News From The Zoo

Changes

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Fun changes happening around here in our homeschool day. Jason made the comment that school is boring. I started thinking about it and he is kinda of right. I get a little obsessed with schedules. The greatest thing about homeschool is the flexibility of it. Unfortunately, I have been to focused on the schedules and not on the fun stuff.

The first thing we are changing is the location where we are doing our work. Friday, we will be doing the bulk of our day at the library. He will do his math work there then he will be free to roam the books and do his personal reading time there. We will also be working in their resource area to work on an Oregon Trail project.

Speaking of Oregon Trail. We live right on the trail so we have a wealth of information around us. Next week we will take a trip to the Oregon Trail Interactive Museum. We will be spending the day there working through the program the museum has set up. We will have lunch then finish the day hiking the trails located there.

I have also let go of some of my control. He now does personal reading without me looking over his shoulder. He later takes a test online where he earns prizes. It also gives me a way to check and make sure he is reading and understanding it.

I also asked him, "What is it you want to do." MORE SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS!!!!! This is an area that I am just not good at. I don't get why magnets work and I don't care. However, Steve totally gets it and likes it. I asked him if he would like to take over science for me. Steve not only said yes but is super excited. I have been working on the solar system with Jason. We are making the planets and writing the facts. I think it is very cool. But Steve and Jason took it to a level I would have never been able to pull off. They are attaching motors to make the planets rotate and I think I heard something about moving space ships. I will not only be taking pictures but videos.

These changes may not seem like a lot, but to Jason it means he is growing up. I am very excited for all the changes. I believe that if school is fun and interesting kids will learn. I will keep you posted.

p.s. The picture of the lama has nothing to do with this post, it just cracks me up.

Another B. Day Post

2012-01-31T13:08:00.000-08:00

This one also goes under my "what I love about small towns."

The family that owns this little drive in is very familiar with my son. He has gone to school with the owners daughter for the last few years. The weather was bad so it didn't go up on his birthday. She finally put it up last weekend and has been up since.

I did what I do. I park across the street with my zoom lens on and took pictures. Jason said I looked like a stalker and I guess people in cars were passing me laughing. Oh well, it's what I do.

Also, if you are in town, stop by Nell's.

18

2012-01-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that it has been 18 years. Last night I was remembering those first days in the hospital. Anthony had little pimple like things on his body and the hospital wanted to keep him for a few days until they were sure he would be fine. After 4 days it was decided that he was fine and we could take him home. I have to laugh, while in the hospital, the 49ers were in the playoffs. Steve and I were in our hospital room watching the game. The couple in the next room would stop in to check the score. Our room was right across from NICU were Anthony was. Every commercial I would hop over and check on him and then back to the game. The Oakland Raiders were playing as well, that day. Anthony's doctor was a fan and joined us in the room to watch that game. It was to funny when one of the nurse's would come in to check what all the noise was about. It was the next day when the nurse rolled Anthony's crib in. I looked at her and said, "I get him all to myself." She hugged me and said "You get to take him home." It was the first time I got to hold him without any wires or tubes.

Anyway, 18 years later I am getting ready to watch the 49ers in the playoffs with my oldest baby. We are so proud of the kind, caring and loving young man he has turned into.

Happy Birthday Sweetie. Here are a couple of pictures from the last few years.

It's Starting To Look Like Christmas

2012-01-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's true. It's starting to look like Christmas however, it's January. As I said in an earlier post, we finally got some snow. Listening to todays weather, we are suppose to get between 7 and 11 inches in the next 24 hours. On top of that, winds up to around 30 mph.

Let me make this very clear, I like snow. I like to watch the snow flakes fall from the sky and gently rest on the ground. I like to run outside with my camera and take pictures, sometimes in my jammies. I don't like snow when it comes down sideways and hits you in the face. That hurts. I don't like snow drifts on my sidewalk, it's hard to shovel. I don't like when a wind gust hits your car and it slides on the ice it's sitting on. Also, wind, cold and living in a 100 plus year old house doesn't always work well.

So, in case anyone is listening up there......SEND THE SNOW, KEEP THE WIND!!!

I hope you are warm and comfy where you are.

Happy January

2012-01-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

We woke up to over 4 inches of snow this morning. Which is great because we really haven't seen any this year. We just go a little bit that lasted about two days back in November.

Updates on what has been happening. I seem to have caught every one's cold so far this winter. I have been feeling healthy for the last two weeks, so keeping my fingers crossed that it lasts. No strike for Stevie. They voted to accept the health portion of the contract however they are still in negotiations over the rest of the contract. Jason is keeping busy with karate and hanging out with friends. Megan is enjoying soccers off season by playing video games and Anthony is really doing well in wrestling. He has been go so much we have hardly seen him.

I have been working on getting his senior protraits done.I took a bunch a few weeks back but wasn't really happy with them. I didn't want to do them during wrestling season because he always looks so pale. Here is a couple that I finished up last night. Still have over 100 of them to go through. I don't think either of these is going in the yearbook. He picked a different one.

He is wearing his jacket and his hair could stand to be cut, but it's what he wanted. I don't want a picture of him in a tux on my wall. I want him looking like him. And this is him.

Have a good Martin Luther Kings day.

Christmas Recap

2011-12-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

I have to agree with the kids, it never really felt like Christmas this year. I don't know if it is our unseasonably warm weather, or that the schools got out late for break this year. Whatever it was, it just never really felt like Christmas.

However, even though it didn't feel like Christmas we still had a great time. The season usually starts with the Church Christmas play and Maureen did an outstanding job with the kids this year.

Jason played both a Shepard and a solider this year. He even had speaking parts this year. He did wonderful and said his lines perfectly. We had a potluck after, it is always a great way to start the Christmas season.

I was reminded this year, of why I don't like making and decorating sugar cookies. Jason took the task very seriously. Gotta love the kool aid stain on his face and the frosting all over his shirt. I love this kids face.

Don't let the picture below fool you. Look how serious she is, I should have stopped her right there.

See how she is standing and pouring the decorations in her hand. See all the lovely cookies in front of
her. She decided the fastest way to decorate the most cookies was to stand there and toss the sugar over the top of the cookies. Some made it on the cookies and some didn't. She was very pleased with herself and kept laughing as I made her vacuum the floor.

Here is a sample of her finished cookies. I should have known when I asked her if she wanted to help and she got that smile of hers and said, "suuuuuure."

This year Jason did the Church Children's Christmas Choir again. Here he is on the retirement home tour. He is in the back with the green stocking hat on.

Again, but at a different home.

Back at the Church Hall for pizza. He has serious hat hair.

Here are the kids on Christmas Eve. Jason is getting ready for his solo. Which he did perfectly and we were so proud of him.

Christmas morning was crazy and I didn't take a lot of pictures. The kids were happy with their presents. But Cheddar was extremely happy with his angry birds chew toy. It lasted about 2 hours.

Poor thing, this is all that was left.

The kids got a PS3 and here is Megan helping Dad hooking it up to the TV.

Besides cooking, here is how I spent my day. Helping Jason put together his Harry Potter Lego set. It took us ALL day.

And the back side of it.

This picture is for my Mom. Megan has the thickest hair and she is not crazy about using a hair dyer. So after a shower she would walk around the house with wet, drippy hair. My Mom sent her one of these so she can wrap up her wet hair. Megan loves it, and it works great.

No pictures of Anthony here, because he got a brand new xbox game and was in his room trying it out.

Even though it didn't feel like Christmas it still was a wonderful day spent with my wonderful family. This year really reminded us how fast the kids are growing up. It won't be long before our little family Christmas traditions will be changing. I will keep these memories forever.

I hope every one's Christmas was as great as ours.

Cold Cold Morning

2011-12-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

Another installment of what I like and dislike about this small town.

I love that I can get up early and head off for a walk. I like walking as the sun is coming up, very pretty. I love that when I walked out my front door and headed down the street I saw a bunch of deer. They were so pretty walking down the street.

What I don't like about this town: The sidewalks were really icy this morning. The dog really wanted to say hello to the deer and pulled me down with him. I went down on my knee and I am pretty sore today. Hopefully, I will heal quickly. Not a good time of year to not be moving around very well.

On another note. Anthony is off to a wrestling tournament today. He pulled his shoulder in practice yesterday. This is an old injury from 2 years ago. I really think he should have taken this weekend off to heal for next weekend. He, however, believes different. His response to me was, "I have wrestled with broken fingers before, I will be fine." I hope so. He won't even tape it up. Wrestlers don't tape things.

I will keep you posted on how things play out. I will hopefully have pictures, but not sure how much I will be on the mats with my knee hurting. Oh well, have a great day. Remember Christmas is only 9 days away.

Happy December 14th

2011-12-14T09:24:00.001-08:00

I don't really have anything at all to say today. I just wanted to say that I posted. HE HE

Wrestling Season Has Begun

2011-12-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

Yep....it is here. This weekend was the big tournament our small town host's. Anthony didn't make it to the finals but he did really well. His knee and shoulder held out great, but he is having issues with his elbow. This is a very intense sport, and injury's like this are all part of it.

Right now he weight's 153 and is wrestling in the 160 class. Wednesday night they had him move up into the 170. As you can imagine that match didn't go well for him. The school has a new policy regarding weight cutting. According to his weight and body index he is not allowed to drop down in weight until after Christmas. So he has been slowly down his weight until he can wrestle in the 152 class. He weighed 158 during football, so the weight loss hasn't been to drastic. He has just made some minor cuts in what he is eating. He still does his favorite lunch of Kentucky Fried Chicken with Hayden. Both of these kids could stand some weight gain.

He is very bummed that he will still be in the 160 class for a Washington tournament next week. He has really been looking forward to this one. It is a really tough tournament. This weekend is a smaller tournament not to far out of town. We like it because it is smaller and close to home. Anthony usually places in this one.

Here are a couple of pictures from this last weekend.

Good Morning

2011-12-09T08:06:00.001-08:00

I got up early to make sure the kids were off to school and I was going to sit down and write my Christmas letter. I kept telling myself that I had lots of time. Pictures weren't here yet, then just waiting on Jason's picture. Well, they are all here along with the Christmas cards and I still have not typed my letter. I am half tempted just to sign the cards and send them out.

This Christmas is a little different for us. We are really organized and could be completely done with our shopping this weekend. Notice I said "could be". We also have wrestling tournaments all weekend, Christmas choir practice and play practice. Plus, Steve and I need to finalize one big gift for the kids. I can't mention it here because the girl has been known to check my blog to see what her gifts are.

