JoAnn's Blog

East Coast habbits die hard!

2012-01-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

There is news of a big snow storm heading our way. Although I never believe our weather man, I always take it seriously. In the east coast, I would look at bread, milk, and toilet paper, and make sure I had plenty. You would go to the store and the shelves would be mostly bare of these items and would probably not refill themselves for days after the storm. So I did my checklist today.

Bread-Check
Toilet paper-Check (probably enough for three months)
Milk-Running low

So I head to the store and what do I find, lots of milk. Then I remember that I do not need to stress over these things were I live. So funny that my old habits are still in place.

If this storm is anything like they are predicting, pictures will come soon.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

This is not a professional picture but it is how we will remember Christmas!

It has been so fun getting Christmas cards in the mail but I have just not had the energy to return the favor so I thought I would send an electronic version.

This year has been unique. We usually have lot of fun vacations and adventures as a family throughout the year. This year we have nothing fun to talk about. It has been one year since Nathan or I left the Boise area to go on a vacation. This year has brought an unexpected new bundle of joy to our family. After a long eight months of laying in bed and my gall bladder coming out, Riggins was born on August 19 at 36 weeks. He spent a short time in the NICU. Most people would never guess he was a NICU baby as he was 16 pounds 7 ounces (7lbs 8 oz at birth) and is 26 inches long (19 1/4 in at birth) at his four month old checkup on Tuesday. He is healthy and thriving.

So our adventures include: Our family watching TV and living through the shows (not something we normally used to do). Biggest Loser, Pawn Shop, Cake Boss, Cosby Show, game shows, and other random TV shows have brought many learning moments. For a long while, we also enjoy a night card or board game which was the highlight of my day.

Nathan still enjoys working at BSU. He has managed to continue to excel at work even though emotions were high this year. He recently finished a huge project the day before Christmas and will able to relax for the next week and half. And since I am writing this, I can say that he is the best husband and dad ever. We are all truly blessed to have him in our lives.

I was so close to be done with my Master's in Accounting and should have graduated last week (yes, I took a moment to shed a tear). I have nine credits left and have yet to be brave enough to enroll for even three credits. I still struggle daily from muscle atrophy and do not know how I could sit through class. Monday marks four months and the day that my good friend has committed me to get back in shape. I am going to take it slow but know that I have to start somewhere. I am thankful that I am able to stay home with my children and watch them grow. If Riggins would not have been born, I would have probably been looking for a full-time teaching job.

Avalee is loving 3rd grade. She is doing well in all her classes. She is enjoying dance were she learns ballet, tap, and jazz. She has become a master on her violin and will probably finish the first Suzuki book this year. She is my best Riggins' helper and I could not survive without her.

Lincoln enjoys 1st grade. He currently has 122% in math. I think the teacher might need to make his extra credit harder :) He is learning to play the piano and played Scooby Doo and Jolly Old St. Nicholas for his first piano recital. He also enjoys playing baseball and flag football. He really understands what is going on in these games but sometimes forgets to join in the play because he is analyzing. He is my best Riggins' entertainer as he enjoys playing imaginary "games" where Riggins can watch.

Riggins is four months. He enjoys eating (never had a kid that takes eating so seriously), enjoys spitting (but not as bad as Lincoln), smiling at himself in the mirror, talking to us, and loves attention for Avalee and Lincoln. His head is so big that he is not rolling yet but he is starting to move by pushing with his feet.

I feel blessed for all this year has brought to our family. It was a rough year and many people had to help us get through it but I cannot be more thankful for where I am in life and the happiness I feel.

Merry Christmas,
JoAnn

Chubby Cheeks

2011-12-19T21:03:00.001-08:00

Riggins in glasses!

Chubby cheeks! Yes, he weighs a lot and is heavy to hold. We will get the four month stats on Wednesday. He might have started out as our smallest but I think he will end up as our biggest.
I love the pictures I find on my camera :)

Leaves

2011-10-30T19:42:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken on Wednesday. If you look hard, our garden is still growing in the background which is not normal for Idaho. The kids got home from school, saw the leaves had fallen, and found the rakes. I wasn't even paying attention and soon saw them outside.

