Marathon Capming

When scheduling camping trips with two different groups I didn't realize I was planning them back to back because Labor Day fell so early this year. I think it turned out for the best. We didn't have to unpack and clean up the mess just to turn around and repack and head out again. Instead, we went to Lake Chelan for three nights with friends and then headed directly over to Mt. Ranier to camp with family and friends for another 3 nights. I think it's the longest I have ever camped. Everyone was worried about me doing that being 7 1/2 months pregnant, but it was true, all you really to is eat and sit around and your husband is always there to help! And the kids ran around and played so much they were asking to go to bed every night at about 8pm. That part was great since school started the next day. Highlights of the trip were Slidewaters where the kids did not stop all day long, except for some long breaks in the giant hot tub and the flea market in Packwood.
Tyson and Rick swimming in Lake Chelan after jumping off the dock.Kate playing in the sand.Bradley (with Logan and Tyler) after a trip to his favorite place, the camp consession stand.

Sean, Mike, and Rick, getting some 'air'. An annual favorite.
The women taking a lunch break, not to say that we didn't hit the slides.

Even the younger boys felt like they 'ruled' the park heading wherever they wanted. Not slowed down by the cool/sometimes gusty breeze.
Kate loved ALL the slides, I'm glad she's a little daredevil at such a young age. By the end of the day she was swimming across the hot tub underwater to me.

Next, we were on to Mt. Ranier which was much darker and COLD (40's and 50's with some sprinkles). It was also much dirtier because in Chelan we were camping on grass. But Kate was happy with her new set of friends. Brooke Greenwood, Sam Hartman, Christine Rew, and Megan Hatch (not pictured).

Feeling even bigger than I look. And getting bigger faster with all of the good camping food.

The boys went on a few hikes to the Blue Hole and Purcell Falls.
And then back home to loads and loads of filthy laundry....... but look at those faces, it was all worth it!

Hanging out at the POOL

The kids and I spent two weeks in Tri-Cities at my parents house. It's become an annual thing. The kids get swimming lessons and lots of swimming time. We all get toasty brown (and blonde) and I get to spend time with my mom decorating, shopping, garage saling, and visiting. (and bonus-Grandpa babysits alot!). This year was great because Bradley got comfortable with the deep end of the pool. He ended the two weeks doing cannon balls and dives off the diving board. Yea! And Kate figured out how to get rings off the bottom of the baby pool, submerging most of her body each time. Once she learned she did it 100 times in a row. And she was as excited each time she did it as if it was the first time, so I was too! I'm glad she's so comfortable in the water at this age. Tyson passed from level 5 to 6 and learned the breaststroke. He's becoming a really good swimmer. It was fun to spend time with my brother Brian, the kids sure loved building forts for baby Zachary (9 monthes) and luckily he survived the experience. This kids also got to take trips to the dump with Grandpa, and hang out with their Richland friends. And I did too. We also went to an outdoor movie when Rick joined us for the weekend. The Gealtas also joined us again, for what we think is our 5th year running. They didn't come to the pool as often because Rebecca's sister has moved an hour away, but it was great when they did come and fun to carry on our little tradition.

Happy 60th Mom/Grandma

Happy Birthday!!

It's the big six-o. You sure make 60 look good. I'm thankful to have such and active, giving, and stylin' mother! It's a blessing to be able to live so close. I'm so thankful for how generous you've been in watching my kids whenever I wanted/needed it. You've been a great example of a mother-loving, giving, and teaching. Now with number four on the way I appreciate everything you've done even more!

The kids and I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday. Here's some tributes the kids made when asked what they love about Grandma.

Tyson: "She lets us use her key to get into the pool. And she gives us a whole bunch of free stuff."

Bradley: "She's nice. She buys yummy cereal. We get to go to her store and pump up balloons and eat m&m's. And tell her I can whistle."

Kate: "I like going to her house. I like going to her house, alot." Is that all? "Yeah, that's good."

Me: Shopping, decorating, cooking, or just chatting. Hope you've having a great one!

A day at Mt. Ranier

Last Saturday we headed to Mt. Ranier to spent the day with some friends who were camping for the weekend (my friend Lori thought we were brilliant for not staying the night since she spent the night with mice in her van!). It was a beautiful drive and a great time getting together with long-time friends, the Stanfields who I have known since elementary school and the Wellers that we met in college. The kids played in the water, we went for a hike, and had foil dinners, monkey bread, and smores ofcourse. What a great day.

