My kids are my life...

May

2011-12-08T10:26:00.001-08:00

Grandma is here!

Mom came out in May to see the kids before school got out. She stayed through the end of the school year. They were all so excited to see her. Grandma cooked and they loved it. Granny and Kenzie made cinnamon rolls and there is nothing Mackenzie loves more than cooking with her granny.

Mike and Amanda loved having her pick them up at the bus stop each day.

Mike loved having her drive him to his soccor practice and play in front of her. He really is good at it and loved his coach this year. Hopefully we will be able to get him again.

Lot of park trips took place. Jake's favorite past time even though he can't play int he grass.

And granny's favorite past time of yard work. There is never enough time to get it all done and there was always a surplus to do. Granny never ran out of things to do in the yard. Since that is her favorite thing other than playing with her grandkids though she was set while they were at school each day.

More planting to do...

And Kenzie got to have granny come to school for a major science project that she completed. Her teacher was extremely impressed over her project, knowledge and effort she put into the project and that is saying something because Mrs. Strand is not easy to please.

Granny leaves the middle of June but the kids will enjoy having her around until then. We really need to get the bathroom finished outside in the small room so that it will be more convient when people come to stay. It worked out great her being able to stay out there though and she loved having her own space when the kids became too much.

April

2011-12-08T09:38:00.001-08:00

Yard Work, Flowers, and Summer is on the Way!

April brings better weather that allows us to work in the yard. We rented another machine to be able to clear the front yard. The kids enjoyed getting to drive the tractor and dragging the ground to rid it of blackberries. Darrel hopes to plant grass in the front and hopefully it will fill in and we can get a playground up the next summer. There is so much that we want to do and it seems like not enough time to do it all in.

My tulips are coming up already and they are looking beautiful. Hopefully I will get to enjoy them all summer long. I am still amazed at how beautiful they look open and that each night they close up. My favorite smelling flower would have to be the hyacinthia's though. They remind me of the flowers in the leis that we got from Hawaii on our honeymoon. The blue flowers are the hyacinthia.

Jake's 4!

Jake turned 4 this year. He is getting so big. He is always so easy to please. It takes just the smallest things. He is allergic to so much but doesn't see anything wrong with not having things. He will tell anyone "I can't have that but I can have...". He is so smart. His little quirks have gotten so much better. He has also learned that his tantrums do not get him everything he wants. However, he still has times when nothing you say can help. He is usually so happy go lucky though. Pajamas have become a staple in his wardrobe and the silky long sleeve shirts with jeans. I think he still preferrs his pajamas though. His mind is very analytical and he still takes things so literal. It is funny to listen to his talk. I'm sure with four siblings it won't take long and the humor will start showing through. He is really looking forward to starting school soon. He can't wait. A year and a half. Maybe then I can go back to work. Hopefully I will be able to find a job. I'm ready, that's for sure!

March

2011-12-08T08:36:00.001-08:00

Amanda is 6!

On Amanda's birthday the school was doing a fundraiser at Wendy's so we decided to call the friends and invite them to meet us there and we would pay for dinner for everyone. She got to see her teacher at her birthday party and she got to see most of her friends at school. They brought out Wendy and Amanda got to have pictures with her. She was truly in her element at this party! Kindergarten has become her favorite place to be. It has been nicknamed "Social Hour". Her teacher has nothing but praises to sing about Amanda. She is struggle with remembering her letters, numbers, and sounds. I hope that she does not struggle with memorizing like her mother. She is so innocent but I am sure going to school she will learn more than she needs and will become enlightened soon enough.

