I am still here. Life has been hectic. Soccer most every night of the week. The go go go is wearing on my kids. I have noticed a change in their attitudes. Oh well, just a couple of more weeks. I am really loving the change of seasons that is upon us. I LOVE fall. I even put the Halloween decorations up today. A little early, yes. But I couldn't help myself. Well I hate to post anything without a picture, but honestly I haven't had time to even get my camera out. I do hope to take some updated pictures of Caitlyn. The one on my wall is so out dated. Also, I would love to get some family pictures. I can't very well take them myself. Maybe I can, who knows. I don't trust many photographers. I am so picky. So we will see. More to come in the days to follow. Take care.

The Last Of Our Summer Adventures

We took the boat out for probably the last time this year. Emilee decided she would rather hang out with Grandma so we dropped her off and since Emilee was staying behind we decided to leave Caitlyn behind as well. She is still a bit difficult on the boat so it worked out great. That left Cody. We had a great time hanging out with my favorite little guy. He cracks me up. He searched for shells, dug in the sand, splashed around a bit and even drove the boat. I am sad to see summer end but.... I guess this means I can get out all the harvest/Halloween decorations. YEAH!

Why Moms Drink.

This is pretty funny. Enjoy.



A Mother, passing by her son's bedroom was astonished to see that
his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up.
Then she saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the
pillow that was addressed to 'Mom'.With the worst premonition
she opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter.
Dear Mom,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you.I
had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to
avoid a scene with Dad and you.
I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice.
But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her
piercing, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she
is much older than I am. But it's not only the passion...... Mom
she's pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy.She owns a
trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter.
We share a dream of having many more children.Stacy has opened
my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone.We'll
be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that
live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy.
In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS
so Stacy can get better. She deserves it.
Don't worry Mom. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself.
Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you
can get to know your grandchildren.
Love,
Your Son,
Jon
P. S. Mom, none of the above is true.I'm over at Tommy's
house.I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things
in life than the report card that's in my center desk drawer.
I love you.Call me when it's safe to come home

A little something about ME

Darcieology
Let others know a little more about yourself, re-post this as your name followed by "ology". Thanks Pam for sharing this. How fun!!

**FOODOLOGY**

What is your salad dressing of choice?

Ranch

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?

La Fuentes, Mexican Restaurant.

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?

White cake with raspberry filling.

What are your pizza toppings of choice?

Canadian bacon and pineapple.

What do you like to put on your toast?

Butter and raspberry jelly.

**TECHNOLOGY**

What is your wallpaper on your computer?

A picture of Emilee with her horse.

How many televisions are in your house?

3

What color cell phone do you have?

Pink

*BIOLOGY*

Are you right-handed or left-handed?

RIGHT

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?

3 CHILDREN

What is the last heavy item you lifted?

My one year old.

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?

No

*BULLCRAPOLOGY*

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?

For sure.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

I know when I was a kid I always wanted to change my name. I think I wanted to be Julie.

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?

NO, I couldn't do it. I might try.

*DUMBOLOGY*

How many pairs of flip flops do you own?

6

Last time you had a run-in with the cops?

Every night, but I tell them where to go.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A TEACHER

Last person you talked to?

My son, I tucked him into bed.

Last person you hugged?

My kids. at bedtime.

*FAVORITOLOGY*

Season?

Fall

Holiday?

Christmas, but Halloween is a close second.

Day of the week?

Any day I don't have to go to work.

*CURRENTOLOGY*

Missing someone?

Not really. My loved ones are close by.

Mood?

Happy with a tab bit of annoyance.

Listening to?

Football game that Eric is watching on tv.

Watching?

Nothing. I am not really into football.

Worrying about?

Finding time to get everything accomplished.

*RANDOMOLOGY*

First place you went this morning?

Dropped the children off at school and then to the dentist.

What can you not wait to do?

Take a relaxing vacation.

What's the last movie you saw?

What Women Want

Do you smile often?

Of course.

Friends...

A few moments for fun!

Life has been crazy busy lately. I was thinking with summer coming to an end things would slow down a bit, DIDN'T HAPPEN! Here are a few fun photos the kids and I took as we rushed from one event to the next. I love looking at them. Goofy yeah, but that's us!

