Merry Holloween?

These were this years carvings. Aiden's is scary pumpkin. Izzy's is puppy pumpkin. Emma's is Disney Castle. Ben and I love to have a competition when it comes to carving but the past few years all we can manage is carving each of our children's pumpkins! We have some fake ones we need to carve but I'm not sure we're going to have time for that soon, so...

Now, for the Merry part...

Our neighbor's house!

What In the world? We pulled out our scarecrow and they pulled out big blow up Christmas-Go-Round! Then, in one day, they had lights, reindeer, trees, Santa... oh, and two jack o lanterns! You can't put up Christmas before Fall starts!
Do you like the emphasis in the picture here?

"One of the these things is not like the other. One of these things just doesn't belong. Can you guess which thing is not like the other? Now our song is done."

Well, like we say every day now, Merry Christmas!

(I am going to be extrememly busy these next few weeks. I'll update when I can!)

Maybe I'm crazy!

I thought it would be great writing and computer practice for Emma to have her own blog! So we created it together and now she's hoping that her friends in Portland will make their own and check each other's blogs. Check out her first post

Pumpkins! (Edited)

Izzy had her second field trip of the year to the Pumpkin Patch. Not the coolest patch ever or anything but they did have a hay maze.

Who doesn't like a good pumpkin? Carving an intricate picture and displaying in with delicate candle light. I discovered some fake pumpkins last year at the thrift store and actually carved one this year. Greatest thing ever. My creation will never spoil. It remains beautiful and unfuzzy! We haven't carved the rest of our pumpkins yet but that post will be forthcoming!

I've added a picture of my pumpkin from our Texas time. It had two sides. Too bad I don't have digitals of some of my best work!

Ben's conversation

So, the following is Ben's conversation with Aiden that he quickly wrote down so as not to forget anything. This conversation happened on the way back to the house from the bus stop. Izzy was there, too.

A: Dad, Jayden likes to have sex with naked girls. ( this kid is a 2nd grader.)
D: WHAT?
A: repeats
D: Who told you that?
A: Some people at school.
D: Aiden what does sex mean?
A: Oh... it's something...you know...I don't know. What is it? (laughing)
D: Buddy, sex is something that only married people should do and I don't think it's appropriate to talk about with your buddies at school.
A:Yeah! You and mom have sex all the time, right?
D:Well, not as much as I like.
A: (laughing) Yeah!
I: Dad, what is sex?
D: Aiden, what did you do today at school?
A: Ah, nothing!

Dad thinks to himself... "Crisis averted!"

So Ben wimped out of that one but, I promise you, I have had to have this conversation many times with all of my children. I have come to realize that trying to discuss these matters with them when they are these ages seems pointless! They don't remember what we talk about at all! I have had some pretty decent explanations, too! But, don't ask for them! That's what your parents are around for. Jeesh!

Ow!

So, I hurt my neck. It was a really strenuous activity I was involved in and I really need to be more careful about how I exercise! See, when your lying in bed and your alarm goes off, the best advice is to wear earplugs or figure out some sort of method other than turning it off so that you don't feel inclined to reach over and turn it off, for that, and that alone, is what I did to hurt my neck... And as I lied there, I thought, "that hurt" and I lied there five minutes, six minutes, seven minutes... And with each minute, the pain got more intense and my neck was able to move less and less. Then... I tried to get up. With every millimeter or a move my body tried to make, shooting pains seared up into my skull. Any way I thought I might be able to move was useless. Now, I could have had Ben just pull me up. Yes, the perfect solution. Only guess who was out of town at that very moment? It starts with a "B" and ends with a "en"! The longer time ticked the more I was determined to get Advil and NOW! So, as quick as I could I maneuvered my buns to the edge of the bed and allowed my body to fall off. How else could I force myself to endure the pain that inevitably shot through my brain?
Let me tell you, I had two very full days planned while Ben was gone and that changed rather quickly. I had Izzy taken to school by someone else and canceled my meeting which left me just enough time to lay down very carefully and sleep so as to try and relax every muscle that had tensed up in body.
As the hours go by, I find the pain to transform into something new. A different muscle, a new pain, and actually, ways I can move it and places I can put pressure which allow me to turn certain ways... But, in the last 60 hrs I have prepped a shower for caulking, a counter for resurfacing, watched two boys for a day, packed up my scrapbooking stuff, taken my kids and myself to a friends where we scrapbooked and stayed the night, and layed flooring down for my first time! And church and sleeping but...
This (picture below) is a pressure point I discovered for neck pain. If it's the right side of your neck push on the left hand and vise versa. I've only tried it once so far and am very hopeful! I've never been to a chiropractor since we moved here and we've always had some sort of good deal wherever we've lived thus far so I don't want to pay 50 to 200 bucks for a little poppy pop but we'll see if I'm forced. I am trying to move it and massage it and have some arnica and other drugs... Like pot. Just joking! I've also discovered my most reliable massager. It's me. I'm always available, I know exactly what I need and I'm good at what I do!
Hopefully this will come to pass. Life could be worse. My neck's just stiff. That's all.

