Waterfalls

Well... it would appear that we've done NOTHING over the last week... but then again, appearances can be deceiving... and they are!

The weekend was filled with odds and end stuff... going to Newport on a speaking assignment... and getting the computer completely backed up in preparation for an upgrade... a full system upgrade! That was a bit of a headache.. but we got through it!

Tuesday the kids and I went back to meet up with Jenna and bring Amber back here for a couple more days before she headed home. Since we met in a beautiful area, we decided to do a little site seeing as well... the weather was some what cooperative... and we had a nice little time! We had a picnic; then we saw the first of three waterfalls. It was at a place not so well known, called the Baby Flume. It was pretty... although it would have been prettier without the rain (which wasn't too bad), we enjoyed it.

Just down the road... not even a full minute... we stopped to see Cascade Stream with some waterfalls as well.. not sure why they didn't name the waterfalls! The kids were able to stop here and throw rocks. That, of course, was more fun and more exciting then seeing the waterfalls... which got a quick "WOW" and then right back to the throwing of rocks! :)

That's when Jenna and her kids headed back the other way and we headed back ours. We made another stop at Smalls Falls... which I didn't think was quite as pretty since the water was all murky-looking (even in the falls itself) because of all the rain... and the water levels were really high! The kids loved trying to climb the rocks on the way up and down... and learned that when rocks are wet, they are slippery!

Wednesday we didn't do too much... although we made sure to scan in all the pictures Amber drew of the Pixie Hollow Fairies.... just right to make our own little coloring book! The girls are so excited about that! And though the bulk of the day was spent inside... trying to get caught up from the weekend... late afternoon took everyone out on the deck for ice cream (or sorbet), and then out to the Wire Bridge. The water level there was crazy high (at least for that section) and someone before us had started a bit of a rock wall damn to slow the current for swimming. Much of the time there was spent building that up more and throwing rocks.

Thursday we took Amber back to the airport... stopping to catch a movie and make a return (our printer had died and so did the scanner in it, so we'd gotten two separate ones this time, but the printer didn't end up working right, and we ended up getting another all-in-one... it's a Canon... works great.. and I love it... for now, anyway... mostly I just love that I have access to a printer and scanner again!). Then, since we were so early, we stopped by the mall which ended in Ben and Jerry's (at the mall)! It was especially hard for Gabi to say good-bye to Aunt Amber... she even told me this morning that it would be easier on her if she could live in Maryland, California, or Vermont... where her relatives are!

Today we've embarked on another project... one that has taking too long to get the stuff together... loosing things... finding things... and on and on. We're about half way through... and I believe we'll finally finish it! I'm hoping to complete it tonight after the kids are in bed (probably wishful thinking) and then tomorrow morning we can finish cleaning and getting the rest of the stuff unpacked and organized from getting the carpet put in... that's probably expecting too much too... I'll settle for clean and tidy before Bob gets home from Zion's Camp.... oh, did I mention he left Wednesday morning for that?

Life becomes normal again next week... I'm not sure I'll be able to handle it... I don't even know what normal is any more! But I'm looking for to it none the less... Until then... I'll try to keep focused!

Jeremy's 3!

My little snuggle bug has grown so much! It's hard to imagine that he's already three! I've really enjoyed watching him grow... using more and more words (and signs) and learning how to get along with other people. I love his smile... though often it's a sign of trouble coming! He's sweet and kind, even when he doesn't think he is. This year he was so excited about his birthday.... and excited to choose for himself what his cake would be (Thomas, of course)! So, here's a little peek into in his last year.

His Year's Accomplishments:

*Going potty by himself
*Knowing all letters by sight (not just order)
*Knowing all letter sounds
*Beginning to blend letter sounds
*Counting to 20
*Dressing himself (completely)
*Jigsaw Puzzles

His Year's Firsts:

*T-ball
*Eating Red Hot Dogs
*Getting lost (escaping nursery)
*Two wheel bike ride (with training wheels, of course)
*Completion of jigsaw puzzle by himself

His Favorite Foods:

*Pizza
*Red Hot Dogs
*Mac & Cheese
*Chicken (most meats, really)
*Peas
*Corn on the Cob
*Sausage (Kielbasa)
*Ice cream (especially Strawberry)
*Cake (any kind)
*watermellon
*baby oranges (mandarin oranges)
* and the list could go on forever... he likes to eat!