We are pretty sure the big gift is a go, but we just need to get it. Then I can finish up the rest of the shopping. All the stuff we are sending back to California has been purchased and wrapped, just waiting for that stupid Christmas letter. Ok, that's it.......Getting offline to work on this thing.

After I check facebook. :)

A Month and 3 Days

2011-12-07T10:13:00.001-08:00

That is how long it has been since my last post. I think that might be the longest yet. What in the world have I been up to?

Lots!!!! As I discribed in my previous post, I decided to take the leap into starting my own business. I am still in the very beginning stages and learning new things every day. I have done a couple of family shoots, kids and a even a senior. I still need to get one done for Anthony. I have one that will be fine for handing out to people but not for his year book.

Sunday, we headed out to get a picture for our Christmas cards and one of Jason. Since he is being home schooled we don't do school pictures. It was sunny here in town but not where we did the shoot. I had been there the day before and it was cold but not this cold. Just overnight the river had frozen over. We had to hurry because the kids were turning red. Poor Megan didn't feel good but she was a good sport about it. You can tell she doesn't feel good in this picture.

I managed to get this one and one other. The other one is going in our cards.

Here is the one I got of Jason.
You can see his face is turning red from the cold.

I Couldn't Have Said It Better

2011-11-04T11:40:00.001-07:00

Where Have I Been????

2011-11-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Where have I been lately? Well.....finishing up the last of soccer and football. Which the boys are playing in a town 6 hours from here this Friday night. And the Lady Tigers soccer team finished undefeated.

I have also been doing this.

and this

and this. This one needs a hair cut.

I have always loved taking pictures. I remember someone passing an old camera down to me and I would walk around pretending to take people's pictures. I was probably around 10 at the time. So Steve and I have talked and talked about me starting my own business. Last week I asked a friend of mine if I could use her kids as my practice subjects. She said of course and Alisha gladly was my first victim. She cracked me up. She was very patient and did what I asked her to do.

Hayden (Anthony's best friend) told his Mom that I was the only one who was going to be doing his senior pictures. I was so completely nervous. It's one thing to practice on someone but it's completely different when the pictures are for real. I loved the way they turned out and working with is Mom and sister was a blast. I will be doing their Christmas pictures as soon as it stops raining. They have an amazing property and it was a great time taking the pics.

I am still very much in the learning stage but I am loving the practice.

The Sunday After

2011-10-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

Megan finished her last away game this weekend. Her last game will be on Tuesday. While it's time for soccer to be done, we are sad to see it end. What a great season.

I wasn't able to go to the game this weekend (these pics are from last week). I asked "did you win?" Her answer, "Duhhhhh, 5-0." She scored 2 goals out of the 5.

I have said it before, I love watching this kid play.

On to Anthony. This Friday nights game was his last home game and yes I did get teared up when I thought about it. Since he isn't playing in college, these last few games will end 12 years of football. Holy Cow, and 16 years of playing some kind of organized sport.

Friday night started at 4:30pm with the homecoming parade.

I like that this year they did the parade during the day. Much easier to take pictures. The little creep wouldn't smile for me.

Then it was off to pick Megan up from practice then home so she could get ready to go to the game. I miss the days of her just changing and being ready in 5 minutes. Now it takes at least an hour. We dropped of Jason at Kids Night Out. The best thing ever. The college girls basketball team puts it on and the Jason has a blast. It was great because Jason hung out there and we didn't have to worry about him at all.

On top of homecoming, Friday nights game was senior night. They call the senior football players out on the field and they escort their parents. The boys give us a flower and we give them a gift. Our gift to him was a collage I put together of pictures from the last 12 years of football. I plan on doing a much bigger one after wrestling season is over of his high school sports.

While the boys are walking us onto the field the announcer tells the crowd the boy and parents names, his favorite football memory (beating Roosevelt last year), plans after high school (college) and the most insperational person in his life (his father). This all typically happens during halftime but this year they had to do it before the game. My dear friends (I love you guys) got there early, grabbed my camera and headed to the field. Poor things, I never showed them how to use my camera. "A" doesn't mean auto. Steve ran off the field helped them set it up and they did the best they could. I never showed Steve how to use my camera either. Poor Jason (not my son) put my lens cap in my bag and it somehow fell out. My Jason loves (but not allowed to) crawl under the bleachers. After the game he was thrilled to be able to climb down there and found it.

Thank you Jodi, Jessie and Jason. You guys have made this season so much fun. Next weekend will be a blast. Even though I won't have a kid playing next year I plan on hitting all the home games to cheer on Micheal and the band. And keeping an eye on my daughter.

We also made banners for our sons. They lined the walk way.

It was a great game and a great way to end our home games.

Anthony edited the picture above.

He made some great plays.

At the end of the game, the boys line up in front of the crowd and do a small cheer while doing jumping jacks. After they lost their first home game and they lined up (first time they had done this) we joked that it looked like a public exacution. Now that they won, it looks very cool.

The final score was 42-21, a great game.

HomeComing Weekend

2011-10-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

It's homecoming weekend here. So there is lots going on. Just a quick picture of Megan, take a guess at which one she is. I was playing around the other night with my photo editing program, she liked it and asked me to do one of her. So here it is Meg.

I will post more this weekend. Have a great day.

Homecoming

2011-10-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

Anthony's girlfriend goes to a different school, so this is her homecoming. Anthony and Megan's homecoming will be in a couple of weeks.

Aren't they cute.

Happy Friday

2011-09-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

It's football Friday again. I love these nights. Tonight however, I will be home listening to the game on the radio. Another thing I love about small towns, high school football on the radio. It's not that I don't want to go. This will be the only game I miss this year. The game is in a town over 3 hours away. I am not making that trip in one night. We would have to be back for Megans soccer game tomorrow morning.

Since it's been a week since my last post, I didn't tell you about last weeks games. Let's start with Megan, she scored a goal and they won the game 11 -1. I think, I stopped keeping track. I chatted with some friends and didn't take a lot of pictures. As I explained to my wonderful daughter, I have over 500 pics from summer and already a couple of hundred from this season so far. I have you covered.

I had been struggling a little bit with getting good, clear, action shots at night of the football games. I practiced at last Friday nights game and I think I fixed the issue. The really good shots won't be posted here. The best shots of the night where of Anthony running with his guy, Anthony reaching to tackle him and then sliding down and the guy making a touch down.

Other then that play, Anthony had a good night. However, they lost. In Anthonys words the score was, "a lot to a little." His coach was kicked out of the game in the first half and has to sit out this weekend. The boys could really use a win this weekend to get back on track. After tonight they have next weekend off, then on to league play.

The next few days here will be interesting. We are waiting for news of a strike. The rail road and union have been in contract negotiations for over two years. The strike vote ends this weekend, so in the next few days we will hear whats happening. It's been crazy here trying to help Steve get ready.

The last couple of days have brought back many memories of being a kid. I have memories of my Dad being on strike as a firefighter. I also remember walking to some store and seeing the picketers. My Dad stopped and talked to the guys and then we turned around and left. All he said was we don't cross the picket lines. My Mom would drive, what seemed like forever, to get to a grocery store that employees where not on strike.

Remember the song from the early 80's "Look for the Union Label?" I have been singing it for the last week. I had to go online to find the words because I could only remember the first line. I have also been quoting Norma Rae as well. Steve really really wishes I would just stop.

We have friends on both sides of this and I really hope all of this ends quickly and peacefully.

This Weekends Game

2011-09-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

It did not go well for the Tigers this weekend. However, it did go very well for #80, my son. It didn't get tiring hearing "runner brought down by #80 Anthony Baldwin." Or seeing #80 out there roughing up the the other teams receivers.

They lost the game 49 - 0. Again, this team is one from Idaho and not a league game. Every team in our league lost to this team by about the same point spread. So we are thinking that the league games should be really good.

For some reason I had some struggles with my camera. Need to figure that out this week before next weekends game.

Have a great Sunday.

High School Soccer

2011-09-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Megan's first soccer game as a Lady Tiger. These two make a great team. Gabby #14 scored 3 goals and Megan 1. They won their first game 4-1. This year Megan is playing both forward and keeper.

A missed goal gets a reaction from the side lines. Megan is #8 and she is wearing a ribbon in her hair. Oh my, she never does that. What has this world come to.

The next practice Tiger (her coach) decided the keepers needed some diving on the ball practice. I guess the field was muddy. It took 3 washings to get this stuff clean.

It worked. The first picture is a little blurry of her, but you get the idea.

This last picture is of Gabby congratulating Megan on her goal. Megan took 6 shoots before scoring this one. Her old coach came up to her and said, "I knew you wouldn't leave that field until you got your goal." No pictures of her scoring. As I explained to both her and Anthony, (I missed taking a picture of a killer tackle that Anthony made) I get so excited and start cheer that I forget about the pictures.

They too are not playing any league games yet. These teams they are playing right now are from towns a lot closer to us. However, these two teams are serious rival teams. They are both really good and make for very good games. The Lady Tigers won both the first on 4-1 and second 5-1. I can't wait to see these girls playing on the varsity team. Watch out!!!!

Football Season Is Here

2011-09-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

There he is #80.

They started off with a bang. They won their first game 25-19. This made them #6 in the state. But last Friday not did not go as well. 49-7. I haven't look up the state stats this week.

The games they are playing right now are not league games. They actually don't start playing those until October. Right now they are playing teams from Idaho. Last weeks game and this Friday's game are played against teams that have won state titles in their divisions for the last couple of years.

The good news is that, the teams in Anthony's league have been losing. So it does look good for the Tigers and the playoffs this year. Keeping our fingers crossed.

Why this picture you ask??

I bet you think it's because of the lens. Well....... sort of. This is Anthony's orthopedic surgeon. I can't help but think Anthony had something to do with paying for this lens.

First Day of School

2011-09-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple from the fist day of school. Megan is happy and ready to start. She could hardly wait to get there. Plus, it was her birthday.

This one below, not so happy. He is happy that it's his last year of High School, but not about summer being over.

Here I get a smile out of him. Actually, it's Megan yelling in the background "HURRY UP, I'M GOING TO BE LATE," that is making him laugh. We have never heard her want to go to school.

Jason's first day happened a week later. I have yet to take any pictures of him. I really need to get that done.

Happy Birthday Megan....A Little Late

2011-09-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

Her birthday was in August and I am just now getting around to posting about it.

My middle baby turned 14. She is also a freshmen in high school this year, on the JV soccer team and having her first serious crush on some guy. Steve is currently doing the necessary background check on him.

I posted about cutting apron strings with Anthony. This child has been cutting apron strings the minute she could talk. She is independent, witty, smart, athletic, creative and funny. She has matured so much over the summer. This kid can drive us absolutely crazy at times, but we wouldn't have her any other way.

I asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday and she said nothing. "It really doesn't matter anyway." The little creep. So we decided to contact one of her friends and told her, lets do a surprise sleep over. I worked on food and entertainment, and her friend got all the girls together.

Here they are. Megan was surprised and she apploigzed for being a total creep to me. They had a good time.

Gift of Dyslexia

2011-09-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

What a goofball. I forgot to post the name of the book I posted about yesterday.

I highly recommend it. I did a little research yesterday to see if anyone had anything negative to say about the book. I found only one person and he clearly doesn't understand dyslexia. His problem with the book was that it charged money. And his advice to parents who are dealing with dyslexia was: help them with their homework and buy them a computer. My question to him was: and test taking, how about the new state test Anthony has to take to get his diploma. Very frustrating when your son knows how to do all the math problems but keeps bombing the test. Hello......he can't read it.

Update on Anthony: He was so happy to report how much he read in class yesterday.

Jason: I don't think he is quite ready for the Orientation part of the book. Again, hard to explain but he kept giving himself a headache yesterday. I think we are going to start with symbol mystery and see how that goes first.

This book is a life changer for us.

Breakthrough

2011-09-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

So long ago Steve and I noticed a problem with Anthony's reading. We were told by his 2nd grade teacher that he had ADHD. I took him for the testing. I was greeted by a doctor who introduced herself to me then handed me a pamphlet on ADHD medication. This was before she even had him tested.

We did decide to give the medicine a try, but it was a horrible experience for both us and him. The kid he became on medication was not our son. I remembered his kindergarten teacher mentioning dyslexia to us but wasn't concerned about it.

So, I started doing major research on dyslexia. I started to find out that so many of the same signs of ADHD are the same signs of dyslexia. I found a book at the book store, but I just really wasn't sure about it. I never did get it finished and instead started working with the school.

He started doing better, but then we moved here. I love this area, not crazy about the schools. One of the reasons we are homeschooling Jason. Jason is starting to go down the same path as Anthony. I really feel like the school here was just pushing Anthony through the system. It became very obvious to me that there was a serious problem when Anthony was filling out a job application. I new he struggled with reading but I just never realized how bad. Poor kid, because he is in no way stupid.

Having a conversation with a teacher I know, who is in another school district, recommended a book to me that they were using in their school. It was that book I had bought so long ago. I sat down and forced my way through it.

Anthony is not big on discussing his reading issues. So when I would ask him, do you do this or that, his answer was always no. I was really getting frustrated. I finally asked him, when you imagine things can you see yourself like you are outside your body? Ready for him to laugh at me because it sounded crazy. He said, "yeah, I do that all the time." Then he goes on to tell me stories about his imagination skills. All of these things are HUGE dyslexia symptoms. This ability to move your "minds eye" around makes someone a very creative person but a horrible reader.

Both of us were excited about this new development. I finished the book. The cure for this sounded crazy but both Anthony and I were willing to give it a try. The book claims that people have gone up 8 reading grade levels and a 97% success rate. The method is a little strange and really hard for me to describe to you. Watching him working with his "minds eye" and going through these steps was amazing.

20 minutes after we started this, I opened a book and asked him to read it. After stumbling a couple of times on "trigger words" he did it. I asked him how it felt and he smiled from ear to ear and said "I can't believe it work."

We still have work to do, but I have never seem him happier. I can't explain "minds eye" and "trigger words" here, but watching him access these was amazing. I never knew that he had this talent. And now that he is aware of it, he has been having fun with it. We have even made jokes about his "minds eye" and how it's hungry to.

I am going to start this same process with Jason and continue to work with Anthony. I will keep you posted on both boys progress. I was always happy I didn't have dyslexia, but know that I see the imagination skills that Anthony has, I am a little jealous.

Still Here

2011-09-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

What can I say. Football, soccer, first week of school, two birthday parties for the same kid and so much more. I have pictures to upload and a school schedule to work out. Then, I promise, back to some blogging.

Home School April Fools Joke

2011-08-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

I know it is August, but I just found these pictures and had to post them.

Jason loves pulling jokes on people and loves April fools day. I decided to get him back, homeschool style.

One of the ways that we work on math is to play a train game. If he gets all the problems right he gets the secret prize located until the towel.

It's a fun way to review boring times tables. It's April 1st and I decided to do the 5x's tables knowing that it would be easy for him. Prizes can be a couple of quarters, stick of gum and little toy, whatever I have on hand. Today's prize:

But this is not what is under the towel. Here he goes, working his way through the train.

He finishes the game beautifully and here is his prize.

A kiwi. Was he happy about this?

Nope. He did cheer up when I gave him the diet Coke.

New Stereo

2011-08-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Anthony worked in a cherry orchard this summer. He helped with fixing fences and getting the irrigation up and working. He spent one long week working the cherry harvest. Up and in the orchard by 4am and home after 5pm. It was the hardest the kid has ever worked. It really paid off because he earned a very nice paycheck. Ohhhh, what it is like to be young with no bills.

He decided to put a brand new stereo system in his car. Here he is working on it with his Dad. Why the umbrella. Here in eastern Oregon, winter didn't leave us until mid August.

Someone had to get in the trunk to hook up the speakers.

But it didn't work, so Dad ended up in the trunk.

Anthony was pushing Dad's buttons a bit in this picture.

Gearing Up

2011-08-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

That is what this weekend will be about. Getting ready for the start of school. Baby #1 is a senior, Baby #2 a freshmen and Baby #3 will be a 5th grader.

School starts on Monday and the craziness begins. I believe Megan's soccer games start the week after but Anthony starts his football season next Friday night in an out of town game. 2 hours away. Ughhhhh!!! but I plan on being there.

It's Done and Over

2011-08-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, this years first annual Augustfest is done. Tired, tired and tired is the only way to describe the way this family feels.

We could not have been happier with the turn out. There was a lot going on in this town over the weekend. The real draw back was the heat. Man did it get hot. We were suppose to have a bunch of canopy's for the day and for some reason they never got there. This year was really a learning experience for us. We took lots of notes and what worked and what didn't.

The first thing we all agreed on was changing the date to September. It will be cooler and not right after the fair. This was also the last big weekend to take vacations before the start of school. The way we ran the kids games will be reworked. That was my baby and I am big enough to admit it didn't quite work the way I wanted. Plus, the great guys from the National Guard gave us some great ideas on how they could help out more.

We got a lot of really positive feedback from everyone who came or was a part of this. The best part of the day, in my opinion, would be after everything done and cleaned up. We all sat on the lawn of the church, toasted the event, and joked around. We are truly blessed to be apart of this church. There are some really great people who are just fun to be around. I walked away feeling closer to our current friends and have made some new friends as well.

One last thing: To my kids - thanks for stepping up and helping out the way you guys did. We could not have done it without you and your friends that came to help. We know that you had other things you could have been doing, but are so proud that you thought this was important enough to be a part of.

To Steve - you did an amazing job and should be very proud of yourself. You took on something no one else would do. Someday we are going to be sitting in that beer garden with Tony, Angela and Gloria looking back at that night with smiles on our faces. Because we all know that someday this thing is going to be huge.

And to everyone who helped. There is absolutely no way this could have happened with out your help and encouragement. Father Christopher, I agree with you - "This church is moving into the future."

Anything that causes feet to be that dirty has to be a success.

Tired

2011-08-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel today......Tired.

Steve and I (mostly Steve) are planning a huge event at our church this weekend. Steve had only a month and a half to pull this off. I will let you know how it goes. Right now, it's come down to a lot of prayer to pull this thing off.

Any way....as you can imagine, there have been lots of phone calls between us and the church. It is not unusual to see one of the church numbers pop up on our caller id. I can tell who it is by the number. One for the secretary, one for the office manager and one for the kitchen. Since Charlene has retired I don't receive as many calls from the kitchen as I used to.

Last night I went to bed early. I needed some sleep big time. Jason and I had an argument about salad last night. That's when I said to him, "both of us are going to bed early." Sports practices, school, planing out our homeschool schedule and this church event is killing my sleep.

So at 12:30am I get a phone call. Half asleep I can't find the phone. Anthony's comes in and said, "it's the church." It can't be, Father is out of town and no one should be there. A couple of years ago, we did have some problems with people getting into the church.

I check out the caller id and realize it's coming from the church kitchen. Have I ever mentioned that there is a joke between us and another family that the church is haunted. Then last year a person from the church told us a story about some very strange things that have happened there. Someone also told us about a possible exorcism there. Ok, you didn't hear that from me. So of course, me being me....and that I have watched way to much Ghost Adventures, that is the first thing I think of.

I call Steve, who is out of town, tell him whats going on. He says, "No, one is suppose to be there, you need to call the police." If someone is calling why would they be calling from the kitchen. In the mean time, another call...this time they ask from someone and we have no idea who it is. I call the police.

This dispatcher sends some one over, literally across the street. And was amazed that I knew what phone the call came from. Anthony and I (you were too Anthony) were a bit freaked out. I decide to take a look at the church directory. There is a lady with the name the man gave us that goes to our church. And all the numbers in the phone number are the same as ours on two numbers are reversed. The directory has pictures so I look up this lady's picture and sure enough it is of her and her family.

Anthony says they look familiar, but it's a little difficult because the directory is 3 years old. Then it hits me. The lady's son is our new acting priest and had every right to be in the church. And would be making a call from the kitchen because he wouldn't have keys to the office. What are the odds that our numbers would be that close and we are active members of that church.

Sorry David......I will buy you a pulled pork sandwich this weekend.

Let The Crazy Begin

2011-08-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again. Time to say goodbye to the lazy days of summer and start the crazyiness of school.

First off, not sure about the lazy days of summer. We don't have those around here.

School doesn't start for two more weeks. However, high school sports have. Megan (can't believe she's a freshmen) has practice from 7:00 to 9:00am then again 6:00 to 8:00pm. Anthony's practice's are 8:00 to 10:00am and again at 4:00 to 6:00pm. I can't believe it, this could be our last year of sports with Anthony. He has been in organized sports since he was 3.

Megan decided that she would start daily doubles with a positive attitude. She is worried about the 5 mile run they have to do, but she will be fine. She was up this morning at 5:50 so she could be on the field by 6:50. Good Girl!!!!!

Anthony got up at 7:40, left the house at 7:50 to be at practice by 8am. I don't think he was even awake when he left. When I told him goodbye and have a good morning, I just heard a mumble.

Well, I had to take a quick break while writing this. Megan came home from her morning practice. It went really well. She took some of our advice and had a small breakfast this morning and she said she felt really good. The summer work out she has been doing helped. I won't say it to her but I will say it here. I TOLD HER SOOOOOO!!!!!!

