Chaos & Joy

Letters to Sam II

2011-10-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

My dearest Baby Sam,

Last week was one of those every 2 week sonograms that we have been going to ever since you were diagnosed. We are very lucky! We have seen you grow, suck your thumb, punch the Dr and just do everything that a healthy baby would do. We've seen you asleep, awake, and just staring at the camera. What a beautiful little face you have.

The last sonogram there was a little funny slow down in your heart beat, then it would speed up again. You are a fighter! I may or may not have been the one that gave you a stubborn gene, I'll never tell.

At the visits we always have a good talk with the Dr and get questions answered. Daddy has never missed a visit, he is amazing! Since you are still fighting a very good fight and everything seems OK , for now, we were asking her about the birth and some minor things we can do to keep you comfortable till your fight is over and you can go live with Heavenly Father. I never thought that these plans would be soo tough. I have worked so hard to keep you alive for the last 26 weeks it brakes my heart to plan your last hours or days on this earth. But the funny thing is I will be so happy just to see you make it that far.

When we were driving home from the Dr's we decided to just plan the funeral now and put it all away for when it happens. We want it to be perfect and not be such a rushed thing when it happens. So, after all your brothers and sisters went to bed, Daddy made me some tea, so sweet, and we started planning your funeral. There would be 2 versions, one if you were born alive and one if you were born asleep. It was so difficult. No Mommy wants or should have to plan her baby's funeral. Mommy's are supposed to plan the sweet happy birth, and plan what is going to be the first outfit they bring their baby home in, and how to introduce the baby to their new family. Luckily, your sweet Daddy took over finding a casket, a morgue, and the perfect burial plot.

The good news is, you are still kicking and surviving! No need for a funeral yet! We are grateful for this amazing experience. We are soo excited to finally meet you! We know whenever it is it will be the very moment the Lord has planned. He is a gracious God!

LOVE, MOMMY

Letters to Sam

2011-10-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Baby Sam,

You are one deeply loved little baby, and you aren't even born yet. But you are a blessing to your whole family. These letters are from the heart of your mother to a baby she wishes to meet one day, hopefully on this earth in 15 weeks.

When the Lord let Daddy and I know that you needed to come to our family he also let me know you'd be a sweet boy with serious health problems. We were very nervous but knew you were the Lords child first.

When I was 13 weeks along, and on daddy's birthday, we found out some not so happy news about your health. So, the next day we went to a special Doctor that knows a lot about this stuff and we had more tests done. After one easy test and one not so easy test we found out that you have a chromosome abnormality. It's called Trisomy 18 which means there are 3 chromosomes in the 18th spot instead of 2. The doctors informed us that you only had a 10% chance of making it to a live birth and it was very unlikely that you would live past a year if you had a live birth. It turns out that that small little extra chromosome can cause real damage to a sweet little boy like you.

You are obviously more special than we every could have imaged. What a blessing to our family you are. My Doctor has never really dealt with this much since I guess when most mommies and daddies find out about it they decide to stop being pregnant. They really miss out on an angel like you.

We know that the Lord can heal but sometimes that is not the plan. Sometimes a person's mission does not include taking a breath. Sometimes a life is only meant to be for a few days or hours. Even though our sadness is great we know you are the child that was meant for our family. This is God's plan and we are so greatful to be part of it.

LOVE YOU GREATLY, MOMMY

www.trisomy18.org

cousins. . . just a few!

2009-11-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

July 2009- My kids are very lucky!!!! They have a ton of cousins their own age. Unfortunately none live near us . . . Yet! This summer My sister Lisa and her family came for a visit. She has a great hubby- Ossil, and 3 great kids- Andraya, Chrystine, and Ayden. It was just a week but It was a week full of fun local things.

Our timid little kids at OMSI

The kids put together a play were each person had a part in putting it on.

They advertised

Avery and Ayden made treats (of the plastic variety) and handed them out.

Hannah and Andy did the finely choreographed Heelly performance

Josh also had a very compelling part in the show

Chrystine was a natural DJ

The performance was sensational and a must see when it comes to your area!!!

Wilsonville's water park

Multnomah FallsSuch a beautiful day!

And of course the back yard trampoline
It was such a fun week! We sure miss them!!!

Salishan

2009-11-01T20:15:00.001-08:00

July 2009- We love Oregon and all the adventures here! While adventuring we have come to realize that the Oregon coast is really underdeveloped for it being so stunning. We are used to So Cal where everything is very busy on the coast and there are resorts, super nice places or even just nice places to stay everywhere (which we liked). Our friends the Warnicks found this beautiful resortish place on the coast by Lincoln City. Salishan is just a beautiful place to relax and unwind. We met up with the Warnicks and with all of our kids (8 all together) and had a great time.

The kids had a lot of fun in the play area.

Later we met up with the friends and played mini golf ( I don't think the grey heads liked it much)

Hannah, Zach & Ainsley

We went on lots of walks which led us to. . .

. . . the beautiful coast

Salishan gets a big thumbs up!!!!!

Is running fun????