Pictured are the Stanfield's with their 5 boys (minus Becky who is taking the picture) us, and the Wellers with their two boys and one girl on our walk through the Grove of the Patriarchs.

What time is the baby due?

Tyson just asked me what day the baby was due. I told him October 8th, then he said "what time?" Wouldn't that be nice.
We're still at an impasse with naming the baby, any suggestions???

Our Week in Review

The boys spent the mornings this week going to Vacation Bible School at the church where they attended preschool. They had a really good time (and so did I, running errands without them!) Wednesday afternoon we spent at Renton River Days where we go every year that we are in town. The kids had a great time on the inflatables, playing games, getting prizes, and at the petting zoo. This year it was surprisingly cool, which was nice. Kate is getting geared up for the Daddy-Daughter campout. Tyson is getting excited about playing flag football in the fall.

Tooth Fairy's Visit

The Tooth Fairy made a visit at our house about a month ago when Bradley lost his first tooth. It's very adorable. Bradley was very excited about the Tooth Fairy's visit when he heard there was money involved. After pondering it for a while one day he commented "Wow, the Tooth Fairy must be rich, I wonder where she gets all of her money!?"

Kate vs. White Ink Pad

This is Kate after having fun with my white ink pad (I knew better than to leave it on the stairs) a few weeks ago. Today her brothers tattooed her with markers. She's got dinosaurs and tigers on her back. When I yelled out to the boys to stop doing it she said "NO, don't tell the boys to stop drawing on my back, I like it." Rick is hoping her love for ink on her body does not carry into her teenage years!

Our Trip to Pennsylvania

Our flight on the way out was a little rough. It was a long flight to Atlanta and by the time we boarded the plane to Baltimore we had two crying kids, but we survived the 15-hour travel day and arrived safely.

It took Kate a few days to get used to the dogs, but in the end she loved Jackson (Java) and Cocoa. We enjoyed visiting with family, all but 3 were there, which meant 23 people and one shower! The purpose of the trip was to help celebrate Grandma Rock's 90th birthday.

We were also able to take a few side trips to: Hershey where we had a great time at Hershey Park, a huge amusement park, I didn't get any pictures because our digital camera broke =-(, Gettysburg, and Palmyra, NY. All in all I think the kids would have taken just playing with their cousins at grandma's house over anything else. All 12 of them had a great time together.

Our kids enjoyed driving the country roads that felt like roller coasters. And they got to taste some Pennsylvania Dutch favorites such as fried chicken, ham balls, and homemade macaroni and cheese. And then there were the Chambersburg/Wenger traditional foods like grapenut ice cream, Utz potato chips, Martins potato rolls, and pretzels. We made an almost daily outing for handmade ice cream.

Rick's mom and her two dogs Cocoa and Java, or Jackson as Kate called him.Kate getting a pedicure from her two cousins Didi and Rian. Thanks girls!Some of the cousins posing under the train during the 90th birthday celebration.Cousins playing in the stream at Caladonia State Park where we later found water snakes!The two kids and I climbed 119 steps to the top of this observation tower in Gettysburg, for a beautiful view of the battlefield and countryside. It was a little scary with those two up there by myself and I later regretted it since I could barely walk for the next two days!On the way to NY, Rick and the boys loved stopping in Williamsport, PA to see the Little League Museam.It took Kate a while, but pretty soon she warmed up and wanted her picture with ALL of the dancers at the Hill Cumorah Pageant.It was great for the kids to see the Book of Mormon come to life during the show. We even visited with friends from Kent there, the Call and Jensen (now live in NYC) families!
'Bees were humming, sweet birds singing, and music ringing' literally as we walked through the Sacred Grove, where Joseph Smith had the First Vision.
We made a stop on the way home for me, to see the house my Dad grew up in, in Sayre PA. We even had a Double Cheese Whammie at his favorite restaurant, a real dive I might add!

Luckily our travels back home went much more smoothly. I think the kids were just exhausted. Kate had a sweet lady to sit next to on our long flight to SLC and then all three kids slept from take-off to landing on our flight to Seattle, ahhh. Home sweet Home.

