Where has the year gone???

This time last year, when we moved back to Washington, we thought we would be in our new house by now.  But, here we sit in our apartment...still.  We finally got rid of our 2 lots that we decided not to build on and found a new one.  We are in the process of rebidding everything since it's been longer than three months and have to wait 30 days to get something taken care of with an easement on one side of the new property.  We were going to wait until March 1 to start because by then we would be safe from super cold weather.  But the longer we are in this apartment the crazier I get and I am not sure how much more of that Mark can take from me!  Plus we are hoping to have visitors (Kristen??) this summer and want to have some place to have them stay.  So, we may get started before March, but at this point I'm not holding my breath.

Here is a quick update of everyone since it's been a while:
Brett - finished up cross country and has decided to not do any winter sports this year.  He continues to take weight training for zero-hour and will begin training for Track soon.  He has taken up dessert making on Sunday afternoons and likes to try new recipes.  The Chocolate Macaroon cake he made this last week was good but he said he will NEVER make it again.  It took a lot of effort and he thought for that much effort it should have been divine.  It was good, but not better than any other chocolate cake we have made.

Erin - has enjoyed her break from swimming but will begin again soon.  Try outs for the competition team are on December 18.  She should have no problem making the team.  She is our resident "blonde" and has many moments that keep us laughing.  She is super fun to be around and enjoys hanging out with her friends.  One of her favorite things to do is check the school district Parent Portal and see if her GPA is higher than Brett's.

Kehli - still loves her dance class and is getting ready for the winter performance next weekend.  She is proud of herself that she isn't too shy to move up from the back row and even gets to be the "T" (when two girls pick her up under the arms and carry her forward) during on of the songs.  Big accomplishment for Kehli!!  She was sad that Girls on the Run wasn't available this fall and is hoping that  they will offer it in the Spring.  She is signed up for basketball and will begin that after the first of the year.

Kendall - has discovered reading and is always kind enough to pick out a book or two for me (I am not a reader, but she is determined to help me love it).  She was taking guitar lessons but told me, "I don't think guitar is the talent for me."  She really enjoys going to Activity Days at church and was sad to learn that she only gets to go twice in two months because of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I'm sure it is nice for the leaders to have a break!

Evan - cannot wait to go back to Quincy for Christmas break so he can ride his dirtbike again.  He will be in heaven when we finally do get moved and there is space for him to ride every day.  He told Santa that he wanted his own 4-wheeler and a 3-wheeler.  Glad he's not asking for much!  Evan will also start basketball in January and is hoping that he gets on the same team as his friend Kyle.  He loves to learn Spanish and isn't afraid to try and speak to people.  If we are at the store and someone look likes they may be Spanish he blurts out "Hola Amigo."  Occasionally he will ask their name and how old they are as well.  He's definitely not shy.

Adam - is totally potty trained.  He picked it up the quickest of any of the other kids and can even sleep through the night with no accidents.  That makes me so happy!!  I can't believe that he will be three next month.  He loves going to the Nursery at church and playing in the kids room at the gym.  I guess he is a pretty social kid.  He still doesn't talk very much but that's probably because the other kids still do EVERYTHING for him.  I think that's just part of being the youngest.

Mark - plugs along at work and is really looking forward to getting started on the house.  He loves the process of building and likes the busyness of it all.  He has decided to sell his motorcycle because he didn't ride it very much this whole year.  I think it's because there is another bike he has his eye on...we will see!

Me - I'm just trying to stay sane amid the chaos of this apartment.  I do love to watch the kids play with each other because I know if we were in a house they would all just find their own space to be in and wouldn't interact near as much as they do now.  I will miss that.  I think that's the only thing I will miss!  I have discovered a Group Power class at the gym that I enjoy going to 2-3 times per week.  It's a great release for me.  I'd love to get back into running...maybe one day when I'm not so lazy.  I got my hair done again.  This time I used the same base color and red highlights, but we added some lighter ones as well so it didn't end up so dark.  Everyone liked it better and the only non-compliment I got was, "Why is your hair purple?" This picture doesn't show it too much, but the red highlights are pretty vibrant.  They will fade with time.