During Amanda's conference with her teacher she had two stories to tell me about Amanda and her innocence. The first was from the beginning of school. The teacher was trying to curb the girls "talking" and so she started a month after school started talking to the class about "work now and play later". Now being a school teacher in the past I understood where this story was going when she started explaining it but I never expected the outcome that it came to. It is often easier for younger children to remember lessons when they are shocked and so she said that when the talking was starting to impact the work getting done she spent the whole morning walking behind the girls at Amanda's desk and would say as she walked by "work now and play later or play now and work later". She said that Amanda would just laugh and chant it with the teacher each time. The rest of the class would drop their heads, quiet down, and get to work. Amanda continued to try to talk to her playmates or sing the chant. When it came time for recess all the kids lined up and got ready for recess. When they went to leave the teacher told Amanda that she needed to set back down at her desk. Amanda was very confused but did as her teacher said. When everyone left she asked Amanda what it was that she had chanted to her all morning. Amanda was able to recite the rhyme immediately. Mrs. Bartlett said, this is why she would be loosing her recess. Amanda had a very confused look on her face as if she did not understand. She did not understand. Mrs. Bartlett asked her what the rhyme meant and Amanda said "I don't know but it sounds great doesn't it?" with the biggest smile on her face. The teacher realized she really didn't understand and repeated in very slow words and said "if you chose to play first then you had to work when others got to play. If you worked first, then you got to go to recess". All of a sudden she said that she saw the light bulb click in Amanda's head and saw two big fat tears run down her face. She said that Amanda did not say a single word but just sat there and cried silently. Mrs. Bartlett said that she felt so bad that Amanda had not understood all morning what she had said that she almost let her go out. The next day Amanda was talking again and Mrs. Bartlett said the same rhyme and Amanda once again sang it and acted like she had never heard it before. Mrs. Bartlett then pulled Amanda aside and asked her if she understood what she was saying and reminded her of yesterday and what had happened when she talked during class time. She said suddenly Amanda went quiet and realized what it was that the teacher was saying. The teacher said that it took many more times of reminding her but that Amanda had the best attitude that it was very hard to squash her excitement about everything that they did. The other story was about how the teacher felt that Amanda had a heart of pure gold. The teacher explained that she had a girl in the class that was a little "snobby" to the other girls in the class. It had created lots of heartache all year long. The girl showed no remorse for any of the things she had done wrong in the classroom all year long. In March the teacher was finally tired of it and had ridden the student for two whole months and finally worked her down to where she was crying. The teacher was finally to a point that she thought she might be able to make a breakthrough. Hoping that she might be able to talk to the girl about her behavior and how it made others feel. Amanda saw how upset the girl had gotten and walked over to her before the teacher was able to pull the girl aside. She said instantly she was in shock when she saw Amanda wrap her arms around the girls back and said, "don't worry, no one should ever talk mean to you or anyone". Mrs. Bartlett said the girl immediately looked at Amanda and got a big smile on her face and cried no more. The teacher said she couldn't believe it "two months of work down the drain with just one sentence from Amanda". Needless to say the girl did not change her ways. No lesson was learned and Amanda had no idea what she had done. At 6 Amanda can't decide if she wants to be tomboy or girly girl. One day she will have dresses on and be playing house and fixing her hair, makeup, nails and an hour later I will find her outside in the middle of the dirt with the water hose on to make mud pies with her brother. She is so good to Jake and tries hard to take care of him. I think she babies him more than the older girls do. I hope that as she grows older she is able to learn from her mistakes, become knowledgeable, but keep that innocence that she has.

Easter

Aunt Jeanie sent lots of stuff from the Easter Bunny. They loved it all. After they got done with all the baskets they got to go outside and hunt Easter eggs. We used fake eggs for Jake to hunt and the others were for the bigger kids. Not being able to touch eggs for Jake is interesting. He has learned to use gloves to color eggs and even to hunt if needed. Jake preferred the fake eggs anyway, they had candy in them!

Feburary

2011-12-07T11:35:00.001-08:00

Mackenzie is 12!

My Chunky Monkey girl turned 12! She still loves her Aerial though. She chose to have an ice cream cake this year from Cold Stone Creamery. Her favorite dessert place! Next year she will be 13. A true teen. My last year to enjoy her being young. However, the attitude that comes with the teens I think she received early. Sometimes this year we have received some really surprising comments from her. Shockers that have made me freeze not knowing how to respond. I know it must be that red hair because it seems like you can't figure out what might have set her off. She is wearing my clothes from my senior year in high school and it already within 2 inches of my height so she will not be staying a little petite thing. Her shoe size has grown to a 9! I'll be lucky if any of my children don't out grow me. They must have all received Darrel's height. Her and Kaylin get along like true sisters and I hope that they stay close as they get older. They have both received unique situations. Mackenzie has always been the oldest and in the last couple years she has had to stand down and accept the fact that she is not the oldest kid anymore. I am sure part of her has been upset about this and we have had some fights over this the past year. I hope she realizes though how much she used to complain about being the oldest and getting the brunt of it all and lessons learned on her. Now that has been handed over to Kaylin. Maybe she will see that she can step back and learn from someone else rather than having to learn by error on her own. Everything has positive and negative points. I only hope that she can see all the pluses and enjoy experiencing this unique opportunity to be in a different position. Nothing in life is perfect and I hope that my kids can learn to always think on the positive of any situation and what they can gain from it or how they can learn from it rather then what was wrong with it or what they didn't like. I think it has taken a year but she is finally starting to see this. She is already talking about when Kaylin gets her license she will get the experience of watching Kaylin make mistakes that she won't when she gets to drive. She is also thinking about all the places Kaylin will be able to take her until she gets her license.

Kaylin - 15 years old

2011-12-07T11:18:00.001-08:00

Kaylin's 15th Birthday was a family party. We celebrated with dinner at home and then she got to open her present before Darrel left for work. She got a PSP this year. She said she was wanting one and at Christmas Darrel and I found one on sale so we bought it and kept it for 2 months. She was so excited to get it. The little kids were also excited for her probably because she was. She has truely become one of the family and I am not sure the little ones even realize she is truely their cousin and not sister. They look up to her and love spending time with her. They love her so much and are going to miss her when she does finally leave us. 3 years does not seem that far away! I can only hope she sticks around for a while trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She has such a great future and I hope she sees this and takes advantage of it. We have talked this year with High School about some of the oportunities that she will be getting and hopefully she will take advantage of some of them. I really think that she has received a well rounded life and in lots of ways she is so much better off than most teens her age. She has experienced a lot of different things and extreems but she could use so many of these to her advantage. She has had the opportunity to be raised as an only child when she was younger and then she has had the opportunity to be raised in a big family now too. (I think 4 siblings is a pretty big family these days) So many kids get only one or the other and always want to experience the other not knowing what it is like. I think when she is older (20's) I would like to remember to go back and ask her which she preferred and why. Darrel and I love her just like she was our own. We hope she knows this and understands how loved she is and that she is always welcome home. This will always be her home. She can get her permit this summer and I am already thinking about her driving. Part of me is excited and part of me is dreading it. I guess we will wait to see how it plays out to see which feeling takes charge.