Back From Vacation

2011-08-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

We are back and had a great time. I only took 336 pictures and have limited that down to 37 to share here. Lucky you!!!!

Here we are, it's our first morning. Steve and I discovered this campground back when I was pregnant with Anthony. It turns out that Steve had camped here once before when he was a kid. We love this area. Jason asked if we could move there and I said...sure, why not.

We could not have asked for better weather. 69 durning the day and almost no wind for the first two days. Sometimes I think Steve is a bigger kid then the kids. He spent more time in the water then they did. The first day, we hung out on the beach.

Everyone was having a good time and even Megan would pose for pictures.

They discovered the crabs.

Steve and Jason saw a really big crab and tried to catch it with their hands. It didn't work.

Look what washed up on the beach. The red tummy is from the cold water not the sun.

Look at this kids tan. That's from spending the summer working in the cherry orchards.

Megan didn't do a lot of swimming but she did do some building. In the middle of the sand castle is a crab she dug up.

She is trying to send a message.

To the Coast Guard helicopters. I think it said "HELP!!!!!! NO CELL PHONE RECEPTION!!!

Here is Anthony, hiking out to the fog horn.

That night it was off to Moe's for dinner. If you find yourself on the Oregon coast you must try this resturant. They have locations all over the coast. We are exploring the docks here.

The next day we where off to Clearwox Lake. I found this guy on the dock going to the dunes.

This lake is located in the camp ground and is at the base of one of the sand dunes. Because it has a dune between the lake and ocean, it blocks most of the winds. What do you do all a big hill of sand. Sand board of coarse. This was great for Anthony. He blew out his knee this winter and was able to use his new snow board once. He really enjoyed sand boarding.

You can kind of see the sand dune behind Steve's head. I was playing with my new 35mm lens I got for my birthday and ended up over exposing some pictures.

There he goes up the dune. This dune drops down right into the water.

A better shot of how high it is. We are sitting a few feet above the water.

Here he goes.

He said, it's not as fun as the snow but still had a good time.

I just like this picture. It reminds me of when he was a baby. He would close one eye and scrunch up his face when he cried.

When at the beach, someone must get buried in the sand. She also zip tied him to a water faucet too, but we aren't talking about that.

Megan liked the sand on the dunes better because there was not craps. She liked it so much that she let Anthony bury her.

The water looks yukky but it's really not. That's just sand you see. On the dune side of the lake, it is sand all the way down into the water. Very cool.

One of the things Jason enjoyed doing was running down the dune and jumping in the water. But what if he falls before the water???

Our last full day in Florence would not be complete without a sand dune ride.

Here we go off on the trail. The kids were not pleased that we took the bigger and slower tour. We promised next year would be the fast ones. What we didn't tell them, is we hope to have some ATV's to take out there. There are ton's of trails up in the dunes and along the beach.

As it turned out, I was on the wrong side of the buggy for good pictures. The tree island right above the woman's head is where we are going to end up.

We are riding right along the beach.

We are above Clearwox Lake. The dune to the right is the one Anthony was sand boarding down. I didn't have my zoom on but we could see the people on the hill.

Another trip down to the piers for some shopping. Megan has found herself a new hat.

Our last dinner in camp.

And sadly camp is all picked up and ready for our trip home. Everyone decided that we are going back next summer and for a longer time.

Thought I would through this last picture in. One of the things we did while there was take some pictures of Anthony. I am practicing my skills in both picture taking and photo editing. I will start shooting pictures for his senior portraits. Anthony, one of my biggest supports, has been telling all his friends and as it turns out, I will be taking their pictures as well. Really looking forward to it. I really like the picture below but it just shows me some things I have to work on. One thing I noticed on this trip, Anthony looks like he has a real eye for photography. One of these days I will post more pictures that he has taken. He does a really great job.

Any way, that is all for now. Have a good day.

The Last of Summer Soccer

2011-07-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here are the last of the soccer pictures. The game ended in a tie last night. It was a team that had beaten us before. It was a great way to end the season. Now on to High School.

All but one of these pics is taken by Anthony. I missed one of Megan's goal's because I was chatting. Anthony took my camera and told me that I wasn't doing my job. He did get some great pics.

Since the beginning of the season these two have been trash talking about this game. This is Megan's good friend Baily. Baily is the goalie, you may remember her from a few post's back when she ate a bug. Baily's strategy was to run at Megan while screaming. To funny.

The ball is kicked.

and the goal was scored. Look at the girls checking it out and laughing.

There is a long history with this team. I won't go into any details but whatever team Megan is on has never lost to this team. And they still haven't lost.

I love looking at the pictures of Megan playing. She makes it look easy.

I took this one. She was very pleased at the score.

Almost Over

2011-07-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

That's the way I feel about summer. School got out so late this year that I feel a little robbed of time. This might sound a little crazy but I feel like this is the last summer where it is just us as a family the way it's always been.

Next year my oldest baby will be 18 and will have graduated. Decisions will be made about his future and whether he will be home or leaving. If his plans for working next summer go the way he wants, he will be gone most of the summer. We spend most of their lives cutting the apron strings one string at a time. And while I tease him that he's out when he's 18, that is one string I am not ready to cut. I know that just because he will be out of high school and 18 doesn't mean he is going anywhere. It does mean he will be starting a new and exciting chapter in his life.

Who would have thought that the end of July could bring this on. It could be that I am just a very deep thinker. Or, more likely, I need some more sleep. Anthony is working this summer in a cherry orchard. He has spent most of his time cutting down trees and building new fences. However, this is harvest time. So he is up at 3:30am to head out to the orchard and home around 5pm. I have been getting up with him and making sure he has something to eat and enough caffeine to make it through the day. He was so cute when he got his first paycheck. I am sure the neighbors are very pleased at his new and very loud stereo for his car.

As for the rest of the clan. Jason's finger is healing nicely. He is ready to get back to karate. He took the month of July off because of Megan's soccer schedule. We have also seen lot's of Joey around this summer and that has been great. We really miss them and wish they would come back. Although, I had forgotten how obnoxious the two boys can be when they are together.

Megan is finishing summer soccer this week. It has been a great and fun season. Starting high school soccer has been stressful for her. She really has not wanted to go to the summer work outs but has been forcing herself to go. Finally, last week was the turning point. One of the seniors dropped on the ground after lifting weights and said "I can't move anything." Megan thought it was so funny, because she has been feeling that way all summer. She is now looking forward to our beach trip, so that she can run on the beach to build her agility.

Here are some pic's from the last couple of games. Long post from me today.

This one was a goal. She had a great game and scored 3 goals. Their team sponsor gave out $5 Diary Queen cards for goals, good plays and good team sportsmanship. Megan has brought home 5.

The Fans: Grandma, Grandpa and Steve.

This one is funny. Notice the matching socks but not shirts. These two played select together and are good friends. They did a lot of pushing and playing around on the field. It must be hard to play against your friends and team mates. Sadly she is moving this week and we will miss her.

And these two. What can I say, it's what summer is all about.

The Empty Porch

2011-07-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

My parents have come and gone. They stayed as long as they normally stay, but it just seemed so fast this time.

It was a great visit. We ate out almost every night, sat around and talked and went to soccer games. The kids always fought to go over to the hotel and spend the night. This year Jason was the only one who went. It just shows you how much the kids are growing up. Jason also decided not to listen to grandma when she said to stop jumping on the bed. He feel off and broke his finger. Poor grandma feels horrible.

Cheddar and I keep going to the front porch, where we spent so much time, and the chairs are all empty. I miss them already. They will be back for Thanksgiving, even if my Dad doesn't know it yet.

How We Spend Our Evenings

2011-07-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Megan and her team will play 13 games this July. Monday thru Thursday, and it makes for crazy summer nights. I love this age group. The games are fast, intense and very good. She has played 2 of her 4 games this week. They lost both, 3-2 and last nights game was 8-1. Guess who scored the only goal? Yep, that would be Megan. It was a painful loss but still a good game.

Here are some pictures from Monday nights game. The pic's aren't great but you get the idea. I didn't take the camera last night. It had been a long day and I just felt like sitting and talking with the other parents.

We would also like to do a shout out to team mate Sabrina. Welcome to the yellow card club.

It's That Time of Year

2011-07-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Summer Soccer time again.

The season is off to a great start. Not only is she doing summer soccer but is also working out every day with the high school team. Fall is going to be a busy time, between football and soccer.

Her first game she scored 2 goals and 1 goal the second game. Where are the pictures you ask? I had may camera in hand but missed the shot on all three of them. The last goal the coach had the nerve to be in my way.

A cute story. The goalie gloves she is wearing belong to her coach and they smell really bad. As she was putting them on, one of the boys on the team grabbed his bag and dug out his gloves for her. The next game she takes the field wearing the stinky gloves. On the side line he is digging in his bag for his gloves, looks to the field and says, "oh, I guess she doesn't need them." I mention this to Meg and she runs over and asks if she can borrow his gloves again. Huge smile on his face as he gets them for her. Jessie and I watch this scene play out and giggle. I tell Steve the story and he says "tell him she won't be needing his gloves, we will be buying her some." More giggles from Jessie and I.

We are looking forward to my parents visiting this week. They will be here on Thursday and are staying for almost 2 weeks.

Another Picture Update

2011-06-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

Last night I went through over 1000 pictures last night. I have 1332 more to go. Whoo hooooo.

Then I can start on 2011.

2010 Picture Edit Update

2011-06-23T10:16:00.001-07:00

I was serious that I am going to get through these pic's this week. I have made good progress. However, I have two folders with over 1600 pictures in them. Ughhhh, they are soccer and football pic's.

A crazy week

2011-06-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Last year we took the kids to see Cirque du Soleil not sure what to think. They loved it. So when we found out about Dralion, we purchased the tickets. We bought the tickets back in January and thought it would be fun to leave the day after school got out. What I did not know was that Megan's girl scout troop would be making it's end of the year trip that same week. It would also be Megan's last trip with girl scout's. She decided that this would be her last year.

So Wednesday we headed out to Portland for the show and then Thursday made a slow trip back home. Friday, Megan and I with her troop headed back up the same way for her trip. I will post about that later.

The show was great. This time they did the show at the Rose Garden instead of the Cirque du Soleil tent. We all agree that the tent is better. While we could see the show just fine, we were up higher then a lot of the acts. In the tent, you are sitting below the highest acts and much closer to the stage. In the tents there really isn't a bad seat. The kids agree, the show was great but Kooza was better.

We made the trip home slowly. Stopping at different places in Portland to shop and look around. Here we stopped at the fish hatchery. Below is Megan with her moose she bought at Ikea. Our list is long of stuff we want to buy there.

