IT'S A SUNNY LIFE

Kayaking in the bay

2011-11-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

Thought I would show one of the fun things we got to do together this summer. We rented double kayaks and spent the whole day down at the bay with John's parents. It was a blast and quite the workout. Our kids are little fish, and possibly their favorite part was to hold onto the kayak and be dragged. Love love love this type of thing that we can do together as a family.

2011-11-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time. For many reasons I haven't updated in a long time. Didn't feel like it, didn't want to share my life with the world, busy, no one cares anyway, etc. I am updating with some pictures of the last few months. They can't do justice to all the many things we have done together, but suffice to say it has been really busy but also really good. Good times just enjoying our life and fun kids.

our Carrie turned 5!!!

quick trip to Alaska to meet my new nephew, Adam

downtown Anchorage with Grandma and cousin Anna

zoo with grandma and grandpa

clowning around at the zoo

apple picking in Julian with grandma and grandpa

mom and I apple picking

we got the whole orchard to ourself. really fun

Carrie's favorite activity-playing with our new baby chicks

three girls in soccer.

Jack watching one of his sissies at soccer practice

our little soccer lover. she scored 4 of the 5 goals last game

Josie and Jack- we refer to them as our twins. They have so many similiarities

Pumpkin patch day

cotton seed sledding at the pumpkin patch

Carrie made a pretty cute Madeline for the harvest festival

Carving pumpkins in the backyard. We grew the pumpkins in our garden.

the finished products

Junior Carlsbad run

2011-04-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

The kids ran in the Junior Carlsbad this past weekend. They really had a blast. Everyone got a t-shirt and a medal, which is always fun for a kid. John and I were really satisfied with the experience. It was very organized, and we feel it is a great thing to expose the kids to. Hopefully we will have 4 lifetime runners who like to participate in fun runs or competitions.

Cousins on all sides

2011-02-28T22:39:00.000-08:00

My kids have the joy right now of having their cousins from both sides of the family visiting from out of town. My sister's two oldest children are visiting from Alaska, and John's sister is visiting from Ohio. Her two oldest came over tonight to join in the cousin fun. They were just finishing up ice cream and playing on the patio, and I requested they sing us a song. They really got into it and belted it out for the whole neighborhood to hear.

Jack's favorite song

2011-02-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

Jack sings this song every day throughout the day. So sweet to hear, and I had to get it recorded before he got older. Now I have a cute video clip for his wedding.

Facebook

2011-02-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

I had a 6 day fast of facebook which was really good. I am now on limited viewing times :). I think this will work better for me. I don't ever want to be a twitter person. Too much sharing and info. So we will see how it goes. Long live privacy and information control!

Goodbye Facebook

2011-01-31T09:46:00.000-08:00

Yes I left facebook and I don't think I will miss it. For those of you who noticed and came looking for me, HI! Facebook endlessly annoyed me, so I think I am taking a long extended break. Hopefully it will free up some of my time. I figured my friends who know me will know how to find me online, and if you want to chat just give me a call on the telephone. I like the sound of your voice so much better than the sound of typing keys. Talk to you soon, Rachel

Birthdays and other celebrations

2010-08-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I updated. We have had two kid birthday parties since my last post, and one sibling family reunion.

First our little Caroline turned 4! Can't believe it. She is such a joy. Mostly always happy and lots of funny things to say. She has started soccer, and is actually quite good. The girl loves to go go go, so it is a perfect match. I made her a gigantic cake, and it turned out pretty cute. The icing was a little messy, but it was still a hit with the kids.

Second a sibling reunion. John and all of his sisters were all in the same town at the same time. It was fun for everyone to get together and catch up on each other lives. Tammy was visiting from the D.C. area and Mary was visiting from New Zealand/ Australia. They had not had a group picture taken for almost 20 years!

Third was Jack's 2nd birthday. He had a shared party with his cousin Josiah who was turning one. Mary made a beautiful Alaska themed cake for the boys. Jack is a busy little guy and basically needs a one to one watcher most of the time. He is a thoughtful little boy too. He loves to bring mommy her flip flops when she comes home from work, and loves to help carry in the groceries. So sweet to see him learning to be big man, and a helper to his family.

More updates maybe soon. Life has been busy busy, but life is good too.

Our baby girl is nine!

2010-06-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Evey turned nine this Memorial Day. She had a fun birthday party Friday night. The girls decorated their own cakes, beaded necklaces, and got t-shirt with a photo of all of them on it. We got her a new bike a few weeks ago, and she is mastering how to ride it(it is a bit big for her now, but should be fine by the end of the summer). Fun Fun Fun. Happy Birthday to our beloved first born.

2010-04-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Fun in the sun. Today was a warm sunny morning and the kids got out early to practice their rollerskating. Jack was suited up in his marine corps shirt and cap(thanks grandpa), and he enjoyed getting underfoot.
Tonight is the end of week four of five weeks of a nursing refresher course that I am taking at UCSD. Then I follow it with a 60 hour preceptorship. It has gone well, and I am hopeful it will lead to at least per diem employment. In the San Diego area there is a huge glut of nurses, and not a lot of jobs. That has been a challenging thing to deal with, since my whole nursing career it has been no problem to get a job.
Tickets are booked for Alaska. The girls are soooo excited. They ask every day how many weeks till we fly to Alaska. We are spending about 18 days there, and get to be at my niece Anna's birthday party. We are also planning to take a 6 hour glacier cruise with the whole family. Seven kids and six adults, almost man to man defense.
Off to do laundry and make kids do their schoolwork. Hugs to you all.

Surprised unwelcome visitor

2010-04-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Look who was slithering down our street today. A neighbor saw him and trapped him in a trash can, and then called 911. The fire dept came and promptly cut off his head! The kids were fascinated with the creepy thing, and I could hardly peel them away from the scene of the crime. They also got a lesson in snake safety. For those of you not from the southwest it was a rattle snake. From the number of rattles it had we figure it was about 10 years old. Whew, glad it is dead and won't jump out of my bushes one morning.

Easter morning

2010-04-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

Bits and pieces in his pockets

2010-03-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

I have always heard the stories of what little boys shove in their pockets, and to be honest I doubted it. I thought, "Not every boy does that, just some that like being messy or something." Well I guess Jack is showing me I was incorrect. Today he was rattling about with duplos legos shoved in his pockets. I have found him putting dirt in his pockets, pieces of trash and crumpled paper and receipts. It makes me laugh and realize that we are in for a new adventure. He is such a different creature than his sisters. He is bright and inquisitive like they are, but in a different robust "get it done" way.

Good Find

2010-02-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

Went to the thrift store today and scored a beautiful dress for Josie. It is a very nice handmade dress and pinafore using Mary Engelbreit fabric. Guess the grand total.....you will never guess.....
It cost me a whopping $1.50. That's right one dollar and 50 cents. Amazing. She loves it. Which in Josie world is a big deal.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you grandma Brenda for making us our fun Valentine's outfits.

We love you.

Wove those cwazy yittle eyes

2010-01-30T15:09:00.000-08:00

While my parents have been visiting we have had horrible wind and rain storms. The worst in many years. So we lost power at least three times, and got to huddle up in the house and listen to the wind try to suck the roof off. Last Thursday after having no power all day and dealing with some flooding at our foundation I announced there would be no dinner made in my kitchen that night. Thankfully my dad agreed to take us all out to dinner. We ended up at a chinese buffet place that the kids love. Carrie spotted the crawfish piles and announced she wanted some of "those big shrimp". She insisted even after we explained they weren't shrimp. After John took the meat out she happily ate the whole thing, and then begged for more. When she was marching back to the table with her third plate of them, she announced to us all in her funny little dialect, "I just wove their cwazy yittle eyes". What a funny kid.