Then they buried Avalee.

Then they buried Lincoln.

If you have leaves, they will hire out for free because they love to play in them. They think our leaves piles are huge but they really have no idea what they are missing.

A First!

2011-10-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

I finally have a child who's head is on the charts for their age. Riggins' head is in the 99.7 percentile for his age. Yes, it is only on the charts by .3% but it is on the charts. In other news, he weighs 12 lbs 10 ounces and is in the 53% for his height and weight. He is definitely healthy.

I also found out today when he gets really mad he holds his breathe.

Bowling

2011-10-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

We are trying to do some fun activities in October to make up for the fact that we did nothing all spring or summer. Here is our bowling adventure.

Avalee was pretty good.
Lincoln needed some help to remember not to throw the bowl.

Riggins slept.

Fun Pictures

2011-10-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

I am going through the camera and just found these fun pictures. What a cute family I have.

Trouble

2011-10-01T21:11:00.001-07:00

Our doctor no longer calls Riggins by his name instead she calls him "trouble." Riggins was born three and half week early. He spent his time in the NICU and came home perfectly healthy but he has all these small random things wrong. I am going to list them so I remember this someday.

He has had his belly button zinc oxided four times for a portion that is smaller than a pencil eraser that didn't fall off. Normally it goes away after one try, two at the most. Riggins is not so lucky. If it doesn't go away this time, they are going to have to surgically remove it next week.
He has developed acid reflux and is now on pepcid and a gas-reducing formula. This is not a surprise for me, and we are thankful that he is not as bad as Lincoln was.
He has had thrush in his mouth for two weeks. They finally painted him purple yesterday. I left the doctor's office with Riggins naked because I didn't want to stain his clothes. Good thing it was 91 degrees.
He has had a yeast infection in his diaper area. I finally got this go to away with a prescription ointment.
He has hydroseal. I am not going to explain this but it seems to be a Wood trait.
Since he was in the NICU, he had to have another PKU. Why I don't know but man it made him mad.

So as I said nothing major but I have been at the doctor's office every week since this child was born. Good thing the doctor and I know each other well and can joke about it.

Weekend

2011-09-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

After a long year, the silence is broken.

This weekend was filled with fun and family.

First our front tree was dead and had to come out. My brother made it look easy. We all enjoyed the wood later and made s'mores.

Then we watched Lincoln play some flag football.

On Sunday, my sister-in-law was nice enough to take some family and individual pictures. Here are just a few.

This is seriously the most fun and exhaustion I have had in months.

The Cheese Sandwich

2011-09-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

It has taken me weeks to get the courage to write this post but I was inspired by an e-mail from my sister-in-law today. I will never forget the love my husband showed me by making me a cheese sandwich.

Our baby is now a healthy five-week old baby but the battle to get him here was hard. At the age of 34, I found out that I was unexpectedly pregnant. I had never had an easy pregnancy and was scared.

April 13 came, or 18 weeks, and I felt horrible. I would find out two weeks later that my gall bladder needed to come out. My husband and I went to the doctor to find out the gender of our baby. We were immediately told that we were having a boy and were excited. The ultrasound seemed to last forever and I remember thinking I just wanted to go back to bed. Pictures were taken of every part of the baby. We were soon handed a long line of about 25 ultrasound pictures and told the doctor would be in soon.

The next hour of my life is a blur. The high risk doctor came in the room and told us our baby had echogenic bowel, or bright bowel. We were immediately taken to the genetics counselor to learn what this meant. The genetic counselor explained that the baby had a 90% chance of nothing being wrong but had a 10% chance of down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, being stillborn, or a number of autoimmune diseases.

I had declined all blood test at the first of my pregnancy that would determine most of these diagnosis. My only option was an aminoscientis. The risks of a miscarriage after an aminoscientis are high. My uterus was already thin and I felt horrible so we declined the test. My husband and I both knew that we would keep and love the baby no matter how he was born. My husband guided me out of the office in tears that were so strong that I could not even see where I was walking.

I don't remember much after this point but I remember that my husband drove to his work, explained to his supervisor what was going on, and brought my home. He made me a cheese sandwich, which tasted amazing, and put me to bed. Since neither one of us could speak, we announced the gender of our baby on the family website and did not make any phone calls. It would be exactly one month later that we told our parents what was on the ultrasound.