January

2011-12-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

Mike I think this last year had a lot of fun at his birthday. It was number 10 and Darrel went all out and let him invite 10 boys to spend the night. I think 8 ended up staying and we definately had our hands full but everyone had lots of fun. We pulled out the X Box, Wii, and set them up in different rooms with the TVs and then put legos all over the kitchen table and everyone just kind of bounced all over. The hardest part was getting them all to got to bed. We probably should have just let them stay up as late as they wanted but since school was still in I was scared to have them too tired. I think #12 we will probably do that. They will be 2 years older anyway. He got lots of legos for his birthday and seemed very happy with it. Indiana Jones and Star Wars was the kits this year. Boy has he gotten bigger this year. I remember when he was just 1 and slept all day and night. He slept more than anyone I know. I guess he was just preparing for when he got older and would not be needing as much sleep then. It has been a busy but fast 9 years. I am sure then next 8 will be just as fast if not faster. He has been doing great in Cub Scouts and I hope he continues it when he goes onto Boy Scouts. I think it is something that he will enjoy and it will help him to continue to think about things and make good choices. Right now it seems like it is about 60% of the time. I would like to see this move to 90% and I think Scouts would help with this. He has matured more this last year than he has in the last 3 years. With his kind heart this is sure to work to his advantage. There must be something going in the right direction. Mike, I hope you know how much we love you and I am already looking forward to seeing what a great young man you turn into.

Well, we got Christmas put away and the new year rang in. Seems like this month has been very peaceful because of the holidays being over. I felt like this year they went really fast. It seemed like once Halloween came it all ran together and was nothing but caious from October to December. I didn't get christmas cards out this year even though I did do the family pictures. That was actually the point of it all but some of my best intensions fall short. The pictures did turn out great though and hopefully next year I will be able to get them out to everyone. My biggest problem seems to be tracking down all the addresses. Maybe next year I will start checking into sending electronic cards. It seems like I always have everyone's email addresses. Maybe that is the way to go for me. We will just see. Two birthdays coming up and then one each of the following months. We have birthday's in December, February, March and April. Then we break until the summer for me and Darrel. I love having a big family but boy does it keep you busy. I can't even imagine what it will be like when 4 of them are teens.

Christmas 2010

2011-12-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning, Jake woke to a new bed from Santa. We enjoyed our Christmas breakfast and then the kids got to break into their presents.

Amanda received her Princesses Barbies and thought this was great. Darrel was so excited to get these for her. I thought she already had too many Barbies but Darrel has always wanted to get this girl Barbies. One of these days I will have to figure out what his fascination with them for Amanda is.

Mike got a DSIXL for his present. We are going to try another electronic. His sister got a DSIXL and it is really nicer than the DS that he currently has. I think we will hand that one down to Amanda. She will think it is great!

Mackenzie this year received a new camera. She always loves to take pictures and granny and papa got her one last year when she lived with them but the MP has gotten so much better we were able to get her one pretty cheap that is really nice.

Kaylin wanted an American Girl Doll since it was retiring this year and she would not be able to get this doll ever again. I think she wanted it just so she could keep it. She really is a little old for it but she does love dolls and stuffed animals. She has more than all of my other children put together. That has always been her thing.

Grandpa was with us this year and everyone enjoyed having him here. It was nice for him to be here this year. Hopefully he will be able to do it every few years.

Santa

2010-12-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

Okay everyone, here is the most awesome site for santa email. It is very easy to use and very cool. You can upload pictures and make it very specific for each child.

www.portablenorthpole.tv

I believe that mom has sent everyone access to Benjamins. You can buy it after you do it but it costs $5. We won't be buying them since I have five kids but one or two might be worth it. Hope all the kids enjoy.

The family 2010

2010-11-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

The Kids

2010-11-24T21:59:00.001-08:00

The girls

2010-11-24T21:59:00.000-08:00

Darrel and the boys

2010-11-24T21:58:00.000-08:00

Family photos

2010-11-24T21:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a collage of the kids. I have a bunch more to upload. It will take some time. Hope you like them all.

Rainy day... baking day...

2010-10-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

Jake and I baked all day today. We made loaves of bread, rolls, and homemade chicken noodle soup. For dessert we made cinnamon rolls. Boy, was it all good but I sure am full. It was a good day to cook since it was so cold today. It kept the house nice and warm...

Hi-Jinks at school...

