Chicken Pox

So...I heard the other day that somebody I know had the chicken pox in their home. I know that this isn't the most PC thing for me to say these days, but if anybody gets them, or knows of someone who gets them. CALL ME, we are coming over for a play date!!! Now now, don't get all worked up if you are a public health nurse or something, I am not totally irresponsible. It's just that I would so much prefer that the pox get done and over with while my kiddos are in their youth. If, by chance, we don't have any friends who want to share the wealth, then I will of course get that dreaded shot when each of them reaches the ripe old age of 15.

Family Portraits

We all went down south this past weekend so that I could work, we could take Reiley to his mom's and to visit family. We went to JC Penneys to get family portraits. The girl who took our pictures did a super job, we got all kinds of different combinations, including kids only, mom and dad only, whole family, and of course, Amira only.

Some of you who have had the privelage of spending time with Amira may have notices how she always has her tongue moving, either sticking out, or twisting or turning. Well, as you may guess, photo time was no different. EVERY SINGLE ONE of her pictures has her tongue sticking out, with the exception of the ones where she is sticking her finger up her nose. Yep, that's right, she has discovered a whole to place her finger in.

It was so cute, we couldn't help but ordering one in particular. I can't wait to get them and share them with everyone!

My sister Joan

I figure since this is a good outlet for me...I love to type, and this gives me an attempt at spoken (written) creativity, I am going to write about people and or things that I am currently thinking about.

Joan is in Mexico right now and I miss her terribly. I have tried numerous times over the past week to call her, one time the call went through and I spoke briefly to her mother-in-law, who I know personally, and the other, the connection was so bad that I told her I would call right back, and of course I didn't get a connection. (Joan, this part was meant for you so you know that I am still trying and not being a total lame-o).

Joan is exactly one month shy of two years younger than me and probably the most similar to me. Granted she is a smidge more synical. She also has the great blessing (I think it is anyway) of being able to cry, loudly, sobbing even. It is such a great outlet for our bodies and minds, and I wish that I was able to do it more freely.

I have some great memories with Joan, including in the Hurricane, sitting for hours eating fried goodness and other such things. Partying with all the exchange students, whether at Lake Washington swimming or at the Space Needle on New Years, or at our home for a birthday.

Joan has two great children, Balthezar and Edith, who have at times in their lives been best friends with my children, but we live far away and school friends change things as well as the whole boy/girl thing.

I know that I am rambling, probably incoherently, but I want to tell the world (or at least those who read this) and most particularly Joan, that I admire, love and respect her and can't wait for her return so that we can talk regularly again and see each other.

I love you JOAN!

Church Family Camping

David is in a leadership position for the men's group at our church. Part of his responsibility includes activities. He thought that it would be fun for a paintball group to get together and originally there was going to be a group of men camping on an abandoned island nearby with gun batteries and all. Of course there was some resistance from the "soon-to-be-abandoned" wives, so a suggestion was made that we have a family campout, followed by paintball in the woods. This idea quickly became a very popular discussion and then it was planned.

This past weekend it happened. There were many more participants than anyone could have hoped for...we had between 13 and 17 families at any one time there. Some people opted not to spend the night, but came for the fire and dutch oven deserts. Others stayed as long as the outdoor showing of the Princess Bride. Others (myself included) left early in the morning when the rain started to drip in the tent, and of course, there were a select few who stayed through the "trail-blazing" in the woods with guns full of paint.

It was an incredibly fun event, and all who went are looking forward to next year when we do it again.

Chef BoyARdee

I can honestly say that I don't get the fascination that children have with the stuff. I didn't like it as a kid, and I would rather go hungry that eat it as an adult (and let me just say that there aren't many things that I would say that about). My kids absolutely LOVE it.

Cranberry Lake

It has been our "Hot" week this year in Western Washington, so the other day for some relief, we took a trip down to Cranberry Lake at Deception Pass State Park. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it, as did I. The only bummer, and it is a big one, is that I got some sunscreen on the lens of the camera, but it was too bright for me to notice at first, so some of our pictures are smudged.

Camping and Ft Ebey

It has been just over a month since we went camping, but I am just getting the pictures on my computer and wanted to share how fun the trip was. If you ask any of my kids what their favorite thing to do is, they will tell you it is to camp, besides of course the first day and the last day because of all the work that there is to do.

We decided to take our family vacation right here on Whidbey island. It is close to home, but really, no one can tell while we are there because we are in the middle of nowhere. We stayed Monday through Wednesday, which was a day early, but if anybody remembers those thunderstorms that graced our island, uh, yeah, that was Wednesday evening.

We were even able to have some visitors because of the close distance.

A Child's perspective

Today my sister-on-law is having a root canal, and yes, she is very excited about it. Needless to say Travis, my 8 year old nephew and Marcus, my 4 year old nephew, came over to play so she could enjoy her time in the dentists chair. While sitting at the table eating lunch, the kids are all talking about how old they are going to be in the next segment of "pretend", and as a result, they were doing some math. (SHOUT OUT to homeschooling) Maira was going to be 17 and Reiley was going to be 19, then of course they were saying that in real life that would occur in 10 years and I would then be 43.

Travis looked at me and said "How old are you?"

I said "33"

Travis "Wow, I didn't think you were 33"

Me "how old did you think I was?"

Travis "At least as old as my mom, she is 40. I can't believe you are younger than she is!"

Me "Do I look 40?"

Travis "Yep!"


Then, the conversation was ripped from me and moved onto grapes and pizza!

Am I buggin' ya?

I love this...I know that it is the appropriate thing to do, you know, be PC, but really people, give me a break. If something offends me when I look at it, I have the choice to lose all my power to the (insert the offender here) or look the other way and know that the world is made up of a gazillion different points of view and that is what makes it wonderful.

Anyways, this is what I am talking about, if something offends you, leave the situation. The bumper sticker says "Does my American Flag offend you? Call 1-800-Leave the USA"