I then became the "test patient" at my high-risk doctor's office. The office was trying to decide which piece of new ultrasound equipment to buy. Since they received all the echogenic bowel referrals, I was the perfect patient. I had an ultrasound at 22, 25, and 28 weeks. All of these ultrasounds came back the same "bright bowel". I begin to dread these words but knew that I loved the baby inside of me and would either provide the baby with receiving a body on earth or be a mother to whatever was given to me.

At 32 weeks, I had an ultrasound to measure the size of the baby because they did not know how much longer the body was going to allow the baby to stay inside of me. The same ultrasound tech had been with me the entire time. She looked at me and told me that if she didn't know my history that she would not diagnose the baby with bright bowel at all.

At 36 1/2 weeks our baby was born. At this point, only a handful of people knew anything about the diagnosis of "bright bowel". We all held our breath as the many tests came back negative. The stress of the situation was gone, and we had a health baby.

I write this not out of sympathy for myself but for sympathy of others desperately searching the internet looking for other people's experiences. Stay positive and know that odds are so low that your baby will most likely be born healthy and strong.

NICU and Riggins

2011-09-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

I am going through my camera today and found these pictures. I don't ever remember Riggins in this bed in the NICU. They must have moved him to a new bed after the kids came and before I went down for the first time to the NICU.

The NICU is a scary place but we were very blessed this time to have a baby that did not look sad with all his wires. The wires seem scary but I have learned after two NICU babies that they wires are a blessing and it is the oxygen that makes you feel sad. I think it also helps when your baby is the biggest baby in the room.

This is the bed I remember.

Riggins spent six days in the NICU and then was allowed to come home. Truly a blessing to spend such a short amount of time for being born three and a half weeks early.

Glog

2010-09-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

Everyone has heard of a blog, but have you heard of a Glog. My first assignment for one of my classes was to learn to use a new web tool and create an outline for an online class I have to design this semester.

This is seriously a fun program and could be used for so many things. My kids have asked if they can play with it next. It will be fun to see what they create!

For now this is what I created based on the assignment specifications.

http://jbwood12.edu.glogster.com/beginningacct/

First Day of School

2010-08-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Avalee and Lincoln had a great first day of school. Avalee has some friends in her class from last year so that made her happy. Lincoln does not know anyone out of 100 Kindergartners. So he is working on friends but he told me he is not worried. Lincoln also earned the blue card for the day. Every student starts out on green. One warning and you get moved to yellow. Two warnings and you get moved to red and your parents get called. After that you visit the principal. Blue is a new card this year. It is for the student that has been the best during the day. Lincoln earned it on the first day. I do not understand how he can hold still for a teacher for 8 1/2 hours but can't seem to sit long enough at our house to eat dinner.

Pictures in random order.

Lincoln would not stand by Avalee so he was dancing by the door inside the house. Avalee choose her cutest outfit for the first day of school.
Lincoln at his desk trying very hard to color in the lines. This was the activity when he first sat down. He excused me to go home after sitting at his desk for two minutes.
Lincoln eating breakfast. I have to tell you it scares me to death to think about Lincoln and Avalee in the lunch room. There is 600 kids between K-5. I didn't even grow up with 600 people in my town. So many kids but they all do a good job of waiting in the line, getting their food, and dumping their trays. It is amazing.
Lincoln still loves his thumb and his blanket. But he will not suck his thumb or use his blanket when other kids are around him. I caught this moment before school. It was as if he knew that in the next 20 minutes he would be forced to leave his comfort zone and grow up.
Finally got a picture of the kids together.

I got out of the school and in the car and then I cried. My baby has grown up. Now I come home to a quiet house and have to figure out how to do homework in silence for 8 1/2 hours. It was very hard because I am used to Lincoln sitting by me imaging and making sounds effects.

Poison Control

2010-08-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever called Poison Control? Last night was my first time.

