Tulip Festival.

While Amanda was here, we went to the Tulip Festival. Most amazing! I want to know when Derrick is going to make our backyard look like this! The kids had a great time on the bouncy, jumpy trampoline thing, and Amanda and I loved all the tulips.

Small town.

As I've mentioned before, we live in what I consider a "small town". Take for instance, Luke and Macy's school is currently on this whole poem kick. So, they each have a poem displayed in one of the businesses in downtown Camas. Macy's poem about soccer is on the wall at Bank of America, and Luke's is in the front window of a restaurant called Around the Table.

I'm back...

Sorry, it's been a bit crazy (ok, a bit crazier!) at our house lately. Between having the basement worked on, the WASL (Washington State School tests), trying to finish a scrapbooking deadline (to pay for the basement!), having Amanda and Grandma & Grandpa visit (love all of you!), life has just sort of slipped by. So, on that note, here's some catch up.

First off, pictures of the basement. Chad has a room - still in the rough stage - but it's there. It's so neat to see the progress. The bathroom is being worked on, and a shower has been bought. Yesterday we spent the whole day re-arranging the new crawl space area and trying to figure out where to put all the basement stuff. Needless to say, our garage is pretty filled up with Star Wars toys right now.

Friday night we had some pretty nice weather and decided to BBQ. It hadn't rained since that morning, the sun was shining, and it was at least 55 degrees out - almost boiling!

More Montana photos.

Fireplace at the Moonlight Basin (I think that's what it's called) Lodge
Haley and I ice skating - outdoor rink... pretty cool!
Eskimo Reed - part polar bear, I tell you!
Reed and Daddy
Reed and I ice skating
Ready for hiking! Sunglasses, check! Warm clothes, check! Backpack for daddy, check!
In front of a frozen water fall. Pretty cool, huh? You could put your ear up to it and hear the water rushing still on the inside.Above the frozen Ousel Falls. Very cool (I mean, cold!) hike that we went on!

Spring Break in Montana.

Grandpa told us that we were supposed to spend Spring Break in warmer climates. Unfortunately, we got this memo a little too late. Aunt Sherri and Uncle Curtis (Hi!) have a condo in Big Sky, Montana, that they let us use for Spring Break (thanks Aunt Sherri and Uncle Curtis!). When we left our house in Washington, it was snowing lightly, not enough to stick to the ground, and was about 34 degrees. Montana, about 5 feet of snow on the ground, around 10 degrees, but pretty bright and sunny... so happy.

We had a great time! We went sledding, ice skating (the kids had never skated before and really liked it - they all want to take lessons now), hiking and shopping. Chad and Derrick went snowboarding and really loved it! They haven't been since we were in Canada almost 4 Christmases ago.

On our way there, we almost hit an "elk" (not really sure what it was - today it's an elk) and got caught in a snowstorm on the Idaho/Montana border. We also got our car stuck in the snow while sledding one day and had to call AAA to come and tow us out, but other than that, had a really fun time, and really enjoyed the week together... even with Cooper! We found out that he really likes snow.

Poor little man.

This is what happens when I won't let him take a nap. We were running errands all morning, and then had only about an hour before it was time to pick up Haley, so I refused to put Reed down for his morning nap. Wait until after we pick up Haley, and then he could sleep for hours. So, I left him on the couch and when I came back, this is what I find. Not even laying down. Just sleeping. Don't you wish it was always that easy?

Guess who turned 1 yesterday!!!

Can you believe it???? Little man Reed turned 1 yesterday! I don't think he really cared, or was very excited for that matter, although he did really like the cake that we gave him. He wasn't feeling so hot, so presents and food didn't really matter... but cake always counts.

At 1... Reed is growing tooth #5. He's a little slow on the whole tooth thing (just like the other kids!). D thinks that he looks a bit like Spongebob with his little snaggle-tooth grin. He is "walking" around furniture, but not quite standing or walking on his own yet. He gets up the stairs very well, but still has some issues on getting down them - we're working on it! He loves to eat anything... including everything I like to eat that the other kids say are "gross", like tuna, grapefruit and avocados. He likes to say "stop" and is getting really good at mimicking motions. He's just the cutest and we so love having him in our family.

Happy Birthday little Reed!!!

You say it's your birthday....

