The Bui Bugle

Peyton is Baptized

2011-01-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

I figured it is probably about time I express my gratitude for the handsome young man in our family who made a very important decision over Christmas break. Sweet , Delightful, charismatic, Peyton, was Baptized last month. He patiently waited 3 month, so that he could be baptized in Canada where more family could attend. We love you buddy!

growing Up!

2010-11-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

I have been married for 12 1/2 years. And not once in those 12 1/2 years have I ever had a bed set that actually fit my bed. My family tells me that I am the master of making do. It's not that I don't want my house to look cute and organized. I just severely lack the Time, money, and taste to do it properly.

So for the last 12 1/2 years I have been using the "single" size comforter I picked out as a 16 year old when re-modeling my room ( that was 17 years ago ). To cover my queen size bed. I would simply lay it horizontally across the bed and then fold the sheets back to line up and give the illusion that the blanket was long enough. Such nonsense, I know!
Well, yesterday I took a step into the adult world and purchased a bed set. I had a limited budget of $50. What can you possibly get for $50? How about a 7 piece bed set. Thanks to a Macy's One Day Sale, and a $10 off coupon. Is it the perfect bed set for me? NO, it would of been fun to get something slightly more funky, and slightly less traditional. But it fits, looks 10 times better and was in my budget. Originally $ 240, Macy's had it on sale for $57.99. My coupon brought it down to $ 47.99 and I was on my way home.

Some how I feel so grown up.

The Mark of a TRUE Fan!

2010-10-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

How do you decide if someone is a true fan of a particular team, or just a poser? Well I'd say if over half his wardrobe is decked out in Florida Gator graphics, that's a pretty clear sign.

The count so far:

3 orange gator t-shirts
4 white gator t-shirts
6 blue gator t-shirts
2 blue gator polo shirts
1 thermal gator long sleeve shirt
1 hooded pull over shirt
2 hooded pull over sweat shirts
2 pairs of shorts
1 water proof jacket
1 baseball cap

Also pictured here:
2 FATHEAD 4 foot square wall vinyl art, featuring a Gator helmet on one, and the gator head on another.

Not featured in the pic but cluttering space in my house:
1 Gator flag 3 by 5 feet
magnets
pull overs purchased for the children
gator Pj's again for the kids
4 shirts for ME
and a plethora of blue and orange clothing, that do not have the gator head on them, but never the less are the correct color and are stuffed in his drawer.

No one could ever say that Chet doesn't support the things that he loves. And that includes the kids and I. We certainly are blessed.

He's 8

2010-10-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

WOW! he's 8. Peyton is 8. Fully accountable and a handsome devil. When did that happen?

Peyton we have thoroughly enjoyed our 8 years with you. You are a kind, thoughtful, compassionate, peacekeeper. We love you so much. I'm sure the next 8 years will fly by just as fast, and then I will have to hand over the car keys. YIKES! let's not rush things.

Footloose, Footloose, kick off your dancing shoes

2010-10-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

Every year, several times a year, the local high schools put on dance clinics. Alyssa loves to shake her booty for a day and hang out with friends. BONUS! the kids get to perform the dance they learned at the varsity foot ball game that night.

We like to hit up the Westview High clinic. They do better dances, serve better food, and give out cuter T-shirts.

Alyssa favorite part, getting dolled up for the performance.

It's hard to see, but our little dance diva is standing up and dancing the 3rd from the left.

Alyssa is blessed to have friends that not only do the clinics with her. But she also has friends who come later just to watch the performance and be supportive. Aren't they the sweetest grouping of gorgeous girls?

First day of school

2010-10-16T13:46:00.001-07:00

FALL

Oh how we love the fall! " I wish I could send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils", Tom Hanks writes to meg Ryan in YOU'VE GOT MAIL. That is exactly how I feel. Only if someone sent me a bouquet of sharpened pencils, I would throw them into a baggie and send them off with the kids in their school supplies. Save money where you can right?

Our school year started out with ease. The kids had been anticipated it for some time and were anxious to get back. I on the other hand could of used a few more weeks of sleeping in and making lunch at 1:00 in the afternoon. I was so not ready to start the year, in fact I never even bought the kids one stitch of new clothing to proudly display on the first day of school. I think they still looked pretty darn cute , don't you?

The long walk to building and developing new brain function begins!

Peyton took a double take to make sure he was in fact sitting at the right table. Yes son! you read correctly, you are here to stay.

Alyssa got to choose her seat this year. The sign of advancing in age and responsibility. We did however manage to get her to turn around and say good bye to her much distraught baby brother. Then we sneakily snapped this shot.

Then back home with little monkey to a quiet house, Thomas the train, and possibly potty training.

I wish they all could be California days

2010-08-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

I wish they all could be California "Days"

Well the sun was shining back in late July

So in the van we crammed and to the beach we fly

We hunt for crabs and starfish under sand and foot.

Then we stop to get an ice cream down in Tilamook.

I wish they all could be California "days"

Sun keep shining

Not for the squimish

2010-08-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

10 Years! Some how with 3 children, I have managed to make it a whole decade without having to go the emergency room. My lovely reign of peace ended on Wednesday afternoon.

Of course it would be my youngest that would catapult me into the world of hospitals, casts, and inevitable medical bills. It was what we now call, THE LETHAL SNACK.

Poor Camden was sitting on a stool at the counter eating his afternoon snack of grapes and cheese crackers. He decided he needed a bit more leverage to reach his juice cup. He started to stand up, but instead went tumbling down trying to catch his fall with his right arm.

You see what's coming here don't you. SNAP! followed by mom noticing a very distinct difference in the look of his arm, a rush to pile the kids into the van, and a nerve racking drive through rush hour traffic to the emergency room.

diagnosis: RIGHT SUPRACONDYLAR HUMERUS FRACTURE

essentially, he broke his elbow, which an ER worker kindly told me was one of the most painful breaks you can have. I guess when you break the tip of your humerus bone off and all the other bones below it follow that break to the opposite side of you arm, YES! that probably does hurt.

Camden needed a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon to fix him. So he was transported by ambulance from St.Vincents to Doernbecher Childrens hospital. There we spent the night in this lovely room.

He was brought in for surgery the following morning at 7:30 for his Closed reduction and Percutaneous pinning, followed by a long arm cast placement. In english, they twisted and pulled his bones back into place and then pinned them together, then put a cast on.

camden hasn't slept in a crib in a year, but he was content to stay in one now.

Post surgery snooze. We were released about 5 hours later and carefully made our way home. much to our surprise Camden was very much himself. Singing Thomas the train songs and pointing out every bridge and car. He wants to be out walking and playing and it has taken many snacks and movies and a great deal of convincing to get him to sit still for a while and just heal.

For my wise and always stylish sister

2010-03-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

So What do you think Co. What skirt would you choose to make?

The fabric I probably would end up using.

Baby Translator

2010-02-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

One of the obvious perks of being a stay at home mom, is we get to see every moment of our children's development. It becomes particularly amusing and exciting when they begin to talk, We listen to them babble on all day long and learn their little phrase manipulations and hardily praise their abilities to tell us what they want.

Intern, it becomes comical when we find others aren't having such an easy time understanding our child. Especially those poor daddies who aren't there during the day to develop the talent of baby translating.

I had to chuckle the other night listening to an attempted conversation between my sweet Chet, and baby face Camden. While I was upstairs cleaning the office, they were downstairs wandering in the Kitchen.

" Dad, elp num num num mulk"

" What's up Champ?"

" num num mulk, elp"

" What do you need Buddy?"

"NAK, dad, Nak, mulk"

( This went on for quite some time, when I finally hear Chet say)

" I don't know what you're saying buddy, where's my translator, Honey! Nancy! where are you?"

I of course come to the rescue, and let him know that Camden would simply like HELP getting a SNACK, preferably some YUMMY MILK.

I haven't had a job outside of the home in 14 years. But if I needed to enter the work force tomorrow, I think I could safely add to my resume BABY TRANSLATOR.

Batman shaves his head

2010-02-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when I am being ornery and don't want to cut my husbands spiky, slivery, wirey, sticky hair. He dawns Camden's Batman towel as a smock and cuts it himself.

Lookin good handsome! Maybe when you're finished, you could go into your bat cave and do a little cleaning. Poison ivy is taking the day off.

Oh! Robin wants to know if you're free for lunch.

SEW Storm

2010-02-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

My incredibly thoughtful husband bought me a sewing machine for Christmas this year. I am always saying that I want to learn how to sew better, but my old machine just didn't want to co-operate. The tension was always messing up, the foot pedal was finicky, and I could think of thousands of more excuses not to sit down and sew. Receiving a new sewing machine put an end to my grumbling and added a goal for my year. I would learn how to sew this year. I have rather enjoyed taking on this goal and below is proof that I'm not all talk, I've got some action happening too. Here is what I have accomplished in the month of January.

I had bought some rockin 80's fabric with the intent to make Chet some MC Hammer pants. Yes I know they are out of style! it was for an 80's party we were attending. But Chet would have none of that, and so the fabric sat. HMmmm! what to do, what to do? How about make some fun, funky bags for Alyssa. One for Church and one for school.( she informed me recently that no one wears back packs anymore, they all use shoulder bags. problem solved, now she has a shoulder bag too.)

We slowly have been decorating the house and fixing the kids rooms up. In that spirit, I sewed some curtains for Alyssa's room. This picture really doesn't do them credit. The colors are actually quite a bit nicer.

There was extra fabric from the curtains and so an apron for Alyssa was born. I could of ironed it before taking the pic, but oh well, At least you can see that she has been using it.

Peyton was feeling left out, so I made him an apron too. A bit more masculine, BBQ style. He chose the fabric.

Speaking of feeling left out! My poor Camden. The older kids got Bath Robes for Christmas. Camden was so upset that he couldn't cuddle up in one himself. So Voila! a home made robe was born.

And lastly. We were having an issue with hallway lights a night time. Peyton wanted it on, But Alyssa wanted it off and refused to close her door. Using a bit of ingenuity, an old Barbie sleeping bag, and some elastic. A sleeping mask was created, and all parties are now happy.

Giggles

2010-01-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

I love the the blunders and phrase switching that children and for that matter, adults sometimes do. Here are a few snippets that have made me laugh this weekend.

1) On Fridays I volunteer at the kids school. Like most moms I spend most of the morning getting the kids ready and so I rarely have time to make myself presentable before heading out the door. Popping on my glasses and pulling the hair back into a pony is about as good as it gets. But this past Friday I made an extra effort and actually put in my contacts instead of my glasses. when I arrived at the school a sweet little boy in Peyton's class came up to me and said:

" Wow, Mrs. Bui, did you get your eyes pierced?"

I had to giggle, and hardily thank him for noticing.

2) We hold family home evening on Fridays at our house. It's what works for us and our schedule. Peyton gave a lovely lesson about The Creation, and even read from the book of Genesis (we've really enjoyed seeing his reading skills take off). At the end of the lesson he posed the questions. "What do we do on Sundays, the day of rest". We each took a turn answering: prayer, go to church, read scriptures, think about Jesus, and then it was Camden's turn to answer, to which he bellowed.

" Watch football"

A wide grin spread across Chet's face, such a proud poppa, and we all had a good laugh. Camden truly is watching and learning from everything we do.

3) That same night we stuck around and played a few games of Hangman on the dry erase board. We tried to keep the phrases centered around our family home evening lesson. Chet thought he was being so smart when it was his turn to create a phrase. He really had us stumped, what started with an F had an L in the middle and ended with a T. We were almost hung, then Alyssa saved us by confusingly guessing with a scrunched nose.
" FILAMENT"
Chet was so disappointed that she had guessed is word. We all looked at each other and laughed, some one had to break the news to him. So Alyssa stated.

" Isn't it supposed to be FIRMAMENT"

He was rather embarrassed that he had been called out by a 9 year old. I guess he had light bulbs and fridge parts on the brain. Maybe he was hungry.

The Lazy Tooth Fairy

2010-01-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Tooth fairy,
I have to say that I am greatly disappointed in your performance as of late. I was only made aware of your apparent lack of responsibility recently.

My sweet boy Peyton, who has lost three teeth in the last two weeks, solemnly walked into the office with a shocking statement. "Mom, I think I know why the Tooth fairy hasn't come yet."
(Gasp!), "Why is that", I asked. " First, I never wrote her a thank you note, and second, I think she is really tiny. Those coins and bills probably get very heavy and it's hard for her to fly."

Now Tooth fairy, I do realize that you are very busy. Besides this night job, you most certainly have a family of your own to take care of, errands to runs, projects to finish and a home to organize. But I would hope that you could make the time to remember my imaginative little boy. A sweet child who never has gotten angry at you for being late, in fact makes excuses for it. And has been waiting patiently for over a week, dutifully checking under his pillow every morning for a simple recognition of a job well done. It did take him 7 years to grow those teeth for you. And I would expect that he will be handsomely rewarded for his patience.