S*U*M*M*E*R

Ahhh, summer, my favorite season of all is finally here to stay. In the past few meltingly hot days, my pregnant belly has wanted to say contrary, but there's just something wonderful about the lazy days of summer. I have no pictures to show for it, but we've actually been less than lazy in our first week of summer. We had to pack in the fun before we packed for our big trip to Pennsyvania. We've been to free movies, free lunch, the lake, the park, a pool/bouncy house party, and we even took the kids to the new 24 hour fitness kids area to play while we worked out/swam. As Samantha brilliantly pointed out, it's cheaper than a babysitter, and the kids have a blast too (it's like a mini Chuck E Cheese). It was so hot at our house I figured it was worth the $6 just to go sit there and read a book in the AC for 2 hours! The pool felt great though.
My favorite part was today when I sat by Kate for The Arctic Tale, a National Geographic movie about polar bears and walruses. It wasn't as captivating as the typical Disney annimation film so Kate gave her own additions to amuse me atleast. It's fun to hear what is going through little 2 year old minds and Kate is not afraid to verbalize them. She made a lot of comments about the mother and baby animals. Then it went on...
Kate: "The polar bear does not have a mouth like mine. How big is the polar bear's tail? Does the polar bear sit on the toilet?"
Mom: "No"
Kate: "Does the polar bear wash his hands?"
Mom: "Yes, in the ocean."
Kate: "How does the polar bear get soap?"
To which I didn't have an answer for. Luckily she didn't press me. I wouldn't want to disappoint her that some people/animals don't use soap. I'll keep her good habits while I've got them (actually her habits are mostly due to the fact that most public places have pink soap which is of course her favorite color, so she is delighted to use it).
Kate's last funny of the week is when she walks up to me and says "The baby just kicked" refering to the baby in her tummy! Although she has noticed that my tummy has gotten a lot bigger, while hers hasn't over the past few months. Sometimes she just looks down and says, "My baby is not bery big."

Making Room for Baby

Kate has a new room after many hours of stripping denim and teddy bear wallpaper, patching hundreds of holes left by the previous owners, and painting the walls two colors as well as the molding, bed, and dressers, and sewing curtains, pillow, and even coordinating cradle bedding. It's very bright and cheerful. Kate loves it. Unfortunately, it hasn't kept her in her bed all night long like I had hoped and dreamed it would.

Kate's old room is back to the nursery for the new baby. I wanted to have the project done before the kids were home for the summer and I got too pregnant. Wait, I look too pregnant already. Well, let's just say it's only going to get worse!

When we set up the crib Kate said "the baby gets the I am A Child of God Bed". It took me a second, but then I realized she must be saying that because that's what I used to sing her every night before I put her to bed. The first morning after Kate had her new room she came in with a pacifier and blanket and said "Mom, can the baby come out now?" She's all ready to take care of her. I've seen her walking around the house with her hands six inches apart saying, "the baby is too little", just like I told her.

Tunes

We've been wanting a piano for a few years. The boys have really been begging. I looked at one on Craigslist this spring and called my brother Jeff for advice. He insisted that he pick out my piano. So we waited until he came into town at the end of May. We looked at a few upright grands on Craiglist that were beautiful, but didn't have great sound. We ended up finding this one at a piano store. It was the music stand that sold me, and sound passed the rigorus Jeff test. Thanks for all the help Jeff.

Rick says our house finally seems like a home. The boys play it alot. Bradley has quickly memorized Book of Mormon Stories and Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam, and is eager to learn more. We should be starting some lessons in the fall. I have also enjoyed sitting down to play, since no one is listening except Rick and my kids! They don't mind my plunking, although tonight as we sang for FHE Tyson said "play one you really know, I'm tired of stopping in the middle". I'm working on it, it's been a long time since I've really played (more than 15 years) and that's when I was a teenager than just wanted to finish my 1/2 hour of lesson material and be done with it!

Tyson's Favorite Pastime

Like father like son, Tyson has fallen in love with baseball. He not only had a great season playing, he has become as into 'checking the score' as his dad. We'll be in the middle of dinner and he'll say 'Dad, can I please go check the score?' He roots for the Phillies, just like Dad.
He played on a 3rd/4th grade team. He was the smallest player, but he held his own. He usually played 2nd base, but also took several turns pitching (which is very difficult to do at such a young age).