Anthony is dreaming in this picture. Of what you ask?

Of this guy at the end of his fishing pole.

I am sitting in the back seat of the car so that Anthony could drive home. At one point I said "hummmmm, why are we doing almost 80."

Anthony got home from wrestling camp last night. Since injuring his knee, he has had some dought as to whether he would be able to wrestle again. He has been dreaming of a wrestling scholarship since he was a freshmen. His knee injury could have cost him that because he wasn't able to compete at state last year. He really needed to be at state at least twice.

There is a guy at Jason's karate dojo who told Anthony last April "work out with me and we will get that knee better shape then it was before." Anthony gave it a try. Anthony has been working out almost every day all year round since he was 14. This kid has never been in this good of shape in all that time.

He has been practicing with the team getting ready for this camp for the last two weeks. He was nervous and his knee was sore, but he said that practice was going well. He came home from camp on top of the world. His team took the silver bracket, which is great. However, Anthony went to finals in the individual take down, losing only to one guy. This is his personal best. I can't wait until wrestling season starts.

What's its Name

2011-06-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am working though huge amounts of pictures this week. And as God as my witness I will finish 2010 this week. One of the biggest problems is my pictures and editing software are all on my big computer. And that is the computer we all fight over.

As I was going through some pics from last summer I came across one that makes me laugh.

It's what's its name.

I promised that if "what's its name" let me take their picture, I would not post any of "what's its name" on my blog in their bathing suit.

Now I agree with "what's its name" that it would not be necessarily appropriate to post those pictures. But if you don't know who "what's its name" is would it be OK.

You be the judge.

Good Morning

2011-06-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

and happy summer.

The kids are out today and we have 75 days until school starts again. Today I will have a senior, freshmen and a 5th grader. Where did my babies go?

My hand is healing nicely and I am feeling great. I thought that I might wait until August to have my other hand done. But things have gone so well, I might have it done much sooner. I just want to make sure I have plenty of time to heal before we go to South Dakota in August.

The kids are out of school this afternoon and we will begin a whirl wind of a week. We have been planing this week since January.

Anyway, I am back to typing for the time being and can now hold my camera again. Looking forward to posting my summer pictures and my summer stories.

A While

2011-05-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

It might be awhile before I am up and posting again. I had surgery on my hand and can't use it for a couple more weeks. In the mean time I will be working on editing pictures and hopefully getting those posted here. I have lots to write about as soon as I can.

A Quick Post

2011-05-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

We are having a great time and enjoying lots of great soccer.

Here is a picture from yesterday.

We are today for some more games and then home. I will post more later.

Yes, More Soccer Pics

2011-05-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for the last full weekend of soccer. This is Megans last weekend in Select Soccer and it has been a blast. On to Summer Rec League and then high school.

Isn't her hair cute. I love it pulled back like this. Her coach insisted that she get it back and it caused some major drama. But in the end, she did it and it looks great. And best of all, she still loves this coach. I am telling you, no one else but this coach could have pulled it off. Even better, this coach is next's years high school coach.

Getting ready to take the field.

I really wish this child's mother would make him get a hair cut.

I love to watch her face.

She is just really enjoying this season. I have not seen the laughing and smiles for a very long time.

I really wanted to get a nice picture of these two coming off the field. I really thought I had one until......

Bailey ate a bug.

That's it for now. I am sure there will be lots to post after this weekend.

More Soccer Pics

2011-05-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Right now I have some funky music playing and doing some editing of pictures. I have really been working on learning all the in's and out's of this new software. Not to mention some new cool features on my camera. Just in time, because I sense a new lens in my future.

Any way, here are some pictures of this weeks game. I spent a lot of time talking to another mother so not a lot of pictures.

God Bless America

2011-05-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

I have something I want to say.

I live in a small community. I know that you see patriotism in larger cities but in a small town you see it and feel it all over. In a bigger city you may see the star's in peoples windows or see the yellow ribbons. But in a small town you know the names and the families. Your kids are friends with the kids who's parents are over sees. We stood in the streets and waved goodbye to the buses as they left our town with our neighbors on their way to Iraq and Afghanistan. One of those on that bus was my sons baseball coach.

Right now, in this small town, we are celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden. He was not just an ordinary murder. He was personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent men, women and children. I for one, am glad he is dead.

I normally won't post something like this. I just felt I needed to say something. A friend posted a list of the children who had died in one of those planes on September 11th on facebook, in response to someone else who was upset at the celebrating going on. The upset person deleted those kids names because she didn't feel that it had anything to do with the conversation. They have everything to do with the conversation. The difference is, that those children were innocent. Osama knew what he was doing.

While I won't be dancing in the streets, I will not be condemning those who are. I am also proud of George W. Bush for starting this and for Barrack Obama for finishing the job. Most of all, I am proud of those men and women in our armed forces. God Bless you.

I am also proud of one 17 year old kid who has a list of colleges he is looking into:
Eastern Oregon
Norther Idaho
University of Oregon
US Army
US Navy

Today

2011-04-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

A picture from today.

Pictures from Philly

2011-04-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures taken by this kid. I think this is taken the night she was coming home and she looks tired.

One of my favorite pictures she took.

She has a thing for the Washington Monument. Most of her pictures are either of it or from it. I really liked the one below. It was raining and you can see the press getting ready for President Obama.

Love this monument. I never realized how bit it is until you see Anna standing next to it. And if you look off to the left in the back ground. There is the Washington Monument again. When Megan saw this picture she started laughing.

You can tell by the gray color that it rained most of the time they were there.

I thrust the camera in her hand and gave her a 5 min lesson on how to use it. I am very impressed with her pictures.

She was taking pictures inside a church. She came to a sign that said "no pictures beyond this point." So she stoop by the sign and took some pics. The guard told her she wasn't allowed to take any pics. She said, but I am on THIS side of the sign. He just stared at her and she said she put her head down and looked at the ground and said "OK". She is to funny.

It turns out she has a thing for buildings. She has a ton of pictures of random buildings that she took because she like them. There are some really good ones. Maybe she will be the photographer in the family.

A Couple of Easter Pics

2011-04-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pics from Easter. It was cold, cold and cold that day. I think we even had some snow. Someone forgot to let Eastern Oregon know that it is spring and it is ok to have some sunshine. I woke up to snow on the ground this morning.

Here is Jason getting ready for the big church egg hunt. One little guy didn't get out of the church fast enough to get any eggs. So Jason decided to give up some of his candy. What a good kid.

I may need to take this picture back to editing. His face is a funny color, or maybe it is all the candy he has eaten.

Megan and Anthony are too old for the hunt, so here they are plotting out how they are going to get the little kids to give them some candy. It didn't work. It seems little kids are very protective of their candy.

I normally get a lot of Easter Pictures but this year it was to cold. The wind and rain picked up right as the hunt started. It rained hard most of the day so we never got to do an egg hunt in our own back yard.

Holy Week

2011-04-21T23:52:00.000-07:00

This week is always very busy for us. Since we moved here I have always worked for the youth group and the church this week. Wednesday we start with Seder Meal prep. The Seder Meal is really a Jewish tradition but our church does a really nice version of of it. The youth group puts this on for the church.

Thursday night (tonight) is the actual meal then we follow it with our Holy Thursday mass. We start at 4:30pm and usually don't finish up until after 11pm. This year was different. We had lots of adult help this year and it really made a difference. We were finished and cleaned up by 9:15pm. It was wonderful.

Our church kicks off Holy Week with the living stations of the cross. I, of course, was on hand to take pictures. Anthony was my co-photographer for the event.

Here are the pictures. Jason decided to sit this year out. He wanted to just sit back and watch.

I just love this old church.

Look at the guards. Gotta love her.

Spring Soccer is Here

2011-04-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

Fall soccer is finally here. We were not sure how this season was going to play out. Megan made the switch to a different team and she is back to having a great time. This team has welcomed her like she was their long lost sister. It is very difficult making changes, especially when you are 13.

Every Saturday we make the drive to another town (the closest one is 45min away) and they play two games. This is very different the Fall and Summer soccer. Fall we play in another cities rec. league and summer is our towns rec league. Spring is generally made up of girls who really want to play, and are headed for the high school teams. These teams are tough. We will end our season in Yakima Washington at Yak Attack. I am looking forward to it and I plan to beat my picture taking record. I still haven't gone through the 340 pictures from last year.

The first game:

Megan is playing forward and she scored 3 of the 4 goals. The final score was 4-0.

Second game didn't go as well. This team is a really tough team and a big rival of Megans. They beat them last year but lost this year 0-3. Here she is as goalie.

She came home with a bruise the shape of the soccer ball on her leg, but this kid is tough.

Message to my Dad

2011-04-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

I asked him over the summer if he could just go ahead and put three hard drives in my computer.

He said, I couldn't fill up that much space.

He was wrong.

Extreme Basketball

2011-04-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you have about an hour of sun light. A quick game of extreme basketball.

Look at my baby, he made this shot.

Gotta love the look on Anthony's face.

Below is what happens when Steve gets involved in the game. Please excuse my oldest and his lack of clothing sense. Ummmm, Anthony, can you please pull up your pants.

Steve made the shot.

The child needs a hair cut.

Wild Turkey

2011-04-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post a picture of the wild turkey. Here he is all puffed up and talking to Steve.
It's the best of the pictures.

Fun Day

2011-04-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

I tried and tried for a new header picture, but it just didn't work out. It may be spring but no one has let mother nature know. Everything was very drab and dull. So I just pulled a picture from the past. I wish our trees had blooms.

So instead I took pictures of wild turkeys. They didn't come out. Not because of camera settings but because I was laughing to hard. The male turkeys get all puffy feathers(scientific term) when the females are around. Well, they were puffy feathers when we started to take pictures but stopped. Steve then decided to cackle like a turkey. And the stupid things cackled back and got all puffy. It was the funnest thing. I wish I had it on video.

Steve wanted to me to take pictures of the llamas or mamas and Jason used to say.

They were grazing in the pasture when we pulled up and only two stopped to watch me. That was until I started to talk to them. Then they all started walking toward me. I asked Steve, "Do llamas attack." No, but they do spit, so I only got so close.

Some like to pose. This one cracked me up. He clearly wanted his picture taken.

He even smiled for me.

Show me your smile.

It was just good to get out today and get some fresh air. I hope the sunshine stays around for a couple of days.

Sunshine

2011-04-03T11:06:00.003-07:00

There hasn't been any. Except for a couple of days ago. I grabbed my camera and off to the park to get some pics. Camera wasn't set to the right settings and all my pictures came out way over exposed. Made me mad so I just deleted them.