His Favorite Activities:

*Bugging Beth ("It's boring not bugging Bethie")
*Playing with trucks, cars
*Building tracks and running trains
*Reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "Blue Hat, Green Hat"

His Favorite Colors:

*Green
*Blue

His Favorite Sayings:

*But I still love you
*Yeah-ah
*That's silly
*I'm just jokin'
*Noooo, Peter
*It's not fair
*No...no, no, no, no

His Year In Pictures:

Tia Has Graduated!

My little sister is not so little any more... actually, she's not been so little in a rather long time (I'm the shortest one in the family). Still, she was the little baby that I helped take care of, helped teach to walk, helped potty train, helped learn to tie her shoes... and many more things. She was on my hip almost as much as on Mom's! I remember holding her at the floating bridge so she could throw the lilacs over into the water (a tradition we had on Memorial Day). I remember lugging her around school (after hours) for sports events. I remember her first day of school, her first loose tooth, her first dance recital, her first steps, first words, first foods, first laugh, etc.

We were always very close. It seemed that right up until I left for college I was like a second mother to her. And, I suppose, because of that bond, we've been really close ever since. She's been through a lot, and she's always known that we love her know matter what. That we're rooting for her to succeed, and helping her find her way.

So Saturday was a very special day! Any time someone graduates, it's special. But Ariel had so many odds against her...especially over this last year. Even when she'd over come one challenge, another would get in her way. At times it seemed that there were people around her trying to deliberately keep her from succeeding because of her choices and circumstances. Though truly difficult, she managed to defy them and to rise above and succeed! Most others in her situation would have dropped out of school. Ariel not only finished, graduated, but she's going to college to become a Math Teacher!

It was wonderful to be a part of celebrating such a great accomplishment! It was also hard because I had my first taste of that heart-stabbing "she's grown up" feeling that is both happy and sad... happy because she's done something great and starting a new part of her life. And sad because the little girl is gone.... she's grown up... and soon she'll be moving on completely. (I know it will be a million times worse when it's my own children)

It's moments like these that I am so thankful for the sealing power which binds families together forever. So although she's moving on, moving up, and becoming a better person, having a life of her own, she's still always a part of me....of us.

Tia, we love you so much! We're so happy for you! Excited for you! And wherever you are... you'll always have our love and prayers with you! Congratulations, Little Sister!

Jeremy's Parties

So, Jeremy turned three.. but we were gone... so I haven't put up his special blog yet... that will come along with everything else today! But since we knew we'd be gone, we decided to have a little celebration a few days earlier.

Jeremy insisted on a 3-D Thomas cake... which is what I did. It was my first attempt at such a recreation... and I think it turned out okay. I'm sure, if I needed to do it again, that there are a few things I'd do a little differently (like make sure I had red food coloring when I first started... instead of discovering it later and needed Bob to bring some home....and using toothpicks to keep the smoke stack from tipping to the side). Jeremy loved it, and that's what mattered!

He wanted more "train stuff" meaning things to go with his wooden trains and tracks. That's something everyone loves to play with, so expanding it was fine for us. He also wanted Thomas the Tank Engine for his wooden tracks (he already has him for the electric tracks), so that's what we got him... actually, Thomas, Annie, Clarabell, Percy, The Sodor Caboose, and the Sodor Gas car. We also go him a few more pieces.

Then from the kids (we had both our kids and Emma and Lucy pick something out) Jeremy got a sand and water wheel, a very large Sesame Street Kite, and a large thing of bubbles.