Yours guilty:
The face in the mirror

Little Stud

2010-01-15T09:53:00.001-08:00

I can't help but notice lately how grown - up Camden is looking. He is such a stud

My little adventurer is always on the go. He loves to explore his surroundings. Curiosity killed the cat they say. Not in his case. Curiosity made one smart little man.

It won't be long until people are trying to fill HIS big shoes.

Girls Just want to have fun

2010-01-09T15:54:00.000-08:00

Flash back! You betcha! Welcome back to the 80's. poofy hair, bright colors, outrageous jewlery, and A few familiar Icons, made this fantasic evening totally Rad. The Ladies of the Quatama Cloggers dance group, of which I am apart, decided to have a little get together this weekend.

Chet made a fine Mr. Miyagi, and I attempted a low key Cindy Lauper

brushing up on our 80's trivia. It was easy to spot the competative with the more mellow, during this mind twister.
Chet took the Cake on the name that tune game. Parts of songs from commercials, televison sitcoms, or cartoons were played. let's just say that it was pretty obvious that Chet spent the greater part of the 80's learning how to speak english by watching T.V.
The men all snazzed up. I think we had like 4 Marty McFly's
And the Women feeling young and free
It was such a great night girls. I can't wait to see what theme we pick for our next gathering.

A nice white blanket for Portland

2009-12-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

After much wishing, and hoping, and dreaming and praying, my kids were thirlled to embrace a little white miracle. For the second Winter break in a row, we recieved bucket loads of snow.

I suppose those wonderful new snow pants and boots from Christmas, will come in handy after all.

The Christmas Hull

2009-12-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

Yes some nice candid shots of the kids opening gifts would be cute. A snap shot of the chirstmas tree twinkling in the early morning hours is gorgeous. I do have those pics, but today you are being treated with the HULL. Here is what everyone got for Christmas and what they looked like in the morning. I saved my pic for last because it is the most gorgeous, so flattering. I particularly like that the picture was taken at an angle to ensure the doubling in size of my legs. Enjoy! and giggle a bit along the way.

Blazer Madness

2009-12-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, Chet and I were given the opportunity to attend a Blazer Game. Thanks to the sweet winnings of our friend Brent, we enjoyed the luxury of a suite and special visits from past Blazer players.

It was fun to watch the team warming up

Chet and I cheered to our hearts content ( BJ Would kill me if she saw this picture)

Then of course because it was my first Blazer game,Our main man ODEN went down with a serious injury within the first 5 min. Brent said I was a curse, and that I couldn't come to a game ever again.

We managed to still have a fantastic time, and the Blazers pulled out a win 90-89

During a visit with former Blazer players, this snap shot was taken.

Afterwards, the tall whit gentleman in the back bumped into me. The height difference was extraordinary. He looked down at me and said, "Oh hello down there, you know you and I should do dancing with the stars together." I said I would gladly comply and to call me any time.

2009-12-03T09:10:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

There was a cute boy who lived in a shoe, let's make that several shoes.

2009-11-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

Is it wrong that my baby has so many pairs of shoes?

I mean look at them. So small, cute and stylish. Buying children's shoes is addicting. Camden certainly doesn't require a matching pair of shoes for every outfit. But why Not?

Wouldn't you want to ensure the safety of tiny little feet, especially tiny little feet that belong to a face like this.

We're down to 8 pairs ( unfortunately, my favorite pair was recently out grown)

3 pairs of Nike runners ( 1 high top, 1 cross trainer, and 1 reg run)
2 pairs of sandles ( 1 casual and 1 sport waterproof)
1 pair brown casual wear
1 pair of black skater VANS
1 pair of KEDS, Joes Brand

I would love to say that I'm done, but I'm actually currently looking for a nice pair of black Sunday shoes. If you see any, let me know!

The Cell Phone Debate

2009-11-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

This entry is for you Claudia in case you decide to visit our page again. It was great to here from you by the way. We miss you guys.

I ended my last entry with the query, "Time for a cell phone? maybe "

I think this deserves a little clarification. You see, I have been a non-cell phone user my entire life. I don't own one and have had no desire to own one. I'm with ya Claudia, let's get back to the good old days where people actually spoke to each other face to face.

Chet has a cell phone that he brings to work with him. He bought it when I was prego this last time in case I went into labor during the day ( has yet to happen that way). We never use the thing. But in the past two weeks, I have had the school try and contact me three times while I was away from the home. And away for the entire day I might add. So dilemma! do I finally buckle down and succumb to the wireless world, or remain a naive, electronically challenged mother of three, who hopes to be home when a school emergency occurs.

I have no intention of giving my children cell phones until well into their teen years ( If then), and Chet needs his since it is the only way to contact him in case of an emergency ( you can only call in to his supervisor, and she works minimal hours).

I have lasted this long and survived just fine. Oh well, What is a stubborn , red head to do!

2009-11-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

This is not the face you want to see ,when you pick your child up from school. ,

M- " Oh sweet heart, did you have a bad day"
A - " No! look what I'm wearing."
M - "Those aren't your pants."
A - " I know, they made me put them on."

I'll spare you the rest of the conversation, because her future words were uttered out of anger and do not need to be repeated. Apparently while I was out enjoying a shopping day with Camden, the school tried to call me. Alyssa had slid into a mud puddle at morning recess and was completely covered in goo

She required a change of clothes and they had called to ask me to bring some for her. They waited for a while, but when I never showed up or returned the call, they went rummaging through the lost and found and pulled out a pair of boys, black and red warm-ups for her to wear back to class. She was not happy!

Time for a cell phone? maybe

2009-11-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

Now that the flu has finished its run through the house, I finally have some time to post a few pics about Halloween. They are ghoulishly late, but still should make you cackle with joy.

Camden discovered Lollipops this year. For a full two hours you would not see him without one in his mouth. I think Batman deserves a treat every once and a while.

Peyton and fellow Optimus Prime Buddy Kaeden, transformed and rolled out that night together. They hit the streets to protect the human race against Decepticons and snag some candy along the way.

Super Girl Alyssa hooked up with hippie chick Ashley to do some damage at the ward Trunk or Treat. An odd Super team no doubt, but while Ashley spread all the peace and love Alyssa swooped in to steal the candy.

A few shots of our "super" cute family

If you are wondering about Gator man, wonder no longer. He is in fact the most intriguing of the super heroes. Defender of the spread offence and creator of extended play, this super hero can sway any score to his advantage and ensure the success of the Florida gators.

Army Alyssa

2009-08-03T08:25:00.000-07:00

This is what it looks like to have pride in your country. Unfortunately for Alyssa she happens to be wearing the getup for the CANADIAN army reserve.

My brother in law ( Uncle Kingsley to Alyssa ) happens to be part of the reserve in Canada. In fact he just left today for another month long training session. While we were up for an extended visit, he thought it would be fun to dress up my eldest in his gear.

This was not that easy. Kingsley is over 6 feet tall and large in stature. I think Alyssa looks pretty great considering the size difference. It makes for a cuter picture anyway. Now if my daughter were actually heading off on a military assignment, I don't think I would feel so light hearted. Give em heck Alyssa!

1st Birthday Bash

2009-05-22T19:51:00.001-07:00

It's birthday time! There is nothing better then celebrating a 1st birthday and witnessing the confusion, excitement, and mess that comes along with it. START WITH SOME PRESENTS!

THROW IN A COLORFUL CAKE

A FEW EXTRA GOODIES

AND SOME FAMILY AND FRIENDS

NOW YOU HAVE YOURSELF A PARTY!!

The presents were a little much to process at the beginning.

So we put them aside and started with the cake. You knew exactly what to do with that!

Once you were fed and happy, opening presents was a piece of cake. We ditched the clothes and let you at 'em.

mid way through presents you discovered a half eaten tart on the ground and decided to have another little snack. I'm sure glad we waited to put you in another outfit.

A party wouldn't be a party, if you didn't try out the new toys.

Happy Birthday Camden!! It has been a fantastic year. Thanks for being such a sweet, adorable, giggly, goof of a baby. We love you.

Finally Updates

2009-05-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

Wow! I didn't think I would ever be able to blog again. Our computer was down for two weeks. Then It was partially working for the next week, but it wouldn't allow us to upload pics. And now, it has finally been restored to full functionality. So here we go baby! buckle in for a whole mess of updates and boring Bui blunders.

Trickster

2009-05-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

Don't mess with this little boy when he is hungry. He will find a way. I turned around to put something on the cupboard, and when I turned back, this is what I found.

Yep! You have been caught. But I'll let you stand there a minute while I take a few pictures. After all, you are so darn cute.

Spiritual enlightenment

2009-05-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

My man has been hard at work. Now that he has been called back into the Elders Quorum Presidency as 1st councilor, a fire has been lit under his behind. Preparing to teach a lesson is now a full week event, and hours of computer time. I am so proud of my worthy priesthood holder. This is what my living room looked like this past week.

Normally I would be ticked that such a mess could ruin the flow of our front room for such an extended period of time. But to see the joy on his face as he left for church knowing he was fully prepared certainly trumped the clutter. It was also a great privilege to hear numerous compliments on how wonderful his lesson was. Maybe I should turn family home evenings over to this spiritual giant.

Swim Lessons

2009-05-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

It is the time of year to get the kids ready for pool time and splashing happiness. Peyton has been terrified of water for several years now. When I told him that we were heading to the pool that day and he would be having a swim lesson, he broke out in tears. He cried for a good 20 min. As the day progressed, he slowly warmed up to the idea. It started with:

" maybe they will only stay in the shallow end mom."

Then progressed to:

" I bet they will play some games."

and finally ended with:

" I think I am going to have fun"

And indeed he did!

Peyton trying to look confident and putting on a brave face.

His first taste of floating on his back.

At the end of each class they have to jump into the deeper end of the pool. His first day was a bit intimidating.

Alyssa of course was a pro. She loves to swim and could hardly stand to wait for her class to begin. Unfortunately all of the other pics i took turned out way too dark. Sorry Lys!

Since these pics were taken, the kids have had 4 weeks of lessons. Peyton has made enormous strides. He loves to put his head under the water. At the end of class, he jump unassisted into the deep end and doggie paddles to the edge. He adores putting on a life vest and practising his free style and back stroke abilities.

Alyssa is an under water swimmer. She prefers paddling down deep and breast stroking her way through the deep of the pool. But lessons sake, she has swiftly conquered the back stroke and free style and looks forward to taking on the water slide on her own on Wednesday.

scooter man

2009-05-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Why should the big kids have all the fun? Camden is almost walking, why not add scooter expert to the table. Chet made a few adjustments and he was off.

Where's your face monkey?

Oh Ya now we have it under control. Rock on baby!

Tulip festival

2009-05-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

Each Year, the small community of Woodburn holds a tulip festival. The town comes alive with brilliant colors and fantastic views. The local outlet mall experiences a massive influx of patrons. City folk take the time to hit the Walmart ( since it is the closest one available ) and stalk up on cheap diapers, baby wipes, and summer clothes for the kids. For a small moment we all get the chance to feel like expert gardeners and small town hicks. In essence, it is a day without cell phones, television, neighbourhood children banging on my door, or sibling squabbles. AND WE LOVE IT!

Horsey ride anyone?

The fam, just chillin!

Future farmers of America Poster!

Taking in the view

I can't tell which is more gorgeous, the girl or the flowers?

11 months

2009-04-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Oh! little sweet bottom. You brighten up our days just like those colorful flowers. It's hard to believe that in just one more month you will be a year old. Just because you are as brilliant as a flower, doesn't mean you have to grow like one. let's take a look at this last month.

Adventures in Food:

* I am bound and determined to get you to finish our last can of Formula. I think it is great that you have managed to ween yourself from the bottle so successfully. But I really think you need that last month of balanced nutrition. So please! suck back that nasty stuff for one more month.

* when I have my back turned, you are a master at sneaking any food that might be near you. I even grabbed some photo evidence of this last week. I have to hand it to you. You are a quick little monkey. I hope you enjoyed that pizza, you won't be having it again for a while.

* Pancakes and fruit are still among your favorite things to eat. Unfortunately, no one else in our family likes pancakes. I am learning to make smaller portions.

Personality moments:

*You love to play on the Piano. But you are very bossy with your space. You don't like to share the keyboard. If someone else tries to play at the same time as you, you usually swipe their hands away and grunt. This makes it rather difficult for Alyssa to practice piano.

* YA, and DA DA are your favorite words. If we ask you a question, you usually say Ya! regardless of what the question is. Da da is used a lot, not because you are asking for dad but because you have associated that word with being angry. When ever you are upset you burst out in long angry phrases of da da da da da da. I blame Chet for pestering you so much. Sure that's what dads do, but I think we have hit an extreme when da da now means frustration.

* Sharing is a fun and interesting concept. You love to share your food. Unfortunately, it is usually the food that has already been in your mouth. Not very appetizing, but it's nice of you to try.

* Games of cat and mouse bring out the best giggles and facial expressions. Your favorite place to play is around the coffee table. We will chase you around in circles and you hold on to the edge of that coffee table and walk as fast as you can. Very Funny! We also love to chase you up the stairs. I am amazed at how quickly those little arms and legs can move.

