sick x 3

I have never had all three kids sick at the same time with the stomach flu...until today.

Party Time!

We don't do friend birthday party's very often and it has been several years since Jaco has had one so I told him he could have one this year. Only problem is what do you do with a bunch of 8, 9, and 10 year old boys? I suggested to him that we could have a bowling party but you should have seen the look Jaco gave me. You would have thought I had suggested going to the newborn nursery at the hospital! He told me that boys would not want to go bowling! OK, then what? I know, how about a huge water fight, pizza, and a movie! Jaco's response; "Now your talkin!!" We invited 6 boys with instruction to bring a water gun, towel and change of clothes. I filled 300+ water ballons and now the top of my middle finger is numb from tying them all off! Dr Johnson said it has something to do with the nerves but feeling should come back... I hope so because it is bugging me. The things we do for our kids!

Boys started arriving Thurs afternoon at 4. They played a little basket ball until everyone came and then it was time to get wet! It didn't take long to realize ordinary cups worked much better than squirt guns and water balloons. The boys had fun ganging up on Justin but he fought back with buckets and buckets of water. I played along too but most of the boys were not sure if it was OK to throw water at me. That is until I soaked them first! We had a lot of balloon pieces to pick up so I turned it into a game. Whoever found the most earned a prize. All the broken balloons were cleaned up in record time!

Once everyone was dry it was time to eat and watch a movie. We watched The Seeker while drinking root beer floats and chowing down on pizza and licorice. After the movie Jaco opened his gifts and we had cake and ice-cream. All the boys loved his cake. I think it turned out pretty cool! One boy asked where we got it and when Jaco told him I made it the boy said he was very impressed. That made my day! While we waited for parents to come back, the boys shot hoops some more and I cleaned up. I was a little worried about having so many boys but everyone was so good and happy! Jaco had a blast and that is what matters the most!


Bring on the water!

7 quiet boys! Miracle? No, just pizza and a movie.

Jaco's Harry Potter cake. I copied the idea from Cake Wrecks July 19th Sunday Sweets post. It is the book that Hagrid assigned his class.

The party boys! (left to right)
Josh Luke Niko Jaco Ian Ansen Anthony

Is it true?

Is my first born really 10? Really???

I can not believe I am the mother to a 10 year old son. Where does time go? I remember the day we found out we were pregnant. We drove from Pocatello to Idaho Falls at midnight to share the news with Family. A phone call just wasn't enough! When pregnant, you dream about your unborn child's future. What will they be like, who will they look like, etc... I could never have dreamed that I would have a future politician or lawyer or president or scientist; any of which I can see Jaco being! He is smart, fun, and so dang handsome! I love you Jaco and could not be happier to have you as my firstborn son!

1st Talk

My little Sunbeam gave her first talk in primary today. We looked through a book of church pictures and I asked her what she wanted to talk about. Her reply, Jesus! So I asked her what she wanted to say about our Savior. Here is her talk!

Jesus helps people.
Him gave us bodies.
Him was a baby.
Him helps people be good.
Jesus lives at church.
Jesus died in the woods. (she said this as she looked at a picture of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane)
Jesus likes us.
Jesus was in the woods because Him loves us.
I love Jesus.
Jesus missed the kids when Him died.

My favorite was her last sentence because I know it is true!

Harry Potter

A few weeks before school got out, I challenged Jaco to read the Harry Potter series over the summer break. Granny had started buying him the books a few years ago but despite his amazing reading skills, he was intimidated by the lack of pictures and number of pages. Just as I knew would happen, he was sucked in within a few chapters. School has only been out a little over a month and Jaco is now on book seven! I have been reading the books too (second time around) and it has been a lot of fun to discuss the books together. Last night he realized that he is almost done and is not ready for it to end. He wants atleast 4 more books! He and I agree that there is an empty feeling when you know something really good can't go on and on! Justin, who hasn't read a single word from the series, does not get the worlds obsession. All I know is if someone is talented enough to get grade school kids to read an 800+ page book than something good is going on!

note to self: Cell phones don't take high quality pictures in dimly lit theatres!

