Wedding Numero Dos

Emily married Brant the day after Tyler married Krista. Did I mention we were busy?

We went to a lot of work to get these kiddos dressed up and matchy so that they could have lovely pictures like this one . . . You know, the classic kind with no silly faces . . . everyone is looking at the camera . . .

So utterly not frame-worthy.
My little sis with my little gal.
Great Grandma and T. She doesn't get to love on him very often, so I'm glad he let her seize this opportunity.
Jack is Deven and Emily's precious little foster baby. So introspective. He's really intellectualizing about a more efficient hydrogen fuel cell in this picture . . . he just doesn't quite have the necessary language to explain it all to us yet.
Love this shot of Grandpa and the boys.
I'm Grace's favorite auntie.

Really.

Wait . . . Grace . . . don't look at my face! Don't look . . .
Heck. Okay, she just realized she doesn't know me from Adam. But one day I'll be her favorite auntie.
My fam. All of nine of us.
Shoot. This post is getting kind of longish. I shall expound upon the reception in a future bloggity. And you already saw the cake, which was pretty much the highlight anyway.

And Em has a husband now. I should include a picture of him at some point, I suppose.

Wedding Numero Uno

We went to the Motherland.
It was a whirlwind trip, mostly because my sister (Auntie Em) and Michael's brother (Uncle Tiny) both got married in the same week.

First, Tyler and Krista's wedding -

We went here:
Took part in this:

(Michael's family photo)
and tried somewhat successfully to keep him clean for pictures.
Best. Picture. Ever.
Four generations.

Yeah, I'm behind the bloggity. I've got to wade through mountains of post-vacation laundry, mail and errands before I can catch up. Patience please.

And an announcement: Michael started his CHIEF and FINAL year of residency today! You can't see me, but feel free to imagine the little jig I am doing right now in my jammies.

Hustle Bustle

Below is a photo of part of the cast from the school musical, The Wizard of Oz. Seth was a soldier, and did a great song and dance that is only recorded on the video camera. As I'm too lazy to walk downstairs and get it right now, this picture will have to suffice. (Yes, I did run five miles this morning, is that irony?) Also on the video cam is the recording of his performance at the school talent show. He played Ode to Joy and Old West Rodeo on the piano. Considering we still have performances at the Cub Scout talent show and a piano recital this week, I think he'll be able to play those songs in his sleep by the weekend.
I made cupcake trees for my niece's baptism. They almost killed me. Now Al wants them for her birthday too.
The fam came for the niece's baptism. This picture well summarizes the visit. Busy happy chaos . . . they can come again any time.
These are the remains from T's dinner last night. He didn't want the bread any more after he buttered it himself. Obviously I was distracted at the time.
It is that time of year again, when I'm going to have to take a hiatus from blogging for a little while (aka blog-cation). There are too many performances, games, parties, birthdays, weddings, field days, etc.

At least we're not moving . . . we'll throw that into the mix next year!

Farewell internets! See you in a few weeks!

I Know I'm Behind . . .

Yes, the kids had their first day of school.

Yes, they played their first soccer games.

No, I have not written in a while.

Last weekend my uncle passed away after a long battle with cancer. And after much schedule shuffling, phone calling and family emergency leave clearance for Michael to watch the kids, I made the flight (alone . . . it's been so long!) to be with my family for the funeral to mourn the loss of the man who colored Snow-White's hair blue in my Disney coloring books. He bounced my brothers and I higher than was deemed safe by my parents on the trampoline. He took me for rides in his sports car. He taught me to knee-board and then, when I was older, to water-ski. He helped us kids build a dam out of rocks in the river next to my Grandma's house. He chased us with garter snakes from the lawn, and didn't get mad when we ate the treats that the pep club made for him before his high school basketball game. I remember watching him play in the state tournament on TV, and yelling like he could actually hear me through the screen (at the time we lived too far away to attend in person). The first time I remember going to an airport was to welcome him home from his mission. He snuck us ding-dongs and twinkies from Grandma's treat cupboard and taught me to play air-hockey. Later, I baby sat his kids as my summer job and he teased me about my boyfriends (or lack thereof).

More recently, he patiently watched my daughter from his recliner as she performed a ten minute song and dance routine in his living room. He clapped and cheered when appropriate, and probably would have treated her to a standing ovation if it hadn't been so much work for him to stand. He was a great family man, and will be remembered for his remarkable sense of humor. I won't be surprised if his gravesite is decorated with fake Billy Bob teeth instead of flowers on Memorial Day.

I don't have any pictures to add . . . the most recent ones are not how I like to remember him. When I think of my Uncle Deloy, the picture I have in my head will be from a long ago sunny summer afternoon. He's pushing me on the homemade rope swing in Grandma's back yard and pretending that he's going to make me fall off so I'll scream. I'm thankful he's free of pain now, and in a happier place . . . until we meet again, when I'm totally going to get him back for the garter snakes.

While I was in Utah, I got to see my newest niece Grace. She's my brother's baby, but Brianna was hogging her the whole time we were there.

I could just dip her in chocolate and eat her. She's that sweet.