Disneyland

2010-01-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa Bray are visiting us right now, so we planned a special day for the

girls in the family. Myself, Grandma, and the girls drove up to Disneyland for the day. What a blast we had. Carrie was a trooper and walked all day with no stroller help. Wow, what a freeing experience for me, no stroller or diaper bag. We did tons of rides. Even took Carrie on Big Thunder. Evey and Josie both did Space Mountain and loved it!! I so much loved getting to introduce Carrie to Disneyland. It was so sweet to watch her face as she studied all the new sights to see.The next morning she woke me up and requested her usual breakfast and said, "After breakfast I'm going back to Disneyland". ha ha Good thing it is two for one prices right now for California residents. We plan to go back to California Adventure in a couple weeks.

The girls waiting for the parade to start and enjoying their promised lollipops.

a boy and mud

2009-12-26T18:25:00.000-08:00

Who needs to play with his new Christmas toys when a boy
has a muddy puddle and a pvc pipe?

Not bad for December.

2009-12-26T18:17:00.000-08:00

John's Christmas company party was at a local hotel/resort. They rented a suite for our family(every family was offered a room). The suite was fabulous, bigger than our first two apartments. We got lots of swim time in the Saturday afternoon before the party and before we checked out the next morning. Swimming in December....too weird for me still.

Christmastime in Germany

2009-12-26T15:49:00.000-08:00

Jack and I enjoyed a quick week long visit to a friend's home in Germany. They sent me a ticket so that I could accompany her mother to Germany. Due to health problems it was best if she had a flying companion, so they chose me!!! We had a very fun time and got to several Christmas markets, got to tour the ancient city of Rotenberg, and got to travel on the terrifying Autoban. Germans drive much to fast for my liking, but I will say they seem to be expert drivers.

In Rotenberg

Ansbach Christmas market

sign that was on a barn in the village where my friend
lives. I think it says, "Our milk makes Bavaria strong".

Keri and her daughter Libby with Jack. We were
on a stroll in her village.

Greenland from the air.

I like this guy

2009-11-21T20:57:00.000-08:00

Picture I took of the two of us on a little date we took last week. I told him to meet me at the beach after work. I met him with subway sandwiches and hot tea. We ate dinner on the sand, and took a long walk up the beach. Cheapest date night we had in years, and probably the best one too. Tonight we are in recovery mode after having forty people at our house for Evey's end of soccer season party. It was awesome. The kids had a blast and my wonderful hubby did all the grilling. Folks couldn't stop talking about his grilling skills. Like I said...I like this guy.

We fell off the map

2009-11-13T00:43:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I posted, not sure what to even write. The past few months have been tough. Without going into specifics, our church has been going through much pain and heartache. John and I had many hours of talking and crying(ok, just I cried).
On the homefront I am finding it very hard to keep up with everyone. The girls are in soccer and Awanas, and homeschool class day. They love it all, so I keep doing what I gotta do. Most days I find it hard to drag myself out of bed, but I keep trusting that sometime in the next year I will get a full nights sleep.
I think I am going to add some pictures from this summer and call it a night. Hope you enjoy the photo update.

Beginning of summer harvest

2009-07-07T22:38:00.001-07:00

Back in sunny land and enjoying the beginnings of our summer garden. John's folks watered for us while we were gone and everything lived and thrived. Our apple tree was groaning with fruit this year, and bunches of pies are being made.
yellow grape tomatoes
getting cucumbers now. usually 1-2 a day so far.
the girls in our corn rows. so fun for them to wade through.
beginning tomatoes.

What a blast gardens are for kids. I must confess I have helped very little. I do water sometimes and help John pull weeds, but the bulk of the work has been John with three eager little helpers. John usually comes home and goes straight to the garden to water, check fruit, and just hang with the family. We are going green, 50 feet from garden to table. Doing our part to help the environment. :)

Cousin Camp pictures

2009-07-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

We just spent 2 fabulous weeks in the Great Land, Alaska. The weather was good for the most part, and we hit the first big salmon run of the season. We stayed at my folks house in Cooper Landing. Lots of fun was had fishing and seeing the beauty of Alaska. We have a full freezer of salmon now too!!! These pics were taken at my home church. The bottom pic is my parents with their 7 grandchildren (ages 8 and below). Everyone got matching shirts and we had a wild little photo session. I don't recommend a photo session with 7 napless children who have been running around all day. Just a helpful little hint.
More pics to follow when I am caught up with life and we are back in a routine.

My baby girl is 8 !!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-30T15:51:00.001-07:00

Today was Evey's 8th birthday party. Lots of Hello Kitty fun was had by all. She got lots of fun crafts and games, a beach towel with her name on it, clothes, etc. Cake turned out so cute. This afternoon has been spent playing with new scrapbooks and crafts. Fun fun.

updates of photos-per sister's request

2009-05-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

These beach pics were taken by Lenore last month. Finally got around to posting them. The kids all buried their cousin Catalina in the sand. Had fun, but what a sandy mess they were. Jack totally loved crawling around and eating sand and seaweed. Carrie is making a sand angel.
Evey got her face painted at the end of year Awana fair. Thank you so much to all the Awana workers. Our kids love going every week.
Jack last night eating his first spagetti dinner. He loved it.

What's been happening

2009-05-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

Life is continuing to move a fast clip here. I really feel like it moves too fast. There are slow days, but they still are busy with feeding, watering, cleaning, and managing four little wild monkeys. Let's see what has been happening. Last week Carrie ran into a cabinet and split her forehead. That was ugly. Seems to be healing ok. Doing better with a butterfly bandage then stitches would have done. This week I took three kids in to doc(Josie, Carrie and Jack), and wouldn't you know all three had ear infections. That was a big office copay and Rx copay day.

Another new development is that I have been interviewing with a local urgent care. Looks like I will probably get the job. Very nervous. It will be lots of intense training and will require lots of actual brain power on my part. Yikes. Feel a little rusty in that department. It will probably start in July, train for 4 weeks and then work one shift a week.

Rachel- young..thin..nursing student

Trip planned and purchased for Alaska. Going up to visit family for 15 days. Should be fun and also a lot challenging to care for and entertain my four kids, plus adding in my sis' 3 little ones. My mom and dad are so excited to come home from their time in Moscow, and get to play with all 7 grandkids at once.

fishing Russian river '94- bad haircut, but nice fish

So that's is life right now. I read and check on your blogs, but don't make a lot of comments lately. Just really busy and hard to sit and comment. Sorry. Love you all and enjoy your updates.

4 little monkeys

2009-04-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Kids playing with new toys given to us by Vikki (and Joel). Thanks guys. It is tons of Thomas the train tracks and cars and towns and I don't know what else. Very cool. I think we need Joel to come over and show us how it all works.

Next series of photos are the 4 little monkeys sleeping in mommy and daddy's bed. They all felt a little needy last night. We hardly saw them yesterday due to church, small group and taking Jack to the doctor. They all decided they needed to go to sleep in our bed, so we let them. I nursed Jack to sleep and then stuck him in the bed for the photo. We liked looking at them all piled up asleep. That is quite a pile of kids. We did move them later so we could sleep.
By the way Jack is fine, just a lingering cough.

Easter pictures

2009-04-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

We are a little third world right now.

