Monday, December 7, 2009

Santa, Tree, moving and more!

Getting ready to decorate the Gingerbread house
Gingerbread house....before it fell apart
David decorating the tree
Grace and Evan in front of the tree before it is decorated
Heather, Dorothy and Jennifer...baking day!
Grace's class with their turkey hats
Evan, Santa and Grace
My Niece's 1st Birthday

First off, I can finally announce that our move is going forward to California. David has accepted a job with DCMA a contractor for the department of Defense. We are still trying to sell our home and have a million details to work out, but are excited things are moving forward.

In the meantime, we had a nice Thanksgiving, and celebrated my niece's first Birthday in Forks, WA.

We are getting ready for the holidays. I am frantically getting my cards done and we have decorated the tree and have seen Santa. We still need to squeeze in the zoo lights and we will be attending David's work Christmas party on Thursday.

It has been such a fun year with the kids enjoying Christmas, and understanding the true meaning. The kids have really latched onto the Advent calendar this year, and look forward to it every night. I was going to add a fun thing from Grace's class from Thanksgiving! Enjoy.....
How to Cook a Turkey
By Mrs. Strub's Kindergarten Class

Colin: Get a turkey at the store. You should cook it in the oven. Maybe you should put some salt on it. You should cut it up in little tiny pieces. And then serve it to everyone.

Brianna: Get a turkey from the store. Cook it for a few minutes. Share it with the family.

Robbie: Go to the grocery and pick out the right turkey, the biggest one for you. Then you put in the oven or microwave for half of the day. Then when it is dinner time you go and eat. You put onion rings or stuffing all around the turkey.

Christiana: We can get turkey from the grocery store. Put it in a oven. Then it is done and we can eat. You put garlic and tomatoes on it.

Priscilla: Get a knife and cut it with a knife. You cook it in the oven and it turns into a turkey. Put apples and carrots under the turkey. All the people come to the house. You need to clean your room.

Preston: Turkeys are at a farm and people can get them from the farm. Then you can cook them in a pan. You put the pan in the dishwasher. Then you have to clean the pan in sink. People eat the turkey. Save some turkey for Daddy.

Margo: Get a turkey from the forest. Take it home. Cook it in the grill. Put spice on the turkey. Then we eat it with family.

Alex: Get a turkey from a farm. Then you cut it. Then you clean it. Warm it up. Put some salt on it. Cook it on a stove by where the big kids eat lunch.

Gracee: Get a turkey at the store. Cook it like a pancake. Put sugar on the turkey. Then we eat it. Then you put pepper on it. Then the turkey sneezed and says “achoo”

Thomas: I go to the store and get the turkey. Then I just go home and get the thermometer. Then I get ready and cook it in our oven. Sometimes my mom wants to put some stuffing on it. My Mom and Dad and brother and I eat it.

Layla: First you make it and then you put it on the table. Everybody eats it and when it is gone everybody gets dessert. Mommy and Daddy and I eat the turkey.

Carys: Get a turkey from the market. Then you go home. Then you put it in the oven and roast it. Eat. Then you share it with your family. And that's it.

Arran: My Mom gets a turkey at stores. When it cooks we play. It cooks in the oven. When it's done we eat it all. We take a bath or shower then we go to bed.

Jasmine: Get baking soda and pour it on the turkey. You get the turkey and put it in baking soda and put powder on it. Cook it in the oven. When it's done cut it in slices. Then you eat it.

Spencer: You get a turkey from a grassy place. Then just cook it up. Put some milk and sugar on it. Then you cook it in the pot. Cut a piece off the turkey then just eat it up.

Alice: You need a turkey. Put tomatoes and onions around and have peas. Then eat it and put hot sauce on it.