2010-10-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here the district is so small the carnival is held at the high school and everyone K-12 goes to it. The kids had lots of fun and every one had their costumes pleanty early this year so we were able to go dressed up.

Amanda is half angel, half devil

Kayin is a pirate wench

Mike is a black ninja

Kenzie is Snow (a character from the Vladimer Todd series)

Jake is a firefighter

They all had lots of fun and this finished off the busy weekend of Scouts.

2010-10-26T09:08:00.001-07:00

okay, getting Kenzie's blog set up but need to get everyone's email so that they can see hers. I am not willing to leave it open to the public.

I still need the following people'e emails.
Laura, Erin, Betty, Fleta, Patsy
Thanks
Kristina

Scouts this weekend...

2010-10-16T23:17:00.001-07:00

Well, Mike sold popcorn for Cub Scouts today at the Commissary and Nex. For once we were early and had our table all set up and waiting for the others to get there. The boys did a good job today and had fun too. Hopefully Mike is as excited tomorrow because we have one more day of it.

Redwood forest...

2010-10-16T22:48:00.000-07:00

October we had a death in the family on Darrel's side. We decided to drive back to AZ for the funeral services and to help Jeanie with whatever we could. Since we left a few days early we decided to make a mini vacation out of the trip down there. We went through the Redwood forest and into San Francisco and on to AZ. On the way back we rushed back but everyone seemed to enjoy the trip there and was ready to get straight home after being gone 9 days. I actually found a restaurant that had my name spelled the same (very rare). Jake slept in the closets when we were at the hotels. He loved it. He even closed the doors when he layed down. The older girls shared the other double bed and Mike and Amanda shared a hide-a-couch. Jake loved having his own area. The first picture is of the whole family standing in the chandelier tree where cars can drive through.

First Day of School - New School Year

2010-10-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

First day of school and all the kids were dresses so nice. Jake had to pack his lunch like each of the others. He got to walk them to the bus and then we had to go to the park to eat our lunch. It took a little bit of adjustment for him to realize he is home alone but he is doing good with it.

Camping in the front yard...

2010-08-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Darrel thought the kids would enjoy smores for a dessert one night. The kids were more excited about the fire in the front yard than they were eating the smores. That is with the exception of Jake who enjoys his food that he is allowed to have since there is so much he is allergic to. Mike had a friend spend the night and as you can see they both ere enjoying lounging. I can see them as teens doing the same thing...

Kaylin all dressed up!

2010-08-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well, last night was crazy but it was worth it! Kaylin has a friend in AZ that she still talks to all the time but they don't get to see each other. Adam called earlier in the week and was flying in for his aunt's wedding this weekend. He invited Kaylin to the wedding and reception. Well, she con't stay the whole time (6 - 11) because there was NO WAY I was staying in Seattle with 3 kids in tow waiting for her. I decided I could take Mike clothes shopping while we waiting on Kaylin and kill two birds with one stone.
I may have done that but let me tell you - Yesterday was a long day! I should have layed around and read until it was time to go but no. I guess I am definately one of those people that the more I have going the busier I make myself.

Darrel says he called at 4 am and I talked for 30 minutes. I don't recall so hopefully it was an enjoyable conversation. Then I was up at 5:30 am (not sure why when my typical time is 7 am). Then I took Jake to the dentist and we went out together for some famous "STARBURTS" I fugured after the dentist was better and it did get him in the chair and mouth open. (haha) Next I decided I was doing something with most of the kids so I might as well make it a special day. Kenzie and I went to the gym and played racquet ball (what fun that was. Kenzie is not coordinated and I am old! BUT we had lots of fun). Then we went upstairs and worked out on the machines. Kenzie loved that too. We stopped by the library and picked her up some books before we headed home. Then it was time to fix Kaylin's hair and get dressed so we could get off to Seattle. The wedding was held on a docked ferry at Lake Union. Kaylin thought that was cool.
While she was there Mike and the little ones headed with me to Northgate mall for clothes shoppping with Mike. Now mom can tell you, it is not fun shopping with Michael for school clothes! I went in totally bind! Darrel had told me earlier that day "Kris, Mike is like me. don't worry about price or anything. Just walk in the store and find the boys section and have him pick out what he wants. Don't ask him are you sure or anything. Try it on and if it fits buy it". Okay, anyone who knows me would know this is a feat because I am a deal shopper but I wanted Mike to enjoy this and so that is what we did. We walked into JCPennies and I said "go for it" and he said "Do we have to shop here?" Okay, so we went out into the mall and went looking for a guys shop comparable to RAVE or something. Guess what, he is still barely in kids clothes so that really limited the stores. We passed game stop and all I heard was "I got clothes at home, can't we just stop and get a game for my DS instead?" Forget that 3 of his 6 pairs of jeans have knees ripped out and another pair are too tight in the butt. Well, we ended up back at JCPennies and after trying on the first pair (which did not fit because Mike is a weird size) he says can't we just grab a few pair and buy them these are fine as he was holding his breath and sucking in his gut then needed my help getting the button undone. TWO hours later we walked out with 4 pair jeans, 4 short sleeve shirts, 6 long sleeve shirts, and two belts. I gave up on the undies and socks. I decided I would just get them at Wal-Mart and by myself! Amanda and Jake were really good considering. It was only the last 15 minutes Jake was saying he was ready to go. Boy, he is going to be just like Darrel with shopping too! I am not looking forward to that. I think from now on it will be a yearly thing for Mike and Darrel to go shopping and I take the girls!
It did turn out to be a good and productive day but I was falling into my bed by 9:45 last night and I did not stay up to read a chapter or two in my book. Darrel would have been proud if he had been here.