Yesterday was a little crazy. I have to get the kids to all the right places, make sure they know where to go after school, and keep up with housework and school work. So I got up yesterday morning, stripped the beds, washed all the bedding, and had it dried and upstairs by 9 a.m. Then I never went back into the bedrooms until 8:oo p.m. last night and forgot I needed to put the sheets back on the bed.

Throughout the day, I went to class, helped with homework, fixed dinner, had 10 kids at my house from around 6:00 to 8:20 p.m., and Nathan was gone all day and had meetings at night for church (this is normal). During this time, I watched all the kids play in the backyard and worked on cleaning out under my sink in preparation for the new dishwasher to be installed. As I was doing this I found an almost empty bottle of Draino. At 8 p.m. I poured some of the Draino in our bathtub and some of it in the kid's sink. At 8:20 p.m. all the kids left so I got my kids in the shower. I then turned on the kid's sink with hot water and left the bathroom. Lincoln got out of the shower, got dressed, and was helping me get the sheets on his bed and pick up his room. I sent him to the bathroom to hang up his towel.

He came back and said, "Mom, I helped you by doing a fast teeth brushing job with the bubbles in the sink." It took me a minute and I realized those bubbles were Draino. So I ran out to the garbage, which was by the curb, and read the back of the Draino bottle. It said to give them milk and call poison control. Lincoln drank milk while I called. Poison control was not worried because they said people that drink Draino immediately fell their mouth burn and will start complaining. Lincoln never complained but I scared him. So we went upstairs and finished making his bed and let him go to sleep. I still had Avalee's room and my room left but Avalee helped and it went fast and both kids were asleep by 9 p.m. So much for an 8 p.m. bedtime in preparation for a 7:20 a.m. bus.

Lincoln is fine this morning.

I just got a call from Poison Control checking back on Lincoln. I am very impressed with Poison Control and would suggest calling them anytime BUT I hope you never have to call.

Two weeks in Provo

2010-08-27T09:57:00.001-07:00

We spent two weeks in Provo this summer with family. I didn't get a lot of pictures but I did get some at Cowabunga, which I encourage everyone to go visit. These pictures are backwards. Lincoln is dancing to the music as we leave. I was the only one who got to watch.

About every 10 minutes are so a huge bucket of water dumps. I could never get a picture of Lincoln because he would come down and go right back up to find another water slide. Nathan and I also went under the bucket quiet a few times to stay cool.

Avalee and Lincoln going down the slide. This was one of the smallest slides but there was never a line so they went down it a lot.
Nathan and I spent an entire week by ourselves in celebration of our 10th anniversary. We to Park City, Salt Lake, and places around Provo. We were very lucky to stay in a family home by yourselves so ate out, stayed up late, and watched lots of movies. I think that week with help us get through 10 more years of marriage before we need a long vacation again.

This picture is from top of the conference center. It was fun to take a tour. I had been in it once for the General YW meeting about three years ago but you could not take a tour. It was Nathan's first time in the building.

Family pictures/reunion

2010-08-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

We attended the Hall family reunion this year. It was a lot of fun. A photographer had been hired to take pictures throughout the night.

The kids are starting to play the water balloon toss game.
Then the water guns come out.
Avalee admiring the activities.
Then a huge, adult-staged water fight happens. Big sponges full of water, water balloons, water guns, etc. Nobody on that side of the yard stayed dry.
This picture is my favorite because is shows the kid's personality. It totally captures Lincoln being funny and Avalee looking at him like he is weird.
The next are pictures that were taken before the water came out.

Random pictures the kids took

2010-08-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is my cousin's daughter in a cute tutu her grandma bought for her. Avalee was the photographer.
Flower arrangements the kids picked out of the yard and created.

Avalee has amazing eyes and does this all the time. No idea who took this picture.

T-ball

2010-08-26T16:03:00.001-07:00

Avalee and Lincoln played T-ball in May and June. It was intense but they had awesome coaches and their team was the best. We didn't keep score but we always had the most outs in each inning.

Avalee made it to third base and must have been excited.
Avalee can hit the same both right and left handed so she would bat based on what she choose. She usually hit the ball but it looks like she might have had to try again.
Lincoln running to third.
Lincoln hitting the ball.