Christmas is just about done.  I only have three more presents to get.  Mark will pick one of them up when he goes up to Quincy early and the other two will come next week.  I love online shopping!!  Everything else is wrapped and ready to go.  This weekend we will do our holiday baking and goodie plate delivering.  Then we can relax for two weeks before Christmas.  We are excited to visit with Brad (Mark's brother) again over Christmas.  The picture below is from an annual Christmas party that I have attended since we moved to Kennewick.  The first one I went to was in 2002 or 2003 - I can't remember.  I dressed up as Bjork in her famous swan dress at the Academy Awards in 2001.  If I can figure out how to get a picture off of my phone and put it on this blog I will add it.  It was a pain to make but turned out pretty good.



I need a little release...

I mentioned in another post that I have been in a funk lately.  I think it is a combination of things going on in my life.  Living in an apartment with 8 people STINKS!  Not everything about it is hard, just most of it.  The worst for me is not being able to have people over.  We are a pretty social family and love to invite people over for dinner or games and dessert.  Unfortunately we just don't have room for that.  I can't wait to have a house and be able to play hostess again.  Our kitchen is VERY small and so cooking and baking is a challenge.  I love to have the kids helping me and they enjoy it also.  I worry so much that because we are tripping all over each other while cooking someone is going to get hurt or burned.  I think they miss being kitchen helpers also.  I also can't have play dates here because the majority of our toys are boxed up in storage.  Plus it's hard to visit with other moms when there is no other place for the kids to play.  It gets so loud.  On a positive note...I can have the whole place cleaned up in less than an hour.  I will miss that!  I won't talk about everything else but know that I am really, really looking forward to building a new house next year.

The election has added to my stress - not only the office of the President, but local and state leaders and initiatives and referendums.  There's a whole lot going on! 

I was raised by deeply patriotic parents, my father in particular.  The 4th of July was a much celebrated holiday that we looked forward to each year - not just the barbecues and fireworks, but the reminders of our national history, founding fathers, wars and freedoms.  I'm so grateful to have had that love of country shown to me from my earliest childhood.  Every year I tell myself that I will do better as a parent in instilling that in my children, but fear I am failing in that regard.

During this last election I was a Romney/Ryan supporter.  I am not an in-your-face person about politics but have very strong feelings about the direction our country has been going the last few years.  There is a great need for change and I don't agree with the change that is happening.  I love my country so will support and pray for our President just as I do for my leaders at church, school and in the community.  I have great concern for my friends and family that own small businesses.  I have watched them struggle over the last few years and hope that they can survive in the coming years.  Without small businesses succeeding our country cannot prosper.  We also have many friends and family in the medical profession - ER doctors, private practice, surgeons, nurses, optomologists, anaesthesiologists, and more.  What does the future hold for them?  How will their lives and jobs change with the changes in health care?  The economy is my biggest concern but I think it's obvious why that worries me.  Will my kids be able to find good jobs now as they start learning responsibility and later when they need to support themselves?  Accepting handouts and sitting on their rear ends has never been an option.  Work is what we have taught them and that is what gains respect.

I don't know if this election was an emotional one for me because as I get older I am more aware of the deep impact seemingly small things can have or if it's because I see the foundation that is being laid for my children.  Leaving them with trillions of dollars of national debt is not fair.  We struggle now and I can't imagine how they will struggle to live comfortably, support themselves and their families and ultimately retire with little to no worries.  I'm afraid that won't happen.  I always tell my children that I hope they are better than we are as parents - that they are more successful, better parents, happier.  Isn't that the wish of every parent?