Bet Austin hasn't done this!

2010-08-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Darrel taught Mike how to use the backhoe. Michael loved it. They dug a trench and pit for the kids to play in. I am assuming it will be Mike and any friends along with my other dirt addition of Amanda (there is no way we will be able to keep her out of it). She has already decided she can take a backpack out and put all her babydolls in it and play out there. Mike got done and Darrel said what do you think and Mike said, "I bet this is something Austin hasn't gotten to do." I don't know why unless when ever he talks to Austin he always said "I got to do that too" when Mike says things. Billy watch out. It looks like the cousins have some competition going.

2010-08-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the tree stumps Darrel got out. Look at those roots. Cedars sure grow big and deep! We even found part of the tree in the ground is petrified. The kids thought that was cool.

2010-08-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here is my baby boy while my big boy in the back is moving the wood for us to chop up. Jake sure loves it outside. I so wish he was not allergic to grass. This poor boy better outgrow some of the allergies or he is going to have a misserable life and itch a lot because there is no way he will ever be an indoor person.

Back Yard...

2010-08-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well, Darrel went crazy trying to get rid of
blackberries. Hopefully with as well as he scrapped
the back yard they won't come back. It looks
much better now and he had fun with the toy
he rented.

Last School Year...

2010-08-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have not been posting all summer. I can't
believe how busy we have been. Here are some
of the posts. Mike last year was recognized for
Academic Excellence in Math. He was in a
competiton for the district of 3, 4, and 5th graders.
We was only 3rd grade but he came in 1st in
the district. Granny, thanks for the money.
He loved it!

More for Mandy

2010-08-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is the last of the shirts. And don't forget the rain slicker.

Mandy's princesses

2010-08-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

She really likes the lunch box.

Kenzie's shoes

2010-08-07T22:16:00.001-07:00

Kenzie seems to like the new shoes. We will see how long it lasts.

Mandy and Kenzie

2010-08-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

Mandy really liked the shirts that
came with jewlery. I think we will
be going to Claires for some
necklaces.

Shopping for Mandy

2010-08-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

Well, Amanda decided she likes this clothes shopping. Above is the leggings
and the purple shirt. We then matched them up with the pink and even the
black and white strip. Finally is the pair of butterfly jeans. We have one more
that I will post that is a gray shirt with jeans.

School shopping

2010-08-07T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well mom, the top left is the outfit from JCPennys that was just great!
Top right is the overall pants she loves and also the undershirt that we
have bought for her. The are great for wearing under all the shirts.
Bottom two are the other jeans.

Kenzie talent show 101_2067.MOV

2010-05-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Mike at school...

2010-03-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Well, Mike is doing good in school. he got his fist reportcard that was awesome! Usually Mike has pictures posted where he is talking. Here he is on task and reading alone. YEA!!!

New Pantry shelves

2010-02-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Well, Darrel built shelving in my pantry room so that there was more. Before they only had very narrow shelves that were only 8 inches high. Darrel made them tall enought to hold my 2-liters and apple juice containers. The babies need their Apple juice! I know have somewhere to put all my sewing and crocheting stuff.

Valentines

2010-02-27T13:18:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a wonderful valentines day. Darrel got me my lillies and we all had lots of fun. I made heart pancakes for the kids for breakfast and everyone got a little something. It was a nice day.

Hankies...

2010-02-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

Duane is the only man I know that still uses hankies... My grandpa used to. I remember it very clearly. Since I had out the embroidery machine I thought I would make a couple for Carter and Duane. However, Kaylin said we couldn't leave out the girls so we made a set of keepsake ones for the three babies. They are going to Jeanie and she can hand them out or keep them in her keepsakes...Duane, I hope to see a picture of you and Carter when he is 2 using your hankies!

The Clock...

2010-02-13T22:23:00.000-08:00

Mom, here is the clock. I took the picture the day we put it up. Since then I have cleaned off the mantel and added flowers and a vase. I will get another picture up soon.

Mom, here is the clock

Baby Carter...

2010-02-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

Baby Carter will be here soon (Tuesday or Wednesday). I didn't realize they had the baby shower so I didn't get anything sent. Tiff said she can use some burp rags so here they come. They have not been able to find anything that says Papa so here are a couple coming his way.

Blackberries taking over....

2010-02-13T22:14:00.000-08:00

Darrel is trying to get these mowed down so that we can try to control them when they come back in and get some paths set up so we can pick them easier this summer. This is a mess and they hurt!