* Our little snuggle bug. You like to wedge up as closely as you can when taking a nap with dad. Daddy has learned not to move in his sleep. We also enjoy frequent hugs and nose nuzzles.

Favorite songs:

* Tiny Turtle
* Leo the Lion
* If your happy and you know it

Basic Measurements:

weight- 22 pounds
height- unknown
We do know that I bought a bunch of summer outfits on sale and decided on the 18 month size. Unfortunately they are all now too small and it's not even summer yet . You're a monster and that's why we love ya!

Rock climber

2009-04-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hmm! I realize that this is the Rescue Hero MOUNTAIN station, But I don't think it is supposed be used for actual Rock Climbing.

That doesn't stop this little monkey. If it has levels, he will climb it.

And maybe even do a little surfing. Yep! sweet pea that car has wheels and they do roll. It's a good thing you have great balance.

Easter happiness

2009-04-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

We love this time of year. Not only is everything in bloom here in Oregon, making the everyday car ride a glorious sight. But we get to celebrate the life , death, and most importantly, the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.

To our family, Easter is a time of deep gratitude and spiritual renewal. We are so grateful for his atoning sacrifice. We Know that our family can be together forever, because our Savior made it possible.

We try not to cater to heavily in the commercialization of the holiday. But that doesn't mean we can't have some fun. We do have children after all.

Our Ward hosted an Easter Breakfast on Saturday morning. It was a raving success. Yum Yum cinnamon rolls, fruit, bagels and juice were scarfed down at an alarming rate. There was a fantastic slide show and reading of the Story of Christ, and then a surprise entrance by this freaky dude.

The Easter bunny to be sure,but for many kids, he was a terrifying, don't come near me with a ten foot poll, monster.

Peyton proudly scooped up dozens of eggs. He had his basket filled in no time.

Alyssa and our sweet neighbour miss G were also very successful in their egg hunt. So much so that I had them give away a large chunk of their findings to those kids who weren't so quick on the draw.

We of course couldn't go home without opening a few eggs and divvying them up evenly.

On Sunday morning, we headed straight to church, but by early afternoon we were ready to have a little hunt of our own. I had looked up scripture references that would lead the kids to various places in the home ( bath, bed, oven, wash clothes, table, etc.. ) It was a scripture scavenger hunt of sorts. At each clue point there was another scripture and a set of Easter eggs for their baskets. They got candy and the chance to read the scripture, WIN WIN!

Chet was finishing up dinner preparations, and I was wrestling with Camden, so I'm afraid not many pictures were snapped of the hunt. But I did manage to take a picture of the ending prize.

Here's our plate of goodies nestled snugly in the fridge.

We had a wonderful day, full of laughter, spiritual growth and did I mention new church callings. That's right! Chet received a new calling. He is now 1st councilor in the Elders Quorum Presidency. We couldn't be more proud. We got to take a Trip to the Stake Center where he was set apart and given a blessing by members of the Stake Presidency, High Council and Ward Bishopric. A wonderful end to an extraordinary day.

A Girl who know what she wants

2009-04-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

Like most Saturdays, our family spent a large chunk of the day running around doing errands. Todays "To Do" List included

* Attend the Easter breakfast

* Get ant killer

* Fertilize and de-moss the lawn

* Clean the horrendously messy kitchen

* And find some Sunday shoes for the children. Poor Peyton has been wearing too small shoes for two months now. His toes are permanently curled.

The kids are generally good sports about being hauled all over the city. Today was no exception. Upon finishing our last and most important errand, the kids announced:

Kids- "Where are we going now?"

to which we replied

Parents- "HOME"

Alyssa- " No, we're not

Dad- "Oh really, then where should we be going"

Alyssa- "To get something to eat, I need something FIZZY, Something SALTY, and something MEATY."

Chet and I both have an inability to make up our minds about anything, especially in regards to food. It's nice to know that at least one member of our family can make a solid decision and stick to it.

But it only gets better from there. Not only were we forced into a lunch out as a family ( well it really didn't take much forcing), but we were made to seem rather dumb. Our next conversation went something like this.

Dad- "how about Greek food? We haven't hit the Mad Greek in a while."

Mom- " I could go for a Gyro Plate ( pronounce it{ gee row})

Alyssa- " Actually mom, it's pronounced { yur oh }"

Mom- " Um, I think you're mixing up the type of money, with a type of food."

Alyssa - " No! Miss Neilsen told that to me and she actually went to college"

( apparently my degree in Broadcasting, and Chet's degree in healthcare administration mean nothing, we remind her of this.)

Teasingly:
Mom- " Well, did you hear that Chet, Miss Neilsen went to College, she must know."

Alyssa- " Oh come on, you guys went to school forever ago. Miss Neilsen graduated recently, so she remembers stuff better."

Well Miss Nielsen, I'm glad you are Alyssa's teacher. She adores you and you have obviously taught her a lot. Our Old educated brains will sit back and let you do the work.

summer cuts

2009-04-07T11:52:00.001-07:00

At the first taste of summer, it's time to buzz off those long locks and let their scalps breath. Wads of thick black hair is like dirt at my house. There is far to much of it and it gets everywhere.

Peyton insisted on stripping down to his underwear for his hair cut. We thought it appropriate to at least wrap a towel around his waste.

I absolutely despise cutting Chet's hair. It is sooo wirey that it actually gives you slivers. So my sweet apprentice has begun to take over the job. She's getting pretty good.

Here, she's thinking about how to style it. Technically she could do something really funky and Chet would never know, nor could he do anything about it.

Yes we are proud of you sweet pea.

2009-04-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Sunshine! We're so glad you have decided to join us this weekend. Your streams of warm and bright vibrant colors have been sorely missed. We love the way the deck warms up to create a tanning bed, and instant kid play zone. I hear you will be sticking around for a few more days before showering down moisture for our thirsty plants. We shall enjoy your company. Feel free to poke your head through the windows, or lay out on my carpet, You are always welcome at my house.

Alyssa, taking advantage of the rays and a sturdy deck.

If you ever wondered what Chet's mom looked like, you are witnessing a perfect side profile.

Peyton sat out on the deck all day. You can do that when you have an imagination like his.

Alright, a place to crawl and walk OUTSIDE!

10 months

2009-04-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

So little mischief maker, what have you been up to this last month? Other then unrolling all of our toilet paper that is. Well let me tell you.

Personality:

giggles and farts, yes that's right. You always giggle after you have tooted. You seem to have a flare for gross out comedy.
That teeny weeny highlight of red hair has added huge temper tantrum capabilities. there is no middle ground. You are either extremely calm and happy, or furious. Luckily the happiness wins out most of the time.
I want it, and I want it now, is a new trend. Patience is a virtue, and you my son have not yet developed it. At least not when food is involved.
gettin jiggy with it? You bet. You love to shake that little tooshy to any musical beat.

Physical developments:

You have been crawling and walking along furniture for quite some time now, but this month, you discovered the stairs. You are very proficient and fast.

You are huge. I never thought you were all that big, until I realized I was putting you in clothes that Peyton was wearing when we moved to Portland. He was 19 months at the time. So chubba bubba, there is hope for you yet.
You are frequenting words like, mama, dada, nana, Uh Oh, and buh buh
I caught you trying to climb out of the crib the other day. There will be none of that monkey. Not yet!
TWO MORE TEETH! Wow, those two top, front teeth made an appearance on March 30th. Now you can really chow down.

Food:

A hearty appetite in deed. You will only take one bottle in the morning and one at night, and a container of baby food is not enough to fill your hungry growls.
You tried spaghetti and loved it
And as I reminisce of when My baby brother was still a baby ( love you bobert), you too enjoy sucking on chicken bones and crunching on cartilage.

Songs:

If it has a beat, you like it
some new favs, the hokey pokey, chicken dance, and bunny hop

Books:

Now that your attention span is a bit longer, we can make it through some true classics
A color of my own
Miss Spiders new car
I know an Old Lady who swallowed a fly

We are so looking forward to the nice weather ahead. Now you can really have some fun when we go to the park. they've got some great stairs there buddy, you'll love it!

Finally time to relax

2009-04-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

I have never thought of myself as a stressful person. I have lived a pretty posh life. My needs and many of my wants have always been met. I don't require much and managed to remain fairly organized and in control.

However, this last two years has made a turn. I don't know if it was the two pregnancy's back to back and subsequent adjustment year of once again having a baby in the house. Or the fact that I have grazed past the 30 mark and there has been an adjustment in my mental stability. whatever the cause, I know longer have the ability to remain organized and productive for a long stretch of time. This became increasingly apparent over the last 4 weeks.

As the Young Women Camp coordinator, I was put in charge of organizing a fundraiser for camp. A job I gladly took and was excited to pursue. But I could not get my head out of the fog. Back in the Primary presidency days, I could whip out a quarterly Primary activity in 60 min, with a complete outline, supply list, and visuals. A Fundraiser is a whole other ball park. I was grateful for the 4 weeks I had, my dear friends on the activities committee who helped me out and supplied added brain power, and the fantastic, laid back and supportive Young Women and leaders whose patience and determination pulled the whole thing together. We Did it! and it was Fabulous.

A Brief overhaul of the event: We held a Chili cook off and service auction. Charged $8 a family or $5 a couple. All chili, services ( babysitting, yard work, baked good, lessons, costume making, etc..) were donated by ward members. At sign in, each family was given a wooden, painters stir stick marked with a number as their auction paddle. Dinner was at 6:30 and the auction began at 7:15. It was fun, productive, at times hilarious, and very successful. I am so grateful for a supportive ward. Three Cheers Quatama Ward, you have brightened the lives of 7 very happy girls. I now can take a deep breath, and try to regain a bit of my lost sanity.

Fumbles and blunders

2009-03-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Brain Power! What is that exactly? I don't think my brain has functioned properly for several years now. And although it can be annoying as I double book events on the same day, forget to show up for visiting teaching, and misplace my keys 4 times in one day; it can make for some quirky, unintentionally rude and often funny conversation. Here is a sampling of one such conversation

Chet and I were enjoying some alone time while the kids were taking a nap or outside playing ( I'm sure you can figure out which kids were doing what). Chet headed into the kitchen to grab a snack and decided to wash his hands. But he can never just wash his hands, he always also splashes water in his faces and runs his wet hands threw his hair. I, in slight frustration but also curiosity exclaim:

" Why are you always wetting yourself, you make such a mess. You wet yourself all the time."

Chet starts to giggle

" What is so funny. I don't think it's funny to stand there and wet yourself, and now I'm going to have to clean it up."

Chet- "Do you hear yourself"

" Of course, I always hear myself when I have this conversation with you. If you are going to wet yourself, at least do it in the bathroom, not in the kitchen, where I have to clean it up before I can cook. You wet yourself like 5 times a day in here."

Chet-" You know if some one heard us talking right now, it wouldn't sound very good."

I stop to think about what could possibly sound bad. And then it hits me. Wetting yourself could take on a whole new meaning if you weren't actually watching someone spray water on their face. Frustration was soon replaced by roaring laughter, and humble apology

Shout out

2009-03-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

It could of been terrible

It could of caused chaos

It could of required entertaining three kids for hours in an enclosed space

It could of brought scary news

It could of brought me to the edge of insanity

It could of brought me to tears

Thankfully, none of these things came to pass, due to a charitable best friend, and two fantastic visiting teachers.

So what is this "it" that causes me to be so dramatic ? ( Like it really takes much of anything to get me that way!)
"It" wan an urgent doctors appointment with my little munchkin. He was lethargic, only awake for a total of 50 min from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. which is completely out of character for him. I was in panic mode.

In swoop my band of angels. Alyssa is picked up from Activity Days and carried away to play at a friends house. Visiting teachers arrive to teach, and leave not only lifting my spirits but with Peyton in toe so he doesn't have to sit through a potentially long appointment. I was able to calmly make my way to the doctors office knowing my family was safe and I could focus on the one little one.

Thanks ladies! your kind hearts and willingness to serve made a stressful day workable, and two kids happy and well entertained.

It did bring me relief

It did renew my testimony

It did make me grateful for Health care

It will buoy me up for the rest of the week

Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Babyhood

2009-03-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

It's time for dinner. The aroma of Pad Thai fills the room as the family sits down for a fulfilling meal. Camden is eyeing the noodles with anticipation. Unfortunately, they contain peanuts and he is not yet at the stage where he can eat peanut related products. I scoop him up and bring him to the cupboard to pick out his less tasteful but healthy meal.

Mom- Camden, what would you like to eat?

Camden- ne ne ne ne uh uh

Mom- would you like some green beans?

Camden- *sigh*

Mom- How about crackers and peaches?

Camden - ( silence )

Mom- Oh, did you want noodles?

Camden- Ya Ya

Mom- But you can't have those noodles

Camden- ( gives me a pouty face )

Mom- You want noodles?

Camden- Ya Ya

Mom- how about I make you these noodles instead ?( showing him plain macaroni noodles)

Camden- ( thinking it over, touching the bag)

Mom- Should we make you these noodles?