Any way the point to all of this, I still haven't changed my header and it is really starting to bug me. While there isn't much sun today and it is a very very cold wind, I am going to give it yet another try.

Until then, here is a picture of my favorite daughter at my favorite place. She is sitting on a rock that I spent so many summers as a kid playing on. Behind it is a little cave were we hid as kids and waited until someone would go into the bathroom right below. Then we would through rocks on the roof. Back in the days when our parents had no idea where we were or what we were up to. Good Times.

New Header

2011-04-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

I am not going to rest today until I have a new picture for my header. I am tired of looking at the snow.

The School Week is Over

2011-04-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

It is for the kid I am homeschooling. It's our first week back from Spring break and it was a hard long week. One of the advantages to homeschooling is you can set your own schedule. Since I have two kids in the public schools, I fit Jasons schedule to theirs. Which is nice, it keeps me on track. But sometimes it can be a pain.

About a month ago we had a week where everyone was sick. I just decided it would be easier if Jason had the week off. Then there was the week that best friend Joey moved. The boys made a very heart wrenching plea for Jason to have that week off. I caved.

If you have read some of my previous post's you would know how I feel about schedules. They rule my life. For those of you keeping track: If I want to finish Jason's school year at the same time the older two finish, I am two weeks behind.

I gave Jason the choice. Give up Spring break and work one week into summer vacation or give up our Fridays off for the rest of the year. He choose the Friday option. I told him that if we work really hard, we will be completely caught up by mid May. He choose to work even harder and got an amazing amount of work done this week. At this rate we will be caught up by the end of April. Plus, he told me he would choose to pay attention as well. What a deal!!!!

I also received a note home from his extra reading teacher. He has jumped up yet another reading level. She is hoping we have him at grade level by the end of this year. I can't tell you how happy we are with that news.

There is lots going on here and I will post more later. I am off to the park and enjoy the sun while it lasts.

Where is the Girl???

2011-03-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

Well....she is in the air and headed back home. Her plane took off on time and she is some where over New Jersey as I write this. I love Flight Status!!!! I will be even happier when the child is on the ground.

Where is the Girl??? part 6

2011-03-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

She comes home tonight so I am sure I will have stories and pictures to share. I will be tracking her flight on flightstats. Check this website out sometime, got to love technologhy. I will post when her flight leaves and I am sure I will post when she is safe on the ground. I am not good when my babies are not firmly on the ground.

Where was she today:
Rockefeller Center
St. Patrick's Cathedral
NBC Store
NBA Store
Trump Tower
Tiffany's
FAO Schwartz
Dinner at the airport then back to Oregon

Where is the Girl??? part 5

2011-03-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

She called today and we talked for a while. Sounds like she is having a good time. She still has her cold but she is eating again, so that is a good thing. It's been raining most of the time they are there. Yesterday they couldn't go up in the Empire State Building because of the lightening. But I believe they are going to give it a try again tomorrow.

So, where was she today:
Battery Park
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
U.S. Customs House
Trinity Church
Federal Hall
Wall Street
Ground Zero
St. Paul's Church
Broadway to see "Phantom of the Opera"
Times Square

She comes home tomorrow night and I am looking forward to seeing her again.

Vacation

2011-03-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to make reservations for our vacation today. Whoo Hoo!!!!! The photographer in me is starting to salivate. I must buy more memory cards.......

Where is the Girl??? part 4

2011-03-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

My advice to all the kids out there. Don't call your Mother from across the country and tell her that you are sick and want to come home. Then don't call back. That little rat has not called me since the first day she left. I am assuming that things are going well or else I would have heard from her again.

Here is where she is at today:
Indepence Hall National park
Historic Philadelphia:
Betsy Ross House
Franklin Court
Elfreths Alley
Lunch then off to New York City
Walk in Central Park: Strawberry Fields, Cherry Hill and Bethesda Terrace
Times Square
Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum
Virgin Records
Broadway Store
Toys R Us
MTV Gift Shop
Empire State Building
Rockefeller Center

It sounds like a slow day today. lol Miss you sweetie!!!!

Where is the Girl??? part 3

2011-03-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on where the girl is, because the boys and I are off to Idaho for a day of fun.

Today she is:

Capitol Visitor Center
Supreme Court
Library of Congress
Embassy Row
National Cathedral
Smithsonian Complex
Museum of American History
Natural History Museum
Air & Space Museum
Then after dinner they are off to Philly.

I am missing her today and hoping she is having the time of her life.

Where is the Girl!!! part 2

2011-03-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't heard from her so I am thinking that means everything is going OK. I hope so.

Here where she was today:

Mt. Vernon
Alexandria - Christ Church
White House
Fords Theater
National Archives
Iwo Jima Marine Memorial
US Air Force Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Korean Memorial

Tomorrow she will be off to Philly.

Where is the Girl??? part 1

2011-03-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

Here is Megan and one of her room mates getting ready to leave.

Poor Megan had to start this trip sick. She is was loaded up on med's but it didn't make her flight any easier. When she gets sick she tends not to eat anything, which just makes the whole thing worse. I haven't heard from her yet today but I am hoping she is feeling a little better and enjoying her trip. She has worked to hard for her to not enjoy it.

Here she is getting on the bus. With her new sweet shirt and jeans, she reminds me of my Mom. She even has my Mom's cold hands. Megan calls them death hands.

So where is the girl today.

Today they will visit:
World War II Memorial
Washington Monument
Arlington Nation Cemetery
Kennedy Gravesides
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Changing of the Guard
Challenger Memorial
Custis Lee Mansion
Wreath Laying Ceremony
Vietnam Veterans Memorial - where she will look up cousin Rogers Dad
Vietnam Women's Memorial
Holocaust Museum
Einstein Statue
FDR Memorial
Jefferson Memorial

It makes me very tired looking at this list. And this is just the fist day.

New Addition to the Family

2011-03-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

We picked this up the other day so that Megan could take it on the trip with her. It is such a cute little camera and we got a killer deal on it. My old trusty Fuji just won't take very good pictures anymore. It really has out lived itself. I don't think it was ever meant to take the thousands of pictures that I did with it and I couldn't have asked for a better camera. The second Fuji that I bought just is to bulky to take on a trip like this. And there is no way she was taking my Nikon.

So welcome to the family.

My Baby is Gone

2011-03-18T23:14:00.000-07:00

You may remember a couple of years back I did a daily post of "Where is Anthony." Well, I am doing it again only this time it is called "Where is the Girl."

Megan, my baby is off to Washington DC, Philly and New York. She is fight a nasty cold and has a double ear infection. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the plane ride isn't to painful.

I can't believe it is her turn to go on this trip. Just think, next year, high school.

I will post a daily list of what she is up to starting Sunday. Tomorrow will just be traveling. So, please say a prayer, that her trip is successful and she is feeling better. You can also say a prayer for her group of friends that she was sharing her pop with. Hopefully none of them catch her cold.

King

2011-03-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

I found this picture of King on my camera, not sure who took it.

Still Editing

2011-03-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Jason. I am having a good time with my new photo editing software.

Found Picture

2011-03-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

I decided to start doing a little photo editing. HaHaHa.....a little photo editing, I have hundreds of pictures to go through, edit and get on disk. I found some pictures I was supposed to have gone through and printed for people. Opppps. It's just a little over whelming looking at over 300 pictures from one soccer weekend. But I will get them done today. I have to, because I have about a month before I am taking pictures of the next big soccer weekend and will have another 300+ pictures to look at.

Let me be clear about this. The 300 pictures is from just ONE soccer weekend. I probably have over a thousand soccer pictures from 2010. I don't want to even think about football. Anthony's wrestling season was cut short so probably only a couple of hundred from that.

Anyway here is a picture I found that has nothing what so ever to do with soccer.

Remember a little while back I told the story about taking pictures of the kids while they were standing on the frozen river. The picture I posted was a close up. This one you can see the river.

HeHeHe, the Grandparents should love this.

Jason's Birthday Party

2011-03-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

Wow!!! This is really late. His birthday was back on February 14th.

Jason really wanted to go to Chucky Cheese and it was after all the last time Joey would be here for his birthday. Chucky Cheese is over 2 hours away. Since we are such cool parents we decided what the heck.

So we loaded up two cars and away we went. The ride down was fine, of course the boys watched a dvd all the way there. I had the boys and Megan. Steve had Anthony and Kegan.

We had a great time, except for the stalker who followed Megan around. We took turns keeping an eye on her. You have to wonder about older (60ish) men who show up at these places with no one with them.

Steve's cousin Roger and his friend Julie came to celebrate with us.

Roger asked, how many tokens to you get for $20.00. We said about 5 minutes. We won't even begin to figure out how much we spent in game tokens.

The older boys even got in on the fun.

I really wanted to stop by Barnes and Noble for a book I have been wanting. It went ok, until Jason and Joey decided to check out Selena Gomez pictures on the magazine rack with out telling anyone where they went. The ride home, not so much fun. Megan and I were a little over stimulated from the whole Chucky Cheese experince. And the boys where over stimulated, tired, caffeined up and sugared out. They fought and argued all the way home.

It's all just part of the fun.

Science Project Gone Bad

2011-02-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

No, the science project didn't come alive or take over the house. Although, Megan would have been very please if that were to happen. Or if we found a way for her to grow zombies.

We started a very cool science project two weeks ago and it takes 4 weeks to complete. We are studying the way plants grow by growing radishes. It is very import for this project to work, to stay on schedule. The book warns you to not miss a day. Weekends are already figured in. Well, last week Jason got sick. I made sure the seeds had water and they did grow. But the steps we were supposed to do last week didn't get done.

No problem, we will just pick up where we left off. It doesn't work like that. That is why the book warned not to miss a day. It was important last week to chart the seeds growth. To see how water and sun effect the different seeds. At one point, you have about 30 seeds growing in different environments. It is a very cool project and one I don't want him to miss out on. The book also encourages the teacher to read the whole book before starting. Well.......there is the problem. I do have issues with following directions. Had I read the book, I would have realized how important it was to not skip a day and I would have pulled Jason out of his sick bed to work on the project. I also have issues with schedules. I love them, and must follow them. Which leads to the next problem.

So today, Jason and I decided to scrap the whole thing and start again next Monday. And now that makes my schedule off by two complete weeks. And that is causing me serious stress. Because in 3 weeks we will be starting a bean project that will work very much like this one. You can't skip a day. So at one point we will be doing both projects at the same time.

I know, I know......I homeschool, change the schedule. The homeschool police are not going to bang down my door and arrest me for being off schedule. But I have a schedule and I must follow it. See my problem.