2009-11-01T19:47:00.001-08:00

June 2009- Yes, at the Wilsonville fun run it was !!! It was a really big event, each kid took turns competing in there own age group and they all did great. Beautiful backdrop.

Josh did a great job!

Avery

Zach even had fun with all the extra things they had there to do.

Hannah

The champions!!!

Great job everyone!!!

Reptile Man. . . What?

2009-09-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

June 2009-It is no secret that I can't stand snakes, so lucky me, the library had the Reptile man come and share with the kids all his snakes. Yeah, all these boxes are full of them and don't worry the boxes with the poisonous snakes have a red tag on the box. . . WHAT??????? Yeah, he had poisonous snakes in a room full of overly excited children, doesn't sound like a very well thought out plan.
And to make it even more fun he would dangle them over the kid's heads.
My kids loved every minute of it, it may be because they knew I didn't like it, not sure.

Zach wasn't so sure about it. Then, just to add to thee excitement, he brought out an alligator, and. . . Zach wasn't so sure about that either!

Hannah loved all the snakes and she really wanted to hold one so finally he chose her as one of the snake holders of a HUGE one.
At the end I got home with all of my kids intact and no adopted snakes, SUCCESS!

Happy Fathers Day!!!!!

2009-09-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

Summer 2009- So, father's day comes but once a year and we love to celebrate it for sure!!!! But, I also don't like my children going to church looking homeless and sloppy!!! BUT in the spirit of father's day my heart must have melted or softened (not sure, it doesn't happen often) and I let Ben dress Zach for church in what ever he wanted and he chose laderhosen. Zach was thrilled by the news that he was going to wear this to church.

I guess it could be worse!

Festival of the kites

2009-09-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

June 2009- I am a sucker for a festival and so to my thrill we went to the coast for a kite festival. It was the perfect day for anything to do with wind and the out doors.

These were huge kites.

They also have groups flying their kites together to music. It my sound cheesy but it was really amazing!

The kids made their own kites at a booth , which they loved! The finished products (No Josh, he was in San Diego)

Now to flying them, because after we get home who knows were those kites will end up. :D
A Great Day!

BEND is a town

2009-09-08T09:53:00.001-07:00

June 2009- If I could have just a buncha vacation homes one would be in Bend (after Maui, of course) or in one of the surrounding resorts. We go there a few times a year and the beauty is just breathtaking. It reminds me alot of Disney's Cali Adventure. So here are a few pictures.

Of course none of my kids have shoes on, I grew up thinking shoes were highly over rated.

On the river there are some great restaurants, the kids loved making their own pizzas.
Josh has grown to love wristbands, but who doesn't?
Zach

All my children love to climb, Hannah being the one most bitten by that bug. Again, no shoes

There is a Butte (not butt) that you can climb to the top of and see the whole valley, the mountains around it are soo beautiful.
Bend is not just a verb, it's a beautiful town.

The boy is 7!!!

2009-08-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

June 2009- I can hardly believe how fast my kids are growing. And one of those kids is Josh who turned 7. As tradition has it we always have breakfast in bed for the birthday person and Josh wanted pancakes an apple and chocolate milk.
He also has wanted Heeleys for ever. And I finally found some in his size, and Daddy's.

When it became birthday time we celebrated at the bowling ally. It was lots of fun especially since none of our kids had bowled before.

Love the shoes!A blurry Josh

Josh did a wonderful job at bowling

Zach was the upset for sure he kept winning and getting strikes.

Matthew always turned to the side to make his ball turn.

AHH birthday gifts!

A tied up birthday boy.

The eggless worm and mud cake, Yumm!
All the kids had a great time

Happy birthday my sweet boy!!

Farewell Forte and Tranquila

2009-08-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

June 2009- I hate snakes, not with a capital H but I just have no like in my whole being to ever have one or run into one. So my sweet family thought it a good idea to catch a couple for me to look at everyday. The kids loved them and named them Forte and Tranquila. We tryed really hard to make a home that they would like and could survive in but after a few days the snakes didn't eat and they knew it was time to say goodbye.

So good-bye Forte and Tranquila, Good-Bye!!!!

It's a good thing he's SOOO cute!!!!

2009-08-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

May 2009- Once upon a time a Momma went outside with her baby boy and her 5 yr old girl to send the little girl on the bus to go to school. As the girl and her school mate jumped on the bus the Momma started to talk to a friend. Unbeknownst to the Momma her sweet but smart baby boy went in the house locked the door and went right to the pantry. After opening the pantry door he pulled up a stool and begun eating all the candy, cookies, and junk food he could find. When the momma finally noticed that this sweet boy was in the house and locked the door she tried to entice him to come let her in. With cookie in hand and chocolate on face he nicely and loudly said "NO!".
WHAT????? Oh no you did not!!!! So, ever so gently the Momma asked over and over again trying all the bribing she knew. Sadly the answer was always a loud but simple "NO". Finally, this cute little thing opened the door and with sweet smile said " Cookie all gone". Good thing he is soo cute!!!

Avery's A+ Performence

2009-08-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

May 2009- We have lots of talent in this family and this was Avery's turn to show hers off. It was her Kinder big show of the year. Not only did she look darn cute but she sang like an angel.