2009-04-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

I like hot running water. I like clean kids. I like to shower daily. I like clean clothes.... It's just my thing. So right now I don't have any of those things. This is a stretching experience for us. Our little old house has given up the ghost as far as plumbing. The water authority came by last week and said we had a leak. Moving at a rapid clip. No leaks in the house. Replaced a bunch of outside sprinkler valves and main house valve. Still leaking....So John started digging and it soon became very clear all our outside supply pipes needed to be replaced. Sigh...
So today a father/son team from our church is using a ditch witch to dig new trenches for all new pipes. Old pipes run under driveway, and for some odd reason John just doesn't want to dig up the driveway. :) So for now no water for this mama. I am about ready to jump out of my dirty skin, and go take a shower under the neighbor's garden house.

Photo updates of the kids.

2009-04-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

The adventures of Jack

2009-03-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

Jack chilling in his first nike baseball uniform. At this point he seems to favor his left hand, which thrills his daddy. Maybe someday we will have a lefthanded fast baller!!!

Jack discovering the way to the back door. Now he crawls to it and cries for me to take him outside. Especially if he knows his sisters are playing outside.
Under the ironing board Jack discovered some of the girls animals. He was so excited to have something new and strange to play with.
Who is that little fellow? I want to play with him. He constantly crawls up to the mirror and seems to want to play with the baby he always sees there. Too cute.

So I know this is just more pics of the kids, but I can't help it. That is pretty much most of my world now, and I really don't have anything else exciting to post. So there you have it.

Adobe frustration

2009-03-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

The original photo
The fixed up photo

My sister has been working on learning photo editing, and did this edit. I admit I have Adobe photoshop too, but get so frustrated working on it. Anyone local have adobe skills, and want to give me a lesson?

2009-03-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

Day at the beach. I have a terrible cold and decided to get some sea air. You know like a old time consumption or tuberculosis patient. ha ha

We were surrounded by vile seagulls. I consider them flying rats. They kept divebombing us and grabbing at food. One nervy bird even swooped in and bit Evey's finger!!! I think the lifeguard thought I was a little much when I suggested a hunting season for the pests. He cleaned the nip(it did break the skin) and gave her a bandage. After that I resorted to throwing sandals at them.

Finally pic of baby boy. He is crawling really well and now is determined to try and stand up. At 6 1/2 months!!! He crawls up to things and get in a crouch position. A couple time he has made it all the way up, but then falls backwards. ouch. He is quite proud of himself in this picture.

Blogging rut

2009-02-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

I am in a blogging rut. To be honest I am hooked on facebook. Seems easier. As for blogging I don't even know what to say half the time. Kinda sick of posting just pics, so please excuse me for awhile. I need to dream up some brilliant ideas.....we will see if that actually happens. I will leave some pics just for old times sake.

Family Valentines kite party

Last two weeks

2009-02-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

Been gone awhile. Life has been rather busy with houseguests and adding a couple stomach flu's along the way. I had the worst stomach bug in my recent memory. no fun. now my poor little josie and carrie have it. sorry for no caps, holding baby. in md office yesterday with josie, had to get labs. she did really well. she is ok blood wise, but still pretty sick with headache and stomach pain. no fun.
here are some pics from the last couple weeks.

the boy's first chew on a steak bonelike my mohawk???

enjoying our outdoor fireplace.enjoying some unusually warm weather two weeks ago
this is what happens when you leave leftover pizza on the table and Carrie gets left to her own devices while you finish up the other kids baths. Naked girl sitting on floor eating leftover pizza.

Can you say WOW!!!

2009-01-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

Two pictures of red haired little girls. One born about 55 years ago and one 2 years ago. hmmm....they might be related. what do you think????
In our family it just blows our mind how much these two look alike sometimes. Grandma Brenda is quite happy to have a little mini of herself and we all know Great Grandpa Bob would have loved to have known our little Carrie. Please comment if you see similarities.

Evey has braces

2009-01-23T17:09:00.000-08:00

Tuesday Evey got braces. Can you believe I have a kid old enough for braces?? Actually it seems a little young for me, but the md feels this will help prevent her teeth from getting impacted up in her jawbone. Basically she has my sized teeth and John's mouth. Doesn't work well. There is absolutely no room on bottom for her teeth to come in. Some of her adult teeth have been just hanging out and not able to come up. So we get to spend bunches of $$$ for a pretty smile, but it is worth it I think.

Awana drive in night

2009-01-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

This is two weeks late. Our church Sparky's club did a drive in night. "Kids"(ie parents helping a lot) had to make cardboard box cars. Our neighbors Josh and Rachel(yep Josh and Rachel live across the street from John and Rachel) gave us some cardboard boxes and this is the end result. I wanted to show you more pics, but I can't seem to figure out how to blur other kids faces. Evey and Josie's cars were great. In one pic you can see one mom forgot to make one, so they brought the kids really cool monster truck. Hey, no fair :)

Curtain reveal

2009-01-21T18:28:00.000-08:00

so we made

Evey and I made these curtains a couple weeks ago and I have been meaning to post pics. We made them for the playroom in our basement. As you can see when they are closed it is quite a pepto pink girl world. It can almost trick your eyes, when you leave the room everything at first seems green. Anyhoo I needed to post these so Aunt Ruth could see Evey's handiwork(and to satisfy Lenore who keeps pestering me to put it on my blog :) ).

My big day

2009-01-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

See my cool hospital gown? I got to go to children's hospital yesterday and play in an ER waiting room. Mom and I had lots of fun giggling and looking at each other. Why was I in the ER you ask.
Well, mom left me for a few moments to get something in the house and my cute big sister Carrie decided to try and give me a carriage ride around in my stroller.....down a slope. So I ended upside down in my stroller. I cut the inside of my mouth, and since mom wasn't too sure about my head and limbs we got to go see the ER.

Here I am ready to go....waiting for my paperwork and for mom to pay her copay.

Safe at home in daddy's arms. it's so good to be home and to not have any big owies.

Don't hate us because it's beautiful...:)

2009-01-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today is a glorious day in sunny land. Warm sun, cool breeze and nothing to do but play. As you can see even John is getting in on the relaxing(actually that was 2 hours ago and now he is weeding). I had to sneak this pic from the schoolroom window of John and baby hanging out together. Don't you just love those cushy cheek(the baby's ha ha).
Look what we got on the way home from church. It was sitting out front of someone's house, and I made John stop. I was sure they were getting rid of it, he wasn't so sure. I ran up to the door and the lady of the house met me at the door. She was giving it away(yippeee free stuff), so I quickly loaded it and away we went. It is practically brand new. Just needed a spray down. Oh and yes still can't keep clothes on that little redhead.

Cute baby tooshie again.
What is better than taking your Sunday afternoon nap naked on a towel in your backyard? You should try it sometime. lol

Her own thing

2009-01-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

One of these kids is doing her own thing!!!!

Sugar Cane anyone???

2009-01-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

I have to admit. John does the bulk of our grocery shopping. And....he is darn good at it. He is muuuch better at getting deals and buying on what is on sale. I am proud of him, but a little confused as to why I can never get such good deals( no comments please..ha ha). He usually goes to Henry's( a natural food store) for fruits/vegggies, Vons for regular stuff, and then sometimes he goes to a Hispanic/Arab grocery near our house. A what?? you ask. Yep it is owned by Iraqi's and they sell middle eastern food and Hispanic food. You know big tubs of olives, hummus by the bucketful, refried beans and tortillas. Weird huh. Tonight he came home with an interesting find.
Sugar cane....raw. Looks like they cut it yesterday and were selling it today. They kids were thrilled and came screaming in the house brandishing their sugar cane like swords. So far we haven't figured out how to eat them. John has looked online, but thus far not so good. The look is fun though, and can be a decoration for a few days. Just hoping no tarantula comes climbing out of it. Actually I probably can't sleep worrying about that possibility, so out the canes will go tonight. I'll let the kids "plant" them in the yard tomorrow.