Kaylin's B-Day

2010-02-13T22:13:00.000-08:00

Kaylin had a great 14th Birthday. She got to have friends over and did movie, cake, pizza, and skateing. They had a blast. Then she got to spend the night at one of the friends. We even had cake before Pizza. Busy night.

Bill in WA

2010-02-13T22:09:00.000-08:00

Well, Bill has been up here the last couple of weekends. He has been working in Portland but staying here over the weekends. As usual, I put him to work. Darrel needed help putting up the surround sound and mounting the TV. I have before and after pictures here.

2010-01-12T10:24:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of the office area by kenzie and Kaylin's room. This is where I have set up my stuff the best I can. I am hoping Darrel will get shelves up on the wall and then I will be able to do a lot more with this. The kids computers are to the right of this.

Front yard

2010-01-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

Well, We think this is probably drift wood but We did NOT bring it. It was already here. (It is very illegal to move drift wood in WA).

Apple Blossoms

2010-01-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I got up and cooked dessert this morning. It is a healthier "Apple Blossom". I knew I would like them because I like wontons but Darrel surprised me this morning and said that they were delicious. I guess I must be getting better at cooking.

New fridge...

2010-01-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

Here is the new fridge that we ordered. I do like it... It was time to clean out the fridge so it was the perfect day for it to come. Now all is fresh and ready to go...

Ending the year with a party....

2010-01-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

Well, this is the first year that they all were old enough to stay up. Even the little ones stayed up. Kenzie and Mike each had some friends over for the night. It worked out nice and everyone had a good time as you can see in the pictures.

The car...

2010-01-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

Mom, here is a picture of the car. This is the newest vehicle we have ever owned. It is a 2005. The kids all like it. Mackenzie has realized it is tighter than the suburban though.

Mall trip...

2009-12-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

When we went to the Everett mall we got santa pictures and then the kids had fun walking the mall and playing in the play area. It was a great day with just us hanging out and not having to rush around in the shops for gifts. I felt bad for all those shoppers. I wondered how many really thought about the reason for the holiday...

Jake...

2009-12-25T11:09:00.001-08:00

Jake loved all his gifts and was most excited because he understood things that were wrapped needed to be unwrapped. He even opened a few extra (Mike and Amanda's gifts). They didn't mind though. I guess that is what you get when you are the youngest. Merry Christmas all...

Mandy...

2009-12-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

Well Mandy of course also loved everything she got but for some reason we had a "crazy nut" give a five year old a pair of 2 " heal boots. I think everyone knows my kids are clumsy. Need I say more???Thanks Aunt Missy. I think they may be her favorite after her purple my little pony.

Mike...

2009-12-25T11:01:00.001-08:00

Mike sure does have good expresions! He also got a gaming chair along with legos and backugon items. He seemed to enjoy each thing he opened more than the last. We was very easy to please.

Kaylin...

2009-12-25T10:57:00.000-08:00

Kaylin got a chair that she had been wanting for her room from Santa and a very nice pair of diamond earrings from Kenzie too. She also has an idea of things she can get with her gift card. I think she enjoyed her christmas. She got to talk to her mom last night and this morning and her aunts and Unk.

Kenzie...

2009-12-25T10:51:00.000-08:00

Kenzie got a lot of Twilight items. She seemed to really enjoy her Christmas this year. I am so glad. She liked her $50 gift card to Target a lot. She has a list already of things she can get.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

Each year the kids get to open one present for Christmas eve. This year they opened nighties.

The tree sure looked nice last night with all the lights and gifts. Now Santa just needs to come.

Ornaments

2009-12-25T10:44:00.001-08:00

Here are the ornaments we did earlier this week.

Mackenzie's three are the top row, Kaylin's are the middle three and mine are the bottom three. The girls did a great job painting these!

Kids with Santa

2009-12-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I realized that the last Santa picture I had was Kenzie with Santa. We had one when Mike was 2 weeks old but Darrel dressed up so we didn't have to take Mike out (he was so little). Well, I decided since we had all the kids this year I was going to get a Santa picture. We drove to the mall in Everett (20 min drive) and spent the day with the kids walking the mall and playing. Everyone had a great time and Darrel got to sleep in a quiet house!

Day without the big boys.. What fun!!

2009-12-19T09:08:00.000-08:00

Well, the big boys have gone on a cub scout overnight camp. We have big plans without them. We are making truffles today and going to try and paint some ornaments if we can get Jake down for name. Then we are going to see about going to a movie. Amanda would love for the girls to take her to Princess and the Frog. Kenzie and I last night did some christmas wrapping and I still have more to do. I am almost done with my shopping. I think I have about 6 more gifts left and then I am done.

Christmas Decorating...

2009-12-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

Well, we have decorated a little for Christmas and already made a fire for the first time.

Gingerbread night at school...