Avery at her school
The brightly colored stage
Avery listening intently to instruction

Avery decorated this hat for the show and looked great in it!!!

Great Job Avery!!!

We Have a New Puppyish!!!

2009-08-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

MAY 2009- Most people know that we have children and most people know that we used to have a dog. Well, since Zach is severely allergic to dog dander we decided on a little child (which we already had) that acts like a dog =a PUPPY!!!! He even named himself Puppy, yes he is brilliant!!

Puppy with Josh
Puppy

This should keep the kids from asking for a pet for a little while. We are still trying to train the new puppy to not lick, but I guess it's a small price to pay!!

A Rolling We Will Go

2009-07-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

May 2009- What kid doesn't love a good hill to roll down? We stood here for a while so the kids could enjoy this little pleasure.
But for Zach it was more like. . .

Scoot. . .
Scoot. . .

Rollishscoot. . .

Roll. . .

In no time he will be rolling like the pros-

The Playgroup Posse

2009-07-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

May 2009- AHHH Playgroup! Avery and her friends were in the afternoon kinder so every Wednesday they got together at a different house for Playgroup. They did the things girls do Play, fight, Play, Laugh, fight, Play, Play, Play. It was great for everyone.

One of the times they were at my house they all dressed like princesses (there could never only be one) and made up a play for Zach and I. It had everything in it. . .

Running Princesses

Biting Snakes

Sword fighting

And Dead Princesses (you can't have just one)

All the makings of a real fairytale

We also worked on smiling

AHHH Beautiful!!!

Ignorance is Bliss

2009-07-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

May 2009- It was one of those Portland days and we found the perfect activity. We decided to all, as a family, walk in the March of dimes walk-a-thon. We didn't know how far it was going to be until we got there. It was just over 6 miles going over bridges, along the river, and through down town. Those who put it together really knew how to throw a walk-a-thon, there was a pit stop every mile with a snack, drink, and a giveaway (which Josh LOVED). There were also a few marching bands to keep everyone motivated.

It was such a beautiful day.

I think the key to the happiness on the walk-a-thon was not to tell the kids how long we were walking. After we were done and we told them they were so proud of them selves, as they should be!

Climb Hannah Climb.......

2009-06-09T16:35:00.001-07:00

2009-It started a long time ago, this passion to climb possibly was even there at birth (Ummm well maybe after she was born since she was 2 weeks late "popping out").

Hannah, Josh, and Avery in Maui 2007

Bend 2008

Portland

No matter the size of the tree or rock she HAS to climb it.

It has become contagious, now everyone wants to climb.

We found the largest indoor climbing wall in Oregon for her which still didn't quench her desire for the climb.

What is next for the climbing prodigy?

A Beary Happy Birthday

2009-06-08T20:17:00.001-07:00

April 2009- it was finally the day, Avery turned 6 yrs old ! ! !
Our tradition is the birthday person gets what ever they want for breakfast in bed.

Avery really wanted bran flakes, a cheese stick, and chocolate milk. That is all!...she was even suprised when we brought it up to her.

That evening we had a family party.

Avery had a great day- she was a birthday princess at school and we ended the day with a family party.
A few days later we had a fabulous birthday party with friends. Build-a-bear was the venue of choice and everyone had lots of fun even the boys.

Happy 6th birthday our sweet baby girl!!

A Walk

2009-05-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

March 2009- Living in Oregon you can seem to find a great hiking or walking place close by. Right after the cousins arrived we all went on a great nature hike.

It's amazing how fun just a walk can be.

What the Shaq?????

2009-05-02T08:35:00.001-07:00

April 2009- While at the Easter egg hunt the bishop showed us a huge Shaq shoe (he worked for Nike). It is a size 23. WHAT???? Yeah size 23. It was surprisingly light for a huge shoe like that. O.K., that shoe is big but imagine the foot that goes inside it. WOW!

The First Warm Day . . .

2009-04-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

April 2009- The first really warm weekend everyone is out, really I mean everyone is out. This was that week end. Some friends of ours told us of this great park right next to the river. The park was great it the trees were blooming, everything was green and there was sand along the river. We even managed to attempt to play a soccerish-football game. It was a great time!!!

The kids trying to feed the birds some bread.

Zach trying to feed the birds some sand.

Zach taking it upon himself to eat this apple that is the size of his head.

Picnicking on the river.

7 cousins+ 1 house = the crazies for momma

2009-04-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

March 2009- The title is the truth but it was also so much fun! Ben's sister Becky came down with her family (hubby, twin 1 1/2 yr girls, 3 yr. boy) for almost a month and we had a blast. We always have a great time when they come down (which is never long enough). The best part was that the kids got along really well.

We did lots of playing nicely

A little bit of playing not nicely

But mostly playing nice.

Pirate sword holding in the car. The trick was to not get caught touching your little sisters with your swords but getting a good squawk out of them. He had it down.

Lots of dirty face cleaning. Cute dirty faces!