I told Jaco I would take him to see the 6th movie when he finished the 6th book. I think he finished that book in under 4 days! I kept my promise and we went last night. It was a really good movie but I think we both read the book too soon before seeing the show. So much was left out and changed for the movie! Jaco kept asking why things were changed. I don't know how many times I had to tell him to sshhh! Then when the entire theatre was silent after a certain wizard dies, Jaco decided it was time to crunch loud popcorn! We still had a lot of fun and I love that we both have such a love and passion for books. I hope we can continue to share this passion and that it will help keep us close!

Reading # 7 while waiting for #6 to start!

Happy 4th!

Our friends from across the street, invited us to go camping on their family's property for the holiday weekend. The lot which is called Palm Point is about 10 minutes from the coast and overlooks the Chetco river. I have to say that it was for sure the coldest 4th of July I have experienced but all the fun we had made the cold ok! We went from 100 degree weather at our house, drove less than 2 hours and became immersed in clouds, fog, and cold air with highs in the low 50's! Besides ward campouts, this is the first time we have been camping in a long time. Justin's residency didn't allow us too much time for the tent life. I forgot how much stuff camping requires! It was a good thing we were with a group who loaned us stuff or we would have been scraping our eggs and bacon out of the pan with a stick and eating dry hoagies with no mayo. Packing for camping is like packing a subsidized version of your house!

Smores for breakfast? Sure, why not! And checkout her bare piggies. All of the adults never took their jackets off and the kids were running around in as little as their mom's would allow!

La-La was fascinated with the fire. Everytime you turned around she was trying to add another log or put newspaper in it. She was scaring me with how comfortable she was with the flames!

Everyone else in the camp was awake and not quiet at all yet somehow Jaco kept snoozing and snoozing.


Saturday after lunch we went to the beach. It was windy and chilly but we still had fun! The beach we went to had rocks everywhere so we spent most of our time exploring them. We found a ton of crabs and discovered several 6 armed star fish. We saw a dead baby seal which was sad but it had the most beautiful fur! La-La wore flip flops but they didn't slow her down at all. She scaled rocks as well as the rest of us!


Care Bear climbing around on the rocks!


What a beauty! La-La's hair was so curly with all the moisture in the air! It is also getting quite red from all the sun.


Jaco was trying to not smile but I got a little one out of him.


Late night, early morning, and an afternoon of exploration equals one tired little girl. She fell asleep with a piece of candy clutched in her hand which Jaco stole away. :-)


Before heading out to watch all the fireworks, we had a huge barbecued feast that included oysters like you see in this picture. Danielle's (our friend and neighbor) dad is the king of cooking over a fire! Justin was in heaven with crab legs, oysters, mussels, steak, salmon, chicken and all kinds of salads, corn, bread and watermelon. I am not a sea food fan so my poor hubby never gets it at home. The kids don't mind shrimp and other sea food and Justin usually convinces them to try new things. I am the one that he has lost hope for. I just couldn't bring myself to put a slimy clam in my mouth especially after La-La said they tasted like sea water.


Jaco was nervous to try the sparklers but with a little coaxing he did it and discovered how amazing they are!


Last year Care Bear hid behind her binky when we lit off fireworks but this year she decided they aren't so bad afterall. It took a little encouragement for her to hold a sparkler but she loved them too! La-La would have lit the fireworks if we had of let her!


We went to the harbor to watch the big fireworks and light off the legal and a couple illegal ones. There was so much smoke in the air mixed with the usual harbor fog that we weren't able to see all the big ones. But it was pretty cool to watch the whole sky change colors behind the smoke and fog. Our poor dog Cody was so scared from all the booms and bangs. Even before it got dark, he heard the loud booms from far away and started shaking uncontrollably. He was panting like it was 100 degrees and his poor heart was just pounding. After about 4 hours of non-stop shaking someone in the camp offered us a doggy version of valium to give him. We felt so bad for him but the medicine did seem to help; at least it made him sleepy enough that he finally relaxed a little. I think we will be talking to the vet and getting our own supply of medicine before the next 4th!

Growing... Swimming... Riding... Scouting

Our garden is doing great! It is so fun to pick fresh produce from your own backyard! So far we have enjoyed carrots, sugar snap peas (my favorite!), radishes, and strawberries. The lettuce we planted is growing well but does not taste very good. Too bitter. Oh well, now we know!