Jack's big day

2008-12-30T19:26:00.000-08:00

Today was a day of firsts for Jack.

This morning he got to take a bath in a bath seat in the big bath tub, instead of in the infant tub. He seemed to like it, and enjoyed sitting up and feeling the water. His baby tub was getting a bit cramped and he was always struggling to sit up in it.

Secondly he got to eat FOOD!!! He has been grabbing at my drink glasses and seems very interested in food. John kept telling me to feed the poor boy some food, so I gave him some pears today. In the video he is making terrible faces, but he actually really seemed to enjoy it.
So for your viewing pleasure here are Jack videos of firsts. (if bathing and feeding infants is not your thing, just skip this post.)

Christmas day fun 2008

2008-12-27T16:37:00.000-08:00

Two videos of new Christmas presents. Carrie showing her stilt walking skills, and Evey learning to sew with her new sewing machine.

We had a good Christmas. Had lots of fun watching kids open their presents. You know you are a big kid when you are way more interested in watching your kids open presents, than you are getting presents. Carrie was giddy with excitement, too cute.

christmas eve 2008

2008-12-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Eve we went to Grandma/Grandpa's house. They had a lot of the extended family there, lots of yummy soup and bread. The girls got to have their presents from their Aunt Summer. She made them the cutest little bunnies. Even Jack got a little bunny. In the pic they are on the couch watching Home Alone with their dad. They think all the tricks the kid did on the burglars are just hilarious. We can't wait till they go to sleep, so we can finish up present wrapping.
Hope all have a very Merry Christmas.

Christmas activities

2008-12-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

two videos for your viewing pleasure. First one Jack is enjoying his new toy. I had just finished putting it together-you can see all the boxes and junk in the background.
The second video Josie is helping us decorate cookies. Carrie is sleeping, Evey is tide pooling with John, Jack is sleeping. So we have a quiet little house for now.

Happy Christmas

2008-12-11T17:42:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

No Fair!!

2008-12-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

Studies show dogs have sense of fairness

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, The Associated Press

6:00 p.m. December 8, 2008

(AP Photo/Friederike Range, PNAS) - AP

WASHINGTON — No fair! What parent hasn't heard that from a child who thinks another youngster got more of something? Well, it turns out dogs can react the same way. Ask them to do a trick and they'll give it a try. For a reward, sausage say, they'll happily keep at it. But if one dog gets no reward, and then sees another get sausage for doing the same trick, just try to get the first one to do it again. Indeed, he may even turn away and refuse to look at you.

Dogs, like people and monkeys, seem to have a sense of fairness.

"Animals react to inequity," said Friederike Range of the University of Vienna, Austria, who led a team of researchers testing animals at the school's Clever Dog Lab. "To avoid stress, we should try to avoid treating them differently."

Similar responses have been seen in monkeys.

Range said she wasn't surprised at the dogs reaction, since wolves are known to cooperate with one another and appear to be sensitive to each other. Modern dogs are descended from wolves.

Next, she said, will be experiments to test how dogs and wolves work together. "Among other questions, we will investigate how differences in emotions influence cooperative abilities," she said via e-mail.

In the reward experiments reported in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Range and colleagues experimented with dogs that understood the command "paw," to place their paw in the hand of a researcher. It's the same game as teaching a dog to "shake hands."

Those that refused at the start – and one border collie that insisted on trying to herd other dogs – were removed. That left 29 dogs to be tested in varying pairs.

The dogs sat side-by-side with an experimenter in front of them. In front of the experimenter was a divided food bowl with pieces of sausage on one side and brown bread on the other.

The dogs were asked to shake hands and each could see what reward the other received.

When one dog got a reward and the other didn't, the unrewarded animal stopped playing.

When both got a reward all was well.

One thing that did surprise the researchers was that – unlike primates – the dogs didn't seem to care whether the reward was sausage or bread.

Possibly, they suggested, the presence of a reward was so important it obscured any preference. Other possibilities, they said, are that daily training with their owners overrides a preference, or that the social condition of working next to a partner increased their motivation regardless of which reward they got.

And the dogs never rejected the food, something that primates had done when they thought the reward was unfair.

The dogs, the researchers said, "were not willing to pay a cost by rejecting unfair offers."

Clive Wynne, an associate professor in the psychology department of the University of Florida, isn't so sure the experiment measures the animals reaction to fairness.

"What it means is individuals are responding negatively to being treated less well," he said in a telephone interview.

But the researchers didn't do a control test that had been done in monkey studies, Wynne said, in which a preferred reward was visible but not given to anyone. In that case the monkeys went on strike because they could see the better reward but got something lesser.

Range responded, however, that her team did indeed do that control test as well as others in which food was moved or held in the hand but not given to the dog being tested.

In dogs, Wynne noted, the quality of reward didn't seem to matter, so the test only worked when they got no reward at all.

However, Wynne added, there is "no doubt in my mind that dogs are very, very sensitive to what people are doing and are very smart."

I loved this article. I know that our dog seems to look at us with accusing eyes if she thinks she is missing out on a tasty treat. In fact so do my kids if they decide things aren't "fair". Come to think of it so do I if I perceive life isn't fair for me. Thankfully we have a loving God who is a perfect and just God, and doesn't neglect His children. He loves us all and wants to bless us if we will come to Him. That's all for today. Hope life is good for you as we enter the Christmas season.

Ladies Christmas party

2008-12-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

Last night our church held a ladies Christmas gathering. We had lots of yummy food to dip in the chocolate fountains, and there was gift basket raffles. The money from the raffles is going towards missions. I am happy to report my good friend Elle won a awesome basket. It had cute girly teddy bears, a little chair for the bears, a cute teapot, tea, and a nice hat box for it to all go in. We had a speaker Vikki Smith, and a guest vocalist, Mary James.
Overall I enjoyed it, and the opportunity to slow down and enjoy the worship and teaching. and of course the chocolate.

Does anyone recognize this girl?? go to over to her blog and say hi.

What's for Thanksgiving dinner??

2008-11-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

Can you see who thinks he is ready for big people food???
Hope your Thanksgiving was as nice as ours was. Ours was very mellow and laid back with lots of good food. I got all hyper about taking all our kids to John's aunt's house, but all my worry was for nothing. The girls did great and no one suffered injuries or caused destruction.

See who is in love with his daddy. :)
Melts my heart I tell ya.

2008-11-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

Amanda tagged me, so here goes.

4 Random Things About Me:

1. I was born on a marine corp base
2. swam on swim teams for years
3. spent the summer of '92 in Ukraine
4.when I was six fell off my bike and split my chin open .

4 Occupations I'd Love To Do If Talent & Money Were Not Qualifications:
1. be like martha stewart and decorate.
2. be a triathelete.
3.run a restaurant.
4.be a photo journalist.

4 Guilty Pleasures:
1. big icy fountain coke
2.peanut butter and honey.
3. ice cream shake.
4. rolled tacos.

4 Things I Am Drawn To Buy Even When I Don't Need Them:
1. kids shoes
2. kids work books
3.kitchen tools(small ones, not appliances)
4. fabric

4 Challenges I Face On A Daily/ Weekly Basis:
1. patience when my kids are loud while Carrie is sleeping.
2. schooling big kids and keeping littles entertained.
3. keeping up with laundry.
4. dinner time chaos.

4 Books That Have Helped/Inspired Me This Year:
1. This is terrible......I can't think of any. I have read the Bible and a few novels this year.
Other than that I am running a blank.

So I am tagging...anyone who reads this blog and want to do this list. I would love to see your answers.