Camden- ( practically whispering, less enthused, but positive) Ya Ya

All's well but ends well, I guess

Todays favorites

2009-03-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

I have spent far too much time lately grumbling like a troll under a bridge. Sick kids be darned, sleepless nights - bring it on, dirty house- just let it be; it's time to roll out the positive.

My parents were here this past weekend, and I am still kicking myself for not taking pictures. But pictures or not we had a fabulous time. Mom and I laughed and cried ourselves through the production of WICKED. Just as good the second time around, in fact better, because I had mom to enjoy it with. Dad fixed up the house nicely, and Chet Cleaned the Sunday dishes all by himself without being asked. Thanks sweety, you rock!

And Today as I reflect on the week thus far, I have found many things to be grateful for. Here are some of my favorites of the week.

Peyton having a sudden desire to take pictures. I may actually get chronicled as part of the family now, even if my eyes are closed.

The sunshine beaming in the patio window of my bedroom. I have found the kids laying out like cats, stretching in the sun. Camden will stand forever watching the trees sway in the back yard.

Comfy slippers. I have several pairs, These are my favorites of the week. I am never without a pair of slipper on my feet in the house.

Scriptures for Latter-day Saint Families. Our morning Scripture Study has been truly enriched by the wisdom found in these books.

Walking into my daughters room and finding a Canadian flag proudly displayed on her night stand. For all the mocking of CAN-A- DUH, there is some heritage pride blooming in her.

The sweet sound of piano music flowing through the house. Since Alyssa has begun piano lessons again, you can find her tinkering throughout the day perfecting the craft.

The fruit storage unit in my fridge. Silly I know, but I love that I can wash the grapes, place them in the unit and they stay fresh and crisp for weeks. Yummy!

The return of Pad Thai at Costco. We love Pad Thai, and making it from scratch is a pain and far too much work . This Brand appears off and on at Costco and is fantastic. It has made a return and we have stocked up.

And finally, the new favorite sleeping arrangement. The blow up mattress has remained filled since mom and dad have left. The kids can't get enough of this fancy pillow top mattress. Alyssa and Peyton have shared the bed for three nights in a row and slept quite peacefully. Eventually it will have to be put away, but for now, it is something they enjoy together and that doesn't happen often.

I'm sure next week will bring all new favorites, but we will enjoy these for now and look forward to what the following days bring.

9 months

2009-02-25T11:29:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to slack in my duties. Here it is Feb 25th, 4 days past your actual 9 month mark, and I am now just posting your updates. Hmmm! I wonder if it is because you have been a grumpy little monkey because you are sick, and won't let me do anything around the house. Yep! I bet that's it. Don't worry. I won't hold it against you. I would however like to make it through one day without being slimed by boogers, sneezes, coughs, and anything else that makes its way back up into your mouth. Maybe tomorrow!

Despite feeling miserable this last week, you have become the most fun little man. Laughing ,giggling, jabbering, and bringing an abundance of joy to your family. You even let me snap this picture of you in between cough spasms, and managed to pull out a smile.

Physical strengths:

You now charge like a bullet when crawling. It is fun to watch you pull that head down and with utter determination take off across the room. You do happen to be very quick, which means, I end up swiping your mouth to pull out whatever item it was that perked your interest for the charge in the first place.

You will wave hello and goodbye. It takes some prompting, but you're very proud upon accomplishing the task.

You now enjoy clapping. We will yell random hollers of Hooray! just to see you do it.

Because of your increasing leg and arm strength, you get yourself into the most precarious situations. You pull yourself up on everything. I have found you stuck under our island stools, screaming for help having made it half way up the staircase, wondering how to get down from the bowflex, trapped in the closet after figuring out how to slide open and shut the doors, and performing an amazing balancing act with one foot on the edge of the laundry basket and two hands holding firmly to the corner of the TV Stand ( your empty bottle was on top, I presume that's what you were headed for).

But by far your most favorite things to do with this new mobility is help me unload the dishwasher. or at least that's how I look at it. Why else you would want to stand in a dishwasher and pull out bowls. ( Photo evidence below )

Step1: begin to crawl onto the open door of the dishwasher

Step 2: look all innocent and cute so mom doesn't ask you to get off

Step 3: Pull yourself up using the top rack and begin to unload.

The unloading doesn't stop with the dishwasher. An equally favorite adventure is to pull open the dresser draws and unload their contents. No wonder I always feel like I'm folding laundry.

Favorite Foods:

You have become less dependent upon store bought baby food. In fact you quite prefer having small bits of whatever we are eating as a family. Rice, peas, corn,baked potato and carrots top the list.

You also enjoy any kind of self dissolving cracker, but the Keebler saltines makes your taste buds dance the most.

We have introduced some cheese and yogurt to your diet. Cottage cheese was a huge hit.

Yesterday we discovered you are very fond of pancakes.

Favorite Books:

Moo Baa La La La- has been the chart topper for 8 weeks now

My first sight words and ABC's took a close second

Favorite songs:

lately you have taken a shine to the primary songs. "Families can be together forever", and "I lived in heaven", lull you right to sleep.

The wheels on the bus - has made a come back, because now you are trying to do the actions.

Basic measurements:

length: not sure, we haven't measured
Weight: 19 lbs 2 oz, you have actually lost weight, it must be all that crawling around

Nancy needs...

2009-02-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

A lot of my friends have been tagging me this past week, with all sorts of fun games and info lists. many have been kept logged into the facebook world, but Annetta tagged me with one that ended up being so true that I had to share it here.

The trick is to type "Nancy needs" into google search ( of course use your own name) and then write down the first ten responses that appear. I have to admit that I had no idea I needed so many things. And apparently I am a Diva. This is what my google search came up with.

Nancy needs... to learn what the moon is ( I better register for school right away)

Nancy needs... Jail Time ( let's hope this never comes to pass )

Nancy needs... her own personal Boeing 757 kept on standby with 16 dedicated Air Force personnel to cater to her every whim. ( wow! let's do it baby )

Nancy needs... Prayer ( so true, so true)

Nancy needs... A vacation ( don't we all )

Nancy needs... to ask Palin's advise on cleaning ( Now obviously they are referring to Sarah Palin, but the funny thing is, Palin is actually my maiden name, so I guess I'll just ask my mom)

Nancy needs...help! ( how did they know, mental, physical, emotional, I need it all )

Nancy needs... a new job ( actually I could do without this one, staying at home with the kids is just fine by me.)

Nancy needs... professional profile on LinkedIn ( sure why not)

Nancy needs... to be punished on Yahoo ( wait a minute, that's not necessary, I don't even know who you are ).

We are the Champion, my friends!

2009-02-11T10:53:00.001-08:00

Creativity + Ingenuity + Hard Work = A Champion.

Let me set the scene for you:

Wednesday, January 28th- I receive a call from the school. Alyssa's eczema on the back of her legs is acting up. It is making it difficult for her to walk. She is in a lot of pain and would like to come home. I out of concern for my daughter of course agree. I pack up the other two kidaroos, zip off to school, and Alyssa is safely at home by 12:00.

* Afternoon classes missed- Content, music, and reading stations

Wednesday, February 4th- Alyssa is in a panic. She had her Content class again today and was told that there was an assignment given the week before. She shows me the assignment. Alyssa must build a gravity pulled simple machine. No pre-made or box sets are allowed to be used. The machine must be built out of materials from around the house. Additional, she must write a One page report on the project. Included in the report: Summary of how she built her machine, what worked, what didn't work, what would she change if she could do it again, what are some things she did that could give her an advantage when racing the machine, and What she learned from creating her own machine. All these things not only need to be written in report form, but memorized, because she has to give a speech on the subject when showing her machine to the class. Due Date: Thursday, February 5th. hello!

We set right to work, pulling out anything we can find that could be used to build a derby car like, simple machine. The final materials used include an empty baby snack container, tinker toy sticks and wood discs, yellow spray paint, hot glue, feathers, googly eyes, paper nose, yellow masking tape, magnetic tape, screws and washers, and of course an electric drill.

We drilled holes in the bottom of the food container, spray painted the container and lid, slid the tinker toy sticks through the holes and attached the wood discs as wheels. Next the feathers were glued to the back of the machine. Alyssa took the lid off and stuck magnetic tap to the inside of the lid. She then magnetized the metal washers and screw to the tape and snapped the lid back on. yellow masking tape firmly attached the lid to the container. The machine was now front heavy which would assist in the gravity pull. Just for fun, her machine was given a face. Alyssa proudly called her machine Turbo Tweety, and it really looked like tweety bird zooming down our pre-test ramp.

Thursday, February 5th- With report and Turbo Tweety in hand, Alyssa arrives at school. Her presentation goes well, and the machines are set aside until they can be raced the following Monday.

Monday, February 10th- The day of the Simple Machine Derby. The races are done in Heats. Turbo Tweety Wins all her heats. The Quarter Finals, and Semi-Finals are a breeze. Now it is the Final. Turbo Tweety and her apponent are placed at the top of the ramp. The marker is pulled and the race is on. Turbo Tweety's feathers flutter proudly in the wind. After 3 intense seconds, Tweety rolls across the finish line in Second Place. Okay so she didn't win, but for Alyssa this was a huge victory. She is thrilled that she beat out all but one of her classmates, when she only had one day to build her machine, and they had an entire week. Her Machine, along with the winners, will be on display in the school library for the next month. We knew you could do it Tweety!

A Burning within

2009-02-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

Today I was extremely blessed to be able to attend another baptism. Misty and Lilly Lewis, investigators in the Quatama Ward, were baptized at 1:00 this afternoon.

These were the Second and third baptism for the Quatama Ward in the last two weeks. We are truly blessed to have an active investigator pool in the ward. I have been serving as a ward missionary for nearly two years now. It is a calling that I have loved, learned from, been inspired by, and at times has brought frustration, heartache, and disappointment. I will admit that it is not easy trying to juggle, three kids, a husband that works until 8:00 pm, teaching investigators with the missionaries several times a week, plus teaching new member discussions with my fantastic companion to 4 different women on a weekly basis. My free time has been non-existent. And yet, I have been deeply blessed.

When you look into the eyes of a newly baptized member of the church, your heart just burns. They radiate, joy, and hope. Who wouldn't want to be around that several times a week. The Elders in our Ward, Elder Wray and Elder Wood are two extraordinary young men. They serve in Faith. They carry with them strength, obedience, and down right determination. Elder Wood returns home on Thursday, and he will be missed.

I need to express gratitude to my Heavenly Father, for entrusting with me these new, bright souls to the church, and allowing me to be taught by the spirit and to teach with the spirit. My testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been strengthened and edified. I can now say, that I have served a full time mission for the church. That is how it feels. And I will continue to serve, in whatever capacity my Father needs me.

The lists

2009-02-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

What I WANT to do today

Take a nap
Read a book
finish decorating my wall
shop for a new outfit
Go out for lunch
Have someone give me a massage

What I NEED to do today

Laundry
Volunteer at the school
Finish talk on Holy Ghost for Misty and Lilly's baptism
Convince my husband that a severely sprained ankle means he won't be playing basketball tomorrow morning.
Buy baby food
Do the dreaded grocery shopping
Get some gas in the van

We'll see which list actually gets accomplished!!!

A Grumbly rhyme

2009-02-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you a story , not new or old
Of a mom and three kids, and their perilous woes

It all began late yesterday afternoon
When the mom was struck hard with a headache of doom

One grumpy baby’s continuous cries
Reached up through the rafters and pierced through the skies

It was not his fault, he has a cold
And can not breathe through that darn stuffy nose

The eldest of three tried her best to help out
But was stressed by due projects and started to pout

To create a gravity machine is hard you see
When you only have one day, instead of a week

Mom was no help, she was drained of super powers
And dad wouldn’t be home for another 4 hours

The middle child sniffled, grumbled and coughed
His new prize was broken and his homework was lost

He wanted to watch T.V but the remote was not found
And so instead he just shouted and pounded the ground

The hours ticked by with all still a fuming
More fights broke out because of assuming

The next thing you know it is 50 minutes past eight
And dad is now more then extremely late.

He decided to play basketball, but no call did he make
And so mom was stuck home suffering through her headache.

The night was no better with babes up every hour
While dad kept on snoring, moms attitude did sour

And so today when children coughed, but were fine in their throat
No sympathy here, find your shoes and a coat.

Hubby wake up, it is quarter past eight
Have a shower, get to work, and don’t you dare come home late.

Horror house

2009-02-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Now that Camden is a crawling maniac. It has become disturbingly apparent that my house is not baby proof. We have had older kids wandering around here for years and have forgotten what it was like to have a crawler.

Camden can find the tiniest dot of lint on an otherwise spotless floor. No cord, cupboard, drawer or closet is off limits. My house is an accident waiting to happen.

Cupboards that don't close all the way, and open very easily

A rats nest of cords lingering in the computer room. We have never had an actual desk. We have always used an old kitchen table. It doesn't hide much.

perilous, sharp, and heavy exercise equipment, out in the open.