2009-12-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well, Mike made a new friend. His name is Harley. He went with us to the school gingerbread night. Everyone had fun. The kids all got to make their own gingerbread houses. Harley and Mike worked on one together. Even Amanda was old enought to make her own.The big chocolate on top of hers is Santa going down the chimney. Her idea.

frozen waterfall

2009-12-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

Well the day before Mike's birthday we had 7 degrees as the high one day. No snow but the water falls froze and lots of ice everywhere. Here is a picture of the casino by our house the next day with the snow too.

Snow on Mike's B - day

2009-12-19T08:49:00.000-08:00

Well, Mike got to pick today his meal and he chose to go to McDonalds for lunch and everyone play in the play area so that worked out nice. He loved all his gifts and he even got an extra one from someone above. It snowed! First snow of the holiday. Everyone loved it. We hoped it would stick for when Kenzie got here but it rained the next day and melted away. It was fun while it lasted and there will be more I am sure.

Snow and 17 degree weather

2009-12-19T08:48:00.001-08:00

This is the street out by the freeway that is about 1/2 mile away from our house. We have a great view of the mountain and there sure is snow there.

Thanksgiving with the Smith's

2009-12-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

We had a huge Thanksgiving supper and everyone enjoyed it. There was even pleanty for Jake to eat. I froze the leftovers and I think I will pull some of them out for Christmas dinner. That should work out nice.

The new house

2009-12-19T08:41:00.001-08:00

While I was unpacking the little kids went out on the deck and played with playdough. They had fun.

Halloween at the Smith's

2009-10-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

Above is the pumpkin with Smith's lit up. All the kids in their costumes with their pumpkins also. We missed our oldest girl Kenzie. She had fun in AZ with her cousin though. Amanda met Ursula on the street. The lady came across the street to say high. She asked Amanda if she could sing any of the songs for her and Amanda said "No, you will take my voice!" She definately knows the story....the lady just laughed and laughed. She really did do a great job on her costume. It looked really neat in person. Amanda thought she was great but she was not going to sing for her....

Halloween 09 evening...

2009-10-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

Every year the front street shuts down for two hours and the kids get to go to the stores and trick or treat down main street. They loved it....Jake took a while adjusting to so many people. He wasn't wanting candy bad enought to venture into the crowds but we got him adjusted by the time it was over. I think Amanda had the best time. Mike and Kaylin got to go in a haunted house. I think they had fun but it was definately perfect for Jake to Amanda's age.

Halloween 09 morning...

2009-10-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

The kids enjoyed carving the pumpkins this year. Kaylin made a puppy. Mike made a scary face and Kaylin thought of use carving Smith's into the big one. Finally, Amanda did her pumpkin and we cut it out. Next it is Dress up time!

New grease monkey in the family...

2009-10-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

Kaylin loves going outside with Darrel and working on the vehicles. He enjoys it because some one to help him and set out there and talk to... This last week Darrel had to change out the brakes and so she went out to help him. She did have on gloves but forgot to take them off when she scratched her face. So far she has learned how to change brakes, change out lifters, and fill all the fluids. She should be set by the time she learns to drive.

Mike's room...

2009-10-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

Well, since Jake is with Amanda, Mike gets his own room. he is excited and enjoying it. We hung up some of his models that him and Darrel have put together. He can't wait to decorate his new room.

New home

2009-10-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

Well, hopefully all is going to go through with the house. Every one seems to think it will not be a problem and we should be in the house November 20th. I wanted to make it through Halloween and then we will start packing this next week for the move. Everyone is excited and it is a really nice house. It is on an acre lot and very nicely developed.

Christmas early....

2009-10-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

Granny and papa sent their christmas gift early this year. the kids are liking this getting christmas in the summer. this year they got a computer for all of them to use for school. The older ones love this. We set up screens for everyone and all. Amanda is still learning to use it but she is all excited that she was included. Jake thinks he can use it but is not quite old enough yet. They will get great use out of it though and it even has a perfect place for it at the new house.

Summer at grannies....

2009-10-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

This summer we went to see ganny and Mackenzie made a blanket for granny for her to use at her doctor appointments. She made it all on her own and then they enjoyed tacking it together. The younger ones enjoyed the cupcakes and all the candles.

New room...

2009-10-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Amanda and Jake are now sharing a room since Jake is out of the crib finally! They are enjoying it because she likes Dora and he likes Diego. I think in the new house we will decorate with dora and diego and they will love it. We also weeded through the toys and got rid of the last of the baby toys so they are enjoying sharing pretend and other items.

Amanda has gotten so big and she says the funniest things some times. Here she is wearing her crown and says this is a picture of her with her crown on and she is standing next to her daddy. The horse is at granny's park over the summer.

My little one...

2009-10-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Jake is getting big. I don't have a little baby any more. Now is favorite this to say is "I do it..." It is hard for me to remember that he needs to learn these things now that he is old enough. This week on Tuesday he even sat the table for everyone. I think that is what made me realize he is getting so big.

Forgot the picture...

2009-10-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

Extras...