Its cold here

2008-11-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

I have forgotten how cold it gets here. My south craving body is COLD...I have so enjoyed seeing my sis and her family. Her new little baby is so sweet. We had a fun photo session done of the babies. I think they will be fabulous. We cradled Peter in Jack's arms....so cute. I can't believe I am leaving already, went too fast. But I am looking forward to reuniting with my kids and hubby. The girls have had a great time with their grandma, not sure I was even missed. So for now here is a pic of me with the babies. I will be back to sunny land tomorrow.

Nut farm hay ride

2008-11-13T22:05:00.000-08:00

Our nut farm day

2008-11-13T21:40:00.001-08:00

Went to the nut farm. After our tour of the nut roasting rooms, educational talk about nuts and agriculture and a hay ride Evey asked when we were going to see the nut trees. I told her the lady said they no longer had any nut trees on this farm, they just used raw nuts from other countries and roasted them at their facilities. She looked at me funny and said, "Well, then it's really not a nut farm, its just a nut factory". So true so true. I also thought they still grew the nuts, but I guess not. Not since the last California fire came through and burned down their groves. sad.... All in all it was good to be out and for the girls to see, learn, and do new things. They got to spend a dollar in the general store and of course went for the candy barrels.

The baby and I haven't been feeling well. I took him in today and they said it is just a cold(after an exam and a chest x-ray). I asked the pediatrician to look in my ear and tell if I should see my doctor. She said I had an ear infection, and did need to see the doctor. I wasn't sure it was kosher to ask her to prescribe for me, so that I could avoid a copay. My doc was busy of course, but two floors down urgent care saw me, and I was in and out in 30 minutes. Amazing...So the baby is fine, but the mommy has an ear infection.
Tonight I got to talk to my mom in Moscow. We used Skype, and it didn't cost us a dime. We even got to see each other using our web cams. It was so cool. She got to see her grandkids, which was fun for her, but I am sure bittersweet.
So I am off to bed..I have a busy day tomorrow getting last minute stuff done before my trip.

Interesting article

2008-11-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

Another reason why hormonal birth control and the need for it before marriage is probably a bad idea. It's much better to be able to "sniff" out the right husband. :)

Still here

2008-11-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

Hi, We are still here. Been busy doing stuff....class day, birthday parties to go to, a wedding and just general life stuff. Getting ready to leave for Alaska on Sunday. Baby and I still are congested so that is of concern. Praying that his at least goes away, so his poor little ears won't hurt while we fly. I have last minute projects I am finishing up, laundry to finish and pack the kids stuff for while I am gone. They will be spending the nights with my in laws. At least I think that is what is happening. Need to confirm that I guess. Thursday we are taking a field trip to a nut farm. Now I know what you are thinking.....we are nuts and we seem to be growing children, but it is an actual nut farm that sells nuts(ie pecan, walnuts, etc) for food production. That should be fun. The pics today are for the benefit of Sherry(see my sister's post to see pic of Sherry). We had these cabinets made about 4 years ago, but didn't have them varnished. I know stupid, but hey we are busy and money always has a ton of places to be spent. So anyhoo...we finally had them varnished because they were going to be destroyed if we didn't. So here they are. I like them, since they provide nice storage for me, something that this house is sorely lacking in.
That is all for now. Hope everyone is well and thriving.

7 grandkids in 7 years!!!

2008-11-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

There is a new baby in the family. Peter William was born last night after his mom had a VERY hard day of labor. Long story, but Ruth was rushed from the midwife center to the hospital and eventually delivered there. He is a big baby, 8-11#. That is big for my sis-who is all of about 5 feet tall. He is looks like another cutie to add to the Bray grandkid mix. Pray for his poor little head- it seems to be very sore after such a rough delivery.
I am so excited. In two weeks I fly up with Jack to meet his new cousin. We will be spending about 4 days with my sister and her family. Then it is back to sunny land where my little girls and their daddy will be eagerly waiting for mom and brother to come home.
So head on over to my sister's blog and check out her new little one. She deserves a lot of congratulations for such a rough but brave delivery.

Yippee we get fall too!!

2008-11-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

This weekend the temps finally dropped here in sunny land. John decided to trim and burn all our grapes leaves and vines. He does this every fall and the girls always have a blast. This is our version of a pile of fall leaves. This year I really wanted to use the trimmed vines to make grapevine wreaths. So my sweet husband did it for me, since I was pretty useless Saturday-yucky cold and a fussy baby. He spent the whole day outside with the girls trimming, raking, burning and make lovely wreaths. One of them is just huge, and we are going to hang it outside our large living room window and put white twinkle lights on it. My plan for the other wreaths is to use the pine cones we collected a couple weeks ago. Last Sunday the girls, Barbara, Natalia and I sprayed a bunch of them gold and silver. Hopefully I will be able to attach them prettily to make Christmas themed wreaths.As you can see our pool is gone, and it is time for jump rope and bikes again. We actually took the pool down in Sept, but it has been so stinking hot we should have left it up for all of October.

Harvest festival 2008

2008-10-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

Costumes on......following several wardrobe changes

Little sister is a fairy too....didn't want to be pocahontus
fingers kept out of finished cupcakes
baking and decorating 4 dozen cupcakes

And we are off to the harvest festival at our church...it has all the good stuff-cupcake walk, jumpy castles, carnival games, hotdogs, soda, candy and then major sugar meltdowns. Wish us well. Hope you have a wonderful harvest day!!

Antics of my third born

2008-10-27T08:19:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been complaining a lot about my sweet little two year olds behavior. I know I need to stop and slow down and enjoy her a little more. She is a VERY active little one, but is also sweet. My mom says her whole memory of this time in my life will be the refrain," where's Carrie". Because if we don't know where she is there is sure to be trouble. God has convicted me to stop my complaining and enjoy her even though she is very hard to deal with right now. So before I end this I would like to list some of the fun things she has done lately. I know I am complaining, but someday I will read this and marvel that our sweet little Carrie did all this. In no particular order of dates I list the following:
1. unravel a whole roll of TP throughout the house.
2. unroll a roll of papertowels
3. grab and unroll a spool of thread in two minutes flat
4.flush rubber ducky down the toilet
5. launch a mug...watch it shatter
6. pull all the kleenex out of a box
7. cut her hair
8. pull all the clothes out of the girls dresser drawer- in like two seconds flat....repeatedly
9. color on the walls, furniture, her body, books, etc
10. fling the dog food everywhere
11. eat the dog food
12. climb up and crank up the heat on the fish tank....all the fish cooked
13. run so fast at a park that mommy could barely catch her at the curb of a busy road
14. try to self clean her little potty chair- aim is not so good into big toilet...ewww
15. pull her sister's hair...repeatedly
16.climb to the top of our very high jungle gym(like 12 feet) with no fear, but also no way to get down. It is now inside a separate fenced area to protect her from herself.
17. climb up on the railing of a friend's second floor balcony. I didn't see her for about one minute ran up the stairs and found her on the railing. Needless to say I screamed and ran for her. What a heart stopper.

So I am praying a lot that I would grow in my patience for my little one and that her boundless energy would be a source of joy for us always. I also pray that her energy would always be directed in the service of Jesus, and she would know his love for her. I know God has great things for her!!!
Is there something in your children that God is working on you to have more patience??? It seems God uses our kids to refine us doesn't he???

Now it is time for loud music!!!!
baby brother I think I need to tweak your nose!!!

The best way to transport an ornery two year old

Man, am I tired from all my busy work.....I think I need to rest up for tomorrows duties.

Apple pickin we will go!!!