This would be why Alyssa and Peyton created a baby fort of sorts. They made a baby safe zone in the computer room.

Now their rousing rounds of board games can go undisturbed

Or so they thought, until Camden figured out how to escape from his fort

So much for that idea.

But seriously, it is time to do some major baby proofing. Organizing a home is a never ending job. I certainly don't want to wait until the child is choking, falling, poisoned, electrocuted, or broken to make a change around this place.

The sweet tooth generation

2009-01-29T14:46:00.000-08:00

Peyton- Mom , who are these chocolates for?

Nancy (mom) - They're for the family.

Peyton- Can I have one?

Nancy- Sure, take one and then put it away. I'm going to have a quick shower. You just stay in my room and watch T.V.

Peyton - Okay!

( 8 min later, Nancy done showering, clothed and refreshed)

Peyton- Mom, can I have another chocolate?

Nancy - Did you only have the one before?

(SILENCE)

Nancy - Peyton, how many did you have?

(Silence continues)

Nancy - Two? Three?

Peyton- I'm not telling

(Nancy opens the chocolate box and takes a look)

Nancy- You ate the entire first layer!

Peyton- Oh! There's another layer. Can I see? ( looks underneath and eyes begin to sparkle ) Mom can I have another chocolate?

missing my nephew

2009-01-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

You know, as much as I love living here in Portland, I never stop missing being near my family. My nephew is 5 weeks already and I haven't even met him. I probably will not get a chance to meet him for at least another 6 months if not longer.

I live and breathe by my sisters facebook photos and often steal them from her page. How else are my kids going to see their cousins. And so for my own enjoyment, and to ease my aching heart, I am going to sit back and stare at this photo montage.

Aren't babies a HOOT ?

That smile was for me, I know it.

Hi doll face!

All the Mann's men. Miss ya boys!

Saturday habits

2009-01-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

I have found myself sounding and thinking more like my mother every day. It was inevitable, and I truly don't mind. She is an extraordinary women. Many things I was taught as a child, have proven to be extremely beneficial in my adult life. One of which is Saturday Chores. I choose to call them "Saturday Habits", they are not a chore, they are positive habits which will be used for a life time.

Now let's not get delusional. Many Saturdays rolled by where I complained, moped and stomped my way through the "habits". And there were too many Saturdays to count where I simply didn't help at all (Sorry Mom). But I have surprisingly fond memories of sticking my hand into an old hat or bowl and pulling out the paper slips which contained my "habits" for the day .

Now that my children are older and require some responsibility,this tradition has continued in my own little family. We don't draw our "Saturday Habits" from a bowl, but we do have a standard list that each child must complete.

pick up and put away anything that was left on the floor in your room
strip your bed
put on new sheets
clean your bathroom

Alyssa and Peyton, I have been extremely impressed with the way you complete your "habits". They are always done before 10:30 am. Little or no complaining is heard. And you always come give me a hug when you are finished. I'm proud of you. Keep up the good work.

That fitted sheet is always the trickiest.

rub a dub dub

Pull just a little bit harder!

scrubbidy do

Nice job getting all those bubbles off.

8 Months

2009-01-21T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hi Little bumkin. Aren't you such a handsome boy. Did you know that you are 8 Months today? Hooray for Camden! Let me tell you what you have been up to this last month.

Physical Strengths:

You are quite the little wiggle worm. We can't keep you still for a moment. You always want to be on the floor, scooting around and getting into mischief.
We love the Little crawl that you have developed. We call it the "Flinstone crawl". You will rock back and forth on your knees, but then push up onto your toes, and scooch yourself forward with your toes a wiggling and your arms a pulling.
You will use any solid surface to try and pull yourself up on. Your face dive into the book basket when the side caved in was particularly hilarious.
Your father and I have bruised legs and chins from the amount of jumping you do while standing in our laps. But we're glad that you are having fun.
Tooth number two made it's appearance on January 13th, and it is still reeking havoc on your nap and bedtime schedule.

Personality:

Stubborn as a mule come to mind. Yet that is keeping with the Bui, Easthope, Palin, tradition.
You love to mumble "bababababa" over and over and then end with a roaring laugh, like you have just told the funniest joke. We end up laughing with you, so I guess your "joke" was a success.
You love to have grunting wars with your sister and brother. It is amazing how you can mimic their exact sounds and fluctuations.

Favorite Activities:

Laundry days are your favorite. You love to be surrounded by warm, soft, freshly cleaned clothes and blankets. You get a kick out of taking a ride in the laundry basket up the stairs as mom prepares to fold the various loads.
We have discovered a very mechanical mind under that fly away hair. If it involves sorting or building you are attracted to it. As of late, you have embraced Peyton's bin of cars. You will pull them out one by one, inspect them and then place them to your left. Once the bin is empty, you flip it over and then crawl away.
You love mega blocks. I can see that you and Peyton are going to be great friends.
Peek a Boo - it's a classic
You have learned how to turn the pages when reading a book. Of course this makes it difficult to finish reading the page before you want to turn it. We don't mind. How else can you get through 10 books in under a minute.

Favorite Books:

Moo Baa La La La - has made a come back
Opposites
Let's count funny bunnies
What's wrong little Pookie

Favorite Songs:

How much is that doggie in the window?
Where is Thumbkin?
And any song that your sister randomly makes up while holding you.

Progress in Food:

Face it, you love to eat, and will eat anything, but if we had to pick some favorites..
apple cinnamon puffs, cheerios, and pureed mango
You also love crackers, and pieces of bread
The classic fall back food - Pears mixed with rice cereal

Growth Chart:

Well you wear 12 month tops, and 9-12 month pants
Your next official appointment isn't until next month, then we can really bring the low down.

Odds and Ends:

I truly believe that you would easily be able to pick out any member of our family in the dark. All you would have to do is touch our face. You are constantly feeling, poking, scratching, and rubbing our faces, not to mention the inside of our mouths. Future Dentist? Perhaps!

To clean or not to clean

2009-01-20T17:57:00.000-08:00

This is where my poor little monkey had to take his nap today ( an over sized bean bag ),

BECAUSE...

This is what the entrance to our room looked like

And this....

And this.....

Is what the inside of our room looked like.

Do you ever get overly ambitious about the size of project you can accomplish in a short amount of time ?

Today I made an attempt to clean under our bed. Our bed frame is such that you basically have to disassemble the entire thing in order to move it or clean it. I certainly filled my strength training quota for the day and made some disgusting and fascinating discoveries.

Under the bed was a sea of paper, fleecy sheets, crayons, markers, half eaten lollipops, sucked on jelly beans, chewed gum, and of course a swarm of dust balls. After repeatedly telling myself that I will no longer allow the children in my room, I made a glorious find. Tucked, or more appropriately wedged under the far corner of one bed frame leg was a shimmering silver. Hooray I thought. I'm not only cleaning but I'm going to find enough change to pick me up a junior bacon cheeseburger for lunch. But it was much better. Lying there for the last several months were the keys for the back door.

You see, we had a new patio door installed downstairs, It was great because, my thoughts were, we could come home from a walk, park the jogging stroller in the back and unlock the back door. Not to be. The keys quickly went missing and were never able to be used. A simple thing I know. But to someone who has been looking for those darn keys for months,it was a joyous discovery.

What Not to Hang

2009-01-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

I was blessed to be raised in an immaculate home. My mom actually enjoyed cleaning, and took pleasure in forcing that joy upon us kids. I of course now am grateful that I learned to clean at an early age. It is comforting to sit in a clean home and just enjoy your family. But there is one talent that my mom possessed which definitely did not get passed down to me. She has an eye for design, and every nook and cranny in her house is decked out in gorgeous manner. My house however, is certainly a work in progress.

My friends have seen a need to assist me . They keep an eye out for objects that would look good in my home when they are on their own shopping endeavors. They then call and tell me where to go and what I have to buy. I appreciate this no hassle approach to shopping. This beautiful Families are Forever plaque was a result of such a tip.

I now face the dilemma of how to place the shelving around it. Hence the paper cutouts of shelf forms that I happen to possess. I have tried several different layouts, and still have come to no serious decision.

When Chet came home for Lunch today he decided to help me out. And so below we see a man's take on what a decorated room should look like.

Is anybody in need of a GATOR fan at their house. Mine seems to be getting in the way.

Peyton's Prayer

2009-01-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

Mornings with school children always seem to move at a frantic pace. It's fun to watch the kids busying about their daily schedule.

They pick their clothes, have showers, brush teeth, choose a breakfast, pick a morning snack for school, fill backpacks and search for shoes. But there is one moment of time during the morning where chaos halts and calm ensues.

Right before jumping in the van and heading off to school, we gather together for morning family prayer.

Today Peyton was asked to pray. I was impressed by his thoughtfulness. It was obvious that he had been paying attention to the activities the day before and offered a touching prayer to start our day. From the mouth of my sweet babe came these words.

" Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for our family. Please bless Alyssa that she can make good choices today. Help her to stay with good friends. Help us to have a good day at school. Bless daddy to do good at work. Please help mom finish her house work and teach Camden. Help Camden learn to crawl better. Thank you for a car so we don't have to walk today. Bless that we be helpful. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."

DOUBLE TAKE

2009-01-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

How much is that baby in the window?

The one with the slobbery face.

How much is that baby in the window?

I sure hope he doesn't take my place.

Camden discovered himself this week. He has always enjoyed looking in the mirror. Lately he has seemed confused how mom could be in front of him and holding him at the same time. But the real kicker came when he made his way to the mirror himself, sat up and tried to play with the child in front of him. He was desperately trying to stick his hands in this intruders mouth, and smack his hands, but darn it that little boy just wouldn't budge. In essence he was jealous of himself. For a moment I got a glimpse of what it might look like and possibly be like to have twins. Yep! I'm happy to have just one strong minded little baby.

Welcome to Gator Nation

2009-01-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

We are the Champions! yes, the Gators won the National Championship last night with a rousing victory over Oklahoma.

It was a push and shove match all through the first half. Both Defences appeared sloppy and disorganized, resulting in a 7 -7 tie at half time. Chet would disagree, stating "No, they showed good defence , Oklahoma got into the red twice and were stopped both times by Florida." A true fan is always bias.

However the second half showed Florida's strengths, and amplifies Oklahoma's weaknesses. Tim Tebow, known for his leadership abilities rallied his team together to score again in the 3rd. It wasn't until the 4th quarter that Oklahoma was able to match the score, tying the game at 14 -14. The Gators then had to settled for a field goal bringing the score to 17 -14. The turnaround of the entire game, and the dominance of Florida shone through a mere 4 plays after this field goal when strong safety Ahmad Black, snatched a deep pass out of the hands of Sooners wideout Juaquin Iglesias at the Gators' 24. This frazzled Sooner Quarterback Sam Bradford, his second interception toss of the game, and he never recovered.

Florida clinched their victory with 3:07 to play, from the Oklahoma 3-yard-line, Tebow took the snap, started as if he would crash through the left side of the line, then leaped and flipped a pass to David Nelson. Florida now ruled the game by more then 7 points, and would remain there with a final score of 24 -14.

It was a dooser. Moments of strain crossed my face, anxious churning of the stomach, and deafening screams damaged the ears. But all is worth it for the happiness of my number one fan, Gator in heart and soul, my Husband.

This is what the number one fan looks like after staying up all night celebrating.

Silence

2009-01-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

The power of SILENCE is seriously underestimated. I hadn't realized how loud my house had become in the last three weeks. Kids were home running around, playing the computer, blaring the TV, turning up the radio, and pounding on the piano. New toys were humming around on the floor, Nintendo DS's were singing out their music, and children regularly made up new games that required yelling, leaping,ball smacking, and whistles.

It is amazing how easily we adjust ourselves to the noise. As a mom, I am an expert at tuning out anything unimportant and continuing with my work. However, there could be a plane crashing into my neighbors house, and I could still hear Camden waking up from his nap.

And so this week began and I heard something I hadn't heard in a while. SILENCE!!! Oh bless you SILENCE. I have missed your warm blanket of comfort, the way you whisper nothing into my ear, and your ever soothing and relaxing monotony. The kids are back at school, a regular nap schedule has resumed, and you SILENCE, my dear friend, have returned.

The 1st with a first

2009-01-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

January 1st is more then just a date in our family, it brings with it another first. Camden cut his first tooth today. He has been miserable the poor thing. Making teeth is rough business. After soaking through two shirts with ounces of slobber, it was time to investigate. I carefully prepared my pointer finger to enter the unknown, and upon gently swiping the lower gums, I was shocked to find sharp bumps hitting my Finger tip. Thankfully we are fully stocked with Tylenol, Ora gel, cold cloths, and chew toys. Ever the individual, Camden has separated himself once again from his siblings. He is only 7 months, and getting his 1st tooth. They were both 10 months. I hope this doesn't mean that he will have worse teeth then them. No Cavities yet in our family. Let's all knock on wood together, shall we!

The classic gnawing on your lower lip to ease the pain look.

