Catching up with pictures

Where to begin? We've been busy just like everyone else; trying to finish up school, field trips, and life in general. If you have the patience to sit through my slideshow the pictures will give you a good idea what we've been doing.

We have some new neighbors that moved in over Memorial Weekend. They have two little girls 3yr & 5 yr, so my kids have had a ball running back and forth between the houses and showing their new playmates around the "neighborhood". A few families got together and had a BBQ so we could give them a break from unpacking and get to know them better.

Our co-op had a field trip to the local forest service. It was so interesting to hear and see all that goes into growing the seedlings. We ended with a picnic at the park.

Our homeschool/charter school hosted an event in which we were treated to an IMAX movie, gondola, and carousel ride. I was fortunate to have Brett with me that day and we had a super time.

Our yard has been flooding off and on over the past 2 weeks. At one point it was about 70% underwater. Our ducks (now pretty much on their own) had a great time swimming around in our yard. The girls aren't too thrilled with all the water because they can't get to their playset. It was snowing this morning; so at this point I can honestly say we are not buying the whole "global warming" argument.

We had a fun visit with J.L. and Cindy. The girls got to show off their stomping grounds and we had a nice swim and visit at the hotel. They also introduced us to a new restaurant in our own town.

Lastly... I've been job hunting in the midst of all this. I put in my resume to work for the charter school that I homeschool the girls through. I interviewed and guess what...I got it! Well, for a few days at least. They called me and said everything looked great and they were ready to hire me and the paperwork was on its way. Then 5 days later they called and said they miscalculated their numbers and their enrollment wasn't going up enough to warrent hiring another teacher. I was so bummed out. So they encouraged me to interview for the same position in our neighboring state. Hence... our trip over to DuPont. The interview was ok; very different from my first one. They had 250 applicants, they are interviewing 50, and I have no clue how many positions are actually available. So I'm not holding my breath. I'll let everyone know what hear when the time comes.

So now I think I can relax a little and enjoy the summer. We are headed out for a family reunion on Friday and the kids are so looking forward to seeing their "Nampa cousins"!

visitors

A couple of weekends ago John and Dixie came to visit our little part of the state. We had such a nice time and so enjoyed having them all to ourselves. On the agenda; boating, paddleboats, fishing, BBQ...

...and roasting stale peeps for s'mores.
We stayed up visiting until we were so tired we were cross-eyed (o.k. it was only 10pm but that's late for me),

and Dixie brought the girls a bead kit so we have been bead crazy in our house.
It was a great weekend with good weather and good company!

happy mother's day

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom
who has 6 children,
21 grandchildren
7 great-grandchildren
and still has lots of love left over
for the countless others she opens her home to.

I love you!

this one's for mom

Mom and I had a discussion the other day about how I never (o.k. on Thanksgiving) feed my kids potatoes. This was very distressing to her, so here it is ... our potato bar dinner. They had their choice of broccoli and cheese, sour cream and bacon bits, or chili and cheese...mmm. Yum.

snakes, and skinks, and turtles... oh my!

What a beautiful weekend. We couldn't help but be outside and soak up the wonderful, warm sun. I read this quote by e.e. cummings which pretty much sums up how much I needed a change in the weather:

"I thank God for this most amazing day;
for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;
and for everything which is natural,
which is infinite,
which is yes."

The girls chased butterflies, snakes, skinks (they're small-lizard like and have blue tails), turtles... and ducks all weekend. Our yard was turning into a miniature zoo of sorts. While out in the paddleboat we were trying to convince the girls how much better is was just to watch the animals in their natural habitat rather than catching them and bringing them all home. Our ducks are growing up aren't they? We let them wander around outside during the day and unfortunately, they don't go far. They are starting to get feathers and trying to "quack" rather than "peep". They're showing no signs of wanting to leave though...

field trips

I love the end of the school year. It means warmer weather and field trips! We usually have one scheduled per month, but this month we have several and I'm so excited! Our first stop this week was Tomato Street. The kids got to tour the restaurant and see how everything works. From ordering their own meal on the computer, trying their hand at washing dishes, and for the lucky 2... making pizza for the group... we all had a fun morning and left with a full belly of pizza and pasta.

Next we went to Summer's Glass where the kids were instructed on how to create glass mosaics. The women in the studio were so kind to the kids and even let them use the glass cutters to cut their own pieces (which they were thrilled to do as you can imagine). My favorite part was getting pictures of all these cuties in their safety glasses.