The kids have been taking swim lessons this week. A friend from church who lives on our street has a pool in her backyard and teaches lessons with her daughter. Everyone is doing so good but Jaco is improving the most! He is becoming confident in the water and is no longer rigid and scared. La-La loves the water but she is having to break some bad self-taught habits like holding her breath rather than blowing out her nose and swimming like a mermaid down deep instead of near the surface. Care Bear is doing great too and most importantly everyone is having fun!

On June 20, Justin's work had a family picnic with yummy food, games, face painting, (as I am sure you can see!) a jump house and pony rides. This was the first time the girls have ridden a horse of any living variety so they were thrilled! Jaco decided he was too old and would not ride.

Last week Jaco was able to go to 3 days of Cub Scout summer camp. He had so much fun making a knights costume complete with a sword, having water fights, building things like catapaults, and learning all kinds of skills. He was bummed that he missed 2 days of it for our trip to Seattle. On Tuesday his leader commented on how well behaved he was. She said she wanted to take him home with her. Jaco is a perfect example of how well ADHD medications can work. I can guarantee that if I sent him to day camp without meds that he would not earn the nickname Good Jacob. I was leary of trying meds when they were suggested 3 1/2 years ago but I am so grateful we decided to try them. If for nothing other than Jaco's self esteem it has been so worth it. I am so proud of him and the things he accomplishes every day. He is a great kid!

Road Trip!

Before we even moved from Seattle, we promised the kids we would go back for a visit when school got out. It was good for all of us to know we would get to see all of our friends again! This last Thursday we hit the road and headed north. It is supposed to be a 7 hour drive but when you take detours to golf shops, extra potty breaks for 3 small bladders, and stop to eat it is more like 9-10 hours.
La-La and Lyla getting ready to sleep; maybe....

Sue and her hubby Darcy

La-La was so excited to see her best friend Lyla so our first night she was able to have a sleepover with Lyla at Na-Na Sue's house. Sue is an amazing friend who was and still is thankfully there for me. The rest of us took over the Hogge's house. I used to baby-sit their boys and Debbie and I loved to hang out. She and I both take things one day at a time and had no problem calling each other for a last minute dinner or a trip to J0-Ann's with kids in tow.

Care Bear, Lyla, and La-La pretending to be a family of birds.

On Friday we met several friends from the Mom's group I was a member of, at the zoo. Care Bear has been asking to go to the zoo since we moved but our little town does not have one so I knew it was a stop we had to make! It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a ball! Lyla was able to come with us which made La-La's day. Jaco's bud Ted was there too. Those two instantly became one silly goofy boy and didn't quit talking and laughing the whole time we were at the zoo! We wish Ted lived here because he is perfect for Jaco!
Ted and Jaco teasing Alex, Ted's brother.

The girls and I made african bead bracelets in the African village at the zoo.



Edmonds Beach

Saturday the kids and I hung out with the Hogge's while Justin golfed his favorite WA golf course before he went to the conference he had to attend to earn his continuing education credits. Debbie asked me what I wanted to do and I said we should go to the beach! I love the Oregon coast but there is something special about the Puget Sound. So many little critters and creatures to discover! We hopped on the bus to Edmonds Beach and were immediately rewarded with something we had never seen before! La-La found this crystal clear blob. We thought for sure it had to be something man made until we found several more and some of them had little rings on them. A Ranger walked by and told us they were Moon Jellies! They seriously looked like sylicone. Debbie and I were joking about who lost their implant!
The Ranger station on the beach had a small museum with a touch tank! We touched tube worms and scared them in to their tubes, had our fingers hugged by anenomes, and saw live beautiful barnacles! Jaco and Care Bear didn't want to touch anything but La-La, Josh, and Spencer touched everything they could! Jaco enjoyed talking to the ranger and learning as much as he could about sea life. He said ocean creatures are the most amazing critters on the planet! I think I agree. My favorite quote of the day was when Care Bear saw a ferry and yelled, "There's the Tooth Fairy!"
Care Bear looking through a Moon Snail's egg case. This is what the Moon Snail lays hundreds of eggs in!