They also got into a few things. (Which was still cute!) It was cute when Becky's kids did it.

Who can resist a diaper headed baby?

Did a bit of table dancing.

climbed on the furniture.

Slipped into T.V. comas.

When it was time to say good bye we brought our circus to the airport but was only able to contain it to the corner for a short while.

After the short containment a fierce sword fight broke out.

And lots of sad good byes.

We had such a great time, time that went too fast. Can't wait till we get together again! LOVE you guys!

School stuff

2009-04-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

Feb. 2009- This was the month for performances and school projects, they all did really well.

Hannah's grade did a performance about the Oregon Trail, it was really cool. Hannah had a speaking part and played some music. Oh, and she got to wear a super stylish hat.

Avery had a wonderful first 100 day of school.

Josh had a big Penguin project that he worked really hard on and did a great job.

Zach's favorite shirt

2009-04-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

Feb 2009- This is Zach and this is Zach's favorite shirt. When I got my new camera he wanted me to take pictures of alot of things, this shirt being the most important. Sad is the day when he grows out of this shirt.

Par-tay

2009-02-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve 2008- We again are without family so we got together with friends to celebrate the new year. We ended up going to two different parties. We thought for sure that by 8 or 9 pm the kids would be done for. That was not the case, they stayed up till we got home at 12:30a. They did a great job!

1st party @ the Birds

The Warnicks
Here we celebrated the east coast new years.
Josh and Morgan- pop crazy

2nd party- The Anderson's pad. We celebrated the west coast new years.

It's Christmas!

2009-02-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas time 2008- It was still snowy in the land of Wilsonville. And the poor Williamsons were all alone and far from family. Well, actually we had one of the best Christmases ever. Not only did we have snow, which is straight out of one of my childhood dreams, we spent it with friends. We first went to the Bird's house to do the nativity and lunch, then we headed over to the Warnicks for a really fun and nice Christmas eve dinner. We had a lot of fun both places.

We couldn't really leave our house to go very far for 2 wks (except, I some how managed to make it to Target and Costco). So I couldn't believe the amount of snow that had fallen. And the roads were not plowed because they've never needed them here.

The Birds house is the one on the left, we tried 4-5 times to make it up their drive-way but we ended up parking by the mailbox.

We had a great time doing the Nativity we had plenty of people to play the different characters.

The Angels

Joseph and Mary on a Donkey

The very scared shepherds

The very wise narrator

The extremely wise wisewomen

While we were there the Bird-Vontrap family played a bell concert for us.

Zach and Daddy walking back to the car

Christmas morning.

It's not very Oregonian to have a fake tree but for some reason Christmas snuck up on us.

Ben had ordered this Santa bread. It was really yummy but not so sweet looking.

Christmas was really a great memory for the family.

Been Tagged!

2009-01-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

O.K. I have been TAG-ed so here it is

The 5 things I have in my Purse
1. My cell, wallet, and about 1oo receipts.
2. Wipes, cream, diaper, and 3 different packs of gum.
3. My huge sunglasses and case, perfume, and Excedrin.
4. 5 different lip glosses (you wouldn't believe all the different shades of nude lip gloss there is
and you have to have), and hand sanitizer
5. A reusable grocery bag, fruit leather, and small toys
( I also have about 20$ all in change)

The 5 things i have in my workroom
I don't really have a workroom it's in the garage and in different closets.

The 5 things I've always wanted to do.
1. Travel with my kids and Ben to every country
2. World peace or skydive
3. learn how to sew and make patterns
4. learn to weld
5. And I'm sure there are 100 more i can't remember now.

The 5 things I am into right now
1. Learning how to work with PMC (Precious Metal Clay)
2. Learning how to cook with tofu and other healthy things
3. Learning to garden organically ( i'm starting a class next week)
4. Blogging
5. And most of all my growing family ( that is age not more kids)

That was fun!

Now I am going out on a limb and tagging:
1. Mindi
2. Erin
3. Coco
4. Mary
5. Elizabeth - since you haven't done it yet

The most in 40 + years.

2009-01-11T22:15:00.000-08:00

Dec. 2008- The Sunday before the winter break it started, the most snow fall for the Portland area in 40 + years. When I woke up early Sunday morning I looked out the window and this beautiful snow had started falling. Little did I know it would alter my life for the next 2 weeks. Church was canceled for two Sundays which brought lots of excitement to the kids (and me too), and the whole week before the winter break started school was cancelled. But one fun thing was that we had church (sacrament only) on the Tuesday night before Christmas.

We had no idea how long it would stay so we enjoyed it everyday.

Ben is such a fun dad. He started this snow flake activity that we proudly displayed.

Kids eating the snow- What is the draw to kids to eat the snow? Not sure, but it did keep them busy.

Our front yard after the first week of snow.

After the second week of snow, no side walks or streets.

Everything becomes so beautiful after a snowfall.

Eating Ice- After a week of snow mother nature sent us some freezing rain which caused this thick layer of ice over the snow. Zach loved this and knew it belonged in his mouth (of course).

Ice Fort- The broken ice looked like huge pieces of glass.