Their creations waiting for the kiln. They will ready next week complete with copper wire and hooks!

that's the ticket

Some friends gave us tickets to Silverwood's "dry run" day. It was a beautiful out Saturday, we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was an added bonus when we ran into several families from our ward and made it even more special for the girls to get to run around with their friends. Of course we had to start out with a little glitch in the plan. Ava got herself ready and buckled up in her carseat. When we pulled into the parking lot she said "Uh-oh Mom, I forgot my shoes." So needless to say we were a little behind schedule- but we did eventually get there.

introducing

"RosaBella"

"Nibble"

"Wobble"

The ducks are...well...messy to say the least. They are quickly out growing their box in the house. It is just not warm enough for them to be outside for any length of time. We are keeping our fingers crossed for warmer weather. If the ducklings stay with their mom once they're born, the mom secrets an oil which helps them float until they are old enough to secrete their own oil. So, obviously it is still a little difficult for them to swim. We filled the bathtub up and it was so fun watching them play! Talk about instincts! But they didn't last long. Their down was getting so wet they started to sink. Speaking of instincts... we had them outside the other day and they seemed interested in the other ducks and geese, but once a hawk flew over they scrambled to find a hiding place and huddled together. Cool huh?

In other news, Brett and I donned hairnets and gloves and went to the cannery with the YM & YW Friday night. It was interesting to see how it was all done and we walked away with a couple of cases to get us started with our food storage. Yeah! In between snow storms these past couple of days we got to take our paddleboat on its maiden voyage. It was a little windy, so when Megan and Savannah took over duties we got blown into a mud flat. We eventually worked it out and got a workout of our own coming back up the lake.

baby ducks

There were three little girls who pined for a pet

But their parents said "Not now. Not yet."

So they fussed and they sighed,

They pouted and cried-

"We're the only kids without- on the whole westside!"

Soon their daddy's heart softened and he got creative

Maybe he could find a pet that to the Lake was native.

"That way they could stay, but then go away."

(a pet that would leave by Labor Day!)

"Flying mallards. A beautiful choice!"

And three small voices sang and rejoiced-

"We love you Daddy! We'll take good care!

They'll have plenty of love, food, water - fresh air!"

So our journey begins, but how will it end?

Migrate and fly free? Or, stay and depend?

happy birthday Sheila

It was so nice to get away and see everyone in the Boise area last week. As always, it was a whirlwind of a visit! While there, Ryan treated us to dinner at P.F. Chang to help Sheila celebrate her fabulous 27 + 10 years! She told me she really wanted a nice make-up brush...nice...the kind that won't fall apart and shed as you are trying to use it. Since it was a crazy weekend of garage sales, I asked Brett if he would pick it up for me before her birthday dinner Friday night. I wrote the information down and sent him to the Lancome counter. Once on the road he realized he didn't even know where the Lancome counter was, so he called me I directed him to Macy's; easy enough. Long story short: once Brett got there he was quickly schooled in the choices we make when buying make-up and their applicators. I got a few phone calls and finally told him to just make his best decision. When he got back he was carrying a bag of sample goodies from several of the counters (along with his "best decision blush brush"). So thank you to the women of Lancome at Macy's for helping ease my husband's pain. Freebies seemed to do the trick.

feed our birds

This one is for Shelly. We would be in big trouble if we couldn't feed our birds.

not talking

Well, spring is here or there or somewhere...

In the words of a local weather forecaster

"spring is here and winter is here, but their not talking."


We woke up to 13 inches of new snow this morning, March 29th.

The upside to this;
Brett gets to play with his new plow that turned 1 month old today.
Kid in a candy store!

game day

On Thursday we got together at a local school to play some games with other homeschoolers. Everyone brought a favorite game to share. We met a couple of new families and all the kids had a great time. Savannah was so excited that morning. She said, "Mom, today is the big game day for the Cougars (WSU) and it's our big game day too!"

jumping, shoveling, & partying

Plans for an outdoor field trip didn't work out for us today, so I e-mailed a few friends and we met at a "jumping playground". I had never been before and thought it was worth a try. We had the best time! It was very clean, there were lots of different things to play on, and we had the place to ourselves for an hour! I somehow got talked into being the tickle monster and chased 9 kids through tunnels and up and down slides. It was all fun and games until somebody got hurt; just a minor bump though!

Stopping long enough to strike a pose.

Maddie and Megan jumping in the pool.

We were all outside the other day soaking up some sun. Brett and I were shoveling snow into the lake and raking out the leftovers in an attempt to get the snow off the our lawn before it gets moldy. Savannah came over with a shovel and starting helping. She was at it for about an hour. What a trooper! Her comment to me; "Mom I feel good when I'm helping other people".