I am still grateful to be an American.  Grateful that our acceptance has come so far that we have an African-American President, that a Mormon man was able to run for US President with so much support and get half of the popular vote, and that record number of women and minorities have been elected to all levels of government.  We have come a long way but our progress must not stop or even go backwards.  I will continue to fight for those things that I know and believe are best for our country.  I'm grateful for my faith to lift me up and give me courage and understanding when I need it most.

That is a whole lot of rambling and may not make sense but I have a lot of thoughts right now and I am having a hard time expressing them.  I just want a little bit of this written down and sometimes this is the only type of journaling I do.  I will close with one last thing:  Last night after the election was finalized a friend (Obama supporter) posted this on facebook: "Mark my words: Second-term Obama will look NOTHING like first-term Obama."  I hope and pray that she is right, although I believe that it means something totally different to the both of us.

Birthday and Rolls

Our little Evan turned 6 on Halloween.  He chose to have yellow cake (because he "didn't want to get sick of chocolate cake) with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge on top.  We were all happy with his choice!!  I just love this kid!!!  He is so full of personality and really keeps us on our toes.

We have been on a quest to stop using white flour all together at our house.  Everyone has gotten used to a little bit different texture in the cookies and other baked goods.  My biggest hurdle in getting rid of white flour has been rolls.  I love to make rolls especially for Sunday dinner.  I have a honey wheat roll recipe that came from Mark's mom that we like but I wanted to try something different.  I was looking through an old family cookbook and ran across a recipe that my sister, Heather, had submitted for Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls.  I had to try it.  The recipe made 4 dozen rolls and they got huge!  They are my new favorite and everyone loved them.  Here is the recipe:

 

Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

8 cups whole wheat flour, ground very fine (more if using from the store)

1 cup potato flakes or 2/3 cups potato Buds

2 tsp. salt

4 cups warm water

2 pkg. dry yeast

4 eggs

1 cup powdered milk

1 cup sugar

1 cup oil (recipe called for canola but I used olive oil)

1/2 cup all purpose flour (I used whole wheat)

1/4 cup melted butter (I used olive oil)

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and potatoes.  Mix well; set aside.  In a blender pour 2 cups water, yeast and eggs; blend on low speed.  While blending, add powdered milk slowly and sugar.  Pour into the flour mixture and add remaining 2 cups water and oil.  Mix and knead 10 minutes until the gluten is well developed.  Let rise until double and knead down.

 

Divide into 3 equal parts and roll each into a circle 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface.  Brush on 1/3 of the butter and cut with a pizza wheel into 16 equal pie pieces.  Roll large end to small end and place on greased pan.  Let rise until doubled.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

 

*My notes: I divided my dough into quarters and cut each circle in 12.  Mine were also done cooking at 9 minutes.

Happy November!!

Well, it's been over a month since I updated this blog...I better not let it go any longer or it may turn into years again!

Fall sports have wrapped up and I am enjoying a little break from playing mom taxi to so many practices and meets. 

Brett at his last meet of the season

Brett had a great Cross Country season and says he wants to do it again even though he hates running.  He knows how good it is for his body to run and likes the benefits.  He continues with his zero-hour weight lifting and still does cardio workouts to be ready for Track season in the spring.  He has decided to not do any winter sports this year.  He is a member of Buddy Club at school and has his first activity with his buddy tomorrow night.  It is a great thing to be involved with!

Erin is enjoying a break from swimming but will begin with the competitive swim team here soon.  She had a great season with the school swim team and qualified for districts in one event, but did not attend that meet because the team already had their allotted slots full.  I'm sure she will only improve and be able to go next season.

Kehli is doing better at school after an adjustment period starting in middle school.  She does not enjoy reading for pleasure so that is a struggle, but we have found a series that she enjoys and that helps.  She continues with her Jazz Funk dance class and has a few performances coming up.  She has expressed interest in joining the school dance team next year.  She had her first band concert last week and did a great job.

Kendall thinks she is all grown up being the oldest of our children in elementary school.  She always watches out for Evan and all the other "little kids."  She is taking guitar lessons once a week and is having fun learning a new skill there.