Our neighbors made a pretty sweet snow cave that was a good size.

When we moved to Portland little did we know that the street in front of our house was a great place to go sledding. It's not really steep but it was were the neighbors came to have fun. It was funny because this much snow was so rare that not many had real sleds so there was a lot of substitutions like our upside down slide.

We were out side every day. It was like a really coming together of the neighborhood, people walking around visited and some even had hot chocolate brewing in the front for people coming by. I have to say, it was good to see it go but it was a really fun time that we'll always remember.

Sneaky!!!!!

2009-01-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

Dec. 2008- While Zach is a sweet funny child he enjoys being a sneaky sweet funny child.
-Locking himself in my bathroom and painting his face with my make-up (doing a fab job by the way).
-"All done" - at first glance it looks like he ate all his food. Then you look closer.

Maybe not.... Good thing he's so cute.

He also enjoys climbing on everything including the table which he then starts to dance on. Hopefully he's not practicing for a future career.

Going Back To Cali

2009-01-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

Mid November 2008-- The summer has ended and the kids are back to school so we thought it was a great time to go on a long vacation. Much to the teachers chagrin we headed off with homework in hand. The kids where all soo excited to see family and friends, it was the first time back to Southern California in almost a year. Here are the highlights.

*Waiting for the plane-In the Portland airport

*Going to our old church ward in Murrieta.

Hannah with her good church friends Kaylee and Jillian

*San Diego Zoo- spending some good quality time with grandma Joan and Papah.
*How amazingly close you can get to the animals.

*Visiting with friends

The Tompsons and their soon to be 4 boys.

The Stanton's clan

*Disneyland- Love this place!

*Hannah learned how to defeat Darth Vader.

*California Adventure- I love this place too. *Hannah turns 9-Another highlight of the trip! I am truly amazed that my baby girl continues to get older and I don't. Just kidding I think I double in age every year. We had a great birthday for her at both grandparents houses.

Well, half of our trip was over and we had to say good-bye to San Diego and Grandma and Papah. We then headed out to the Palm Springs area to visit the other side of the family and enjoy Thanksgiving.

*Thanksgiving in the Desert- It was great to be with all the family.

*Being with family and enjoying food.

*Watching 7 kids trying to play twister at the same time.

Dylan looking very good for just getting out of the hospital the day before.

*Exploring the fault- We went out to the San Andreas Fault, an oasis, which is about 10 mins. away from my parents house. This is where the earth's plates come together and water seeps up. It is amazing to see these palm trees in the middle of the desert.

Looking at the fault from a distance

*Ossil pontificating about the trees and the meaning of a fault:)

We had a great time and as we headed back to life trying to finish all the homework on the plan flight home we felt so grateful for all the great family and friends we still had in So Cal. See you next year!

As We Change

2008-12-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2005- Avery had just become a part of our family a few months before, and it was a fun first Christmas with our new sized family (Christmas morning).

Christmas picture 2006- We tried many many times to get a good family picture and they all looked like this one, at least two children crying in every picture. I can laugh about it now.

Christmas picture 2007- This was our last time we lived in Cali. It took less pictures to get a good one.

Christmas picture 2008(one of them)-thanks Ryan- Every year it gets a bit easier then the last.

It seems to all have gone by soo fast. I don't seem to realize that the children have changed till I see the pictures as proof. It sure helps to remind me to enjoy every minute.

Were's a Flobee When I Need it?

2008-12-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Nov. 2008- So after taking our family pictures for our Christmas cards I looked at the pictures and realized how homeless Zach's hair was looking. Sometimes you just don't realize something needs to change till you see it in a picture. That is what happened here. So a few days later I took it into my hands. I took him in the bathroom, closed the door, and went to work. The first hair cut, a 2 yr. old boy that won't stop moving, bad lighting, big dull scissors, and a hair dresser that doesn't know how to cut hair. Sounds like a winning combo. It actually turned out great.

Fall in the North West

2008-12-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

November 2008- Fall is the best time of the year! Growing up in the desert is beautiful but we never got this season. The colors were amazing and changing every day, sorry it doesn't show as well in photos.

This is looking out above my sink in the kitchen
Looking out the dinning room window

All our leaves fell at the same time covering the lawn, side walk, and driveway.

To be a kid again and worry about what is on the leaves. What fun!

Halloween

2008-12-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

31 Oct. 2008- This is one of my favorite holidays ever. We went to the church Halloween party and then a few days later went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood with Hannah's friend D.J. and his family. By the way this neighborhood gets soo many trick-or -treaters I couldn't believe it.

Finally My Side

2008-12-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

Oct. 2008- After living here for a short while it was nice to have some of my family visit. My parents and sister Shelly came for a long weekend, from SoCal. It was nice for them to finally wear their sweaters and scarves, and I am happy to help them out with that. We hit alot of the different farms around here. We also went to some falls and ate some fantastic food.

Fir Point

2008-12-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

Oct. 2008- There are alot of farms near by and many of them let you pick your own fruit and have fun on there land. Grandma Joan was down so we went over to Fir Point Farms. It was alot of fun

This horse and buggy where very interesting, not quite to Cali.'s safty standards. But, that's what made it so much fun.