Camden getting very annoyed with me after trying to get a picture of the inside of his mouth, unsuccessfully I might add.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

How do you ring in the new year? With friends of course. Things can get pretty tricky when everyone you know has two or three kids, it requires staying up past 10:00, and Babysitters are non existent ( Stake Youth Dance ).

Solution! Host a family friendly New Years Eve Party. And that is exactly what we did. We had a blast. Or at least I did. I hope our company enjoyed themselves as well. We were pleasantly surprised by how well the kids did. They were so good at entertaining themselves and each other. Everyone snacked on food, played games, watched dare devil stunt men on TV, caught a few football moments, talked non stop, and changed the occasional diaper.

The best part, you didn't feel obligated to stay until 12:00. If a child was spazing out, or an adult was just plain too tired, then off to the comforts of home they went. This may have to be a regular thing at our house.

Our kids made it to the end with their Nintendo DS's stuffed in their faces. I don't think they even realized that is was 2009. Peyton stayed up longer then me, or Alyssa, or anyone else in the family. Oh! to have that kind of energy.

Thanks everyone who came to enjoy the night with us, You were great company.

Go Gators!!!!!!

2008-12-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

My husband is a Gator fanatic. 3/4 of his clothes have some type of Florida Gator symbol on them. Chet has reason to be proud this football season. His beloved team has made it to the Championship game for the 2nd time in three years. So to support my eternal companions passion, we will be proudly displaying a Florida Gator background for the next month.

Will this bold display of affection tilt the scales in their favor at the Championship game. Who knows, only time will tell. But I will be able to hold my head high and say that I did my part to send good luck their way.

In a few weeks, if you happen to hear large bouts of screaming vibrating our house. No worries! we are all safe. Chet will just be doing his part to coach and cheer for his favorite team.

FACEinHOLE

2008-12-27T21:13:00.001-08:00

I saw this funny find, on a friends blog and decided to try it out. I know, mean right? Putting Chet as a sumo wrestler. Oh well! you have to get your kicks some how.
Create your own FACEinHOLE

Christmas 08'

2008-12-27T13:06:00.001-08:00

Christmas was white, peaceful, quiet, and plain old lovely. Although we missed our extended family immensely, it was nice to have our own little Christmas snuggled by the fireplace. Christmas Eve was spent across the street at the Kearsley's House. We can always count on the Kearsley's to become our family during the holidays. Christmas day was spent just with the family. Here are are few shots of the festivities. We tend to get caught up in the action and forget to take really great pictures, but any picture is a good picture at Christmas.

Good morning Alyssa

Good Morning Peyton

Time to Check out the stockings.

Camden did more chewing then looking.

Exactly what am I supposed to do with this stuff?

A babies paradise!! Yum! all that paper.

No! this is paradise. ( No worries the wrapper was on )

The boys, starting the assembling of bionicles.

At long last, her precious American Girl Doll.

We let things slide a bit at dinner and allowed Camden to snack on peas and stuffing. He was thrilled.

7 Months

2008-12-22T11:25:00.000-08:00

Wowsers! you'd think we were in an Indy 500 car race. The time is zooming by so fast, and Camden is already 7 months old. So Buddy! what have you accomplished in the last month. Let's just say, more then I have accomplished in a year.

Advancements in food:

Bottles alone were not cutting it. We had to up the antsy and dive into real foods
We started by mixing applesauce into your oatmeal, Yum! apples and oatmeal are my favorite too.
soon you were gulping up, bananas, peaches, pears, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, and the occasional prune. They say you are only supposed to introduce one new food every two weeks. Sorry little man! I am much too impatient for such nonsense, and I must add, so are you. You took to eating a variety of food, like a fish to water.
It wasn't long before you decided to try a few crackers, and bread. No allergies yet! I am knocking on wood as we speak.

Personality:

You are a hoot. You love to laugh and do it often.
You love to pretend to be shy. I'm not complaining. I love it when you snuggle your little face into my shoulder. The best part is, we discovered that if we hand you off to someone else, you really don't fuss. Hence the phrase "pretend to be shy".
You continue to sing yourself to sleep. I don't know what you are saying, but keep it up buddy. Whatever song it is that you hum to yourself each nap, and night time is working.
Now when you get angry, or just want someone to pay attention to you, you throw your arms to the side, lean back and grunt. At first we thought this was a new way to go to the bathroom. Nope! you want someone to look at you and we usually do. The best part, when we do look. you give us a huge smile and start to laugh.

Physical Strengths:

AND HE'S OFF! you are mobile. You may not have the crawling thing completely down, but you certainly get around. Rolling is still you strong suit. you roll everywhere. However, in the last week you have begun to army crawl. Strong arms and one strong leg push you around the floor with ease.
You still love to sit up and play with your toys. you have become such a pro, that we did away with baby tubs and sink baths, and you now rock out in a full size tub. Splash away monkey!
You have great dexterity in your fingers. You are already mastering picking things up with your thumb and pointer finger. Your favorite thing to pick, Rice Krispy cereal.

( driving a car is so much work )

Favorite Songs:

A big Hello
Icka Dicky Do
Tiny Turtle

Favorite Books:

If you were my Bear Cub
SMILE
Touch and Feel Animals

I haven't weighed or measured you since your sixth month check-up. But I do know that I had to pack away 3/4 of your clothes because they were too small, and my arms are getting tired more quickly now days, when holding you. Camden you are my sunshine. Thanks for bringing joy to our family.

Snow! The finale

2008-12-21T09:19:00.000-08:00

This is my final entry about the great Northwest Snowfall of 2008. Even I am tiring of reading about it and writing about it. It has been exciting, and unexpected for this area. It has made me long for the comforts of my parents home, where we usually witness such whiteness. And it has flooded my memory with times of childhood bliss. I only hope that this White Christmas will cement fond memories for my kids.

It snowed the entire day Saturday and into the night. Our poor little car was buried. Only his shiny tires and tip of his nose remained.

While we slept, the snow turned to freeze rain, creating a centimeter thick layer of ice on top of the mounds of snow. It took great effort to break through the ice to measure the depth of snow. You can see the shards of broken ice lying on top.

Our little kids picnic table looks so fragile amongst the blanket of snow.

Our BBQ had a cover on it. However, during one of the evenings the wind was so forceful that it tore the cover off, and left the BBQ to freeze.

Our other picnic table created levels of drifts.

Frosty the snowman, knew the sun was hot that day

2008-12-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

Thursday brought a warming of sorts, to the Portland area. Unfortunately our snowman didn't survive. He toppled over and then was grotesquely ran over by the van when Chet left for work. No worries! Just one more thing for the kids to do.

Alyssa mourning the loss of Frosty

The rebuild

Peyton came up with the brilliant idea of shoveling all the snow towards Alyssa, to give her easy access and assist in the rebuild.

He is sad looking, his helmet is on backwards, and he has lost two layers, but welcome back Frosty.

Camden got a kick out of watching his siblings at work.

All I want for Christmas

2008-12-20T10:05:00.001-08:00

All he wants for Christmas is his two bottom teeth. Actually I have been amazed at how quickly his one tooth is already growing in. He just lost it . And now a mere 2 weeks later tooth number two has exited the mouth. It looks like the tooth fairy will be providing Peyton's spending money this month.

A Mann's man

2008-12-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

Here he is. Our new little Nephew. What a little chub-a-lub. Check out the double chin. We're so glad you are finally here. Hopeful we'll see you soon!

The three mini Mann's, and the three most handsome nephews every.

A little daddy love.

Sorry Co! It was the only pic they had of you. You still look beautimus.

Another Bundle joins the family

2008-12-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to put a huge CONGRATULATIONS! out to my Sister Colleen and Brother in law Kingsley. My new Nephew was born only moments ago. I don't have any pictures yet, but I do have a grateful heart and sincere eagerness to see the little man.

Basic Info:

Name: Reichen ( Ry ken ) Gunner Mann
Weight: 8 pounds 13 ounces
Height: 23 inches

He is no doubt handsome, bright and cuddly. Welcome to the family Reichen. We love you already.

The week before Christmas

2008-12-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house
Every creature was stirring, because school was out.
The stockings were hung by the chimney all neat,
In hopes that they soon would be filled with a treat

With mom in her footsies

And some cold arctic wind

We all settled in for three weeks with the kids.

When out on the road there arose such a clatter
It was all the cold cars starting up with a sputter

I zoomed to go plug in the car with no fear.
But wait, this is Oregon, they don’t do that here.

The fluff on the lawn, the house and the trees,
Swirled into my nose as it flew with the breeze.
When What to my wondering eyes should appear
But a white covered tramp, and three kids in snow gear

They played the day through in the neighborhood court.
Went sledding, threw snowballs, and built a big fort.

And I heard them exclaim, as they came in for the night.
Tomorrow let’s have an even bigger snow fight!

( I just realized that Camden kind of looks like Winnie the Pooh )

Schoooools, OUT ! FOR! Winter?

2008-12-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

It looks more and more like the kids are going to enjoy an extra week of Christmas vacation. Monday and Tuesday's school day have already been canceled, and another storm system heads in on Wednesday. Not that they mind. The have been content to spend upwards of 4 hours at a time, frolicking in the bitter cold wind and sliding on ice. Although Peyton did happen to mention that he hoped he didn't miss the book exchange on Thursday. We'll see buddy, we'll see.

Just don't eat yellow snow son. That's all I ask.

Peyton trying to slide without a sled or a hill.

Now Alyssa has the right idea!

Don't event think about it little girl

There you go. Throw the snow at other children. Leave mommy alone.

Crazy Monkey! Like I said, trampoline best investment ever.

fluff and stuff

2008-12-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

WARNING!!! All Oregonians who may read this entry, have the possibility of being offended.

Isn't it beautiful? We have snow here in the Great North West and I am reveling in it. As you can see, there isn't much. A nice pile of fluff has graced us with it's presence. I am always humored by the build up such an event. The news preps us for days. Giving us ample warning to gather food from the store and get our tire chains ready. They are very thorough. I always giggle a little, knowing that school will be canceled, and yes Church was canceled today.

I become some what of a snob. "I can't believe they are making such a big deal about this." Having lived in snow ridden areas most of my life, I aim to be quite the professional on the subject. This has come back to bite me several times.

I quickly discovered that Oregon snow is much different then Idaho or Southern Alberta snow. Oregon snow is much wetter, colder, and perilous. Humidity is a bummer in Wintry conditions.
ICE, ICE, AND MORE ICE, Nuff said!
They simply do not have the machines necessary to take care of snowy, icy roads here. Therefore the roads remain an ice rink and accidents are inevitable.
The majority of people are not schooled in the art of snow driving. I am confident in my abilities ( which does not guarantee anything), not so confident in the abilities of those around me.
The PANIC MENTALITY. Everyone is in such a huff to re stalk there food, etc.... that it feels like Black Friday all over again. All courtesy goes out the door.

For all my huff and grumble that such little flakes could cause such huge grief, there is one thing I am sure of. I am grateful that schools, and church see the potential for danger and choose to protect my family, rather then take a risk. I may mock the chaos, but I am content to enjoy what snow comes my way, and take comfort knowing my family is safe and warm at home.

A Rum Pum Pum Pum

2008-12-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, so maybe I don't have a little drummer boy. But I do have a little piano boy. Camden has claimed hours of play time tinkering on our Lego piano. It actually plays, and we have enjoyed hearing his compositions. Recently however, he has decided that the real piano down stairs is much more fun to bang on. This tiny, plastic, sound machine, no longer cuts the mustard.

Bonus! Upon showing his disgust in said tinker piano and knocking it over, he discovered it was full of Mega Blocks. Now he has many more chewable toys to entertain him.
Perhaps this little piano isn't so useless after all.

Tree Hunt

2008-12-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

Traditions run deep in my family. Some traditions are built around talent sharing, others simply revolve around food. But my favorite traditions come in the form of games, particularly made up games. As kids my sister Colleen and I would spend hours hiding things in the Christmas tree. we would take turns hiding and finding nonsense items found around the house, a festive version of hide and seek. The other night, my own little monkey's were complaining that they were bored. All our games were old and lame and they had nothing to do. In pops my childhood memories and voila! a new favorite has emerged. Now MY kids are spending hours hiding and seeking in the Christmas tree.

The item of choice: a green ,foam Rhombus. I know what your thinking, that looks like a diamond. But no, no, I was corrected, it is a Rhombus. I love that they chose green just to make things a little more difficult.

Peyton is usually the first to search.

Doesn't it blend in nicely with the tree. I'm surprised they ever find it.

It's a good thing I'm not anal about people touching the tree.

Readathon

2008-12-09T10:05:00.000-08:00

I love watching the quiet moments when Chet gets the opportunity to be a terrific dad. Earlier in the evening Peyton chose to do his assigned class reading with his dad. I wasn't smart enough to snap a picture, but I wasn't going to let that moment slip pass me twice.