Evan is doing great at school and it is so fun to hear him "talk" in Spanish.  He made a "me gusta" (my favorite) book and here are his favorites in his order 1. banos (bathrooms) 2. Mr. Solano 3. his friend with a toy gun 4. his friend Carter.  I got a kick out of that and asked him if bathrooms really were his most favorite.  His response, "Mom, it feels sooooooo good to go to the bathroom."

Adam is doing great potty training and I can count on one hand how many accidents he has had in three weeks.  He even wakes up dry from his naps and most nights.  I love thinking about all the money we are saving without having to buy diapers for him!  I enjoy all the time we get to spend together while the kids are at school.

Mark and I before an adult Halloween party a couple of weeks ago.

Halloween was fun.  I put very little effort into costumes this year and we didn't even carve pumpkins.  I'm in kind of a funk lately and hopefully I can get out of it before the holidays or my kids will probably start calling me the Grinch!  I put on my Dorothy dress so Adam could be Curious George.  Evan's LEGO brick turned out cute and the nature of being in a box helped contain him at the trunk-or-treat.  Why didn't I think of that years ago??

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Brad is coming from Hawaii for both holidays and we will spend some time in Quincy with him and Mark's parents.  The kids are hoping for good weather so they can ride their dirtbikes.

New Hair...

I like to get my hair done...it feels good and there is nothing more relaxing than sitting under a dryer reading a trashy magazine for an hour then getting a scalp massage.  Since I'm getting more and more gray hair and I'm not ready to grow up and accept it, I color my hair regularly.  Usually it's no big deal.  Sometimes it isn't even noticed by everyone.  But yesterday was an exception.  I always go darker in the fall/winter but I have never had my hair this dark before.  We decided on dark (it's almost black and I am really hoping it lightens up at least a little bit) with red highlights.  I got mixed reviews from my family.  Here were their reactions:
Mark - isn't a fan.  He says he feels like he is cheating on his wife when he looks at me.  He wants me to go in and fix it.
Brett - says it looks purple, likes it better lighter
Erin - didn't notice until her friend in the backseat of our car mentioned it, says it's "fine"
Kehli - says it's pretty (but I wonder if she said that because everyone else didn't like it and she didn't want me to feel bad - she gets extra allowance this month!!)
Kendall - "Oh mom, did you get your hair done?" Me: "Yes, do you like it?" Kendall: "No."
Evan - "It's okay"
Adam - loves me no matter what color my hair is :-)

I've decided to just leave it.  It's growing on me.  I may never go so dark again, but it's temporary.  Change is good no matter how big or small.  It's my hair, right??

The last of summer...beginning of school

The adventures of raising a boy...

There is a little boy that lives upstairs from us.  He and Evan have a love/hate relationship.  It depends on how each of the boys are feeling whether they play nice together.  Usually Evan will just come inside if things aren't going well.  One particular day Evan had a mini screwdriver that he was "fixing" thing with outside.  He decided to "fix" a small tree that is in the lawn just outside our door.  Well, Owen didn't think that was a good idea and when Evan wouldn't stop Owen attacked him.  Below is a picture of the aftermath of Owen scratching Evan's face up.  When he wouldn't stop, Evan planted one right hook to the face and Owen went home crying with a bloody nose.  We don't think it was okay to punch, and don't encourage it from our children.  Evan took a lot, stayed as calm as possible and told him several times to get off.  There were even scratches behind both ears.  Enough is enough and Evan ended it.  We have had several talks with him about it not being okay to solve situations by physically fighting.  We've never had this problem before and hope to not have it again!!  Is this normal for little boys, or we just in for a ride with this kid?

 Adam loves to be read to, especially by Kehli.  He always picks the book "A Mother for Cocoa" and Kehli reads it over and over again.

 This one particular day Adam just couldn't get enough and when Kehli was done he got another book and went and found Brett to read to him.  The older kids are so good to Adam and he sure misses them while they are at school.  The first day Adam walked around looking for Bro (Brett) - knocking on closed doors and calling for him.  It was kind of sad!