2008-10-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. Thanks for all your notes of encouragement and understanding. I am doing better, still feel a little scatter brained but doing better. We had a quite a weird last couple days but that is for another post. All is well in sunny life land. So.... today we went apple picking. A gal from our homeschool group invited us to join her at an apple farm. We got to pick apples and take a little walk on her farm. It was a bit of a weird set up, but overall the kids had a good time. When it came to crushing the apples to make cider the saying "many hands make light work" did not apply. Lots of little fingers flinging water, apples, dirt and trying to have a turn at cranking the press made for a little bit of craziness. Poor little Jack was soooo done in by that point, so we hightailed it to the car. Everyone in their seats with water and air conditioning made a much happier mommy and kids. On the way down the mountain we stopped at a homemade candy store and each girl got an old fashioned lemon stick thingy. I don't know the official name. Mommy got a coffee and bought some fudge in a moment of weakness. I nibbled some while I drove, and when I got home realized it was not prudent to eat two wedges of fudge. So when Grandma came to take the girls to Awanas, I sent it home as a suprise for Grandpa(he loves chocolate).
I have realized why there are so many obese american kids. Moms like the one I saw at the candy store. A family came in right after us, and the kids were kinda brats and annoying. They ran up to the old fashioned candy sticks and proceeded to grab as many as they could. Let me say the girl proudly said she was getting 18!!!! Plus a jumbo sized one and a fudge thing jammed in an ice cream cone. All for her....Poor kid. My kids were happily dancing around with their one measly candy, and even with that I had a bit of guilt for getting them something sugary. Oh well, to each their own.

My week

2008-10-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

I was feeling a bit blue about some things this week. My hormones are starting to go wonky, always does about 3 months post partum. The task that lays before me every day seems so so much, and not achievable. I also have had a very sick Carrie. The Santa Anna winds that comes through here tend to set off her asthma and we have lost some sleep this week over that. We were in the MD office at 8 am Wednesday getting her seen and put on some prednisone(oral steroids). I have also felt very alone at times. My family is so far away and my days seem long and lonely. Of course Evey and Josie are fun to be around now, but sometimes a girl just needs some girlfriend time. So today was a great day. I spent three hours at a park visiting with other moms and just letting our kids run their energy off. I have known several for 12 years(worked with them at camp, and now they homeschool too). Another one I am getting to know. She actually grew up in our church and has known John forever. She is a fabulous photographer(see her website and blog) and was giving me some pointers today on how to take a good snapshot. She is also going to take our family Christmas pics. I am sooo excited. Her photos are gorgeous.

Here are some shots of our week.

flower on our new tree in the front yard

Carrie pic taken by Sarah

Evey pic taken by Sarah

Josie and Jack

a cool project I found on another blog. I made it today. Only took about 30minutes(Carrie was sleeping). It is a little play mat for the girls to use with their plastic animals. They love to play with their animals.

Jack has a friend

2008-10-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my friend Elle came over with her sweet little baby. He is an answer to prayer for she and her husband. After many years of trying he came along as a wonderful suprise. We had to get a pic of the two boys hanging out, Jack is on the left. They are 4 weeks apart in age(Jack is younger), and I am sure will be good friends. They are both little chubs, but as you can see I think Jack is going to be a bit longer.I am reading a wonderful book right now to the girls. Lenore gave us a ton of books from her stockpile of books for teaching. The book is called Baby Island. It is a book about two little girls shipwrecked with 4 little babies. Somehow as the ship goes down they end up with 4 babies and none of the parents. Evey loves it, and it is so fun to read. Thanks Lenore for the pile of books.

Well that is all for now. Today is housecleaning and schoolwork, with hopefully some pine cone spraying and decorating thrown in. The weather has been delightful this week. Much cooler temps and a real feel of fall in the air. There is also so cal fires again. Pray they stay far away.

Pine trees and apples

2008-10-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

Ingredients for a fun day:
1. cooler weather in the mountains
2. car that makes it to the mountains(almost didn't)
3.packed lunches eaten on a mountain top overlooking the desert.
4. Collecting big pine cones for burning in the fireplace and for fall decorations.
5. Stopping by an apple farm and getting apples.
6. Stopping by the famous Dudley's and getting lots of yummy fresh bread.
7. Making it home with everyone tired but happy from a fun day together.

Ann Geddess baby

2008-10-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

This is Carrie.....asleep....for about two hours. I didn't put her there. She fell asleep on the way home from errands yesterday, and awoke when I tried to sneak her into her bed. I then told her to lay down on the couch and I would be right back. When I had finished cleaning out the car I came in the house and couldn't find her. Panicked I asked the girls where she was and they pointed to the living room floor. She decided the stuffed animal storage was a good place to snooze. As they say "let sleeping babies(dogs) lie", I left her there.

On another Carrie note, tonight during bath time I went to check on Carrie and Josie. They were playing happily in the tub. Except Carrie was playing happily outside the tub....flushing the toilet repeatedly. Too little rubber duckies were floating dejectedly in the toilet. We did a quick count and realized a ducky was missing.....down the toilet. And the toilet wasn't flushing well. Oh man, was I nervous to tell John. I could just envision plumbing 911 calls, "Yes sir we have a rubber ducky blocking our toilet, and now the pee pee runneth over". So far though so good though. John took our industrial plunger and seems to have sent little ducky floating to the sea. I would like to see the look on the guy's face who finds it at the sewage plant. But then again I hate to think of all the crazy things they find.

Happy Birthday Grandma and Grandpa

2008-10-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Today is my Dad's birthday and last week was my mom's. I had to include the most recent pics I have of them, and they just happen to be ones from Mary's wedding. Both of them with the little imp Carrie. Can you see who did a lot of Carrie chasing during the wedding and reception?

My parents leave for Moscow, Russia in just a few short weeks. They will be living there this winter, and then will come home in late January. Because of the new visa laws missionaries are not allowed to stay in Russia for more than 90 days at a time. Mom will stay in Ak long enough to see her new grandbaby(due the end of October), and then will fly to meet my dad.

You know I have reached a point in my life where I appreciate my parents so much more than I used to . In my teens we got along pretty good, though they were annoying sometimes(smile); and in my twenties John and I were building our own life. Now in my thirties I see the many sacrifices and hard choices our parents made raising us. I appreciate so much more the reasons certain things were done or not done. I find that earlier resentments I had are not an issue. Which is a relief because resentment is a hard thing to carry around. Now there are still things we see differently sometimes(smile...hi mom and dad), but that doesn't mean we don't love each other tremendously. Sooo......this is for you mom and dad. Hope you have a great birthday, and know that John and I love you guys and will praying for you on your next big adventure.

Grandma and her mini me

Josie 5th birthday

2008-09-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a big birthday party for our little Josie. Can't believe our 2nd child is five years old already. She got to get a jumpy castle, because her big sister did for her last birthday. I think this is the last jumpy for awhile, those things are spendy to rent. It was a very hot day, and everyone looked a little toasty, so John turned on the upper lawn sprinklers and we had kids running screaming through them. Everyone felt much better. Josie got a lot of loot. It was a Barbie party it seemed-Barbie bride and groom, Barbie mermaids, and a Barbie scooter. Phew, we made it through kid birthday parties until next May.

Jumpy castle

2008-09-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick video clip of Evey and Josie. It was
taken at the end of a long day of jumping on the
jumpy castle that we rented for Josie's birthday party.

P.S. I know the video is sideways, I can't seem
to fix that.

Brother love

2008-09-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

The boy smiles now. That is fun to see.
His big sissy Carrie loves him so much.
She is always running up to him and
trying to shhsh him, it's her way
of comforting him.
I am on the mend, starting to feel
a bit better. The antibiotics seem
to be working.