My favorite moment of the season was when Lincoln was playing 3rd base. A grounder was hit to him and bases were loaded. He stopped the ball and touched his base and got the runner out. He was so excited he could barely talk or move for about five minutes. He had two more short grounders hit to him that inning. He stopped both of the balls but the foot race between him and the runner always turned out to be a tie.

Avalee was good on the pitchers mound and if anyone has watched T-ball you know that the pitcher sees alot of action.

Fun experience...we will see if they get to play next year or if school has overtaken my life.

Arizona

2010-08-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

I lost the pictures of our trip to Arizona on my computer but finally found them today. It was fun to visit my sister and see where they live. I did enjoy coming back to the grass in Idaho.

The kids had a great time playing in the sand at Lake Powell. I think they had more fun in the sand than they did in the water. They made their own hot tubs.

The kids spent a lot of time hauling water and make sure their walls were intact.
The boy cousins.
The cousins.
The Grand Canyon.

Lincoln says....

2010-08-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

Today I bought a $5 cupboard that will be a nice addition to our office. The only problem was it was located in the outskirts of Nyssa, Oregon about 25 miles from here. So we went on an adventure and the GPS had the street numbers wrong so we ended up in the middle of nowhere in a corn field. I finally found the place and got my cupboard.

After leaving the house, we located the town of Nyssa. The kids were hungry so we finally saw a store. I pulled into the parking lot and Lincoln said, "I can't believe they put a store in the middle of nowhere."

Then we head back home and Avalee made up a game. She asked Lincoln if he ever thought he would get married. He was quiet for a minute and then responded "no." Avalee asked him why not. Lincoln's response, "I plan to suck my thumb until I am 100. Nobody will want to marry me and that is ok."

Lincoln did a good job making me laugh today!

This week

2010-07-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

I will get pictures of July's happening posted soon. For now my garden is overgrown, laundry needs to be done, my kids have watched way too much TV, and I am leaving again for five days....

BUT I am finished with three more credits and should get an A in the class. This is what I have created in the last 3 and 1/2 days. For any of you who know code you understand how much time this has taken me.

http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/woodjb/502/webquest/start.html

http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/woodjb/502/virtualtour/start.html

Now it is time to take my kids to the fair so they can see their 4-H projects! And I have a three week break from homework!

Summer Classes

2010-06-29T12:33:00.001-07:00

I decided to only take six credits this summer and spend some time with the kids and be able to travel. I hope I don't pay for it in the fall as I am enrolled for 16 credits.

I have finished three credits and the other three credits is an online class that will be done in August. I have to write all of the webpages in Dreamweaver and XHTML code. You can follow my progress at this website.

http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/woodjb/502/502.html

Port-a-potty and a Lizard

2010-06-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Normal story...

I caught a lizard today. It was climbing in a bucket and I tipped it over just right and kept moving the bucket until I got the kids. Then my sister's brother-in-law took it out of the bucket. My nephew, Cooper, that is three thought it was so cool and started it playing with it. After a while, the lizard bit him. It left quite a mark. After Cooper settled down, he said quite seriously, "We are going to eat that lizard for dinner."

Now for the gross story...

Tonight we were at the park and Lincoln had to go to the bathroom. There was a port-a-potty behind a locked gate that the kids could fit through put I couldn't. Lincoln went in and did number two and started yelling for me. I told him to wipe his bum and come out. He kept yelling and yelling about needing helps and flies. I didn't want to climb the fence and jump because I only had my flip flops on and I worry about my foot in this situation. So it took me about five minutes to figure out how to get through the fence. When I opened the door, Lincoln said, "There is no toilet paper so I tried." He had tried to wipe his bum with his hands. Yes, very gross!!! So my sister ran to the van and got some wet wipes and I spent quite a long time cleaning up Lincoln. I don't think I will forget that port-a-potty experience.

Thank goodness the day also included a fun trip to Lake Powell to even out our bad experiences

Small Miracle

2010-06-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of swimming lessons.

Avalee passed and is on her way to swimming. This is a first because she has always been scared to death of the water and has been in the same class for four years.

Lincoln did not pass BUT he will put his nose and his mouth under the water AND he earned a yellow ribbon. This means he can float on his back by himself and stand up when he is done. With a yellow ribbon, he can go down the slide by himself. He went down the slide seven times before I forced him out of the pool.