Amy: First you cut a turkey and put it on a cookie and put a little bit of water. Then you just cook it. Then you put a little bit of milk. Then you write a turkey on the paper then you cook it and you eat. You get a fork and knife and cut it and put it on a plate. Then eat it. Then you put a little bit of sugar and water so it can taste good then you put a little bit celery and carrots. Cut a little bit of chicken and turkey

Tate: Get a turkey from the farm. Then kill it. Then go to the store. People come and buy them. I put A1 sauce on it.

Owen: You find a turkey. Then you cook it on pan. Do something else for awhile. Then you eat it with your family.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Fun filled Flu....NOT

Evan as Buzz Lightyear
Grace as Supergirl

The past week of October has been a doozy for us. On Sunday night the 22nd, Grace came down with a 102 degree fever and a cough. When David got home on Monday night from work, he was feeling ill, and had a fever too. Everyone laid around all week. Evan got sick Wednesday night, and by Friday morning he seemed to be doing better. David also kicked his fever on Friday morning. Grace was still coughing horribly with a high fever, so I finally took her to the Dr. on Friday night, and she ended up having pneumonia. She is perking up quite nicely and went back to school. Evan, however came down with a fever again last night, and we are hoping it does not return tonight. The Dr's we spoke to, all thought it was H1N1. I had a Dr. appointment with my obgyn on Friday, and told her my woes, so she got me started on Tamiflu...and so far, I have been healthy. The Mama has no time to be sick! Anyway, that was our fun filled week. We are praying for good health the rest for the season.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Family Pictures

The pumpkins
Master carvers
Gracee
Evan
My cutie pies
Our family
David and the kids
Evan and Gracee
The kids giving me a smooch
Me and my Buddy!

Between illnesses, we managed to get our Family Pictures taken and carve pumpkins. Hopefully everyone will feel good for Halloween!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

October

Cadence and Grace in their almost matching pj's
Dad surprised at his party
Evan's 1st time on the bus....my little boy is getting so big!

This past weekend we visited my parents house to celebrate my Dad's 57th Birthday. He is in the middle of his chemotherapy treatments, and powering through his 3rd month, with three more to go. It was a fun party, and the cousins enjoyed playing with each other.

In the meantime, my schedule just got a little crazier. Grace will be starting school an hour and a half earlier than before, starting next week. She needs a little help with reading. She will now have lunch at school too. I think she is ready for this now that she has eased into her year. Evan now has to ride the bus to Early Intervention. I thought this was going to start next week, but as I am getting the kids loaded in the car today, the bus was waiting for Evan. The person who was supposed to call me was sick, and I never got the call that it was starting today. Evan was so excited to ride the bus. I was a bit nervous, but I got a good report. Now I will need to be in more communication with his teacher's via phone and e-mail to see how he is progressing.

Yesterday I took Evan to see a pediatric Urologist. We have noticed since Evan was potty trained that whenever he urinated, that the stream went straight up, making it difficult for him to learn how to pee standing up. The Dr. was able to take a look and said that he had Meatal Stenosis. You can read more about it here: https://www.google.com/health/ref/Meatal+stenosis
Anyway, Evan will have to have a minor outpatient surgery in November to correct this. We are happy it is nothing serious and that he will finally be able to urinate standing up.

Until next time................

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Fall is here

Let me first start off by saying, what a beautiful fall we have had so far. I am so thankful that the real rain has not started yet. We have had some brisk mornings, but I sure do love that sunshine that has been coming in every afternoon.

We have been in school for about a month now. It is hard to believe that it has already been one month. The weeks are full with the kids activities. Evan and Grace now fight a lot more. I am not sure if it is a battle of wills or if they are just adjusting to a new way of life right now.

