Finally...October 2009 Family Pics - Part 2

After 2 months of dealing with computer issues, we have finally resolved them. However, it appears to be a temporary and almost daily fix. I was able to remove a Trojan virus from our computer after many hours and with the help of my dear hubbie. Then a friend (thank you , thank you, thank you!!!) was able to refer us to a program to remove the spyware. It seems we keep getting spyware back on our computer so pretty much daily we have to run the program to remove it. Oh well! At least I can use the computer again!! If you are having spyware issues, try downloading this free program at http://www.malwarebytes.org/index.php.

Now I have some serious catching up to do with family photo’s. I will keep plugging away to get them loaded for you though. So Halloween was two months ago! You’ll still get to enjoy some fun photo’s.

Katelynn decided to try a new sport this year. The last two years she has played soccer. This year, she decided to try Volleyball and really enjoyed it. She certainly has the heigth for it! Another few inches and she will be as tall as I am but she is only in the 5th grade!!

We always go to a local Pumpkin Patch and have gone to the same pumpkin patch the last several years. This year, we decided to try a new one and were we ever impressed! We went to Maris Farms located in Buckley Washington. You can see what they have to offer at http://www.marisfarms.com/. To start off, I was a bit shocked at the price we paid for the family but I have to say, it was totally worth it! They had the most amazing maze! We were in the maze for a good 30 minutes and that was racing each other through the clues to get to the end first. Wait until you see the aerial shot of the maze. Each year they do something new. They also have a bouncing pillow. It is a super-sized, air-filled rubberized jumping pillow. The girls and Jack had tons of fun on it! They also have a mine shaft tube slide. Half of the slide is underground which the girls thought was pretty cool.

My dad pitched in and helped the girls carve their pumpkins this year since Jack was out of town for work. The hardest part is pulling all the yuck out of the pumpkins and it's fun to see the looks on the girls' faces! The end product is worth it for them though. I had to run an errand with my mom and the girls hurried as quick as they could so that when we got back they had their pumpkins all lit up so we could see them! They did a great job and they all turned out really well!

Jack was gone for much of October and November with traveling for work. The life of a single mom is not for me!! He ended up being gone for Halloween so I got to brave the cold and some raindrops with the girls. It ended up being a pleasant night all things considered. You have to understand that I'm a fair weather girl! I'm always cold and bundled in layers so being inside is a preference for me but I was a brave mom and helped make some wonderful memories for my girls. I kept thinking that Katelynn only has one more year of this so I needed to make the most of it for her! Sally and Katelynn went as 50's girls since we had the poodle skirts from the party we attended earlier in the month. Madison had her heart set on being a Vet. She wants to be one when she grows up and as much as she loves animals, I can see it happening! I was able to find a Mr. Potatoe Head doctors shirt at Value Village that worked great for her costume. You gotta love thrift stores!!

It’s hard to believe that two weeks ago the Christmas break started for the kids and now they are back to school. I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful Christmas and a safe New Year!

October 2009 Family Pics - Part 1

I am later than usual in getting family pictures posted so I figured I would do it in two parts. That way at least one of them will get posted today!

Last month we celebrated Katelynn and my Birthday's late with the family. Lots of activities to plan around so it just didn't happen in September like we usually do. It is always fun to get together with family though! We ate Taco's and played games. The girls giggled and laughed and had lots of fun together. If you are looking for an inexpensive, fun game for the family, check out Go Nuts! http://www.gamewright.com/gamewright/index.php?section=games&page=game&show=226 It is a nutty game that will leave everyone howling!

Then, we got to go to one of Madison's friends' house for a 50's Sock Hop Birthday Party. We all had so much fun getting dressed up and attending this party. Jack went as Al (Happy Days diner owner) which was perfect since he was put to work helping in the kitchen. The rest of us girls donned poodle skirts, pony tails & scarves. The girls had a bubble gum blowing contest, limbo contest, hoola hoops, drag racing (hot wheels cars blown with a straw!), dancing and lots of fun 50's food. Lots of fun!

July 2009 Family Photo's

Wow! My poor blog has been neglected this month and I have just a few photo's to share with you from last month. I even dug around in my computer thinking maybe some photo's got placed in the wrong spot when I took them off the camera. I guess I was on photo overload from the month of June when we had so many fun events that we took pictures at.


For those of you who haven't heard already from Jack, we are are hosting another Korean exchange student! Her name is Sally and she just joined us on Monday. She is very sweet and is trying to adjust to our time zone since she is 16 hours ahead of us in South Korea. Stay tuned for more info about her and I'll be posting a picture of her when I can. I hope you are each enjoying the last few weeks of summer before school starts!

May 2009 Pictures

My, how time flies! I’m finally getting some pictures posted from last month. Friday was the last day of school for my girls and it has been a whirlwind of activities these last several weeks. I’m looking forward to some good ole fun and relaxation with my family this summer! We’ve got a camping trip coming up that we can’t wait for. It’s always good quality family time since you do not have the hustle and bustle of life.