It was really fun, ok nerve-wracking, to watch. Rah Rah little T, as some of his teammates called him!

Trampoline Time

I can't believe we really did it, but we got a trampoline. It wasn't so much the price (free from the Haddocks-THANK YOU!), but the whole idea of having one. I didn't have one growing up, but I have seen how much fun our kids have had on all the ones in the neighborhood. Kate is much safer this year, so we went for it. It's a great way for the kids to get out some energy. And I'm amazed that they'll even go out when it's cold outside.

It's been a lot of fun for everyone. This was my first time on it (after having it for about a month). The kids and I did a few rounds of 'Ring Around the Rosie' while I was taking a break from painting.

State Report: ALASKA

Tyson did a state report on Alaska. It was fun learning alot about the state as I helped him. He had to have to whole assignment finished early because Rick and I were leaving for Hawaii. He misplaced his written portion on the day of the report so he adlibed. He spoke for several minutes over the 15 minute time limit all off the top of his head. He has always enjoyed memorizing facts, good thing he knew his material! He ended up scoring a 4 on it, which means he exceeded the expectations/above grade level. Great job Tyson.

Tyson's video party

For Tyson's 9th birthday we decided to have a video party. We played Guesstures for their 'acting lesson' and then the boys made a short movie. They decided on Indiana Jones V, The Lost Emerald of Elders. They came up with the costumes and wrote the script. The finished product is on Youtube if you search their title. There are three portions if you find one, you'll find them all.

They had a great time making/watching their movie. We served popcorn and movie candy as well as a clapboard cake. There were presents of course, all of which he loved.

Happy 9th Birthday Tyson, we love you!

Welcome Back to Parenthood

Literally two hours after we arrived home from Hawaii (thank goodness we were home), Kate tripped on her bath towel and fell into our corduroy ottomon. It was obvious that she needed stitches so off to the Urgent Care we went, swollen ankles (of mine from flying) and all. Sure enough, three stitches later we thought she was all fixed up.
Unfortunately, two of the stitches must have come out (it was hard to tell due to the swelling and ulceration), because it has not healed correctly and she'll be headed up to Children's Hospital soon to have an oral surgeon work on it. With three sets of stitches in the past nine months (that's 2 for Kate and 1 for Bradley), we have been teased that they have a room with our name on it. All I can say, is thank goodness for great insurance. Thanks Rick for working so hard for it.

Oahu Revealed

Laie Temple, walking distance from where we stayed.

View from above the temple, with a little bit of 'vog' in the background (volcanic fog).
We spent more time at the PCC. We watched the world fire-knife competition-Amazing!

The beautiful Dole Plantation, where we had ice cream-pineapple of course. It was my favorite, although Rick was a fan of the shave ice that he seemed to find somewhere everyday.
The whole group at Turtle Bay Resort, us with my brother Jeff and sister Michelle and her husband, Dixon. We did spot 3 turtles swimming, although the ones that kept popping in front of me while snorkeling were much more remarkable. A sight we had not enjoyed during our first trip to Oahu.
'Lost Beach' titled after the show. Apparently portions were filmed here. We got lost finding it the first time we visited, so it was fun to actually find it!
The Byodo Temple is a replica of a Japanese Temple with an actual Buddah inside.
Surf Waikiki! Rick, Jeff, and Dixon took a surfing lesson. It was fun to watch. Rick had great form. Unfortunately we didn't buy the professional pictures that truely captured it.

I've been asked how our trip to Hawaii was. I always answer the same. Being in the tropics without kids, how could it not be wonderful. Luckily everyone survived at home, because we had a great time snorkeling, hiking, swimming, kayaking, trying the local cuisine, cliff jumping, surfing, and flying a powered hang-glider (Ok, that was just Rick for the last three!). After our second trip to Oahu in the past six months we really feel like we've seen it all. It was a great trip. Thanks again to Uncle Larry and Aunt Dorothy for hosting us. And THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Rick's Mom who watched the kiddos.

Congratulations Brian

My baby brother (he loves that!) graduated from WSU in Accounting. It was the beginning of a very busy month of May. We spent Mothers Day Weekend in Tri-Cities celebrating both occasions. Thanks to Mom for hosting a wonderful weekend full of activitites and fabulous food. Way to go Brian. And Happy Mothers' Day to an EXCEPTIONAL Mom!