 Kehli continued with her dance classes through the summer and got to dance at the fair.  She still gets nervous but does a great job and is so proud after it's over.  She has decided to drop the hip hop class so she can participate in Girls on Track, but will stay in the Jazz Funk class once a week.  We took the whole family to the fair that night and enjoyed a free dinner from Famous Dave's (thanks to AgriNorthwest sponsored tickets!).  We also had front row tickets to the rodeo which was lots of fun.  It was the best rodeo we have ever been to - the clown was entertaining and there was very little down time.  The MC's were great, music and sideshows were fun.  We will take the kids again next year.  Brett will never be in charge of the camera again though because I had to delete about 100 pictures.  I did keep a few of them though - like the one below of he and Evan being silly.

 Here are our first day of school 2012 pictures.  Brett's was actually taken on the third day of school.  He is taking zero hour weight lifting and my brain isn't quite working when we walk out of the door at 6:30 for school.  I wonder if I will ever get used to waking up at 5:50 every morning to make sure he gets breakfast and lunch and out the door on time.  No other kids will sign up for zero hour!!

Evan's first day was actually today because they stagger the Kindergartner's starting.  He was more than ready to go and it will be interesting talking to the teachers after school to see how things went.

August Activities...so far

We had been planning on camping at Mt. Ranier last weekend, but those reservations had to be cancelled two days before we were to leave.  Then things changed again (isn't life exciting?) and we ended going to Banks Lake, which is up by Grand Coulee Dam.  It was fun to take the kids to the laser light show at the dam because when we went up there during Spring Break it wasn't showing.  The kids had a blast and we had a great time getting to know some new people.

 Some of Brett's friends made this jump then pulled it out by a dock to jump off of. 

 They all had a great time until a park ranger came and told them that the fun was over and they needed to move it...RIGHT NOW.

 Adam having a great time on the boat with daddy.  He had a blast jumping off the dock.

Me cliff jumping from about 20 feet up.  The next jump was easier without the life jacket.  I was too chicken the first time to jump without it.  The next day Evan (our 5 year old) jumped from this spot.  I was shocked - no fear!

 Mark's turn

 Erin's third jump

 Brett jumping from another spot.  This one was about 30 feet high.  You can see another boy up on a rock to the right.  Two brave boys jumped from there - about 45 feet high.

Kehli, Erin & Kendall tubing with friends

 Adam in his boat "fort"

playing on the beach

Erin got her bottom braces on this afternoon.  She and Brett signed up for fall sports at school with practice starting next Monday.  Brett will run cross country and Erin joined the swim team.  They both pick up their class schedules tomorrow.  Crazy that I have two high schoolers this year!  School starts two weeks from today and I'm not sure how I feel about it.  The summer went by way too fast and I don't want the fun to end.  But the kids do great on a schedule and we haven't been as strict this summer as we have been in years past as far as bedtime, chores, etc.

*Warning: not everyone will care to read the following paragraph*

This morning I had a small procedure done on my bladder.  I had a sling put in to hold it up.  It's one of those things that people don't talk about.  Delivering babies naturally can push things around in your body that don't always go back.  It doesn't happen to all mommies, I guess I'm just lucky ;-).  I wish that there was a chapter in those "What to Expect..." books, but I guess if there were crazy pregnant ladies would be signing up for unnecessary C-sections.  If I could go back I wouldn't change my labor and deliveries - they were some of the best hours of my life.  I am just excited to be able to run more than a couple of miles at a time, jump on a trampoline, hike, go to evening Zumba class, and laugh without having to know where the nearest bathroom is.  Also to be able to sneeze without having to stop and cross my legs in the middle of the grocery store isle.  I'm so grateful for modern medicine and that the procedure is quick and easy.  I'm looking forward to being "normal" again in one short month.  Moms should not be embarrassed to talk about it because I'm learning that it is more common than I thought and it's not something that is unfixable.  Thanks Dr. Salisbury!!  Here's to a new start in September - cheers!