Saturday Night Justin and I went to a graduation dinner for the newest graduates of the residency program Justin completed. It was fun to come back as alumni! Debbie kept all the kids for us and they enjoyed pizza, ice cream, and movies. I was impressed that the kids actually slept together on the same bed! Well, most of them. Jaco ended up upstairs with us but everyone else actually fell asleep and more importantly STAYED asleep on one king sized mattress.
On the way home, we decided to take a detour to go see Mount St Helen's. We were worried we wouldn't be able to see anything because it looked awfully cloudy but amazingly right before we reached the view area, all the clouds and fog disappeared to reveal a beautiful sunny sky! It was pretty cool to see. Mother Nature has quite the way to release her fury! I just hope I am never in her path of destruction!

Chore Charts

About ten weeks ago we started chore charts. I knew I needed to teach the kids responsibilities but to be honest I thought it was easier to just do everything rather than put up with the teaching and learning process. Finally I got tired of being the only one working while everyone else played so the chore charts began. I started small with my expectations because I had never asked more than the kids being responsible for their own rooms. Now that everyone is used to doing more I have added additional chores especially since it is summer and we have more time! I have to say that the charts are working! The kids earn a reward every 4 weeks so that helps motivate them. Plus everyone is happier, especially me, when the house is tidier!

So here is my system! Every 4 weeks I make a new chart but I have saved the template so it is easy to do. I let the kids choose what they want on the top so they are more excited about it. I laminate the charts and we use dry erase markers to check off the chores each day. The charts go Sunday through Saturday so after one week we total up the points earned, put the total at the bottom, and wipe the week clean so we can start all over again! I add up the total points possible, minus 40-50 points for the 4 weeks because I know it is not possible to be perfect! This sets a goal for the kids to work towards. If they earn their goal points, they get $10. But, if they don't earn their goal points, 10 cents is taken off for each point not earned. So last chart cycle, La-La only earned $6.40 because she was 36 points under her goal. Make sense? Clear as mud? Here is what Jaco's chart looks like! If you click on it, it will enlarge. For the daily chores, I have an envelope with 12 chores in it and every day the kids pick 4 chores each. They are things like set & clear table, unload dishwasher, feed animals, etc... The weekly chores are those things like wiping down walls, scrubbing bathrooms that need done on a weekly basis. The kids are responsible for 4 of these chores every week.
Just to keep everything fair, I also have a chart! It has done wonders for me. It is amazing how having a list to check off each day motivates me to work. I guess I am just a kid in a grown-up body! If I accomplish my goals, I get to buy a new shirt.
Now I know this is not a perfect system and some days are better than others. But, overall it works and my kids are learning responsibility and preparing to be productive hard working adults!

Summertime!

The final school bell rang at 11 today. More importantly I have turned off my scheduled alarms on my cell phone; one at 6:30 to wake me up and the other at 2:30 to remind me to go to the bus stop! Summer, here we come!

Jaco's teacher sent home this letter and I thought it was very fitting for all kids at this time of the year.

Dear Parent,

I give you back your child; the same child you confidently entrusted to my care last fall. I give you your child back pounds heavier. inches taller, months wiser, more responsible, and more mature that before. Although your child would have attained this growth in spite of me, it has been my happy privilege to watch this personality unfold day by day and marvel at this splendid miracle of development. I have thrilled at each new achievement, each new success, and each new expansion of self. I give your child back reluctantly; for having spent nine months together in the narrow confines of a classroom, we have grown close. We have become a part of each other, and we shall always retain a little of each other.

We have lived, loved, laughed, played, studied, learned, and enriched our lives together this year. I wish it could go on indefinitely, but I must give your child back to you. Take care of your child, for your child is precious.

Warmly, Your Child's Teacher

Both Jaco and La-La did so good this year in school. It has been fun watching them grow and learn and become confident in their skills. I am so appreciative of teachers and the sacrifices they make for our children. I know I could never do it! I also know I could never home school so I am grateful that there are those who are willing to teach my kids and who love my kids!

Jaco getting off the bus for the last time as a 4th grader! His teacher Mrs Fowler, recognized his gift of a curious mind right away and did all she could to nurture that curiosity.


Jaco says he is planning on fulfilling this prediction on his future!


La-La loved school and is thrilled to be moving on to 1st grade. She is a little worried about having homework everyday but I know she will do just fine! Her teacher Mrs Brown was perfect for La-La. She commented all the time about how sweet and happy La-La is.