What's with that???

2008-09-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I went to Target to pick up a prescription, because I have once again gotten mastitis. Yes, it is oh so much fun to have boobs that are killing me, chills, headache and feeling clammy. Anyhoo I pulled up to a spot, got out and walked over a couple spots to retrieve a cart. I needed a cart to put the baby's carseat in because he weighs a ton already(12-6# at his appt last week, and he is only 6weeks). So as I turn around I almost got smashed by a man driving with great urgency. He then jumped out of his car and ran in the store. "He is annoying", me thinks to myself. At the checkout line he was in front of me. With one item.. a hairdryer. This is what perplexes me.....
he was bald.

Update: I have gotten several suggestions as to why the guy was buying a hairdryer. Most people agree that he was sent scurrying by his wife. Possibly she refused to leave the house with him until he went and bought a new dryer. If she was being a beasty he should have lingered longer and made her wait, but then she might have really let him have it.

The boy's first baseball game

2008-09-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

John is a huge baseball fanatic. he played through
college, so it is very important to him.
Saturday night we were invited to a game.
They were very nice seats(more like an area), and
it included all you can eat and drink.
We brought the baby and just had to
get a pic of father and son at their
first game together. To be
honest I can't even remember
if we won or not. Tells you how much I paid attention
to the game. Too busy with baby and talking to others
at the party.

The boy

2008-09-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

My sis requested some pic updates, so here
they are. He is growing quickly. Starting
to smile and make some noises besides crying.
Speaking of crying he likes to do that. He is
usually a very fussy boy until noon, and then
sleeps and then fusses in the evening again.
Oh well these are the days of a newborn, but
it sure does make a mom's life harder. If I just
let the house fall apart and keep everything
low key it works.

My new suede shoes

2008-09-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

For my birthday my mom gave me a gift card
to Kohls. I am sure she thought I was getting
new tops with it, but I got myself some
new suede shoes instead. I like them for jeans
and pants for this winter. They might be
kinda nerdy, but I prefer to think of them as retro.

He's such a momma's boy

2008-09-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

2008-09-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

Let's see..what is new....
#1 in the news is the Sarah Palin updates.
Seems everyone is up in arms about just everything Sarah.
I love the pics of her working, signing papers, speaking with
her baby in a sling. I am just annoyed and disgusted
with those conservative Christians who are attacking
her and her family. The patriarchal model of family seems
to think that any woman whose toes step away from
only family work is an abomination. What about the
Proverbs woman who buys and sells property. I don't think
she was only working at home. I am proud to be from
Alaska and proud to support Sarah and her family. They
have difficult times ahead, but I think she and McCain
will succeed.
#2 We went camping..Yes with four kids and one of them
three weeks old. We found an opening at one of the local
beach campgrounds and took the motorhome down for the night.
It was a little wild and not my hubby's idea of relaxation, but
overall it was fun. We got to take a night beach walk,
and run down to the beach after breakfast. That was worth it
to me, just lots of beach time.
#3 This week our activities begin again. Tomorrow night
is the first night of Awanas. I need to check vests and get
patches on that need to be on.
Thursday is the first day of homeschool class day.
Evey will be taking choir, art and a class that focuses
on learning games. Should be fun. Josie starts
the kindergarten class and can't wait.

So...here are some photos from the weekend.
Hope you had a relaxing weekend with family and friends.

Go Sarah Palin, our next Vice President

2008-08-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Alaska..
where men are men
and
women win the Iditarod....

Now they may
win the Vice Presidency!!!!!!

Go Sarah Palin the VP nomination
on John McCain's ticket.
facts about Sarah:
she is from Alaska(duh), she's the governor
she is married with 5 children
she is pro life
she has a down syndrome child
she loves the outdoors.

I am SO excited.....

Life and other such stuff

2008-08-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Life has continued on in spite of the fact that
I don't have help anymore from John or my parents.
Monday I was supercharged to get it all done,
Tuesday I was exhausted and Wed I took three
kids for well child checks and did errands.
Needless to say I am exhausted again.
The house is trashed and I have a friend
coming over soon. But she has a new baby too,
so she doesn't mind a trashed house(right Elle?)
The baby was 10# 10oz yesterday, which
is just shy of 2 # gain in three weeks.
He is a little piggy and can eat every 30 minutes sometimes.

yesterday afternoon
trying to eat Josie's face.

So I am conflicted, confused, concerned, etc as what to call
this new baby. We named him John, and planned to call him
Jack. The reason is there are just too many men named John in this
family. :) No really it will help because grandpa is John, Daddy is
John and now baby is John. But when people have been
asking me about "Jack" I get confused and ask "who??"
They look at me like I am nuts and say "your baby".
So as I look at this little guy I try to keep saying Jack, Jack, Jack.
I think he needs to grow a little more before I see Jack emerge.
So for now he is "Baby".

Goodbye already???

2008-08-20T23:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a depressing night.
First we had to say goodbye to
Jeremiah's lovely family. We will miss them.
Second we had to say goodbye to Mary and Jeremiah....
I cried slightly when we said goodbye and
cried my eyes out at home.
Tomorrow they leave for Alaska and the
beginning of the rest of their life. Their life
somewhere else, away from us, away from our
kids. So happy for their new life together, but so hard to
see them go. I guess it is sometimes harder to be left than to leave.
I know my family mourned when we left Alaska.

So here are some more pics from her wedding day.

Yep, I managed to squeeze into a dress and be
in the bridal party.

Grandma Brenda and a very tired Josie

Grandpa John and newborn John

Evey getting down with her bad self.
She danced for hours. She suprised
me with her dancing enthusiasm.

Abbi Mulu, Carrie, and Josie

A new uncle to literally look UP to!!!

There once was a little girl...

2008-08-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

Mary's lovely wedding was this past Saturday.
It was a dream wedding. Everything was beautiful.
Most of all the bride was beautiful.
Plus there were some pretty gorgeous flower girls.

Mary dancing with her dad. Lots
of tears flowed during that dance, both
by the dancers and those watching.

The handsome groom asking for a dance

Josie contemplating getting another
cup of punch. She had about 12(no kidding)

baby sister going for a walk with Grandpa Phil

More cute baby pics....can't help myself

2008-08-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here is cute boy this am. For those of
you who think I am super mom....I am not.
I have a super dad home right now, and once
he goes back to work I think my world
will come crumbling down. Actually my
parents and sister are flying in, so I will have
help for one more week after that. Once
they leave I think life will get let's say....messy
and crazy and exhausting..etc.
But for now I am enjoying the rest
and much needed backup.

"stop mom, you embarrass me"

big sister helping with a diaper change.
She is doing good. Loves to help, and is
actually very gentle with him.

Daddy has a buddy

2008-08-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

John loves sports. Loves to still play basketball.
Played college baseball. Loves to watch
anything sports. So now he has a boy.
I am sure he is envisioning many years of sports
watching and talking with his boy. He and his
dad talk sports all the time, and still get together
to watch games.The girls are already sports watchers with their
dad. They like to watch UFC wrestling with John, and
at the start of a match they decide who they think will win.
I blog during those times.

More pics of my cute new baby

2008-08-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos updates of our new little one.
He is doing good. Nurses like a champ, but
still a little hungry. Not much there for him yet.
The girls are thrilled with him. Want to hold
and kiss him all the time.

Isn't he sweet?? I love this boy.