(na, na, na, na, na) ... it's my birthday too, yeah! So yesterday was my birthday. I turned 37!!! Oh my gosh, that seems sooooo old! I don't feel old... but the number sure is scary!

The day didn't start out wonderful. It was snowing again. Again, not very much, but enough to cause some problems. D opened all the (electric) windows on his car to push off the snow, and one of the windows wouldn't roll back up. Very strange. So, needless to say, $150 later, and a lot of the day wasted, we discovered that he had a short or something, and now all works well.

Other than that though, the day was great! The night before, my friends, Paula and Angie, came over with a "singing telegram". I was given a "Princess Primping Bag" with all sorts of bling and glitter and told that I had to wear everything on my birthday (sorry guys, the crown didn't stay on that long!). I got some phone calls (hi Lisa, Wendy and mom), which I loved! Last week some of my friends (hi Jen, Jenny, and Amanda!) took me to P.F. Changs (only one of my favorites!) to celebrate, and this week I got Red Robin with the kids, and Olive Garden with D and the little ones.

D got my "baby" bracelet fixed for me, which was a huge thing! I have this silver bracelet that has a charm on it for each of the kids. I've had Haley's charm since she was born, as well as Reeds', problem is, the charms have to be welded on. Have to go to a jeweler or something. So, as a surprise, he had it done for me. Love it! Also got me a really cool GPS thingy. It's neat! I just typed in "scrapbook" and it listed all the scrapbook stores within like 20 miles that I didn't even know of. Very cool!

And then finally, our scouts had their Pinewood Derby last night. I tried to get it moved to another night, but unfortunately last night was the only one that worked... so, I sucked in the fact that it was my birthday (I can share the day, right?), and headed over to our church. Set up, was a race official, had a good time. Then, at the end of the evening, I was told there was a surprise for me, and D brought in a cake and everybody sang to me. Probably the biggest "party" I've ever had!

And now it's packing to head to Montana for some more snow! Have a great day!

Good day.

Yesterday was a good day! First off, it snowed. Totally random. And not enough to stick or anything. But still fun. But most important, our nephew, Elder Robby Huckvale, came home from his mission! He's been serving in the California Sacramento Mission for the past two years. He did a great job, loved being a missionary, and we are very proud of him! It was great fun for all of us to be at the airport to greet him. All of our family, all of Bob & Susie's family (of course!), most of Heidi's family (even Heidi, who just had knee surgery on Monday), Susie's mom who came from Utah, and some of Robby's friends. What a nice welcome home!

They've started!!!

So I'm sitting here with my friend, Liz, making millions of Pinewood Derby Zingers, when there is a knock at our door. It's Mike, the concrete guy. Apparently they were scheduled to start today, but our contractor didn't tell me. I don't care!!! They're starting our basement! Can anyone else say "yahoo"!!! Reed might actually get a bedroom before he hits college - he currently sleeps in our walk-in closet.

This is part of the crawl space which is going to be finished into Chad's bedroom (we have GIANT crawl space!). The rest of our basement is "partially" finished and will be turned into a bathroom, media room and giant playroom to house all the toys.

How I don't like to spend Easter night...

So we're at Bob and Susie's house for Easter dinner. We just sit down to eat, when we hear one of the dogs bark very loudly, and Reed start crying, very seriously. Unfortunately, Reed tried to come between the dog and her ham bone. Needless to say, Derrick, Reed and I spent two hours in the ER last night getting "glued" back together, while everyone else was eating their dinner. Then, after we picked up everyone, got a prescription for Reed and got home, as I was undressing him I accidentally pulled off the glue from the biggest cut and ended up back in the ER getting him re-glued. Let me tell you, not a fun time was had by any of us!

Happy Easter!

Ok, so I'm a day late. But it's the thought that counts! Easter was fun as always. The Easter Bunny came, the kids woke up WAY TOO EARLY, and now we're all tired. Derrick and I got to teach Macy's class at church and it was fun to see how much the kids knew about Easter and the true meaning of it. Such smart kids!

Top of the Morning to Ye!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!! I LOVE it! The Irish in me definately comes out! We had the whole corned beef and cabbage last night, and tonight it's all about the green food. Have my shamrock t-shirt on, and I've got my (softly) pinching fingers ready! Don't forget to wear green today!