It is a happy day because I don't have to go down the slide anymore, too many times makes me dizzy, and the kids can be in the water by themselves.

Camera Dump!

2010-05-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

In our house you often hear, "Lincoln get off your sister". Lincoln is a typical boy and instead of saying "Avalee play with me". He gets her attention by laying or wrestling with her. I don't know how they ended up in this position but it looks like Avalee has given up.

Lincoln during his preschool graduation. I was only able to attend for 20 minutes because I had a test so I didn't get an good group shots.

Avalee's 1st grade class!
Avalee's teacher who she will miss dearly. Avalee is still not ok that she doesn't get to go to school on Tuesday.
Avalee made this "thank you" for her teacher. Mrs. Gipson was constantly surrounded by kids hugging her and crying.
Amazing face painting that Avalee got at the Ward Pancake breakfast.
Avalee got the "Academic Award" this year. Although she tells everyone she got the "Automatic Award". This is what her teacher said about the award.

Avalee is truly an amazing student. She reads 172 words a minute and always tries her hardest. She has turned in her homework each day and has perfect scores on all her exams. She never stops learning or trying. If she doesn't understand something, she is quick to ask questions. She kept me on my toes all year. She is a superstar!
Walking across the stage to receive her award.
Avalee finished all 26 turtles so I made her a turtle cake. I am not a cake decorator but this didn't turn out too bad.
It is still raining and cold this year and tomorrow is June 1st. This picture was taken in April when the kids where excited for summer to come and where checking out their nerf glasses for sunglasses. We are still waiting for warm weather for shorts.
It was about 60 degrees the middle of April when I turned the sprinklers on to see how they survived the winter. This sprinkler had a problem and the kids played in it for about 10 minutes before they went in and took a warm shower. I have only had the sprinklers on for that hour of testing the entire year. It has rained so much here we don't need sprinklers. It has also rained so much that my tomatoes are turning yellow!

Good School or Bad Parents?

2010-05-28T11:24:00.001-07:00

Today was the last day of school. Please rain and cold go away so we can play outside.

The school was an emotional mess today. I think they should consider exit counseling next year. Kids of all grades where walking out with their parents crying. The kids, especially the boys, in Avalee's class where crying and could not let go of their teacher. Avalee actually cried herself to sleep two nights ago.

I remember being so glad that school was over and enjoying summer break. So my question is....Are we bad parents or does Avalee just go to a good school?

The Vending Machine

2010-05-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got my allergy shot. I normally go by myself but yesterday I had the kids with me. After the shot, I have to wait for 15 minutes so we sat down by the vending machine. Two funny things happened.

First, Lincoln looked at me and asked "Do you have a dollar and a string?" I asked "Why do you want a string?" Lincoln said, "I can tie the string to the dollar and then get all the candy out of the machine?" I asked "Where did you see that". Lincoln replied "Spongebob did it and got all the candy." Avalee said "Lincoln everything you see on Spongebob isn't real." We then had a conversation about what is real on Spongebob and what isn't. Then we talked about stealing.

Second, Avalee created a game. She would pick two items in the machine and Lincoln would have to tell her how much he would need for both items. Lincoln would take about five second look up in his head and say $1.45 and such. This went on for about five minutes then Lincoln told Avalee it was his turn. Lincoln choose a soda that was $0.60 and a candy bar that was $0.60. Avalee looked at her fingers, looked at Lincoln, and looked at me and said, "I don't know the answer. I think Lincoln might be smarter than me."

Overall, it was the most entertainment I have had in a while at the allergy shot clinic and the fifteen minutes went quickly.

$40

2010-03-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

I love Albertson's. This is what I bought tonight for $40, and I only had one coupon. I did have to go through the check out four times, and it did take a while because the college kids where buying lots of alcohol, but it was worth it.

60 boxes of cereal
4 boxes of Chicken n' Biscuit
4 12-packs of soda
6 yogurts
2 frying chickens
1 bunch of bananas
1 gallon of milk

Can I just say that is amazing! Oh and we won't be buying cereal for another year.