Yesterday we put our Korean exchange student of 9+ months on a bus headed to Canada for a few days. She’ll return for one night in a hotel and then will be headed home to her family in Seoul. I’m sure her family is very excited to see their daughter. My how she has grown since she came to live with us! Her parents will be amazed at the young lady she’s turning into when they see her. Her English improved so much while she was here and she was an all A’s & B’s student at the last semester. Quite impressive! Her many hours of homework she put in paid off. We will miss Rosie’s smile around the home.

On to the pictures…Last month we took a trip to Seattle so Rosie could see some of the famous sites. First on the list was Pike’s Place Market. It was a gorgeous day for walking around Seattle! We walked the Market, ate some yummy food and showed Rosie the famous Fish Market. Then, we headed to the Seattle Center to walk around and show her the Space Needle. She really enjoyed that! To end the day, we hit the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner…Rosie’s favorite and we can’t complain!

We spent Mother’s Day at our home but my mom was home sick. We missed her! Last year I was sick in bed with a high fever for Mother’s Day. There must be something about this holiday! We just never have enough time when we get together as families! I guess we just need to get together more often. I picked up an apron for Kimberly for Mother’s Day and low and behold, I got an apron for Mother’s Day from my family as well!

The girls had their Spring Program’s. I posted a video of Katelynn’s performance last month. Madison had a speaking role in her program. She was totally in her element up there on stage performing! Imagine that!! Stay tuned soon for a video clip of her performance at her Talent Share from this month!

My sister and her family came and visited and the time with them went by so quickly! We jammed in as many events as possible. All my pictures are from our last day and evening together. It’s always the hardest day as we say our good-byes. We enjoyed our time together though!

Let me close with a prayer request for a family that goes to our church and school. The mother was just a few days out from delivering their baby boy, Jesse. It was evident the cause of his death, upon delivery, as the cord was knotted and wrapped tightly around him. Please pray for the Collins family, for peace and comfort as they handle their loss. Hug and love on those precious to you!

April 2009 Photos

Okay. So it's nearly the end of May and I'm just getting my April photo's posted. What can I say? We've been busy and having lots of fun!

April started out with Spring Break and we were able to have a sleepover with the cousins, go to Great Wolf Lodge for two amazing nights and then come home and decorate Easter eggs for Easter. I was in Kansas the middle part of April so no family photo's were taken.

At the end of the month, Madison was able to attend her first "Justice" party and had a fabulous time! All the girls got to have their hair & make-up done and then wrapped up the time with charades & dancing. A bunch of girls having fun being girls...Fun times!

March Madness, etc.

Ever had one of those days/months or in our case, year?!? This has been quite an unusual year for our family. Jack had surgery and then was hospitalized for 11 days for his blood clot. I had 2 steroid injections for my neck and then surgery finally (after 6 1/2 years of pain). My dad followed one week behind me and had foot surgery. We're still smiling though and are looking forward to "normalcy"...whatever that is! Laughter is great medicine.


Twisted Whiskers: Potty Animal @ Yahoo! Video

This year is flying by! It's been 7 1/2 weeks since my surgery and life is beginning to get normal for me finally. March was another tough month though. I am still recovering from my neck surgery and I had kids home sick 3 weeks in a row! The wall's were beginning to move in on me! I needed to get out of the house and I'm happy to say that April brought me my freedom again and healthy kids. Yea!

Then little Gaven was born and he is still struggling with jaundice. He is off the jaundice blanket (only because insurance doesn't cover it now!) and his blood is still being checked frequently to see how he is doing. I get to go see my sister and her family on Friday though and cannot wait! Please continue to pray for them and for safety for me while I travel.

I tell ya! I don't know how people get through life without Jesus! He is my comfort during times of trials. One always needs to put things into perspective. I've got a beautiful home, a loving husband, two beautiful daughters, an exchange student that God brought to us, family & friends who love and support us, a great church...the list continues on and on. Life IS good! It comes with challenges but we are made stronger because of it. We are each truly blessed!

Easter Sunday our church gave a wonderful message of hope for all. Our church has not posted the video yet but this is one you can view on youtube that's similar. These are real people just like you and me. Grab a kleenex and watch this amazing clip! Be sure to pause my blog music on the side first...

The people in our church who stood up and did this were bold but the impact that they had was amazing. Who knows what will come of it and who it spoke to!? I hope that each and everyone of you has this same hope that I do. Jesus makes all things possible and heals all your hurts. If you do not know Him, please take the time and reach out to a friend to get answers to your questions. Even a young child can do it. My sweet daughters made the decision at young ages, as well as my husband and I. We have a wonderful future ahead of us in heaven.

Just yesterday morning the girls were talking about going to heaven. This came after a conversation of how the Science Van was at school and how gross it was...a real brain in a jar that smelled really bad, bones, etc. The oldest asked "Are you or dad an organ donor?" Followed by the youngest..."What is that?" After a brief explanation from me, the youngest said, "I don't want to die...I just want Jesus to come and take me up to heaven!" Now how precious is that!

In closing, here are a few more pictures from March 2009 (even a couple that Maddie took that she wanted included :~) while she was home sick with the flu). I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful Easter with your family!