So, the trap was set, but our Leprechaun is much too smart. This is my whole theory. I think that Leprechauns travel in packs. That way, one can set off all the booby-traps, get to what's hiding, and then the others rescue the one that gets caught. When the kids woke up this morning, they found their trap all in shambles, with a path of gold coins that led them to a giant Leprechaun hat in the basement filled with "gold" candy and this note...

Dear lads and lasses,
roses are red. clovers are green,
I'll never be caught, I'll never be seen.
I'm much too clever to be caught in your snare,
but just for tryin' my gold will i share.
follow the trail of coins to the spot
where you'll find my hat instead of a pot.

Better luck next year
you'll need it you see,
'cause as long as i'm a leprechaun,
you'll never catch me!
The leprechaun

Have a super and SAFE St. Patrick's Day! Try not to get pinched!!!

Haley's wardrobe

So, with all the "pretty dresses" that I buy her, this is what happens when we let Haley dress herself. Grocery bags are a must... mis-matching shoes always make the outfit... and any green, St. Patrick's Day cheap jewelry really sets you apart.

California map

Here's a picture of Luke's California state project. 3 giant chipboard puzzles, with a map of California on the front, and all sorts of different facts on the back. Each piece had something different on the back of it. It turned out really cool, and the teacher was really impressed... but it was A LOT of work!

How To Catch a Leprechaun 101...

First, you build a Leprechaun trap - use an old colander, some wood, and whatever else daddy can find. Then, make lots of signs leading your leprechaun towards your trap. Make sure you put a ladder into your trap, but not coming out, so he won't be able to leave once caught. Leave lots of Lucky Charms and other type foods Leprechauns prefer. Put all the green stuff that you can find in the house, including, but not limited to: Easter grass, stuffed animals, moss from the front yard, and anything else that looks good. Make sure to add some "bling" also... apparently Leprechauns are attracted to shiny stuff - reminds them of their gold, I guess. Go to bed and keep your fingers crossed.

Horton Hears a Who!

For Luke's birthday, we took him and 11 of his closest friends to see "Horton Hears a Who". It was funny walking up to the movie ticket booth and asking for 17 tickets. The girl didn't even bat an eye! It was really cute and the kids had a great time. Then back to our house for cake and presents.

He's almost 1!

My little man! 11-months-old, and the time is going sooooo fast!!! He is standing up and "walking" around furniture. He LOVES all food and will try ANYTHING - much better than the rest of them! He gets up the stairs really well... we're still working on getting down. If you get him butt first, he goes down the right way... otherwise it's a tumble head first... and he's already done it a few times - poor little guy! He really likes to scrunch up his nose, and knows that he's really funny. And I'm still sure that he's part Leprechaun (or Mini-Chad, whichever way you want to go)! Red hair, mischievious grin... just too cute! We love you little Reed man!

Look who came to visit...

Martha Washington came for a visit! Between Macy and Luke, we have been overcome with CRAZY school projects the past few weeks. Macy had to do a report on a famous person - she chose George Washington. Of course he was too busy to come and talk to her class, so he sent his wife in his place. What a smart man!

And Luke had to do a "state" report. He chose California (makes it a lot easier on us!). He had to do an 18-slide PowerPoint presentation, this whole long essay thingy and then a bonus project of your choice. We decided to do a puzzle. On the front was a map of California, and on the back of each piece was a picture of something representating California. Very cool... but a whole lot of work! Parents should get a lot more credit on these things!

Goin' Buggy!

Ok, so doing a bit of catch up here. The 2nd graders at Macy's school did a play last month, called "Goin' Buggy". Totally cute. Think "The Bee Movie", but actually good! All the kids were bugs (well, duh!), and they were going to court for bugs' rights. Not to ruin it for you, but the bugs' won! Yeah!

Look whose 10 TODAY!!!

Can you believe it???? He's 10!!! Where did all the time go? From the little (ok, so he was 9.4 pounds when he was born!), sweet baby boy, to the sweet, helpful, loving, smart, caring young man that he's becoming. Double Digits! Crazy! We love you, Luke, and are so THANKFUL to have you as part of our family! We LOVE the wonderful young man that you are turning into and wouldn't change you for anything!!! (Even if you do talk much louder than a normal person!) Happy Birthday Sweet Boy and know that we love you for ALL time and Eternity!!