Upon emerging from the shower last night, I found Chet curled up on the bed with Camden doing a little male bonding and beneficial reading. Camden was squealing with delight and I could see the glow of pride and love beaming from Chet's eyes. Families are forever. We sure wouldn't mind have this kind of quality time together throughout eternity.

Notice how Camden is clutching the T.V remote. He was just getting prepared in case the story got too dull.

The book proved to be the winner. The remote was abandoned, and page turning took its place.

The leaning Tower of pumpkin

2008-12-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

The fall season really is over ( sigh..) But standing tall and proud in my dining room, remains the leaning tower of pumpkin.

Adding additional clutter to my home is just wrong. I can hardly de-clutter what I already have. But for some unknown reason I could not bring myself to throw away all of Camden's empty formula cans. In the back of my mind I have some amazing craft idea just waiting to be used, and yes it will require formula cans.

As you can see, the cans have got good use. There have been many structures created by my children using these lightweight building blocks, from forts to battleships. However, the last 4 weeks have found this nearly 8 foot tall tower looming in the dining room. It has not fallen over, despite its crooked nature. It really is a marvel. The children named it "The leaning Tower of Pumpkin." I don't have the heart to take it down. It is my last reminder of fall and I am holding on with all my strength. Eventually I will have to face reality and note that the tower no longer fits in with the fully Christmas decorated living room and dining table. One more day couldn't hurt!

Christmas mouse

2008-12-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

I am an avid reader. My children have become consistent readers also. We enjoy sitting down together, cuddled around a great book, making different voices and goofing off. Together we have consumed numerous Christmas books. Many of which have been about adorable Christmas mice. They look so cute dressed in tiny clothes, and bringing Christmas cheer.

We discovered on Monday that tiny Christmas mice may be enjoyable playing in decorations in stories, but not so fun when you actually have mice playing in your Christmas decorations.

EEWWW! GROSS!

I am short. We know this. We keep our decorations on the top shelf in our garage, which requires me to use a stool. I don't mind. I have always enjoyed climbing and stretching. I think it's part of the little man syndrome. I have to prove that I can do it by myself. Sometimes it gets me into not so pleasant situations. Case and point, Monday.

I perilously stood on the edge of a stool surrounded by bikes and strollers and reached up toward the Christmas boxes. Even standing on a stool I can't see the tops of the boxes, but I know which ones I want and tip them forward to get a better grip. Joy of all joys! To my surprise a surplus of little black pellets come rolling forward, hits me in the face and then drop down my shirt nestling nicely between my cleavage. It takes every ounce of control in me not to completely freak out, throw the box and jump regardless of where I land. I managed however to maintain my composure and bring the remainder of the boxes down.

Upon inspection, we discovered that mice had been nibbling at our stockings and tree skirt, which just happen to be in the same box as our fake tree. There was mice poop and pee on all our products. I salvaged the stockings and skirt. Quickly throwing them into the wash. I will however, not touch the tree limbs.

These puppies are being thrown away. I just know all these limbs are full of mouse droppings and pee. No Thanks! We have had this tree for 11 Christmases now. It has seen it last day. I think it was time for us to purchase a new tree anyway.

Eternity Beckons

2008-12-02T19:43:00.001-08:00

The simple, inspired words of Elder Joseph. B. Wirthlin have been running threw my mind since the October 2008 General Conference. Upon hearing of the passing of this great and noble man, I have once again devoured the talk "Come what may and love it", seeking its wisdom and relishing in its humor.

This talk inspired me and will continue to inspire future generations. Thank you Elder Wirthlin for your dedication and love. You will be missed.

Bye, Bye, baby teeth

2008-11-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

It finally happened. I knew the time would come when Peyton's adorable smile would contain holes. At approximately 8:00 this evening our brave boy stood quietly while I wrapped a Kleenex around that soon to be momentous milestone and gave it a gentle tug. I have to say that we were thoroughly impressed. Considering Peyton's long list of feared things, we naturally thought this would be one experience to add to that list. We were happily wrong. He had no problem. I said to him," Peyton, I'm afraid that tooth is so loose you're going to swallow it in your sleep. Would it be okay if we just pulled it out tonight." His response, a simple "okay".

Here is his first little pearly white. Maybe we should say pearly cream. I don't think he brushed his teeth today. Sorry mom and Auntie Amanda, (our family dental hygienists) it won't happen again.

Peyton decided that he would rather keep his first tooth, but he of course still wants the money from the Tooth Fairy. His solution, write a letter to the Tooth Fairy stating his demands. I'm sure she'll understand :)

Tooth and letter went safely into an old film canister and sat patiently on his bed waiting to be crushed by a pillow and very excited little head.

Peyton is snugly tucked into bed as we speak, dreaming about what he is going to do with all of that in coming money.

Extra, Extra

2008-11-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

Extra, Extra, read all about it. Alyssa Bui shines as the VIP for Tobias 3rd grade.

Alyssa will have the honor this coming week to be the VIP for 3rd grade. This weekend she was sent home with a newspaper briefing. She spent hours filling in each article and caption with information about herself. Some of the info she chose to write, truly surprised and impressed me. I can see a budding journalist amongst her Witty and charming articles. I highly suggest you click on the picture to get an enlarged view of her writing. You won't regret it.

Alyssa has an unparalleled determination. Each project is completed in excess of what was required of her. I love to see the effort put forth in all her school work. Isn't it great when kids make it easy to be parents?

Handy Man Peyton

2008-11-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

Peyton has become quite the little go getter. His expertise in LEGO building, BIONICLE assembly, and TRANSFORMER transformations, have turned him into a very talented problem solver. Yesterday I discovered these emerging talents spread further then I thought.

We hit the clearance isle at Fred Meyer and found a standing coat rack that is perfect for our garage door entrance. Upon bringing it home, Peyton boldly stated" Mom, I want to build it, you just relax." I was at first hesitant to allow a 6 year old access to my new find, but soon realized that he needed this independent time.

He carefully unwrapped the various parts and set them gently on the couch and then proceeded to unfold the instructions. He glanced at them for only a brief minute before declaring " These instructions are a breeze."

Then with lightning speed he whipped up that coat stand with no problems at all. What a sweet little handy man. I can't wait to see what he'll tackle next. I do need a shed built in the back yard!

The very

"breezy"

instruction

Handy man peyton by the finished project

What once was old, is new again

2008-11-25T09:38:00.001-08:00

I am not ashamed to admit that we left the majority of our life from Rexburg Idaho still boxed up, and sitting on shelves in our garage. We have lived here for 4 years now, but have not felt the need to unpack everything. Occasionally, I will make the comment "Didn't we used to have

a ________." Well, yesterday Alyssa discovered some old photos in a box. Several of the pics displayed towers of colorful foam blocks. "I remember those" she said. "I loved, climbing and building with them." So the hunt was on. I knew we had kept them. Three scrapes, a crushed toe, and a bruised shin later they were found. The kids spent the next three hours building all sorts of creations. Together they decided that Camden needed some new play space, and set to work to make him some. The end result; simple but functional. Thank you my little architects.

Alyssa is all about order and control. Her creation! A play pen, where Camden can be contained and still have fun.

Camden loved being surrounded by all that color and chewable material.

Peyton is a free spirit. It was fitting that he opted to design a rolling mat, where Camden could roll to his hearts content without being bumped about on the hardwood floor.

What once was old, is new again

the circle continues forever

For just when you think that you've forgot

someone else surely remembers.

Mr Sandman, bring me some dreams

2008-11-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

Anyone who is a mom knows that a schedule means everything. I live and breath by a schedule.

7:00 am wake up the kids
7:30 am scripture study and prayer
7:40am take kids to school
8:00 am start morning house work
9:30 am put Camden down for a nap
10:57 am meet Peyton at the bus stop
11:30 am make lunch
12:30 run any additional errands
2:00 pm drive to school to pick up Alyssa
2:15 pm Camden's afternoon nap
3:00 pm homework
6:00 pm start supper
7:30 pm showers and teeth
8:00 pm read books
8:30 pm put kids to bed

There is of course days where the schedule is askew or altered. Particularly on Sundays when naps time are really a mess due to 1:00 pm church. I like nap times, they are when I get things done. But Camden went completely bizzaro on me yesterday. He didn't really sleep at church ( I don't blame him ), in fact he never took a nap until 5:30 pm. I figured he would go down for about an hour and a half, only logical right? WRONG ! that child slept until 11:30 pm. Now any one who knows me, knows that I am neither a morning person nor a night person. I Like my sleep. I go to bed early and if I can, wake up late. This put a slight glitch in my REM cycle. Chet had for the first time in 4 years gone to bed at a decent hour and was not budging. It was up to me to provide quality time for my little monkey.

There is something spooky about being awake for several hours in the wee morning light. The Fridge sounded like there was a microphone underneath it. The stove fan would jostle in the wind and I swear I heard someone play a few keys on the piano. I am a freak. This is why I sleep. My imagination always gets the better of me. It is best if it rest through the night and provides sweet dreams.

3 Grumps and a blessing

2008-11-23T09:46:00.001-08:00

ONE sick and sleeping baby

Plus......

ONE sick and drowsy boy

Plus....

ONE sick and moody girl

Equals

THREE very grumpy children

AND...

ONE frazzled and unshowered mom

What is the blessing you may ask? This is the first time the kids have really been uncomfortably sick this school year. And it is the weekend, so they still have not missed any school. Yeah! Another blessing! we have mastered all the board games in our closet. It may be sickly family time, but it is family time none the less.

Awards

2008-11-18T12:37:00.001-08:00

As a parent you are given the unique pleasure of bragging about your kids. And so it is that I am going to take this time to brag about mine. We have had a very successful month of school at our house. The kids have been working hard and have been rewarded for their efforts.

Peyton has been excited to see what you get when you put your best foot forward. This last month he earned a Spirit award. Mrs. Herzog informed me, that the main reason for receiving this award, was because he is always telling the other kids what great jobs they are doing. "He is a positive influence" she said. What mom doesn't like to hear that. Along with receiving the award his picture went up in the hall.

Peyton was thrilled to discover that he is the Student of the week this week. He gets to sit in a special chair. Decorate an "All about me" folder, bring show and tell items, and provide a snack for his class on Thursday.

Peyton has taken huge strides in his reading. He got to skip right over the alphabet sight and sound pages in his tester book, and go straight to the high frequency word pages. He is also sent home with a packet of reading books every week, and is now on Level D readers.

He has been racking up some serious "Paw"sitive awards. This is an award system at Tobias Elementary where children can earn "paw"sitives by being safe, respectful, or responsible.

2008-11-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

Alyssa's achievements have been very similar. She received the Terrific Tiger award at the last assembly. Her picture is now on display in the hall, with the other children who received awards.

She was published in the 3rd grade news letter for writing a number problem.

Her desk was chalk full of "Paw"sitive awards. She was able to turn in 25 of them to receive a "Golden Paw" award, which will be hung up in the hall at school.

Hers was one of only 8 maps to be chosen from the 3rd grade , to dress the walls of the school. The kids had to draw a map showing their walking route to school.

We are so proud of our kids and the many things they accomplish at school. Thank You Peyton and Alyssa for being such hard workers and always doing your best.

Camden 6 months

2008-11-17T13:30:00.001-08:00

Another Month has flown by. Our little monkey man is now six months old and stirring up laughter wherever he goes. We have hit some real milestones this last month. So Camden, here is a low down of your 6th month of life in our crazy household.

Physical Strengths

Sitting up is a breeze. However, you have an unrelenting infatuation with your toes. This causes you to frequently remain in a hunched over position even though you can sit up straight perfectly well.
You love to stand and jump in my lap. Your favorite game is trying to grab mommy's glasses while you stand and balance with one hand.
I think you are the sit up king. I ought to enter you in a competition. Your stomach muscles never fail to amaze me. you can go from lying flat to sitting up with no help from your arms. Incredible!
You are slowly becoming more comfortable laying on your belly. Today at clogging you stayed there looking around for a full hour. Hurray Camden! But more often then not, you don't stay there long, and will quickly roll to your back to stare aimlessly into the air. You must have the ceiling stucco memorized by now. Photo evidence below.

Food
There is no doubt that you are a BUI BOY. You will eat anything. Grandma Bui used to tell me that your dad would open his mouth for anything, even if he was full to the brim. I am afraid son that you have inherited this trait. One of your funnier moments was when you were eating squash. It was obvious that you weren't fond of the taste. You would screw up your face and shiver every time you swallowed, but that didn't stop you from opening your mouth wide every time I came forward with the spoon.

Foods you love: carrots, pears, peaches, bananas, oatmeal
Foods you eat but are unsure of: squash, green beans, and sweet potatoes

Book Favorites

Moo Baa La La La

Peekaboo Shapes

Song Favorites

If your happy and you know it

Tiny Turtle

The wheels on the bus

Personality

You have made a new language out of raspberry blowing. Complete with fluctuation and question like endings.
You are amused by simple things, much to our pleasure. The more we can hear that raspy giggle the better.
When you get angry you scrunch your nose up then roar like a bear cub. Followed by waving arms and gritting gums. Temper? perhaps! but for now it is just plain cute.
You have a weakness for soft white blankets. You have two of them and cuddle them frequently.