Turtle #25

2010-03-17T14:09:00.001-07:00

Avalee has reached the last set of turtle words. We have gone through 25 sets of words since the start of 1st grade. I have decided Turtle #25 is meant to take the students that reach it weeks to understand. So if anyone wants to call Avalee on the phone and give her a vocabulary lesson, this would be the week she needs help.

Here are the words that are on #25.

continent
ridiculous
awesome
alphabetical
published
photography
pandemonium
outlandish
formidable*
journalism
commendation
aristocrat
paleontology
paraprofessional
parochial**
parenthesize
repressive
reverberation*
sentimentalize
treasonable

* Had to look the word up in the dictionary to give Avalee a good definition.
** Looked the word up and still don't know how to pronounce it.

Olympics

2010-02-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

Four years ago, I hardly watched a moment of the 2006 Winter Olympics. During that time, Lincoln got very sick and ended up in the hospital and created a lot of laundry. We were making our move to Idaho and I don't think I slept for a week trying to keep up. I remember being sad that I didn't get to see the Olympics.

So this year I have made up for the 2006 Winter Olympics, and I have watched way TOO much of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I am thankful though that I scheduled my surgery during the Olympics so I had something to watch since we don't have cable. I have cried with the athletes, explained the events to Lincoln, and caught most all of the Olympic moments that were on NBC.

Tonight the Olympics are over. And with the Olympic end, there is few shows left to watch on TV so tomorrow I am going to get up and regain my energy and fight back to where I was 10 days ago. My nose is still in a small amount of pain but I feel better tonite that I have since the surgery. So here I come tomorrow to get back into a routine again and try to help Nathan around the house. I am sure I will be in bed early due to exhaustion tomorrow.

Recovery

2010-02-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

For those that don't know, I had my sinus and septum fixed on Friday. After spending a miserable weekend with stints up my nose, I can breathe out of the right side of my nose. The pressure from my head that I have had for years has also left. Now I am just left to gain my energy back and to get the last of the stints out on Monday.

I can tell you that getting the first splints out on Monday was the most intense pain I have ever had in 15 seconds. They pulled out the stitch and then immediately pulled out the stints. I seriously lost every nose hair I had. Then I cried. It took a two hour nap to sleep off the nose violation. I pray I never have this experience again.

Nathan has done a great job keeping the house in order and the kids happy. Tomorrow is the first day that I will be on my own. I am thinking Lincoln and I will be playing a lot of board games.

Bob sledding

2010-02-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

Each night at our house the kids get "robot rides" from our bed where prayers are said to their bed. Robot rides come in all shapes and forms. This week's robot ride has been bob sledding. Nathan holds them in a sitting position in his arms and runs them down the hall and back to their bed. The kids love it. Tonight Avalee wrapped herself in her blanket and said "I have my uniform on now you can go." I wish I would have had a camera.

Ricky ?

2010-02-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

Who is Ricky? That is the question around here. For the last two weeks, we get phone calls for Ricky. Friday night we got two phone calls for Ricky around 2:30 a.m. and then again at 2:45 a.m. I am sure the person was drunk but I don't know how to get them to understand that Ricky doesn't live here.

After the first phone call, I would have just turned the phone off but Lincoln was sleeping at a friend's house and I wanted the phone on. I am so glad that we only got two calls and they didn't keep calling.

Needless to say, the phone ringing at 2:30 a.m. woke me up and it was at least an hour before I went back to sleep. And then I had stayed up to 1 a.m. during homework. I was tired on Saturday and my volleyball skills showed it. Sorry ladies!

The GMAT

2010-01-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

The GMAT is a frustrating test. I got the exact same score on the practice test that I got on the actual test. The frustrating part is I studied hard for a month between the practice test and the actual test.

Now to make things even worse, I am not consistent.

I am well above average on Analytical Writing.
I am average on the Verbal (English, Reading).
I am below average on the Quantitative (Math).

Where does that leave me? I don't know. I guess only the Master's review committee can determine if they want me or not.

To make matters even worse, I will be qualified to teach Math by the end of the summer. Obviously, I am not good at Math and maybe I should have choose to teach English or Writing. But at this moment, all of my Wood relatives that just read this sentence are laughing at me teaching English.