Baby John has arrived

2008-08-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

Baby John made his grand arrival yesterday
August 5th at around 3pm.
He weighed in a t 8#13oz and 21 3/4" long.
Mom and baby did great. No complications
and mom had the best labor ever. Literally
got the epidural first thing, and felt very little
pain. Now that's my kind of labor. Daddy
said it was a "civilized labor". ha ha
We are home now, and trying to manage
four kids. Yikes....keep us in your prayers.happy big sisters

face painting and last preggy pic

2008-08-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

The girls love to face paint. The other day they went
wild painting butterflies on each others faces and then
they decided to paint a clown face on Carrie.
She tolerated the painting, but really didn't
like the results. She seemed horrified
when she looked in the mirror.

I thought I would post most likely the last pic of me pregnant.
I look like a whale with that sarong wrapped around me.
Please pray as the time approaches that all will go well.

Baby shower goodies

2008-07-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

Today was my baby shower. My friend Doris
hosted a shower at her house, and we
had a huge turnout. I got so much
baby clothes it's coming out my
ears. The pics below display the gifts.

A pic of the pregnant belly. I'm ready to go, but
not sure it's anytime soon.

A poster that was on display at the shower.
Everyone had to create a bubblegum baby and
make it look like they think the baby will look like.

Grape update

2008-07-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

So it has been awhile since I showed the grapes.
They are just a little bit bigger than last pics, don't
you think??? These pics are especially
for my dad since he would love to grow
grapes. But somehow grapes
don't grow well in Alaska.

Sunday afternoon swimming

2008-07-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

The girls LOVE to swim in our little pool.
I don't know what I would do without that pool,
because it provides hours of entertainment a day.
They are counting the days till our new
baby arrives, grandparents B. arrive, and
Aunt Mary's wedding. It's going to be
a busy few weeks, I think I will need
all of Sept to recover.

Look who's turning two!!!

2008-07-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

Can't believe our baby Carrie is turning two this week. Seems like she just arrived.
She has turned into a whirlwind of activity with a very strong sense of what she wants
to accomplish. Is that a nice way of saying she is strong willed??
Last night we had a little family b-day party for her. She had a great time and
was thrilled with the attention, presents, cake and singing her happy birthday
over and over. We got her a doll that looks like her twin and she was THRILLED.
The girl loves dolls. She got that from her mama. Here are some pics of Carrie the past two years.

matching doll for her birthday. Do you like
my new haircut??
blowing out candles
do I look like my mama, grandma???

Is there enough pink???

2008-07-08T19:56:00.001-07:00

Today the girls new beds were delivered and their new bedding was washed and put on. They are just a bit excited. The room looks too cute, but very pink. I changed the font to pink and now it won't go back to the regular. So I am really not yelling at you, just can't figure out how to change font...... Anyhoo... I am glad the room is ready, one more step closer to welcoming the new baby. Something I can't wait for because I'm on my last nerve with this pregnancy thing. :)

Out of order

2008-07-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

I published a post I wrote last week and meant if for the 4th of July, but it is posting from June 30. So if you care to read it scroll down a bit to see it.

2008-07-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

I found this post on someone's blog and it expressed how I am feeling right now. Tired of being large and pregnant, but remembering soon we will have a little babe to hold and love.
I have always been in love with Celine Dion's music. It's a little too much for my husband to hear repeatedly, but I could(and have) listened to her for hours.

Pies and the 4th of July

2008-06-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend John made us fruit pies.What is special about the baking is that both pies were made from fruit that came off trees in our yard. For an Alaskan raised girl that is pretty cool. When I was a kid fruit came off of a barge and didn't always look so good by the time it hit the store. Here fruit is everywhere and people like to eat it. Wow!!!

Lemon meringue pie(from lemon tree)

peach pie(picked from tree night before)

plums from grandma's tree

happy customer

Hope all had a relaxing 4th of July. We rested most of the day,
and then went to zoo for a bit. Watched fireworks down
by the bay. Sat am we got up at the crack of dawn,
and scooted down to the beach for a beach breakfast(donuts,
fruit, hardboiled eggs, etc).
Spent a couple hours playing at beach and headed home for
resting, chores and more swimming.

10 years as husband and wife

2008-06-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago two weeks ago John was a
happy and relieved to be done graduate of UCSD.
He earned a bachelors in biology. The pic below is
he and I with his family. That was a happy day.

Two weeks later we tied the knot.
Has it really been ten years???
Thanks for all the years John.
Your consistent love and devotion to me
has been the greatest thing in my life.
Happy 10th anniversary !!!!

New links

2008-06-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

If you look over on my blogroll you can see I have added some new blogs recently. Several of them are crafty/cute ideas blogs. Crafting is something I am terrible at, hence I was told by a friend once that I am "craft retarded". Her words not mine. Sooo....I added them so I can read and look at the cute bright colors/fabric/ideas and feel inspired to do them all. Not really....I just want to live vicariously through other people, and if you see I have those links you will think I am a crafty creative person too. Actually I do want to do some of them. Just probably not for awhile. You know the baby thing....sleepless nights....being post partum....sigh. So for now I will just look at the pretty crafts and fabrics and think, "someday I will be that cool".
On a different note I am going to drag my carcass to the beach tomorrow. I haven't told the kids because if I chicken out I do not want them disappointed. My sil Mary is coming with me to help haul gear and wrangle kids. Only 2-3 hours at the beach and I should be wiped out for the day. I am praying that the fresh sea air will be good for my soul.....

I've been tagged

2008-06-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged. Vikki tagged me to spell out 6 quirks that I have. Here are the rules:

Link the person who tagged you.
Mention the rules in your blog.
Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.
Tag a new set of six bloggers by linking them
Six quirks about me....

1. I am not afraid to talk to anyone, which can really freak out my friends.
(example.."hey parrot guy in the park come show us how your
bird can talk to you".)
2. I have a weird ability to remember any number(phone numbers, addresses,
dates, etc). I am terrible at mathmatics but great with numbers....huh?
3.I have to check every door and window at night before I can go to sleep.
4.Sometimes I would rather skip a meal and save the calories to drink a bunch
of coca cola. (not lately, pregnancy makes me hungry)
5.I love to swim in the ocean, but am terrified of sharks. It's a conflict, but
usually swimming wins.
6.I think fashion accessories are a waste of time, and I am content with my
wedding band and a pair of earrings. Not sure this is a quirk, but I am
out of ideas.

I choose the following to list their quirks:
Ruth
Amanda
Tanya
Tammy
Sarah L.
Caren

Even the homeless have got an opinion

2008-06-18T15:20:00.001-07:00

In a previous post I wrote about obnoxious strangers who like to comment on the amount of children we have. Yesterday hit a new low and actually gave John and I quite a giggle. Here it is retold:

"Carrie let's go get sissies from gymnastics class" said momma as she pushed youngest child in stroller.

"How many sisters does she have?" questioned a slightly drunk lady of the lake(ie homeless and lives in our community's public park that surrounds a lake).

"Two" answered a slightly annoyed pregnant momma.

"Lady.....you need to get your head examined!!!" slurred the lady as she about toppled backwards off a retaining wall.

As momma steered away from said lady and her equally scruffy companion momma thinks to herself..."that's a good one coming from a person who sleeps with ducks."

Oh how time changes us!!

2008-06-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

BIRTH ORDER OF CHILDREN

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.

3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Layette:

1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby

2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.

3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pacifier:

1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.

2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.

3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diapering:

1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.

2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Activities

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, Baby Zoo, Baby Movies and Baby Story Hour.

2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaners.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Going Out:

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At Home:

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Swallowing Coins:

1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays

2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.

3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

We all got a least one phobia...

2008-06-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a cute little story about a pig and her phobias....

I feel her pain. I am a door and window checker.. :)