We are all getting over our first fall cold. It was a doozy, nonetheless. I am hoping that we are healthier now that we got that out of the way, and that we all have our flu shots. I am still waiting on word on when the swine flu shot will be available. Speaking of which, every week as most of you know, I go to Doernbecher with Evan for speech. Grace comes with me since she is in afternoon Kindergarten, and this is the easiest set up. Next Monday, Evan has an earlier appointment with a Dr. I was going to take Grace with me to that, followed by his speech appointment. Today when I called the hospital to verify insurance information, the person I spoke with told me that I could not bring siblings to the hospital because they are scared that more people would spread the H1N1 virus. I know this thing is serious, but this really makes appointments difficult for me now that I can't bring Grace. I have small windows that I can take Evan to appointments because of Grace's school schedule. Not only does this affect me, it affects a ton of other families that have young children and have to travel several miles to get to the hospital for their sick or special needs child. I am not making light of the situation, but I am wondering how long they can really make this a "policy". There will be a lot people who just won't be able to come because of this policy. I am covered for next Monday, but I am going to have to figure out childcare for Grace on Monday's from here on out, until this is resolved.

I am now 33, and am not sure what to do with that! It seems like a weird age to me. Anyway, I'm off to swimming lessons with the kiddos......until next time.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Florida and Kindergarten

Evan and Gracee on her 1st day of Kindergarten
Our Family with Grandma Garcia (90th Birthday)
It was hot in Orlando! We had a blast...and here are the mouse years to prove it!
And of course, who doesn't love Cinderella!
I am not sure where to start, since I am so behind on blogging. We had a fabulous trip to Disney World. The first day we were there we powered through a 10 hour day. The next 2 days we did half days. The highlights were breakfast with the princesses and David and I loved the animal kingdom. Disney really knows how to run a park, and make things as comfortable as possible. We can't wait to go back when the kids are a little older, and can really go for longer periods of walking. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon by the pool too, which was an added bonus. We also visited a local park in Tampa, the beach and a science Museum. David's Grandma was happy that we came. We are so glad we were able to spend that time with her, and I think the kids are old enough to always remember her. We are so grateful to David's Aunt Jean and Uncle Bob, for hosting us for the week, and to his Uncle Rudy and Aunt Carolyn, who provided a car while we were there. This sure makes it a lot easier on the pocketbook to take this kind of a vacation.

Grace started Kindergarten last week. She is adjusting better than I had hoped. I am excited to watch her grow and learn and find things that she really loves. She is such a precious girl and we are so proud of the young lady she is becoming.
Evan also started speech classes again. His improvement each day is unbelievable and gives us so much hope. He is now out of his day braces and wears them only at night. He is wearing little orthotics, which really help him stay stable when he walks. What a blessing this is for all of us. We are thankful that God is watching out for Evan, and giving us the strength to parent him through some hard times. These kids are such a wonderful blessing!

I am just getting back in the school groove. My mornings are a bit hectic, but I am getting a rhythm down now. The kids also start swimming lessons next week, for the next 2 months. We are trying to keep this momentum going so that they can be good swimmers at an early age, and we can move onto other activities. The next thing: Piano lessons....but I think we will wait until spring....or until we get a piano!

Until next time...

Friday, August 14, 2009

FLORIDA

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for Florida to visit David's family. His Grandma will be 90 next week. The kids are so excited to go to Disneyworld too. It has been 2 years since we have flown with the kids, and there is so much to remember to pack. Now that you don't get food on the airplane there is a lot more to remember in terms of snacks and meals. I am trying to get most everything done today because we are leaving the house tomorrow at 3:30 AM. There will be no time to waste in the morning. Plus waking up the kids will be a treat, I am sure!

Well, that is all from here. We are will post pictures when we get back.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

Evan and Grace, last day of swimming lessons.
Grace's new bike. Her Dora bike was just too small,
so we got her one that she can ride for several years.
She is a little scared of it right now, and we added training wheels.
The kids with their Aunt and Uncle from Alaska.
My brother Alex and sister in law Allison.
Evan put his "baby brother" in the corner.
Do you think my parenting is wearing off on the boy?