I discuss this issue with my youngest. And ask his opinion.

Me, "So, what do you think about this?"
Jason, "Do I still get spring break?"
Me, "ummmm......yes."
Jason, "Can I go play with Joey?"

He's OK with the change.

Wrestling Season is Over

2011-02-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month I got the call that I really hate. "Hey Mom, I won this morning but lost my last match. I also, well....never mind I will tell you later."

"Anthony, what does that mean?"

"Nothing, we'll just talk later."

"Spill it buddy."

"I just screwed up my knee."

Screwed up is an understatement. We are not sure and won't know anything until Monday morning, but it looks like tendon damage. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it is not going to require surgery, but as more time passes I am just not sure. He can put weight on it but he still can not bend it at all.

Needless to say, wrestling season is over for him. He is really bummed. He was going to compete this year in the World Tournament in Reno. I will admit to being a bit excited about that myself. And it puts football on the line for next season. He is not at all happy about this.

So that is what is new with us. That and Jason has been sick for the last couple of days. I also have his birthday pictures that I haven't even looked at yet. I guess I better get to work.

A little information on the picture of Anthony below. It was spirit day at the high school and the kids are supposed to wear blue and white. You may recognize the socks, those are Megan's. The snowboard in his hands (which will not be used until next winter) is the one we got him for his birthday. He found out that his bindings were in and he came home to grab the board and off to the sports shop. I asked him if he was going to change and he looked at me and said, "ah......my bindings are in." So off he went around town wearing this outfit.

Gotta love the kid. This picture was taken the weekend before he messed up his knee. The good news is, he did get a chance to spend the day on the slopes before he hurt himself.

Long Time

2011-02-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

Soooo, it's been awhile since I have posted. Obviously I am not making my once a day post for February. It's early in the month but it has been crazy.

I promise to have some posts up shortly. Until then, enjoy this one of Anthony.

Missed One

2011-02-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

Not of to a good start this month. I already missed a day.

I am supposed to be in Idaho today for a wrestling tournament. Steve had to work and with Megan just starting to get over her flu, I decided not to go. I really hate not being there today. We are getting close to the end of the season. It doesn't seem as long this year as it was last year. Normally this time of year means spring is right around the corner and that means baseball season. Anthony has decided not to play baseball this year. I am really bummed about it. I really have enjoyed watching him play. But it's not about me, it's about what he wants to do. At least that is what I keep telling myself. However, he is going to the World Wrestling Tournament in Reno this year. He has really wanted to go the last couple of years, but he was always playing baseball.

So this weekend, I am going to try and get this family healthy again. We don't really have plans for Super Bowl yet. If Megan is feeling better, I will let them all invite friends over to watch the game. We went to Costco this past week and stocked up. So I have lots of food.

Have a good Saturday.

My Sick Baby

2011-02-03T22:50:00.000-08:00

She is still so sick. She doesn't look like this right now.

I would never take a picture of her like she is now, nor would I post it. She would be very very angry and and angry Megan is not pretty.

She is starting to feel a little bit better but not much. Poor thing. She even hugged me today and called me mommy. Jason thought we should call an ambulance.

Hope you feel better tomorrow sweetie.

Costco and the Flu

2011-02-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

Megan is down with the flu, poor thing. She didn't feel well this morning but wasn't to bad. I let her stay home from school. At 9:00am Steve and I decided to run to Costco. When I say run, I mean get in the car and drive for 2 hours one way. Megan went with us because she wasn't feeling to bad.

After being there for about an hour, she headed out to the car to lay down. By time we got home and unloaded the car she was running a fever. Poor kid.

So, needless to say, she is down on the couch and the rest of my house is a disaster. Oh well, that is how life goes.

Doing It Again

2011-02-01T21:56:00.000-08:00

I am doing it, I am going to try and post everyday for the month of February. Lucky you!!!

But it's not going to start tonight. I am tired tonight and going to bed. I spent a long time today on the computer learning a new photo editing program I just got. It is so much fun. Well........to me it is anyway.

Have a good night and I hope the weather isn't to bad where you are.

I Made It

2011-01-31T21:38:00.000-08:00

It's the last day of January and I made it through my challenge. I only missed two days this month and I am pretty proud of myself.

I went from posting about 3 or 4 times a month to 29 days. I haven't decided if I am going to keep this going through the month of February but I might just try and keep it up. After all, I still have a month of wrestling before little league and soccer start.

Flood Waters

2011-01-30T09:21:00.000-08:00

Remember this picture. They are laughing because they are standing on a frozen river. It's not a shallow river and it moves pretty fast. Yeah, I know what you are thinking. But look at how much fun they are having.

Look at the power pole on this side of the river. Now look across the river right along this pole you can just make out a picnic table in the water. Between that table and the one further left we had a snow ball fight that day. See that fast moving water, yes in the middle of the river is where the above picture was taken.

This is what happens when you have had lots of snow followed by lots of rain.

These last two pictures is the road going toward our favorite hiking spot.

My Soap Box

2011-01-29T10:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I pulled out my soap box, but lucky for you it's coming out today.

First off, this post is not directed at anyone person. Because it has happened more then once.

Email, test message and facebook are not the way to deliver bad news. And by bad news I mean a death in the family. A couple of years ago, someone emailed me about a very close family member who had passed away. They were just trying to keep me posted. I had already heard about it an hour before, but what if I hadn't. Is this really the way you want to hear that kind of news.

Last night a post went out on facebook about a cousin who passed away. My Mom hadn't had a chance to get a hold of my brother or myself. I don't want to point the finger of blame on the person who made the post, she didn't know. And I am sure she didn't know our relationship. And she didn't know that this is the second person that found out passed away on facebook. Let's face it, everything about peoples lives are out there on facebook.

Today I am just very sad. I hadn't seen this cousin who passed in a few years. As a kid, I spent a lot of time on her families farm. She was older then I am but she always took to time to do things with me and was always super nice. I will forever remember her beautiful smile and bubbly personality. I always looked up to her and was excited when I knew she was going to be around. Today I am praying for her family who is dealing with this tragedy.

That's it, putting away the soap box.

Just a Picture

2011-01-27T23:35:00.000-08:00

Because that is all I can do tonight. I has been a long and busy day. I just never got around to getting a post done. Plus, I got some new software for my peter and I was playing with that.

This is what Anthony's birthday morning looked like. It is 6:00am and we got up to sing happy birthday and give him his presents before he was off to wrestling. Megan is curled up in the blanket. Want to see my great wrapping job. If you look under the couch that Anthony is laying on, you can see the snow board under the couch. HeHeHe Oh well, he liked it.

Ops!!!

2011-01-26T22:50:00.000-08:00

I didn't get a post up yesterday. I had one all figured out and I think it was a one too. As I sat down to start typing, Megan walked in and started to describe a stomach pain she was having.

She has not been feeling to hot for a couple of days, not eating right the usual for this time of year. But last night she came in holding her stomach and describing a pain that hurts like nothing she had ever felt before. A quick check on the Internet and sure enough the spot she is pointing to is were her appendix are.

I decided not to take a chance and ran her to the E.R. 11pm. She had some tests done and it was not her appendix. However, when the doctor pushed on her stomach, it hurts right were the appendix are.

She was to funny, because she had no idea what the appendix were. She texted her friend and told her what was going on. Her friend says, "Did it burst?" Megan looks at me and yelled, "it can burst??" She wouldn't believe me when I told her the cure is surgery. She ended up talking to the doctor about treatments. She wasn't crazy about the idea of surgery until she found out how much school she will miss.

To bad for her, she went to school today. No surgery but she gets to wear the wrist ID bands to school today. I guess this is a big deal at school.

So anyway, I am back to posting.

Another Picture

2011-01-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

I have lots to say today, but just don't feel like typing it. I know, kind of sad.

Anyway, here is a picture from Thanksgiving. Steve's Mom, aunt, cousin and his boys all made the trip here. It was a lot of fun to have a full house.

Now I am off to a wrestling match.

My Oldest

2011-01-23T23:17:00.000-08:00

He got a kick out of the football picture that I posted for his birthday. So, I thought, why not post another one.

Only this time it is going to be wrestling. These pictures are from 7th grade. hehehe

Of course, you have seen these before. He might be wrestling again tomorrow night so lucky you I will have more pictures. I found some of Megan playing soccer for the first time. I am so glad I have started scrap booking again.

It amazes me just how fast they grow up.

One of those Days

2011-01-22T19:15:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days. Sunny outside and we haven't see the sun for weeks. We decided to go out and enjoy it for awhile.

Sad, but that is all I have to say today. Go out and enjoy the weather if it is nice were you are.

17 !!!!

2011-01-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

There is no way I am old enough for a 17 year old son!!!!!

Happy Birthday Anthony. It is hard to believe that you are 17 already. It seems like just yesterday we were arguing about how far down the block you could ride your bike. Now we are arguing about how long you can have the car. You are a good kid and we couldn't be more proud of you. Good luck today.

He is spending his birthday in Idaho at a wrestling tournament. We will be meeting up with him tomorrow. Last night he asked what time he was born. Of course, not wondering why he would ask, I told him 3:16am. He woke me up at 3:16 this morning to ask if he can open his presents.

In the above picture (9 years old) he is smiling because he caught an interception. Below he is smiling because they are going to the playoffs. Taken this year.

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!

ackkkkk

2011-01-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

Not much to post today. We have been dealing with having colds and trying to teach.

We will be celebrating Anthony's 17th birthday tomorrow. Which means that 17 years ago today, at this time, I was in the hospital in labor. It was a loooooong one. Anthony won't be here with us tomorrow because he will be away at another wrestling tournament. We will meet up with him in Idaho on Saturday to watch the 2nd day.

We decided not to go and stay this weekend because it looks like there will be a few hotel stays in the next couple of months. Megan is going to Yakima again for soccer and I will be joining her. Anthony will be competing in regionals for wrestling and then hopefully state. He is also going to be traveling to Reno for a World wrestling tournament. We, of course, will not be missing that one. We are also hoping that the family from Ca will be joining us as well.

So, that's it for today. I will defiantly be posting tomorrow.

Make It Easy

2011-01-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

The people around me make it easy to take pictures.

She's not used to me being in her face with the camera but I try anyway. She to likes photography but leans toward landscapes. She has taken some beautiful pictures. Not sure that she will be pleased when she sees her picture here.

Pictures and more Pictures

2011-01-18T19:50:00.000-08:00

I have spent the last couple of days going through hundreds of pictures. I am trying to get 2010 off my computer and on dvd's. Eventually get some off to the printers. I started doing some scrap booking today and came across some old wrestling pics I will have to post later in the month. Too funny.