Pirate Fest

2008-12-04T00:03:00.000-08:00

Sept. 2008- The Festival was a great freak show, the best people watching ever. There are really people that think they are Pirates and they all gathered together. It was a really beautiful setting right on the river. The kids loved it. Lots of good kid things to do.

Zach turns 2

2008-12-03T23:50:00.000-08:00

Sept. 2008- Zach is 2 yrs. old I can't believe it! He has become soo old soo fast! It was a fun birthday, he was excited about everything.

Zach waiting for a gift

Off to School Again

2008-12-03T23:23:00.000-08:00

Sept. 2008- School started and it was great for us all. Hannah is now in 4th grade, Josh is in 1st, and Avery started afternoon kinder and in her class there are lots of friends from church. They are all enjoying school alot and are doing good in school too. It's really nice because the bus comes to pick them up in front of our house and drops them off here too. It's been really helpful when there's naps (mine and Zach's).

Summer's Summery

2008-12-03T22:45:00.000-08:00

August 2008- Well, the summer was fun, lots happened, lots of pictures taken, lots of memories made. It was a good summer.
There was lots of . . .

Vegging out to a good show

Playing in the backyard

Time outs

Park playing

Birthday cake eating

Naked jumping

Tooth loosing

Zoo bus ridingFamily hugging

And of course, ferry boat riding

To Bend or Bust!

2008-12-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

August 2008- Before the summer winds down we wanted to do a little traveling in Oregon so we decided on the Bend area, it's a high desert and very beautiful. We stayed at the Eagle Crest Resort where we biked around the property, swam, and just relaxed. It was really neat to go to Bend, the downtown area was really fun. There are lots of fun things but by far the coolest was the river that goes through the downtown. The river is called the Deshutes and it's a very lazy river, lazy enough that you can get anything that blows up and float on it down the river. Ben, Hannah, and Josh did it and they just loved it. It's funny but that whole area really reminded me of Disney's California Adventure.

On the way back we stopped by the state fair. It was a fun fair, I'm a big lover of people watching. The kids had fun petting goats and riding farm equipment. Then we headed home, it was a fun trip.

Fab Fourth

2008-12-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

4 July 2008- This was the first fourth of July here in Oregon and it was so much fun. I'm used to doing something in the early morning, then staying inside for the bulk of the day, then coming out if it's not too hot just before the fireworks are scheduled to go off. But this time we had a great time all day. After spending the morning doing fun things as a family we went with Ben's aunt to her friend's home, which is set on a hill with a great view. We met all the other family members there and had a great time talking, eating, setting off ridiculous fireworks and watching all the fireworks being set off in the valley below. What a great 4th!

What the?

2008-12-03T21:07:00.000-08:00

4th July 2008- O.K. so early this morning I walked into Zach's room and I found this little boy just sitting there on this step stool with one arm out looking so pleased with himself. HHHMMMM? What could this darling little boy be thinking about?

Mostly Trees Please

2008-12-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

Early July 2008- While all the family was in town we went to the Portland Zoo. It is a vary green zoo, not a whole lota animals but really beautifully green. We took a train ride that took us thru the greenery and sometimes we happened upon an animal or two. Uncle Jim and Aunt Vicky drove down from Canada for a few days and met us a the Zoo.

Lets Get Together!

2008-12-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

Late June 2008- That is what we did, Ben's family all came to town including Cousins, Aunts and Uncles. 7of the eleven kids were under two and wearing diapers. So when we were all together we were loud and active, which is what my house is all about. Aunt Janis had a great idea to have everyone line up youngest to the most seasoned. We all had a great time.

The Big Shindig!

2008-12-03T17:17:00.000-08:00

Grandma Joan and the birthday boy Ray

Late June 2008- We had such a great time at the big 75th birthday party for Ben's dad. We had it at the Portland Children's Museum and it was catered so there was very little for us to do. We had the whole museum to our selves so the kids could do whatever they wanted to do. Auntie Dottie and her brilliant girls wrote a play that was like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", and all the grand kids performed it for the man of the hour. The kids did great even the Dwarfs that cryed, refused to wear the hats, ran around on the stage, or just sat out in the audience. Then Ben surprised Ray with a slide show with music and pictures, those pictures were so fun to see. It was such a great party everything seemed to be perfect. We all had such a great time.

Nature Sale

2008-12-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

Late June 2008- My sweet children love lots of things, one of those things is making money. So when we had lots of family in town someone came up with the idea of drawing on natural things (like rocks and leaves) and selling them to our visitors. They had no over head and made out well.
The shrewd negotiators at work

They were right!!!!!

2008-12-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

Mid June 2008- When we moved here and it was still rainy in May people sayed, "you are going to love the summer, well first they would apologize for all the rain then they'd say how much they lived for the summer. Being from SoCal I under stood summer but, when the summer finally came it was amazing all day long. The worst part was that you had to water the lawn 3xs a week and mow, it doesn't rain much in the summer here. Our summer was packed we were having lots of family coming into town starting with Ben's sister Becky and her family. We had a great time with them, they have 3 kids twin girls that were 1yr. and a 2 yr old boy.
They all fit in nicely with our crazy clan!