We are friends with a family who found out their baby had cancer about 9 months ago. This meant that their family basically had to go into seclusion during all of the chemotherapy. Such a difficult time for them and hard for their other two kids because they couldn't be around their friends for fear of getting sick. Their baby is now finished with treatment and her immune system is back up. On Monday we got the o.k. to come over and help Isabella celebrate her 7th birthday!

Easter

Yes, it's another holiday that Savannah loving refers to as a "candy holiday". We went to church this morning and the speakers were so good. I love those Sundays when you can honestly say you got something more out of church than just nagging your kids to sit still and stay quiet. After Primary, my kids walked out of church with 6 plastic eggs full of candy! Then we spent the rest of the afternoon at Brett's parents' house. The Easter Bunny had to hide eggs and baskets inside the house this year because of snow and rain. Can you believe my kids walked away with 1 gallon sized ziploc and 3 quart sized ziplocs full of candy?! Ugh! And that is not even including all the "packaged" stuff. I'm sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

I am not a freak about candy.... but this much?

seriously?

Easter is in two days and we woke up to a blizzard. Brett has the girls convinced we aren't going to color Easter eggs and we'll just hide the white eggs in the snow to keep them busy all day.

a spring walk

Happy Spring Equinox!

We have been cleaning and sorting furiously trying to get ready for warmer weather. On this day we decided to take a break and enjoy the thawed roads and fresh spring air and go for a little walk. The girls found rocks to kick and chase along the way. It felt so good to get out and not have to worry about icy roads.

Ava walked in every puddle she could find. She was really watching me out of the corner of her eye to see if I would say anything; and before she would walk through another one she would say "Oh no! Not again!", as if she really didn't want to do it. Stinker!

happy birthday to Ava Claire

I've tried to blog this a couple of times and either something went wrong or I was interrupted. Sorry I've been away so long; but here it goes...

Ava Claire turned 3 on February 28th!

We stuck with a snow theme and decorated with snowflakes, streamers, and balloons. Our neighbor made the cutest snowman cake. Ava reminded us all day of her life stories beginning with "remember when I was two?". Yes, we remember...

Ava got some pink "cowgirl" (don't call them cowboy) boots for her birthday and hasn't taken them off since.

It was a busy day for a brand new three year old. Music class in the morning and a party all afternoon. Yippee! You are three!

snow, swimming, and sugar

We still have snow and are trying to enjoy it. It is that time of the year where I start getting tired of it all. It is turning icy rather than fluffy so it makes it harder to deal with. Savannah's school had a get-together at an indoor water park/bowling/games, etc... earlier this week. It was a nice break from the snow and cold. We not only met friends from the school, but as the night went on we ran into several families from our ward. (Yes, it was 1/2 price Monday night and a fun way to get out of the house for FHE!) Because of our stint at the waterpark, Ava has put her lifejacket on every morning this week. Dreaming of warmer weather...
We also had a busy week of making Valentine cards. We had a party for our co-op group and the girls insisted on making all of their own Valentines. We were up to our elbows in glue, glitter, and paint. I'm sure I will be tracking glitter all over the house for the next month. Mom, Sheila, and our neighbor (Dolores) also sent the girls Valentines. It was such a surprise and so much fun for them. I always feel blessed to know that their are people out there that love my kids as much as we do and are able to do special things for them. Now if I can just get them to come down from their sugar high...

get ready to indulge

Thought I would post our favorite nacho recipe. They are soooo good and definitely not lacking in calories.

Layer on cookie sheet:
tortillia chips, black beans, pinto beans, northern beans, red onion (diced), chicken breast (cubed), monterey jack cheese, smoked cheddar cheese

Cook in oven:
on 350, until everything is melted

Top with:
mango (cubed)

Drizzle with:
poppyseed dressing

Eat! Yum!

In other news:
The kids and I were discussing allergies. They really want a cat or dog, but Brett is allergic to both. Ava piped up saying she was allergic to monsters. So silly. Also Meggie and Savannah have passed off the Articles of Faith 1-5 for primary. It's amazing what their little minds retain. Speaking of retaining; while I was putting Ava to bed tonight she said "Mom, I practiced my Articles of Faith" and went on to say the 4th... with the exception of saying ornaments instead of ordinances and getting immersion and remission a little twisted and turned around. Just when you think their not paying attention, huh? This is not new news, but just wanted to make sure everyone knew we still have tons of snow and it's still falling! No, I'm not complaining it's just that I haven't seen this much in the 6 years that we have been here; it's crazy. We are getting a little spoiled too. We've had only the first hour of church for the past two weeks due to all the snow and the hardship it has put on so many people in our ward. Phil saw his shadow, so we are bracing ourselves for six more weeks.