Relay for Life: Cancer Can Eat our Dust!

While we were in the motherland my family had the opportunity to participate in the Relay for Life to fight against cancer. Cancer has really bombarded my mom's side of the family. We have four fighters and survivors that we gathered to support. The relay turned out to be an extremely cool family reunion. Thanks to everybody, especially Josie, for throwing it together.

You couldn't miss our team in the dazzling green t-shirts.

The event went for 24 hours. I eventually sent the punks home with Michael's parents for the night (they are full-service grandparents . . . thanks again guys!) and Brianna and I stayed up almost as late as the teenagers running, walking and partying. Poor Michael, he had to work.
Here we are walking with some cousins early the next morning . . . looking (in my opinion) only slightly worse for the wear.
These are our fighters and survivors, Grandma, Aunt Denise, Uncle Deloy and my cousin's son Tucker. Eat our dust Cancer!
Love this fam! This should be an annual event for us, I had a ball!

My running was slightly sub-par. The knee is still on the mend and the altitude was kicking my patootie. On the plus side, after returning to sea level, the endurance has really kicked in. I guess if you ever need to train hard for a race, Utah is the place to do it!

Photos courtesy of my cousin Tamy, because I, like an idiot, left my camera in Oregon.

Hiatus

Blogging is not a priority right now. I am busy, busy, busy.

I have to make Seth's costume for the school play. He is a cockroach, which is exactly the part he was hoping for.

It will be his birthday on Tuesday (Eight? Who gave him permission to grow up so quickly???). I get to make cake. I love making cake.

I have yet to finish the laundry created by camping trips two consecutive weekends in a row. The last load is in the dryer now . . .

Family is coming, both mine and Michael's. We'll celebrate birthdays, graduation (Michael again, no he's not done yet . . . just adding more letters to his name, as is his habit) Seth's baptism and The Rose Festival, and it is always more fun to have family celebrate with us. My sister just came home from her mission and she is coming too!!! I guess I should clean.

At some point I should also toilet train T. But it is so much work, and I am lazy . . .

Plus there are all the exciting end of the school year activities, field day, pre-school graduation, school picnics, programs, you get the idea.

The point is, I'm going on a hiatus. Maybe a week. Maybe two. Until I get my act together and am able to produce some quality material. Consider yourselves warned, internets. Things might be a little dull without me around. (Wait, did the internet just heave a giant sigh of relief?)

Multiple Choice

I'm sure I am not the only person who is asked embarrassing/personal questions at holiday parties.  I usually give some dumb obtuse answer and think of a snappy comeback about ten minutes later.  Since I am customarily asked the same questions year after year, I will record them here so that I can remember my response and spend the next 365 days formatting more piquant answers. Because I apparently have nothing else to do.  That's why.

Just for fun, take this multiple choice test and guess which answer was mine!

1)  Are you pregnant?

a- No, I just ate all the chocolate out of my stocking in one day.

b- Uhhh, hmm err.  Huh?

c- No.

d- Heck no!

e- Why?  Are you?

2)  Are your kids always this hyper?

a- Only when they eat this much sugar.

b- Those aren't actually my kids.

c- You consider this hyper?

d- Usually they are about 15 decibels louder than this.

e- You mean those Tasmanian devils with the same last name as me?

3)  How much money did you guys pull in this year?

a- More than you.

b- 50 cents.

c- Eh, errrr.  Gak.  Fum.

d- Not enough.

e- Some.

4)  Why did you guys vote for Obama up there in Oregon?

a- You don't know who I voted for.

b- Obama who?

c- He has cute kids.

d- Look! Is that Santa?

e- I didn't vote.  I was too lazy (or busy?) to fill out the card and mail it in on time.  I know, shame on me.

5)  When are you guys having another kid?

a-  Never.

b-  I'll call you the minute the stick turns pink.

c-  Ah, hem.  Erk.  

d-  I dunno.

e-  When I win the lottery.

6)  Isn't this the longest residency in the history of the world?

a- I'm trying not to think about it.  Please don't bring it up.

b- Yes.

c- I think there was this other guy, once in New York.  Or was it Florida?  Anyway, he did three different specialties . . . it took him twice as long.  He finished before he was 54, so we still have some time left before we catch up with him.

d- Michael could probably figure out a way to tack some more years on if I'd let him.

Answer Key:

1-c

2-a

3-d

4-e

5-c

6-a

A Photographic Tour of Cape Perpetua

If you ever camp at the Cape Perpetua campground in Yachats Oregon, be sure to ask for site number 14. It is so picturesque.
Try not to be too jealous of all my granola hotness.
The kids spent 80% of the trip throwing rocks, sticks, and leaves into the stream.
Checking out a centipede.
This tree is the second largest Sitka Spruce in the world. It is over 800 years old. Our Boston (now Eugene) friends met us for the hike and a trip to the beach.
The kids liked climbing inside the tree's roots.
A little perspective on how deep the root system of the Sitka Spruce goes.
The psychedelic mushroom we found on the hike.
A lizard by the bathroom.
Staying hydrated.
Jillian and Seth being buddies again after four years apart.