Soccer Season Fall 2008

Here we go again. Soccer has started. I love it!!!! This year is a bit different, we have two little athletes. Twice the practices, twice the games and twice the fun!!! Oh and did I mention I am coaching. Well I say I am coaching but really my name is on the roster. Emilee's coach backed out and it was either step up or she didn't play. I volunteered knowing that my husband would see me struggle a bit and take over, and he did. He does so much better than I could ever do with the kids. I am good at the organizing, tying of soccer shoes, a little encouraging for the girls and checking on the skinned up knees, other than that I am pretty useless as a coach.

Game one was today. All went really well. Cody is a riot to watch. He had fun and maybe he will blossom as the season progresses but for now well.... he sure looks cute. Em did awesome, she has some real soccer talent (must be from her dad's gene pool). Her team is pretty good, I think they will do really well this season. Anyways,the soccer season has officially begun. So basically every single night of the week we have some sort of soccer activity. Oh well, its just a little over a month long. So if you don't hear from me for awhile I am out chasing a soccer ball. See ya.

Labor Day Weekend 2008

We had a wonderful weekend away. We packed up the trailer and headed to Orofino, Idaho. My family along with 7 others spent the days relaxing in the crisp cool mountain air. We spent the majority of the day gathered around a campfire, or taking off on a the four wheelers, playing croquet, frisbee or washers, but mostly just relaxing in a comfortable lawn chair sipping coffee and talking amongst friends. The kids played hard. They loved being able to wonder end the endless pasture hunting for frogs or walking the dogs. I took a ton of photos, if your interested in looking at them, click here!

Emilee's First Day of School

Off to first grade!

We got a visit from the tooth fairy!

First day of school she lost her first tooth.

Flies, feeling lucky and dreaming of the perfect getaway!

Wow, it has been a busy week. I can't believe it has been a whole week since I posted anything. What have I been doing? The plan was to go to Silverwood on Thursday, that didn't happen. It rained. Go figure! So the kids and I had to come up with plan B. We ended up going to a really cute 3-D movie called Fly Me To The Moon. It was about a couple of little flies that snuck aboard the space shuttle and witnessed Neil Armstrongs first walk on the moon. It was very cool, especially some of the 3-D scenes they did in space. I highly recommend it, very cute.

Friday I was able to have "date night" with my husband. We went out to dinner, then we were trying to think of something else to do before we returned to land of parenthood. We ended up going to a new casino in town. I am not a gambler at all but we met up with some friends there and were sitting around talking. We all decided to try our luck at pull tabs. I won $600!!!

Saturday, the kids finally were able to go to Silverwood with Grandma Cheryl. I stayed home since I had to work that evening. They had a blast! They got home after midnight, poor little boogers were exhausted. I am glad they were able to create such fun memories with their Grandma.

Sunday, I took Emilee to take care of her horse. I rode a little, she rode a little, we went for a walk. It was a lot of fun watching her take such good care of such a large animal. I was proud. This week consist of soccer practices, first day of school and packing up the camper to head to the cabin. I am super excited to get away. I love the cabin. Time stands still there. We are taking a large group with us this year, I think we ended up with 6 families. I can hardly wait.

This is what Caitlyn was like ALL WEEKEND LONG. I swore she must be sick or something so I took her to the Dr. today. Nope, nothing wrong with her physically. Just a bit emotional. Oh, I can't wait for her to be a teenager!!!!
Emilee has learned so much this summer about caring for her horse, it is amazing to watch her in action.

Emilee and Scotch, heading out for a trail walk.

Summers End!

Look what I found in my pond! So beautiful!

This is our last week of summer vacation. I can hardly believe how fast this summer went. Emilee is so excited to start 1st grade. My mom and I took her school shopping last Friday. It was fun to watch her pick out her school clothes. She has so opinionated about what it is she wants to wear. No more letting mom pick out her outfits. We had a great trip, up until Emilee got the little flu bug that her brother and sister had. All day she was fine and then on the way back to Wenatchee she lost it. All over my back seat. Time for a new car I guess! Hee Hee. So the school clothes are laying out, the back pack is filled with crayons, pencils and glue sticks. Now it is just waiting. She is hoping to lose her wiggly tooth before the first day. Oh the anticipation!!!