On his birthday (Saturday) we were at Grami Cretia's because Tia was graduating. But after she left for project grad (which was a cruise and trip to fun town), we had a Cookies n' Cream Ice Cream Cake... the girls made stories, a Thomas necklace (which Bethie calls a neckle-less), and a birthday hat. Grami and Grampi got Jeremy more track pieces... so we have quite the set up here at home right now. (We're starting a list of what types of pieces we need to make the track more functional....and more fun for all the kids to play at the same time. Over the next many years, we'll probably add pieces here and there.) He also go a Thomas kite (and much better size from him).



Anyway... he had a wonderful time and loves that he is three... although we had him confused... he thought he was three at the first party, and then, since he was having a second party, he thought he was four and didn't want to be yet... he hadn't had the fun of being three yet. So I explained things, and he was happy to just be three.... and now he's a "big boy" whose hair grows fast because he's a "big boy".... I just think it's funny that he thinks of himself as being a big boy now and not back when we first started telling him that he was! :)

Okay... the Special Tribute to Jeremy will come next!

Reid State Park

So Gabi had a field trip... almost a week ago now. It was fun... we drove down in the van (Gabi, Beth, Lucy, Emma and myself) even though we'd been invited to ride down on the bus. We liked the idea of being spoiled with the air conditioner and DVD players!





We spent the time on the beach... at first it was wave jumping... or more accurately, it was getting their feet wet and turning and running while yelling when the waves came in. :)
















We spent some time on the rocks... which were slippery in some areas... and since the kids weren't all that sure-footed, we stayed mostly on the dry ones. It was pretty to look out around us.... even with all the fog.














A favorite part was collecting sea shells... which were mostly broken... and which we've saved for projects.












Emma and Lucy really enjoyed playing in the sand... building it up some times, and then drawing in it other times.












We even saw this neat fort made out of driftwood. I have no idea who made it, but it was neat!

Planting, Projects, and Toys

Once again the planting resumed. Actually, Bob had gotten some corn in last week as well. Yesterday the kids got out to help with more corn, onions, peas, beans, cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, and beets (I'm not sure if they put in cauliflower or not). I actually got to help with the onions! We'll be doing another planting of corn, peas, and beans later on. We'll also be transplanting our tomato plants in a week or two. I'm not sure if Bob is going to do peppers, like last year.

Bob had to divide his time between the planting and the work needed on the apartment building. But, the weather assisted in that... so he spent the "dry" part of the day planting, and then headed into town to work at the apartment when it was raining.

He's been able to get a lot done. But in all the work he's doing right now and the end of the school year coming up, he doesn't have free time for anything right now. It will be nice to get it all done though... or to have him get it all done. And then, when summer really gets started, he'll be around. We love summer for that reason... although I'll admit it doesn't take much to fill the schedule. So the family is booked first this year... though we may find that's the only real time we get with everything else we need to get accomplished... things like gardening, splitting and stacking wood, putting in flooring (maybe) and a back splash and finishing up the kitchen cabinet doors and....and....and...and..... this list is never ending...

But, for now, we've got the bulk of the garden in! Fresh veggies are surely a delight!

(You'll notice that Peter was given the trucks to entertain himself with. And that he also found a toy gardening rake and momentarily decided to "garden" in the dirt beneath the swings. You'll also notice that, yes, we let the kids dress themselves. Their style sometimes lacking what we might consider going well together...colors, clothes inside-out and backwards...and so on. I'm sure this won't be the first time -or the last- that you'll notice it! Oh, the joys of empowerment!)

T-Ball

If they hold T-Ball outside again... and I happen to take the camera, you may well find more pictures on here. no guarantees since there are so many black flies... and the little ones seem to focus better inside. For now, here's a little of what it looks like for Beth and Jeremy.






They practice hitting the ball (and the other kids get to try to "catch" or rather "get" the ball). The practice "getting the ball" from an adult. They even got to "throw the ball against the wall and get it" to give them a chance to practice throwing as well. This seemed to be a favorite making most of the kids squeal, laugh, and go crazy. There are a couple of kids in the group who really have a good handle (considering age) on it all. It's fun to watch them.



So, enjoy some pictures. There are no games with this group; it's all about having fun and learning some skills.