Some random pictures

These are some pictures I took at a house nearby that is a public building. We looked around inside and took pictures outside. It was sort of fun. Yah, okay, it was fun! Izzy brought her friend Harsimran. She's Indian. It makes me think of Eva...

To redeem graphic post...

Birds! (Graphic content)

This morning was bird morning...

As I took Izzy to school there were some crows eating a freshly killed squirrel. When I headed to the church building I saw a large hawk hop off the road into the bushes with it's freshly killed breakfast. Then, when I picked Izzy up, that same dead squirrel had attracted some seagulls. I was driving pretty slow and there was still one seagull pretty dedicated to his meal. I said, "Move, seagull. I'm driving through here..." And I slowly drove closer and closer expecting Mr. Seagull to hop over to the side of the road and let me pass. So, I'm getting closer and closer, hoping... hoping... Then, thump... THUMP... THUMP! Ahhhh! Yuck! I killed a huge seagull! How stupid are seagulls? "I wasn't gonna take your food!" Darn seagull! (I showed Izzy on the way home.)

Houses

Two bullets on the subject

*I was thinking, for some reason, about the neighborhood I used to live in during some of my growing up years. I lived in the Oakbrook neighborhood. It was a great place to be able to ride bikes, there was a park close by and don't forget the beaver marsh! It wasn't actually a marsh at all but a foresty area with a stream running through it and a path that took you around a long loop. Lovely! And then I thought, if I ever lived in Vancouver again, I wouldn't mind looking for a house in the same neighborhood. Then I thought, I wonder how prices are comparable in that neighborhood to what they are here in my neck of the woods. So, I looked up one of those cool maps where you can see each little house icon in any particular neighborhood and get the details. Two things, I noticed. One, there are some brand new homes on 99th st that amaze me. Only because it was all full of houses already! What did they destroy to errect new ones? And not just one new either! Second, our old neighbor lady on the corner with the poodle's house is for sale. I'm sad to say she probably passed away... I remember her house so vividly.

*I was going to write a different post about how we were going to make an offer on a house. It's right near the church building, big enough, wood floors, lots of light, big yard, green house, not to mention some chicken pens. It's a repo and we've been wiating for a while to see if they were going to lower the price at all because there are many things that have to be done before it's actually livable! We were at least waiting so they would accept a low offer. Well, we made the decision yesterday that we would write up an offer and sign it as soon as Ben gets home on Friday. Well, unbeknownst to my dear husband, there is now an offer pending on it... What?! Darn! Well, isn't that devine intervention? Man! Now I get to sit at home waiting for Ben to come back so we can look more... Poop.

My Garden!

This represents my feelings toward my garden.

It's gone to pot.

Couldn't save it. It's production was a tease and far less useful than I expected. It's not all over. The tomatoes have survived "the plague" as I like to call it. Some flowers survived. I got some sweet peas, some sugar snaps, some strawberries, one lemon cucumber, one mini cucumber, and two full size green beans. Everything is a shriveled, poopy, stupid, dumb head now. My tomatoes are alive despite me because I refuse to go outside and tend to anything. It's too depressing and I don't want it any more. The tomatoes are suppose to be romas but they are actually the size of cherry tomatoes and they're ripening.

Next year I plan to have a real garden in the ground. I feel capable of having a garden and I proved that to myself even if you guys think I'm a failure at gardening. You weren't here, so you don't know. I've learned very useful things and know things to do and not to do next time. One being few pots! I will reserve them for flowers and I will patch up the holes I drilled in my beautiful pedistal pots. That was a bad idea. Good for you, all you people with produce. Good for you. I'll just get mine at the market now. No more energy for death!

Two Proud Moments... Strike that, three

So, two things have made me very proud regarding Emma this week (give or take).

At church, if you are unaware, we have one particular scripture that we are dwelling in for an entire year together every time we gather. This consists of reading it together, reflecting quietly sharing with one person what stood out to you and then sharing what you heard your partner saying to the rest of the group. It's a practice in listening in multiple ways. We even do this with many of the children. Or at least read it with the littler ones and talk about it. So as we entered into a new school year and a new teacher with a new style of homework we were working on a reading log. We had finished reading and needed to fill out her paper and after I read the questions with her and she tried to answer them she said, "I feel like I'm dwelling in the word at church!" That's a proud father/preacher right there, if ever there was one! :)

The second is we were walking up from the bus stop and talking about doing homework and she said, "Can we read the book about Tom Sawyer, today? He does such funny things!" Proud mother moment, right there! For one, I bought her the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and two, I started reading it to her! That should make my own mother proud!

Third, Emma knows how to swim despite me with no lessons and no plugging of the nose. End of story.