2009-10-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well, school is back in and so are the extra curricular items. Kenzie and Kaylin are in Girl Scouts this year again and Mackenzie decided to do Maramba again. We had a discussion as usual about why she couldn't do it all. She wanted that plus chorus. I reminded her of the two extra curricular limit (I only let them to two because since there are three of them I am helping with 6 extra activities total) She still didn't get it I don't think, but she decided on Maramba again. Kaylin is doing Choir and loving it. She has a beautiful voice. Mike is doing Cub scouts again and enjoying it. I am the Committe Chair person for Cub Scouts. I find that I like it better and they do to when I am involved in the things they do. Mike decided a week ago he wants to play football but I think it is too late this year. We will have to see about next year or maybe he will want to do soccer again. They do that sport pretty much year round here. The Girls/Boy and the Scouts take up a lot of our time because their troops are so involved. Here are pictures of the girls at the beach where they volunteered to clean up the beach. It was very windy and cold. Mike even went because he had service hours to do for the community. It was fun and they had coco afterwards. I think they are looking forward to the corn maze the most. Luckily they do it the day before Mackenzie leaves.

School is back in...

2009-10-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been busy since we got back from AZ. We debated homeschooling Kaylin and having her watch the little ones this year part time while I worked part time and made some money. We decided that this was not such a good idea and Kaylin needed to be in school with her friends but that since I was not working for one more year that we needed to find a house to buy (instead of renting) and to buy on the other side of the sound (right now Darrel is paying $600 in ferry fees) in addition to gas and the travel time (almost 2 hours). This means that this year we will be moving (which I really don't want to do to the kids either). I don't remember it being this hard to find a home in AZ when we bought ours but I guess since we had it built that may be why.

The kids all loved their new cloths from Aunt Missy and Granny. They all got more than necessary and Kaylin I think appreciated hers the most! I hope mom and Melissa realized this. She loves her new cloths. I think this is the first time she has had more than two new full outfits ever. She has always had hamidowns or a new top or two or jeans or two but never them all. Here is a picture of her in a Jacket that mom got her. She loves it as you can tell from the pictures.

Mackenzie's rain coat this year....

2009-08-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Mackenzie got a raincoat this year. She didn't have one last year and it was hard making do. We found one with velvet on the inside so she is so excited (even though she doesn't look it - she is still dealing with Amanda getting all the clothes) because she still loves to wear things that feel good.

Finally....The Coat!

2009-08-03T10:50:00.001-07:00

and more...

2009-08-03T10:48:00.001-07:00

and more...

2009-08-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

And more...

2009-08-03T10:44:00.001-07:00

And more...

2009-08-03T10:42:00.001-07:00

More...

2009-08-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

New clothes

2009-08-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Actually these are Mackenzies old clothes but it feels like new ones because we only kept the good ones. Amanda has been making it this summer with two pairs of shorts and 4 pair of knit light weight pants. For our family this is not very many clothes. Well, I found the bucket this morning with Mackenzie's old clothes. She was not dealing very well with us pulling things out for Amanda because everything she saw she said, "no, she can't wear that 'cause she will ruin it!" Mackenzie was aways very careful with her clothing *UNLIKE Amanda*. I am so excited though because I just kept thinking "we need to go get Amanda some clothes..."

Amanda and Darrel

2009-08-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Amanda and Darrel were being silly after dinner. She started brushing her hair and then everyone started laughing. Fun night all around.

Lori's quilt

2009-08-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

Lori wanted to make a quilt because when she got here I was working on a quilt top. She has never sewn and wanted to try it. She did a great job and after she finished decided she will NEVER do it again.

To Arizona we go...

2009-08-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well, Amanda found out we are going to Az and it has been "I really want to go see grandma" a hundred times a day for the last 5 days (we still have 9 to go).She decided that she had packed her toys so she could do with out clothes. Jake wanted to know exactly what toys were going.

Island Lake Last week....

2009-08-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

The kids loved going to the lake on the hot day.

Lori and Kaylin

2009-08-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well, Kaylin hurt her ankle, (sprained it) when Lori first got here (her mom). Lori then a week later kicked the air mattress motor and sprained her ankle also! It is still black and blue.

Cub Scout Camp -

2009-08-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

Mike had a blast at camp as you can see... He learned a lot and he is half way to his bear badge this year already and the school year has not even started.

Jake in a corky mood...

2009-08-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

find those grapes!!!

2009-08-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for all the grapes. There are so many. They are hiding everywhere!

Apples

2009-08-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

To the right are the hazel nuts.

Fruit galore this year...

2009-08-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

Last year I was so excited because we had all these different fruit trees that were NOT lemon or orange trees. The landlord ending up cutting them back so much last year about all I got were apples though. That trim helped this year though because there is a bunch... grapes, peaches, pears, plums, and even hazel nuts, and of course the old faithful apples. Luckly the landlord planted different kind that produce at different times so some are almost ready and some will be in September.

Amanda freezing Skate Creek at Mt. Rainier in July

2009-08-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

Amanda wanted in but she was cold...

Go west... part 8

2009-07-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

Go West... part 9

2009-07-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

last part.

More Fourth of July...

2009-07-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally found the good 4th pictures so I will get them on soon.