Speaking of anticipation. Cody soccer career is finally starting. After watching Emilee play for two years now, his time as arrived. First practice is Wednesday. I can hardly wait to see him in action. It should be pretty humorous.

We are going to attempt one last trip to Silverwood on Thursday. We are leaving baby and daddy behind and heading over with my mother-in-law. The weather is looking a little iffy for Thursday so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Other than that, it is life as normal. (I giggle as I write that, what is normal?) Two more nights to work and then two days off! The county fair is this weekend. I love the fair. Fairs make for some great photo opportunities. Check back.

Caitlyn is a little under the weather.

Poor baby has a bug. We are going on day two of puky, diarrhea and general grumpiness.

Okay, I am adding to this post. Since the original post a couple of hours ago Caitlyn started feeling a little better. She is still VERY grumpy but the vomiting has stopped (I hope). But.... Cody out of the blue says "I don't feel so good, I think I am going to go blah." Sure enough, about every 10-15 minutes we have a mad rush for the potty. Oh Lord help us, it is going to be a long night!

New at our house.....

Emilee has her first loose tooth. This is huge!!! She has been waiting to loose a tooth all year long. We have to check about hmmmm about every 20 minutes, just to make sure it is still wiggly. I will keep you all posted on its progress.

Boating... Part 2

It is pouring down rain outside. I have to work all weekend, including an 8 hour mandated shift. Find a happy place, find a happy place.... Okay here we go.

We took the boat out last weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. We had beautiful weather. We went with a couple of friends and had a really relaxing day. The kids had so much fun jumping from one boat to the next, floating in the tube, swimming. I was relaxed and got to work on my suntan a bit. What bliss!

Silverwood 2008

5:30 AM After pushing the snooze button about 5 times I finally roll out of bed, time to get the troops ready to head out the door. Breakfast, getting dressed, packing snacks and a day bag. It doesn't look like we will be ready to leave by 6am.

6:30 AM Had to stop for fuel. About $100 to fill up.The pain of paying for gas makes it worth the trouble of cramming 7 people in a 6 passenger SUV.

6:45 AM Mom and I need a latte, as I am paying for my latte I notice I forgot the tickets. Turn around.

7:00 AM Finally on the road. Veggie Tales, Cars and Chicken Little. This is a long car ride. Thank goodness for the DVD player.

10:00 AM We made it to Idaho but the park doesn't open for another hour. We stop for a snack and playtime at Burger King.

11:00AM Finally we arrive at the park, the fun begins!!!

Afternoon: Who knows what time it is but the kids are having a blast. Cody is about an inch too short for some of the rides, he is bummed out. Why can't these workers fudge a little??? We convince Emilee to go on the Timber Terror. She went. It scared her half to death. What a trooper.

Late afternoon: Still playing hard. The kids are beginning to tire out. Time for a nice relaxing train ride.

6:30 PM Last call for rides and time to hit the souvenir shops. Grandma treats the kids to the candy shop.

7:00 PM Hit the road home. Kids are asleep within 20 min.

8:00 Stop for burgers in Ritzville. Need a break from the long boring drive. The clouds are beautiful and the sunset is gorgeous.

8:30 Back on the road. I am bored. I decide to take pictures of whatever I can find out the window.

10:00 PM Home at last, what a fun day. Thanks Mom and Dad for the trip. We look forward to it every year! Click here for the complete photo album.

I Love Summer!

We finally took the boat out! It was Caitlin's first time on a boat. She loved it. The wind in her hair, the sun shining on her face, and the bouncy feeling of the waves. She was as happy as can be. The other kids had a great time too. Emilee even got into the freezing cold water. Great fun!

The Great Birthday Party of 2008

Well, we survived the big birthday party. We had a lot of fun, good company, good weather and some pretty good food ( I gained 4 pounds, oops)! I love the sound of a houseful of happy kids. I think at one time I counted 15 kids! We went with a Mickey Mouse theme. It is difficult to find gender neutral themes that will work for both a 6 year old, 4 year old and a 1 year old. It turned out cute. The kids got a new Mickey Mouse jumping castle that was so much fun for all the guests. I think a good time was had by all. Check out the pictures!