This is how it looked every morning,

the sun came out at 5am and so

did the babies.

Since the days were so long and warm we ingeniously
gave the kids Popsicles and put them under
the wisteria. They enjoyed it but I soon realized
the dye stained there skin. Tye dyed children, how
Oregon is that?

Cute dyed naked baby

The Kitchen Remodel

2008-11-03T20:52:00.000-08:00

June 2008- When Ben and I were talking about things we wanted in a house we knew that since I spend 110% of my day in the kitchen it might be important to get a house that was redone or would be an easy redo. So 6 months later we found the right company, counter material, and pack splash. It was tough to do the demo ourselves but it was worth it. The end result was great. Thanks Ben!

Avery the Preschool Grad.

2008-11-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

June 2008- It was a fun time in preschool for Avery, she did really well. We all celebrated with a fun graduation at her school. The graduates all sang lots of nice songs and when it was time for Avery to walk down that path she was happy and sad, but mostly happy.

Hannah's Pic.

2008-11-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

June 2008- Hannah is one great artist and a great writer to go with it. One of her art pieces was chosen to be hung in a big event called Fun in The Park. The other was hung in the Library for a time. Great job Hannah!

Go Speed Joshua!

2008-11-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

June 2008- Josh turned six! He took a few friends (including his best friend Matthew) to the movies to see Speed Racer. They stopped at McDonalds first and each got a happy meal that had a Speed Racer toy, then headed to the movie. They had a great time. The next day we had a cake and a family party at home.

Jet Boat Field Trip

2008-11-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

May 2008- I volunteered to go on the last Field trip, the big field trip, it was really exciting! We went to OMSI (Oregon museum of science and Industry), if you ever come out to Portland Omsi is a great place to to hang out. First, we took a ride on the Jet Boats. The boats were so crazy! When you get on they give you a life jacket but that's it, nothing else but gravity keeps you in. It didn't only go fast it went really fast and then when it was going really fast it did doughnuts. I kept looking to make sure Hannah was still on the boat. I kept thinking how different the rules are in the SoCali. school she was in, they wouldn't even let you run on the playground. It did end up being just a whole lotta fun. We next had fun and walked down the river and over a really cool bridge. We ended the trip with a laser light show. It turned out to be tons fun and all of us survived.

From Portland to the Coast

2008-11-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

May 2008- Every year we get a visit from some great friend from the north, Canada that is. Ben met Auntie Pat and her wonderful family while he was serving his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in B.C., Canada. They helped him when he was sick for a time and have been a huge blessing still. Auntie Pat and her daughter Brittany are loved by our kids a lot, they always get soo excited when they hear about their up coming arrival. This time we went out to the Coast for a few days and had a great time. Of course, it was May so the dress was pants, coats, and scarves, with a high of 50! While in the bungalow we gave the kids a nice warm bubble bath. We weren't really sure what to expect when we turned on the jets with bubble bath soap, I don't recommend it. I'll just say there was not enough room for the kids after a few minutes.

Cannon Beach was soo beautiful it was worth the cold. We then went to Portland and stayed by the Columbia River. We always build great memories together.

Learning to Fish

2008-11-01T11:18:00.001-07:00

April 2008- If you live in Oregon you have to learn how to fish right? Not really, but It sure is fun to try. We got our licence and headed up the road. We weren't sure where to go but found a beautiful place called silver lake reservoir, it was so clear and just plain beautiful. We got all the kids fishing polls and fishing stuff and caught no fish but it was a great memory, hope we can do it more often.

The Beautiful Oregon Coast

2008-11-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

April 2008- We have always heard that the Oregon coast is much different then the SoCali. coast that we were use to. That is exactly right! Since we live a little more then an hour away we thought we should check it out. Everything from the drive to the arrival was so beautiful. The thick green trees go right up to the coast line in many places. Even though the coast is 20 degrees or more colder then the inland Oregon the beauty makes up for it. We also went over to the Tillamook cheese factory which we all really enjoyed. I fondly remember when Mr. Rogers would show how things were made. The kids were just inthralled with the process and the samples.

Avery the big girl!

2008-11-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

April 2008- Avery turned five and is such a big girl now! She started preschool in late Jan. and has done so well. We had a fun party at our house and invited some close friends. Avery had a great time. Then at preschool her super smiley teacher Linda had a little birthday party there too. I can't believe how big she's gotten.

Easter

2008-11-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

March 2008-This is also a beautiful time of the year. For the primary Easter hunt we had it in Farley's back yard. All the kids had a great time.

Seattle

2008-11-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

March 2008- We now live about 3 1/2 hrs. away from Seattle so we took a long weekend and had fun. There are soo many things to do and see not to mention the history is just fascinating. We of course went to Pikes fish market where there are lots and lots of things being sold on lots of different levels, the people were fun to watch too. We went to the Science Fiction Museum and the Music Museum which are connected (they are located next to the Space Needle). Those museums were really fun to go through. While in the music museum the kids started their own band.

