requests and multiple t.v. turn offs and steering away from the computer. Then a request for colored pencils which he swears they have to use. He can't find them. I have to get them. We sit. "Okay write your name here." "I can't remember how." "Copy this ." He falls off his chair. He doesn't write his name yet. "Trace this letter." His pencil drops. "Trace this." He flips the paper over and around and upside down. "Start right here. Trace these." "Izzy, what are you drawing?" "Aiden, focus on your homework!" Traces one. Traces another one and tries to switch pencils. "First trace all of them with one color. Then switch." Traces all 3 letters then gets a new color. Starts to color the picture very, very particularly and slowly, changing pencils very often. I stay watching however pained I feel. He can't finish coloring 'cause his hand is tired. We move on. He has to draw his own picture. Then he colors that with at least five interruptions. He moves to the last page and finishes after a total of 45 minutes at the table. Completed: 7 traced letters, 3 of his own letters, and two pictures mostly colored...
Awesome.
When it was time to read together he was being ugly about it and I told him he would have to lay on his bed while we read if he kept it up. Where was he when I was yelling over and over for him while the others and I are waiting on the couch with our books? He's on his bed! "You said I could lay on my bed if I didn't want to read!"
Screw it, man!

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!

I have dish network. You may think , "Big deal", but I say, "Lord, the light of your love is shining." I cannot begin to describe to you the utter joy we received by pushing the menu button after months of having to flip channel after channel to find out what was on t.v. Every push of a button felt like the holy spirit filling my soul again and again and again. Hallelujah, what a Savior! And let me tell you about all those days I grabbed the remote to rewind the part of the show I just missed or to pause the t.v. and now... now I can pause. The look of the t.v. as it is suspended in mid broadcast is a feeling of pure delight. Then I get up and get myself a little snack and I walk back to that t.v. and push play. It waited for me. The little t.v. waited for me. Oh, then... then a commercial tries to entice me saying, "buy me, buy me" and I say, "Screw you little commercial. I shall skip you." And I skip, skip, skip past every commercial until my beautiful show returns to me. The refreshing, quenching feeling like taking a shower after years without water. Oh, the water... running down my face, pouring over me. My dish... Aiden looked at the new remote as it sat there next to me and he said, "We have this remote again?" And I said, "We sure do, son. It feels like home again!"

Good news/Bad news

Good news:

Happy Birthday, Ben!

You are 29 today and I'm honored to have been born the same year as you. You have to admit it's not that many of us born at the end of 78 that were able to graduate from high school in 1996. So... lucky us! You're also a fantastic guy and I'm a better person having known you these 12 years. I hope this year brings you much more than you imagined it could. I love you!Bad news:
I had a busy morning this morning and had some friends come over 45 minutes before I was suppose to meet Aiden at the bus stop. I made lunch, ate lunch, cleaned up a disaster and an hour after I was suppose to meet him I remembered him... He had to ride all the way back to school and wait in the office for me. To make matters worse his bus drives right past the church building on the rest of it's route and he started crying again when he saw it cause he knew his dad was in there. I felt horrible and cried as soon as I was out of the school office. It was so horrible and sad. Who forgets there kid a whole hour after the fact? Not five, ten minutes. An hour! I cried and carried him the whole way back to the car. The we sat in the car and he told me about the good day he had before I ruined it... Then he begged to go back home so he could play with his friends that were waiting. I suck.

Aiden's first day of Kindergarten

This lay out is a little peculiar but this is Aiden's first day of school. He was brave and went right into his class. He rode the bus with Emma and then daddy met him at the school to help him find his class. His teacher's name is Mrs. Fraanzman. He rode the school bus home on his first day and was so late getting to the bus stop that I knew something must have gone wrong. They ended up arriving 35 minutes after the scheduled time but he was as smiley as ever! When he was telling me about his day he said he had a new friend but he didn't know his name. He also said that his friend liked to give thumbs up just like him. Maybe he'll figure out his name soon. :)

Gilead

Our church has a book club. It's comprised of women and we meet once a month. Gilead is the book we are reading this month and was Ben's only suggestion per our request. I have not started it yet but I will by the end of the week. We like to pick different genres every time. I'd really like to read Blue Like Jazz next because a lot of people have read it and I've even heard the guy speak but haven't read it yet. If you have suggestions feel free to comment.

Emma's first day of school in Washington

She was excited and woke up with more than enough time to get ready. We took her to school in time for breakfast and I stayed and sat with her. She did great and was brave. Tomorrow she'll ride the bus to and from school.

Aiden won't start 'til Friday and Emma will be able to eat breakfast with him to show him the ropes. His teacher will ride the schoolbus with them on there trip home after lunch. He's very excited.

#2,#3

I win!

I firmly believe that Bellingham, WA has more drive thru coffee places than the Portland/Vancouver area per capita! To prove it I will start taking a picture of everyone I see and I will not duplicate any one spot. That does not mean there will not be multiples of a chain coffee place. I did not take this picture but I will allow it represent the one on Sunset...

#1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The greatest series ever. At least, I think so. I'm happy, my kids are happy. I feel complete. My kids have their mother back and my husband has a wife again. No more books to get a hold of. No more death... (At least we all hope.) Only laundry and dishes and my family and sweet Jesus. I wish I could talk about the book but I wouldn't ever want to ruin it for anybody.

My kids start school next week. We're all excited. I'll take pictures and post them. Until next time...

Softball

Remember when I said I like balls? I like softball. A few weeks ago for our Wednesday night church we met at the park and played softball together. The last bit we let all the kids take turns batting and running the bases. It was so cute watching them try and hit the ball. Then, as soon as they hit it we would scream, "RUN! RUN!" and they'd run for dear life. They had a blast. Here are pictures of my kids taking a turn.

I love that I have my own mit. The first mit I owned got left at Delano Bay by Adam Langford the weekend we had Izzy and the Langfords took care of the high school retreat for us. This is my second one and it definitely didn't get used enough this summer. That's for sure. I need to to throw a ball today. I won't because it's raining but maybe tomorrow. Let's have a ball throwing day tomorrow. How many of you will throw a ball? I will!

More pictures and an update

We had a fun weekend this last weekend. Our friends Christy and Cheryl from Oregon came with there five kids collectively and stayed from Thursday night to Sunday afternoon. We took Kaylin and Blake's pictures while they were here as well as a picture of my kids all together which is a most difficult project when the mother is the photographer! It was so great having all of them!

After they left we took a family nap together and I woke up feeling a little under the weather. Turns out I ended up feeling a lot under the weather and threw up three times during the night and once in the morning. I felt completely horrible for most of the day yesterday with my head pounding and my stomach and back aching like crazy. Emma was so sweet and fixed the kids' breakfast. Ben had no clue I was sick and got up early for a 7:30 meeting. He came home later in the morning and brought me saltines and gatorade and fed the kids lunch.. After another meeting he came back and took care of the kids who were destroying the house (in a creative way) and gave them some more food and a little extra guidance. Once I was feeling stable enough and brave enough to try tylenol on a slightly empty stomach, I felt so much better. I think I am on the up swing now but will definitely stay in today and be still as much as possible. Time to have some toast!

Jessica's Photo Shoot

The Winner!

Well, if you didn't get to vote, I'm awful sorry. But the winner is...
...in this order...

Chelan Metcalf, earning first place with... the tree base...

Jennifer Ries, in second place with... sailboats...

and Chelan Metcalf, in third place with... the rowboats

Thanks for playing. Good night and good luck!