I thought the title was appropriate since it is 105 degrees here in Beaverton today. We are setting records. It is supposed to be this hot again tomorrow. I actually don't mind it. We have spent a lot of time playing in the backyard in the kid pool with multiple drinks and popsicles. Yes you heard it, multiple popsicles.

It has been awhile since I have been on. The kids finished swimming lessons. They will both stay in the same level for the next time. They both learned a lot and made great stride. I enjoyed my 25 minutes to myself watching them from the stadium. We will be signing up for the fall, and hopefully through the year to keep the momentum going. I want them to know how to swim. Soccer, piano, and dance lessons, will probably wait until next year.
Evan has been progressing well in his speech. His speech therapist at the hospital gave me great encouragement the other day, that he may only need another year of therapy if he keeps up the hard work. Let me tell you, that kid works so hard. Now in early intervention he is working with 2 other very competent therapist. He works on different things with all three of them. For the first time ever in the past 2 weeks, I have heard him come up with new words, that we have never practiced and he is saying them correctly. It brings tears to my eyes whenever this happens. His toe walking is getting so much better too. We have pretty much pulled him out of day braces. He continues to wear night braces, and is responding so well to verbal reminders when I see him on his toes occasionally. Grace is getting so close to be able to read. Each day we practice reading and writing, and she is on her way to being a reader. I love that both children love story time, and books. This was not my thing as a child, so I am thankful that they love books.
My brother Alex and sister in law Allison were here for a few short days visiting from Alaska. The kids had fun getting to spend time with them. We also found out that my Dad will start chemotherapy real soon. It will be for six months, with two weeks on and one week off, once a week. I know he is anxious to get started and to be done. The pathology reports came back clean, but the chemo is precautionary. I know we will all be glad when this is behind us, especially my parents.
We are looking forward to our trip to Florida in a couple of weeks. We will be celebrating Grandma's 90th Birthday, and we will also be taking the kids to Disney World for a few days. Grace is not quite sure what to think, and Evan is so excited. He keeps asking me if the airplane will be big, and if Disney World will be big. It will all be bigger than they can imagine. I am not sure if he really remembers the trip we took 2 years ago, but I think Grace does, since she reminds us that she got sick on the plane. Yes, we are packing the Dramamine! :-) Until next time.......

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Graduation pictures

David and Grandpa
Nancy (David's Mom) and David
Liles (david's Dad) and David
David and Dody
Nancy, David and Grandpa
Grandpa, Nancy, David and Dody
The Graduate!
More graduation pictures that we got from wonderful photographer Adam Bacher. What an awesome day to remember!

Monday, July 6, 2009

4th of July

Cadence and Gracee
David, Kevin, Paul and Dad after a game of golf
Payback...Kevin got me with the hose earlier that day
All the kids
Sunset
Trying to get a picture of the kids together is always a challenge!
David and Dody
Water fight with the kids
Aidan and Evan on the slip and slide

We went to Warden, WA to see my parents for the 4th of July. My brother Kevin and his family, and my sister Kate and her family were there. My brother Alex and sister in law Allison, are traveling right now, and I hopefully will get to see them in a couple of weeks. We had lots of fun in the hot sun, lots of yummy food, and David even got a game of golf in with the guys. Here are a few pictures from our trip!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Fun weekends

David with his classmates
David with Dave Frohnmayer
David, on his way to graduate!
Graduation!
Evan blowing out his candles
Evan having fun at his party!
Evan's Walle Birthday cake!
Two weekends ago, we celebrated Evan's Birthday at Out of this World Pizza. He had a great time with cousins and friends. This past weekend, we celebrated David graduating with his MBA. It was a wonderful celebration. Dave Frohnmayer was the guest speaker. He has been the U of O President for the past 15 years, and was an Oregon Attorney General for 10 years. He was a great guest speaker. I am so proud of David and how hard he has worked for the past 2 years. I am glad to have my husband back! We will have some professional pictures coming soon, but I will post a few of the good ones that I got. June has been a full month...