Easy to Find Beauty

2008-10-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

Mt. Hood Multnomah Falls

Feb. 2008- There sure is alot of beauty here the mountains, the trees,the river, the coast, etc. It's so stunning everywhere! I guess that's why we need rain. Bring on the rain.

Long Loving Locks of Love

2008-10-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Feb. 2008- Hannah has always loved having long hair and when I brought up the crazy idea of cutting her hair for "Locks Of Love" she thought about it for a few days, then she was really excited about it. So when the time came we braided her hair and I went in for the cut. I didn't realize how thick her hair was and how dull my scissors were and when you work with that combo and try to cut a straight line it doesn't quite work. So lets just say one side was cut 11 inches and the other side was 14 inched. Even though it felt like I was cutting each hair individually it worked well and I was really proud of her.

From The Hotel Room to The School Room

2008-10-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Jan. 2008-We were still living in the hotel room when Josh and Hannah started school. They were welcomed in there classes and both met good friends quickly. Avery later started preschool and loved it.

Moving Day Part 2

2008-10-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

Late Dec. 2007-After staying with Ben's parents for 2 weeks Ben, Hannah, and, Josh took the long drive from So.Cal-Oregon. It took a few days but they had a great time they saw lots of snow and visited some good friends. They got to Oregon a few days before the new year so they saw lots of lights that were still up. Avery, Zach, and I flew out a few days later on the the first of January. We stayed in a Hotel room for a week or so. It was a tough week, tough tough week. It was a week of cold weather, lots of rain, sick throwing up children and a hotel room door that wouldn't lock, and not to mention waiting for the escrow to close. But when the escrow closed the clouds cleared and the sun shined through. We finally got into our home and we loved it. The house was so nice the neighborhood was pretty and the neighbors were so welcoming. We ended up having a great move and the kids absolutely love it.

Christmas 2007

2008-10-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

Dec. 2007- Christmas was spent in San Diego this year while we were in limbo. It was really fun because Auntie Becky and her kids were there too, (so there were 7 kids, 8yrs. and under staying at grandma Joan and Papaw's house. Thanks), which made it a real memorable one. We also had a little party in which we saw lots of good friends .

Moving day part 1

2008-10-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Mid Dec. 2007- I despise moving but luckily we had movers which made it sooo much easier. We were out of a home for two weeks, which we spent at both grandparents house (thanks guys). I had only been in Portland once and we didn't have a house yet so things were very stressful. It's hard to say good bye.

The start of crazy

2008-10-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Early Dec. 2007- WOW, this month started with a bang. This whole month was the busiest of my life (so far). But it was wonderful at the same time. First of all, We finally adopted Zach. This is the second adoption we went through and it was just as wonderful. Standing in front of the Judge and raising your hand and promising to take this child in to our family was so touching. I was very surprised at the strong spirit that iwas there, it was just as strong as any place. They really try to make it a very special time. We then went to the San Diego Temple and were all sealed as a family. It was a wonderful windy day.

Just to top off the first part of the month Hannah was baptised! She was just 3yrs. old yesterday right? It was just so touching to see her take that important step. I'm very proud of her.

A Little break

2008-10-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

Early Nov. 2007- In the middle of all the craziness my sweet husband was kind enough to plan for my mother-in-law Joan and I to have a little trip to Hawaii. We stayed for a week and we had a great time. We've always gone to Maui with all the kids, so even though i missed then, it was great to go to Honolulu. Thanks for putting up with me Joan.

Take a moment

2008-10-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

Hannah at sea world, a place she loves to be.

Josh- This is why he is such an amazing salesman.

Avery has always been as sweet as a spring flower.

Zach has always loved eating all fruit from the outside in. What a cutie!

Late 2007- As I'm putting this Blog together I am reminded of how I have forgotten how fast time flies. How fast they grow. How much they mean to me. They are all so precious!

Thanksgiving and Hannah's 8th b-day

2008-10-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

Nov.2007-Well many of you know that Hannah's birthday is close to and some times on Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving at my sister's house with all the family and It was tons of fun!

Spooky Halloween 2007

2008-10-28T23:36:00.000-07:00

Oct. 2007-We love this time of year, the cooler weather the trees changing colors and especially the spooky children that come out of ...Well what ever they come from. We love this holiday! Look at how great they look.

HE did it!

2008-10-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

May 2007- Ben Finally graduated with his MBA! He is the most hard working loving man and we are so proud of him.

Avery's Adoption

2008-10-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

April 2007-I'll start with the adoption of Avery we went to the court house to meet with the judge. It was so wonderful to have the social workers and some family to enjoy this with. We of course then went to Disneyland. The next day we were sealed in the San Diego Temple!

2008-10-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

Here I am starting this blog thing thanks to my sister who came to visit and convinced me I had to. The only problem is that I'm so bad at this typing-spelling-grammar thing. I mean really, I'm much better at talking. Although I'm noticing that I write like I talk so good luck understanding it.
I'm really excited about this. Thanks Shelly!