The Landmark Restraunt in Yachats. (pronounced Yah-hatz) Michael ate his weight in clam chowder.

Two, Four and Seven

The Almost Two Year Old (I think he's getting terrible a little early):

Turned off the computer while I was formatting a spreadsheet with stats on all the different cars we were looking at. I lost a good 45 minutes worth of work. When will I ever learn to save?

"Helped" Alice with her finger painting by spreading red paint all over himself and the table top.

Colored on his legs with a blue Crayola marker right after the bath that washed the red paint off of him. His legs are still blue because I am not bathing him again today.

Has decided that screeching is far more effective at catching my attention than saying "Mommy."

Stole the key to my treadmill which I searched frantically for (I think I burned almost as many calories as my normal run) and eventually found tucked in the back of his diaper. It may or may not have been covered in something that we won't get into here.

Enjoys turning the dishwasher off and on a hundred times in the middle of each cycle.

Found that things make cool noises when you throw them down a flight of stairs.

I think the reason that God made two year olds cute (especially mine) is so we don't completely lose it when they are naughty. A friend's blog had a quote that called little boys "noise with dirt on them." I couldn't have said it any better.

The Four Year Old:

Rarely causes a minute's trouble and is delightful in almost every way.

Except that she insists on choosing her own clothes. Sometimes tears are involved. Which means I occasionally show up at the grocery store toting a little girl wearing a plastic tiara, an old purple flower girl dress that is two sizes too small, a tutu and brown leather boots.

Also except for sometimes she uses a half a roll of toilet paper in the bathroom and then she tries to flush it. Today before I got it unclogged, somebody else in the house got desperate enough that they had to do their business on top of the clog, which only made the whole situation that much happier.

Believes that I am capable of doing all the things that she sees the Olympic gymnasts do on TV.

The Seven Year Old:

Made my bed today (and other days) without being asked. Also, his own bed and his sister's bed. He gets so excited about surprising me that he hides in my room and giggles to himself until I come in to see what he is up to.

Doesn't care what he wears, so I can ask him to put on shorts and a t-shirt and he'll do it.

Followed his little brother around at the indoor playground today and watched him for and hour and a half. He did such a good job babysitting that he earned 50 cents. I was able to sit on the bench and talk to grown-ups, which is pretty much my favorite activity right now.

Played "Sorry" with a four year old and a two year old (even though they have no idea how to play) for half the afternoon while I worked on the computer and made phone calls.

Prefers fresh strawberries to strawberry ice cream.

Has read so many books at the library this summer that the librarian knows him and has new suggestions ready when we come in each week. Right now he is working his way through the Magic Tree House Research and Field Guides.

Can't wait for school to start next week!

One last tidbit:
Over tonight's pancake dinner T pointed to the Syrup and asked for "ketchup." Alice laughed and said, "If T calls the syrup ketchup, I'm going to call my syrup honey!" Seth added, "Then I will call my syrup VENOM!"
Boys.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big, Hungry Bear

Adapted from the book by Don and Audrey Wood
Hello Little Mouse. What are you doing?
Ohhh, I see. Are you going to pick that red, ripe strawberry?
But, Little Mouse . . . Haven't you heard about the big, hungry Bear?
Oh, how that bear loves red, ripe strawberries! The big, hungry Bear can smell a red, ripe strawberry a mile away . . .
Especially one that has just been picked.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! That bear will tromp through the forest on his big hungry feet and . . .
SNIFF! SNIFF! SNIFF!
find the strawberry . . . no matter where it is hidden, or who is guarding it, or how it is disguised.
Quick! There is only one way in the whole wide world to save a red, ripe strawberry from the big, hungry Bear!
Cut it in two. Share half with me. And we'll both eat it all up.
Yum! Now that's one red, ripe strawberry that the big, hungry Bear will NEVER get!
The End.

Life's New and Improved Lessons

Never Wake a Sleeping Baby.
Unless he fell asleep with a stinky diaper on his bottom and a half-chewed chicken nugget in his mouth.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Unless you live with a doctor. Then try garlic.

Man cannot live on bread alone.
I have a kid that can, though.

You are what you eat.
In that case I have a child that who should resemble a giant piece of bread.

Crime doesn't pay.
Last week at the checkout counter at Albertson's the checker was fawning over how cute Alice was. That is, until Alice said, "Guess what? Today at lunch I was laughing so hard that I burped and tooted at the same time!" While we were thusly distracted, T was busy snatching the checkout line candy from his seat in the toy car attached to the front of the shopping cart. When discovered, Seth exclaimed, "Good idea T! Save that, we might need it for later!"

Pretty is as pretty does.
And naughty is as naughty does.

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Nobody ever said anything about how you have to get up nine times in the night to get water, wipe bums and check for snakes under the bed. Then, you have to rise early because there are so many extra bodies in the bed that you fall off.

The early bird gets the worm.
And the last Pop-Tart.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Or grouchy and whiny.


Attention soccer fans! Click here to visit Shonda's blog. Cute, huh? Now guess which legs are mine! The prize I am offering for this exciting contest is the privilege of being right!
(No fair guessing if you are on the team.)