Is it August already!?

I was so worried that this summer would creep by being in this tiny apartment, but I was wrong.  The kids have almost 4 more weeks until school starts and our calendar is pretty full.  July was a fun month highlighted by the Child family reunion and a visit with my side of the family in Magna, Utah.

July 4 is always a great holiday.  I have such fond memories of every Independence Day celebrated with fried chicken, friends, games & fireworks at the University of MD.  Kehli was in the local parade this year with her dance studio and volunteered to carry the banner so she didn't have to dance the whole parade route.  Smart girl! That's her in the red shirt.

This year we went someplace new for fireworks and were not disappointed.  There is a man in the neighborhood where we used to live that puts on a show.  It lasted over 12 minutes.  It would have been longer but during the last few minutes 2 rows of fireworks were going off at one time.  We got in the van when it was over and got home by 10:45.  That was Mark's favorite part!  He never enjoys a huge crowd or waiting for hours to get home. 

The next weekend I got to go away on a girls weekend to Seattle with 4 other friends.  We had a blast shopping, shopping, eating & shopping.  Here we are eating our last meal in Seattle before heading back to real life.

We have been spending lots of time this summer swimming - either at the apartment pool or at the court club.  Erin has had a great time on the novice swim team and has been coming in 1st or 2nd place.

We have discovered that Adam is our little fish.  Last year he went from not liking the pool at all to running down the 0-depth and flopping in.  This year he will jump in ANYWHERE even if no one is there ready to catch him, even the 12 foot deep end.  He will hold his breath for 7-8 seconds at a time, look around under water, open his eyes and wave to you, and do back flips.  He screams and cries when it is time to leave for the day.  It is so fun to watch, but scary at the same time.  He has no fear.  I wonder when it's too early to start swim lessons.    It seems so early to learn strokes so I don't know what the instructor would do with him except play.  Maybe he's the next Michael Phelps!

We attended the Child Family reunion at Bear Lake in July.  We were all able to stay in one big house, complete with ping pong, theater room, pool table, indoor & outdoor slides, playroom with basketball court, in-floor trampoline, and swing set, and 9 bedrooms on 3 floors.  It was wonderful to be all together in one place.  We got to get raspberry milkshakes, go to the lake, hike and play.  We made many wonderful memories and the kids had a blast with all their cousins.

 Adam playing ping pong with me.

 Aunt Kristen, Ryan, Brett & Jacob playing ping pong

 Before our hike through Minnetonka Cave - 444 steps in, 444 steps out

 Our traditional visit from "Santa" for the Christmas gift exchange

 Everyone present except Taylor & Brock, who are serving missions and Nate, Mitchell & Blake.

 Granny & Papa with all the grand kids

 I love the look of happiness on Granny and Papa's face

family picture

After the reunion Mark went home because he had to go to work.  I took the kids and headed further south to Magna.  My parents were out on their annual trip to visit Grandma Bennett.  We swam, bowled, relaxed, visited cousins, ate at Leatherby's & Neilson's frozen custard, went swinging at Uncle Jeff's, visited the copper mine, and didn't get enough sleep!

 Leatherby's with Aunt Lindsay

 Kehli getting a pedicure from my cousin, Katie

 eating frozen custard with Amy at Neilson's

 Bowling - yes I beat Brett ;-)

 We went and saw the new Polar Bear exhibit at the zoo, as well as the monkeys, bears, elephants, reptiles, tigers, otters, sea lions, and more.

 with Grandma & Grandpa at the Copper Mine

 swimming with Jared & Addie at Deseret Peak Complex

 Daily card playing after the kids went to bed with Aunt Susan, my mom, Aunt Penny, Grandma Bennett, and Uncle Wayne

 Saying good bye - Brett was already in Provo for EFY and Evan was in the corner being a stinker

Until next time...