First Days of School

Here are pictures from the kids' first day of school. I was worried that Izzy wouldn't be able to go to her first day because I forgot to get her immunizations updated. I was relieved to find out that she has thirty days to get them and we were able to get them after school on her first day. Getting shots was a little sad. I had to hold her tight while she was screaming and trying to fight her way out. It was not pretty. Let me back up a minute. The kids used my keys the night before and I couldn't find them and then locked myself out of the house and didn't have any way to get Izzy to school. My neighbor drove up and was able to take us. (Her daughter goes to Head Start like Izzy but in the other class.) The parents were suppose to go on the first day but I had to figure out a way to get us to the doctors let alone back home. Ben was gone for his birthday with Aaron to a cabin up the mountain. Not Broke Back or anything! My friend, Diane came to the rescue and picked us up and took us to get shots. So, after the shots we thought she deserved some ice cream. What a morning! The kids all like their teachers and Emma says third grade is much better than second grade!

Happy 30th, Benji

How do I love Thee? Let me count the ways...


A poem

30 years of wisdom
30 years of charm
30 years of jokes
30 years with little harm

Of the 30 years you've been alive
I've known you just 13
But if those thirteen years were doubled
Well, then that would equal 26

So, if you add our youngest daughter
to 26 it would equal 30
And that, my friends, is magic
Not repulsive and not dirty

I love this guy who's 30 today
so much I'd give my left arm
Because that's how much he means to me
But not enough to give up my right arm

Benny, oh Benny you really are great
and I'm thankful I'm married to you
'Cause if I were not I'd be married to someone else
and my life would have turned out like poo

Happy Birthday!

I love you!

Daily lessons

Starting off with a side note I have exercised two days in a row now. Yesterday I did step for a half hour and walked with Izzy for a half hour. Today our walk consisted of walking all the way to Fred Meyer, shopping a little and walking back. We ended up being gone for the whole morning! So, congrats to me. Tomorrow I will clean the church building as my work out. Maybe I'll do lunges as I vacuum!

So, while we were at Freddies we decided to get a doughnut. Don't bring up my choice of snack! I know it's a red light food! We were patiently waiting slightly behind the couple picking out their doughnuts and as they finish a guy runs up, grabs a bag, and gets his hands all in the bins and goes about his shopping... Hello? I can promise you that with a very large bike trailer as our stroller inside the store that we were more than visible... Well, whatever. We just patiently waited our turn. Again. Next we go to the deli to purchase our food and get a milk. We stand a ways back to allow for traffic to flow around us and wait to check out. An employee even asks us if we need anything else while the person in front of us finishes checking out and she gets us our milk and sets it on the counter. Very nice. Then a lady from the left comes wooshing in with her cart and says, "I need a coke!" and she pays for her coke, and I'm like, "God, are you teaching me patience today?" So, I think I shall be more intentional on looking for the things God is looking to teach me. It may be patience, daily! But, whatever it is, I definitely want to look for it.

I have been noticing other ways I can be patient. Like walking slowly with Izzy as she tries to balance on something instead of telling her to hurry up. What am I in a hurry for? I want to appreciate being able to walk to the store. Do I always have to "hurry" and get to the store? As my life begins to find rythym again, I hope to find lots of patience and peace.

Enough is Enough!

I don't know what the deal is lately but I have been continually woken up in the night. Sometimes it's to snoring, sometimes I don't even know why, and then since we've had company my kids have been on our floor many times and Aiden has started grinding his teeth which drives me insane. There was one night a month or so ago when Aiden was in our bed for some reason and his grinding was right at my ear. "Squeeeak, squeeeak" over and over. I was so irritated that I had to try and continuously try to wake him up. I'd shake him and tap him and gently squeeze his little jaw so as to help him realize what he was doing. Nothing made any difference! I finally woke Ben up to make him carry him back to his own bed.

So last week one night I woke up to Ben snoring and the kids were on the ground. As I'm trying my best to get back to sleep Adien starts squeeking and Ben's snoring is sparatic and very distruptive. I got so angry at one point I actually said out loud, "OH, lose some weight!" because honestly when Ben is slim he doesn't snore hardly ever. I was desperate. I couldn't go any where else either because there was even someone on the couch in the living room! I was so miserable I was even willing to get up and drive to a store just to get some ear plugs! But it was three and Albertson's was only open until two... I was lying there, awake, pulling my hair out for an hour at least! Nigth. mare.
Well, I can't stop waking up. I am so sensitive right now for some reason. I finally bought some ear plugs! I was so excited I didn't even wait to be woken up by something, I put them in before I went to bed. Ahhh. Falling asleep to the sound of your own breathing... Well, it wasn't exactly so great because I didn't get them in very well. Ben worked at the airport back in the day and is a professional when it comes to earplug insertion! So I knew the tactics, I just couldn't do it good enough on one side. I tried again the next night and I woke up in the morning with one ear very itchy. Wierd and annoying. That didn't seem right so I've resolved to just wearing them when I get woken up... Too bad mine aren't pink like Tara's. But then again, Jones won't try and steal them...

Lots of Family Pictures

We took pictures of all the fam a couple times over. :) It was unfortunate not to have a family picture done of Michelle's family. Next time, hopefully.

ZOOM Baby!

Ben surprised me, covered with a lie, and got me a 70 - 300 lens for my camera! Some of these pictures are taken with it and some are with my other lens. The ones that are the most blurry in the background are with the zoom lens. I am so excited.