Anyway, here is a picture from our Boise trip last summer. We had gone to the birds of prey center and then off to the Boise Zoo. Here is Steve doing his eagle impression. I really wish I had it on video, cracks me up every time they do it.

Every Day for a Month

2011-01-17T22:48:00.000-08:00

I thought this would be an easy challenge, but I have found out it really isn't. Even I don't have that much to say. So instead I am going to post a picture I took today.

I think it says it all.

and yes, that is our garbage can on the counter. Don't ask.

A Homeschool Post

2011-01-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

I found this blog post on another website and really liked it. I am often asked these same questions about Jason. People will ask me, isn't it tough being around the kids all day and never having a break. No, I think it is kind of fun. Plus, I am learning along with him. We didn't do this for religious reasons. We did it because we were told "He doesn't understand anything and I don't know how to teach him." A quote from his second grade teacher. We starting thinking of classroom time at the school was a waste of Jason's time. My only regret is that I didn't do this for the other two.

Where else can you turn in this kind of work and not get into trouble.

or take a spelling test in shaving cream.

Any way here is the post.

I Was Homeschooled: What it Taught Me That a Classroom Never Could

Posted Jan 11th 2011 at 5:30PM by Kate Fridkis

Getty

I didn't go to preschool. And then I didn't go to kindergarten. And after that I didn't go to elementary school. Or middle school. Or high school, even. I was homeschooled.

I say "unschooled" sometimes, to differentiate myself from the 80% of homeschoolers who educate at home for religious reasons. I was unschooled, and I felt really lucky.

People always ask me, "Which one of your parents taught you?"

That's still the way everyone thinks about learning. There's a teacher and a bunch of students. There's an adult who knows more, and some kids who know less. And the adult stands there and tells the kids things. And the kids learn.

Neither one of my parents taught me, and, of course, they both did. Just as everyone's parents teach them things about being alive. And skills for navigating the world. And to cover their mouths when they yawn. I learned how fun it is to sit and gossip for hours from my dad. From my mom, I learned the value of occasional ritualistic formality (requesting that everyone share something they'd like to improve about the world at a holiday gathering. Or having the gathering in the first place).

I learned how to make wildly creative sandwiches. I learned how to write thank-you notes. But most of the, "Can you tell me what six times seven is" type of instruction stopped when I was ten or so. After that, my mother's role in my education was more like that of a guidance counselor. I checked in with her. We worked on various curricula that I mostly didn't follow, because I had so many other books I wanted to read, and so many of my own, critically time-sensitive projects to complete.

People stopped me constantly, along the way, to ask me what my family did for lab. How did we get the equipment? It would've been a lot easier if I could've just said, "We don't. We don't do lab." I mean, we looked at strands of our hair through a microscope and read biology books, so I probably could've, but I felt like the world might not be ready. So I said things about auditing college classes and local community-based opportunities.

You know, the community science lab, where little unschoolers can clock in all the hours they need with a genuine cow's eyeball and a scalpel. There was a homeschooling resources catalogue that sold cows' eyes. I said absolutely not. Absolutely, absolutely not. Mom thought it might be fun. She thought everything might be fun.

People stopped me to ask about socialization. That's the big one. Can you talk to other people? Do you have friends? How weird are you? (Educated guess, their expressions said: probably pretty weird.) I especially loved it when they asked me if I could talk to other people when I had already been talking to them for fifteen minutes.

Here's the good and bad news: I'm sort of normal. I spent a lot of time when I was younger pretending to be exceptional. It felt like the only way to justify my abnormal upbringing. I put on a show for every adult in sight, trying to prove that homeschoolers weren't just socially capable, we were all geniuses.

College was not something it occurred to me to care terribly about. I already had this complete life. I was working, teaching regularly, writing terrible fantasy novels, and writing music. I didn't have any interest in picking a single career path, and I didn't see the point in sitting in a classroom, after all those years of avoiding just that.

But I went. It was almost as though my parents weren't sure what happened at eighteen, other than college. They'd enabled me to come this far, on my own, but there was no question about me joining the schooled world eventually.

In college, I learned how to be bored for the first time. I know I'm supposed to talk about how enlightening the experience was. College always opens the world up for everyone. That's practically its tagline: College: Opening Up The World.

I guess my world was too open already. I learned how stressful being good at something was. You have to stay ahead constantly. I learned how to doodle. Before then, I'd painted and sketched. But now I was doodling endless circles and swirls and stacks of bricks in the margins of notebook after notebook. And I forgot how to think that I could do more than one thing. I forgot how to be a homeschooler. And after a while, when I realized that, I missed it.

When they find out that I was homeschooled, people ask me, "Did you like it?"

It's such a simple question. Like, so, you had a forty-year career as a statistician. Did you like it? You walked on the moon, did you like it?

But then, some things are a lot simpler than they should be. When I asked my mom why she decided to homeschool my brothers and I, she said, "I liked being around you." People expect a massive critique of society, which she can also do, when she feels like it. But underneath that is something much more straightforward.

I think that people want homeschooling to be incredibly complicated because school has become incredibly complicated. Education has become a messy, chaotic topic that we, as a nation, can't stop talking about. "Waiting for Superman", budget cuts, teen suicides, charter schools, healthier school lunches, colleges flooded with applications, student debt, student loans that go forever, elite preschools, KIPP, abstinence only sex ed, gay kids at prom, no child left behind, teachers' unions, rubber rooms, standardized testing, teacher suicides, cutting music and art classes, where it all is going, what we might be able to do, whether we should do it, and if it really works at all.

And then there are the people who drop out. The people who don't start in the first place. People like me. We're still a tiny minority -- about 3% of the population, according to some studies (the exact numbers are never really clear). But we have a lot to say about education. And even when we don't say anything at all, our lives speak for us.

When people ask if I liked it, I always say yes. Of course I liked it! I got to sleep until ten! What's not to like? I didn't get graded! I didn't take any standardized tests before the SAT. I didn't ever have to raise my hand. I wore ridiculous outfits, and no one told me they were ridiculous. I thought I was beautiful. I learned about things just because I was interested in them. Everyone should try it!

I, for one, am planning on unschooling my own kids if/when I have them.

It's not a simple world. Not everyone who wants to has the economic ability to homeschool, especially not with very young children. And sometimes, when I'm being very mature and serious, or moping, or feeling insecure, or feeling like a total realist, I think that it's not clear to me exactly what parts of myself I gained from school (college, grad school) and what I gained from unschooling. It's all mixed together now.

I do know though, with completely certainty, that I liked myself a lot more as an unschooler. I thought I had more potential. I thought I could do anything, and I was excited about it. Maybe learning that you can't do anything is just a part of growing up. But maybe it's not. Maybe it's a part of being schooled.

Kate Fridkis blogs about body image at Eat the Damn Cake and education at Un-schooled. She also writes for The Huffington Post. She lives in Manhattan, but can't seem to ever dress very fashionably. She is also, somewhat randomly, the cantor at a synagogue in central NJ.

Crabs

2011-01-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

I have mentioned before that Jason's best friend Joey and his family are moving. His older brother Tim had a fish tank that needed to go to a good home. We were that good home.

The fish tank itself is not a problem. Steve and I have had one before. Megan added her fish to the tank and they all live happily together.

Until Megan went to Walmart and bought these.

Crabs. They are very cool to look at, but what we didn't know is that they can and do escape.

Now ours haven't officially gotten out of the tank. They have just found their way up and into the filter. Every once in a while, one of the kids will open up the filter and put them back into the tank. Other times the filter itself just shoots them back in. I am waiting for one to get completely out and end up on the floor. It would be my luck to be the one who step's on it.

Here is one of this guy: He posed for the picture, so here he is.

A Field Trip

2011-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of concern that home schooled kids don't get a lot of social interaction. We wanted to make sure this didn't happen so I joined a home school group. We have field trips, library days and lots of park days. We are also very lucky that Jason's best friend lives across the street and is also home schooled.
Even without all things extra things, Jason has no problem being social.

Here are some pictures of a field trip we took last September.

Repost

2011-01-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures from the past.

These are from a trip to Sacramento back in 2007. We were there to help my uncle celebrate his 90th birthday. I just cracked up when I saw these pictures and how young they look.

and one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

A Sigh of Relief

2011-01-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

It's a long story really, but tonight Steve and I are breathing a sigh of relief. All I really want to say is, it is a bad day when adults act worse then the kids. But it's the kids who get dragged down in the nastiness.

We have worked really hard at teaching our kids to try to do the right thing and take responsibility when you mess up. And no matter what hold you head high, because it will all work out in the end.

Tonight it worked out and things are going to be a little brighter.

Weekend Storm

2011-01-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

We were only suppose to get a an inch of snow. Instead we got about 6 inches. So, today our weather reports say to prepare for blizzard conditions starting Wednesday. I am headed out to go grocery shopping just in case. And, I haven't done any serious shopping since Christmas. The kids are starting to look in the refrigerator and say "ummmm, Mom????"

Here is a picture of what down town looked like Sunday morning. This was just the beginning of our little storm. The law says you can't text while driving, it doesn't say anything about picture taking. :)

Youth Group Sledding Trip

2011-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a youth group meeting with all the Catholic youth groups in our county. The couple who headed up this meeting did a great job. We talked about peer pressure. It was very interesting to hear what the kids had to say about it.

After the talk we headed up to our host's house to do some sledding. I didn't sled but took pictures and I took about 250 of them. So I will be spending today going through those.

We were supposed to get about an inch of snow today but ended up with about 6 and it is still snowing. I love the snow but not crazy about driving in it. The kids and some adults did the sledding and then headed into the house for hot chocolate and pizza. Yummmmmm

I wasn't going to go. I was going to stay home and get caught up around here. But I am so glad I did go. I never laughed so hard at these kids. I am surprised no one broke anything. I loved getting a chance to take their pictures. The girls all looked away from the camera, but the boys wanted to make sure I caught their crashes. We needed a video camera out there.

Here are a couple of my kids.

My favorite of Anthony. He found this cat and was cuddling it. This is the face I know and love. He is such a sweet and good natured kid.

The girls, mine is in the middle. I didn't realize it was her because her hat wasn't the right color. Her hat is really dark brown, but you can't tell. This is after they crashed and rolled down the hill. Megan ended up hurting her tail bone again. I have a feeling that is going to bother her for awhile.

Jason looks upset in this picture but he's not. He is helping another little boy out with his sled. We joked that he looked like he was saying "why do I always have to carry the sleds?" He was just concerned about another kid who had just come down the hill. All we could see was a cloud of snow.

If anyone learned anything from today it would be me. The laundry and dishes will wait. Get out there and have some fun with the kids.