Growth Chart

Weight: 17 pounds 5 ounces
Height: 27 inches
Teeth: none, but they sure as heck have been bothering you. I feel like we have a new puppy around here with all the chewing going on.

We love ya Cam! whatever would we do without our little bugaboo.

Side Note: Thanks to an extremely charitable and kind friend I have a camera to borrow until I can buy my own. Thanks Heather! you made these 6 month pics possible.

8 Things

2008-11-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

Alright so I have been tagged again. This is only the second time so I have no room to complain. I will humor you D.W. but next time, "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too."

8 TV shows I enjoy watching when I have time and would like to chill:
How I met your Mother
Jon and Kate plus 8
So you think you can dance
Biography
The Big Bang Theory
The Cosby Show
Who's the Boss (Yes I like re runs of 80's hits )
Ghost Hunters

8 Things that happened yesterday:
Successfully got the kidaroos off to school
caught up on the laundry
went to lunch at Chengs Mongolian grill with the three BB's (Bui Boys)
Roller Bladed to Tobias Elementary to pick up Alyssa from school
Returned books to the Library
Made a photo album
Sat in the driveway and talked to neighbors for several hours
Played board games with the family

8 Things I am looking forward to:
Putting up Christmas decorations
Seeing the Broadway show "Wicked" in March with my mom
Camden's 1st Christmas
Camden's 1st Birthday
A night out with the girls
Reading a good book
Learning to sew a new project
Monday's clogging class

8 Things I love about Fall:
The colors
The trees
Crisp air
Apple Crisp dessert
Children in school
Visiting the pumpkin patch
Stores start selling the fall colors for clothes
Building a fire in the fireplace

8 Things on my wish list:
A new sewing machine
A trip to Hawaii
A trip to Disneyland
Publish a children's Book
To build a shed for the back yard
Landscape the front and back yard
To have every cupboard and closet in my house professionally organized
Hire an interior decorator

Oh I sound so worldly! I guess we have to be selfish every once and a while.

The family in all it's glory

2008-11-13T08:59:00.001-08:00

Last month we had some family pictures taken. It had been nearly three years since our last set of pictures, so it definitely was about time. My extremely generous and kind friend Jen Preece, took time out of her very busy schedule to take the photos for us. She has a natural talent for Photography. Thanks Jen! She was able to capture many adorable shots of the kidaroos. Below are just a few of those shots. We were also able to get wonderful family pictures, but Chet hates having his picture taken, and especially hates when I post them. I snuck a few family shots in other places on the blog.

I had forgotten how interesting it is to try and get a baby to smile, or simply just cooperate. I love how in most baby pictures the child has this completely stunned look on his/her face. Our Pictures were no exception.

A Nothing Day

2008-11-11T12:44:00.000-08:00

Peyton has been frequenting his own little phrase lately. I first noticed two weeks ago once Thursday rolled around. He woke up at his usual 6:00 am perkiness and asked " Mom, is it a nothing day." To which I responded "Sorry bud we have to go to school today." He didn't seem upset about that prospect, he just simply needed to know what kind of day it would be.

Monday through Friday are school days. Sunday is a Church day. Saturdays are no longer Saturdays. They are now nothing days. I find this to be humorous. My children in fact do more work on a Saturday then they do any other day of the week. They not only have their regular room maintenance, but also have to clean their bathroom and strip their beds for laundry. Maybe Peyton doesn't realize how hard he works doing "nothing."

Imagine his surprise today, when he woke up on a Tuesday (Veterans Day ) and discovered he had been given an extra "Nothing Day." He was thrilled as he sorted his laundry, and helped empty the dishwasher. He sang his months of the year song as he helped organize the computer room in preparation for a play date this afternoon. The least I could do was provide a little "nothing" for him to do on this very special extra "Nothing day."

If only every day were a "nothing day" we sure would get a lot accomplished.

Broken

2008-11-08T07:14:00.001-08:00

My camera is broken! It could be that I carry it around in the diaper bag (which occasionally gets wet), or that it has been dropped on the floor several hundred times. Maybe it didn't like being stuffed in Alyssa's purse, or accidentally wedged between the rice cooker and the stereo. But whatever its reasons, my camera has rebelled and decided to go black.

Quite literally! Every time you try to take a picture, all you get is black. Now I don't claim to be a fantastic photographer. In fact, I know I am pretty terrible. But I was determined to have some evidence of my children's life here on this earth, and was making a valiant effort to photo their existence.

I am now plagued with missed opportunities. Moments of their lives that are not documented. So today we have an opportunity to use our imaginations. Here is a running tally of the events that occurred this week, which had my camera been working, would of provided some lovely candid shots.

(1) Peyton forgetting it was a school day, and trying to get in the van still wearing his pajamas

(2) Spending the entire afternoon playing every children's game in our closet

(3) Alyssa teaching Camden how to play piano

(4) Camden trying to figure out how to hold himself up with his arms and keep his bottom in the air at the same time. For now he does them individually and it looks like a cat stretching.

(5) Alyssa's participation in the Activity day girls Talent Show at Rosewood Retirement Community. She sang and danced with friends, played the recorder, and jumped rope as Little Red Riding Hood in a skit.

(6) Peyton getting pooped on by a seagull as it flew over head.

(7) Camden sneezing sweet potatoes out of his nose.

(8) And Finally! Chet successfully getting all three car seats into his new car, so he would have an excuse to drive it more. Family trips baby!

I guess this next week will find me biting the bullet and buying a new camera. Rose and BJ you're going to have to come with me to talk me into spending money.

New Family Member

2008-11-04T09:46:00.001-08:00

We have a new addition to our family. No it is not a baby! Everyone take a breath. We purchased a new car. So we thought it would be fun to take you through the history of our family vehicles.

Our first car came in the form of a red Honda hatchback, similar to the one pictured here. We bought it off Chet's college roommate. He was leaving on a mission, we were getting married and didn't have a car. It was a perfect fit. We named him PODI ( long "o" sound). This was way back in the days of 1998. This car had an over-heating problem, but it got us from point A to point B.

Next came reliable RILEY. This white 1993 Toyota Corolla, was a huge blessing. I was 8 months pregnant and our little honda began letting fumes in the car every time we drove. We decided it probably wasn't the best car to be driving a baby around in. A truly inspired and dear friend, called us up one morning and said "I just felt I should call and offer to take you car shopping today." We found RILEY that very day. This was May 2000.

In February 2005 we welcomed RAZOR BLUE into the family. After moving to the Portland Oregon area it became necessary to have two vehicles. Chet would go off to work everyday, and I would be trapped at home. Things are not as close or in walking distance as they are in good ole podunk Rexburg Idaho. This 2004 Mazda MPV was a perfect fit. We decided on a Van because we knew we would be taking many trips to Canada and would need the space. Also I had hopes for more children, which would happen three years later.

HERE IS THE NEW ADDITION

Isn't he cute? We would like to introduce you to our 2007 Mazda 3 Hatchback. The kids named him SPOOKY. A fitting name for him because he is a misty gray and was purchased on Halloween Night. We sadly say goodbye to RILEY whom we love, but had seen his last days of functionality. It was time to upgrade to a more reliable, and for Chet's sake, sporty, vehicle. So welcome to our 2008 family SPOOKY. You will be with us for a long time. Don't be afraid. I'm sure Alyssa will end up being a good driver.

Double the Pleasure , Double the fun

2008-11-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

Around the sharp corner and up the long stairs
Hung three little costumes just ready to wear.
A transformer, A 50's girl, and dragon with sleeves
All waited patiently for old Hallow's Eve

The kids who would wear them, were excited too
They practised and perfected their cackles and Boos
And finally now at around 7 o' clock
The two merged together to prowl round the block

For an hour or more they took in the thick air
Reveling in each wide smile and deep stare
The candy flowed plenty, filling up there dark sacks
But the hour was late, and they had to head back.

Normally to separate costume and child
would result in behavior increasingly wild
But there was no need to put up a fight
For the Quatama Ward party was the very next night

So costume and child merged together once more
Straight to the church parking lot, they left to explore
Where trunks fully decorated awaited them there
And ward members with candy ready to share

The costumes are now folded and packed safe away
The children are happy and continue to play
We'll move on to Thanksgiving with gratitude and cheer
While Halloween sleeps quietly 'till October next year

Earlier Halloween day

2008-11-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Halloween started out with a bang. The great thing about this holiday is the perma-grin spread across the faces of every child you meet. For one day you can say that every child is adorable.

Tobias Elementary celebrates every holiday with pizazz. The day started with an 8:30 am assembly . We discovered later that Tobias is one of the few schools that still allow children to dress up for Halloween. That is unfortunate, but I guess I understand the reasoning behind it. Principle Noesen on the other hand would never miss an opportunity to dress up. The morning Kinder classes got to parade around all the other grades at the assembly so they could show off their costumes. The official costume parade would not start until later that afternoon.

Peyton enjoyed oodles of candy, popcorn, juice, cookies, and cupcakes all before 10:00 am. he then ended his school day with a rousing game of GHOST Bingo.

Alyssa had to pull in a few hours of actual school work before she got to put her groove on. Well worth the wait. She jammed the afternoon away, kickin' it with friends and stuffing her face.

She then displayed one of her many talents and repeatedly walked across the room balancing books on her head.

The whole family ended our afternoon cruising through stores and snatching up all their candy. This was Camden's first experience trick or treating. He enjoyed grabbing for treats and was disappointed when it had to be put in the bag. It's a good thing he will never remember that he never even got to eat it.

High School Musical, 3rd Grade Style

2008-10-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

She has caught the dancing bug. That's right! Alyssa boogied her way through a Saturday morning learning a new dance for a football half time show. She and her good friend Ashley, participated in a dance clinic, put on by the local High school dance team. Alyssa loved every minute of it.

There is nothing Alyssa loves more then flouncing around on a dance floor, wiggling her hips and waving her finger. The song they danced to was appropriately titled "Tell me something I don't know", which seems to be a constant phrase used in our home as of late. Because 8 year old girls do know everything, and they are absolutely never wrong.

This coming Thursday, the kids get to perform their dance at the Century High School football game half time show. We have hit the big time now. What fun to see such joy race across Alyssa's face as she completed the dance and had the praise of 15 high school girls. It was definitely worth the 25 bucks. Each girl had their picture taken with the Century dance team, and received a T-shirt honoring the event. I'm sure the shirt will be worn for many weeks to come.

Humpty Dumpty needs his Horsemen

2008-10-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

Today was Peyton's Humpty Dumpty drop for Kindergarten. All of the children in his class, and the other Kinder class, were given the assignment to create a container to house a raw egg. It had to be strong yet light weight and soft enough to provide cushioning for the egg. This was definitely a homework assignment that screamed "Dad, gets to help". Peyton's teacher, Mrs.Herzog, loved how involved the fathers became. Each dad beamed with pride at his creation. I have to admit there was some pretty extraordinary homes for these tender eggs.

We witnessed parachuting loaves of bread, spring enhanced footballs, jello stuffed Tupperware, and foam blown tennis shoes. Peyton's creation came from moms stock pile of preschool materials. He used a plastic bucket that once contained a pile of buttons, and stuffed it with Pillow batting and feathers. The outside was decorated with a picture of Humpty about to take the plunge. So cute!

Our always adventurous and theatrical principle, Mr. Noesen, then dressed up like a king and climbed to the roof of the school with the help of several dads. The children anxiously waited down below, and chanted the Humpty Dumpty Nursery Rhyme. This was the cue for the launch. As you will see in the following pictures, Peyton's egg was not so lucky. But man what a fun day they had!

The egg safely nestled in the can

Peyton awaits the inevitable

King Principle Noesen

Peyton's egg is about to make the plunge

The kids looking upward and onward

Oh! our poor little egg. Sorry Humpty!

Fall Favorites

2008-10-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

My good, good friend Rose and I went for a walk this morning to take in the beautiful Fall colors. Autumn is absolutely my favorite season. Everything looks brilliant and majestic. Along the way we passed my favorite tree. We pass this tree everyday on the way to taking the kids to school. I love it because it turns every imaginable color. All of this looking at fall colors had me thinking about all the other things I enjoy about the season.

Thick, soft, and comfy blankets. I love being able to pull out those heavy linens and pile them high on my bed.

Hot Chocolate. This is one of the few ways I actually enjoy chocolate. It feels so smooth as it trickles down your throat. Yum!

Pumpkin pie. The sheer texture of grainy pumpkin, so mush like and slimy should turn you off. But it tastes so darn good you forget all about the texture.

Sweaters! I love me my sweaters. I love to rap myself up in a sea of thick and sometimes itchy browns, greens, and burnt oranges.

Yummy Stew! I could eat a different kind of stew everyday and be perfectly happy. At least I'm getting my vegetables.

Persimmons! They are this fabulous fruit. Many people say it is an acquired taste. They are kind of a mix between a pumpkin and a peach. Very fallish, and I love them.