What to do in life? I am 33 and still don't know the answer to this question.

The X Game

2010-01-26T16:52:00.001-08:00

Today Lincoln wanted to help me with my Calculus homework. So I gave him the problem, he said that is too hard. So I tired the easy part of the problem, and said "If 3 + x = 5, what is x? "

Lincoln looked at me and said "2".

I went harder with addition and subtraction. He got them all right. So then I sent him to Nathan for more questions. Lincoln played this game for at least an hour. Then he came back tonite and asked to play the "x game".

What do you do with a preschooler that is very smart in Math but if you asked him to write the answer it becomes the painful experience of the day?

In the Middle

2010-01-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

The other night Lincoln said in a teasing voice "Avalee is a loser".

Nathan replied, "Lincoln, that is not nice to say."

Lincoln said in a teasing voice, "Avalee is in the middle."

Nathan and I just looked at each other and smiled. Where do you really go from there?

2010 Goals

2010-01-08T16:02:00.001-08:00

I want to put my 2010 goals in writing so everyone knows them.

Pass the GMAT. I am studying hard but I am scared to death.
Finish 22 credits with at least a B in each class.
Go to bed with my sink cleaned every night.
Lose at least 10 pounds.
Participate in a trialthon.
Run at least three 5k races.
Be brave enough to get my sinuses fixed.
Enjoy the summer with my kids.

As the year goes on, I am might come up with more but for now this is enough.

Wish me luck!

2009 Summary

2009-12-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

I have not been very good at blogging but I want to summarize 2009.

Our travels took us to Arizona (for a temple sealing), Virginia (for a wedding), Utah (for a race), and Washington (for a baby blessing). It was full of travel so we stayed home for Christmas and plan to vacation in Caldwell for Spring break.

Avalee completed Kindergarten and started 1st Grade. She is doing very well in school and is a sponge. If you read a word to her once, she will most likely remember it the next time she sees it. She is amazing. She is also learning to play the violin.

Lincoln completed preschool but had to take preschool again because he missed the deadline. If you ask him, he will tell you how frustrated he is to not be in Kindergarten. He enjoyed Christmas vacation because Avalee was home and his neighborhood friend could play with him because he wasn't at school.

Both of the kids are enrolled in gymnastics. Each has their different strengths but they are both becoming stronger. Lincoln is going to play baseball this spring. I am sure it will be entertaining.

Nathan and I both served in big callings for 10 months this year. I was released as RS President on November 1. It was a blessing to be home with my family but I miss serving. I have enjoyed organizing our house. I found diapers in Lincoln's closet and I know he has been potty trained for over 18 months.

We also took on the adventure of redoing the flooring in our entire house. What a task but it was well worth it. I love the new carpet and the pergo downstairs. In the process of redoing flooring, we put everything in our house into our garage. We did not bring anything back into our house that we did not need. We took a big donation for a tax write-off and had some good luck selling items on Craigslist.

Overall, 2009 was a great year. We have been blessed and have been healthy.

Lincoln's Excitement

2009-11-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

After about five weeks, I finally had time to get to the grocery store last night. I took the kids with me because Nathan was at meetings. By the time, I got home, got the kids to bed, and the groceries in the house it was 9 p.m. So we put the perishables away and left all the non-perishables on the counter.

This morning I picked up one of Lincoln's friends on our way home from exercising. On the way in the door Lincoln got excited and said "I have something to show you". He then ran into the kitchen and said "Look, we have food to eat". He was so excited.

My poor kids have been such troopers in life. I guess know they can appreciate food a little more.

Downstairs

2009-10-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend we got our downstairs flooring done. This was made possible by an awesome coupon at Costco and good friends and a grandma. We could not have done it without them!

This is where the fridge and stove sat on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Avalee was so excited to come down the stairs on Tuesday morning and see her life was back to normal.

The floor went really fast until you got to the edge. I think this picture shows them looking at a vent.

At one point, we had 12 neighborhood kids building structures out of the flooring boxes. It entertained them for at least three hours and then it got dark so they had to go home. Lincoln is in the kid in the back.

Here is the finished projected without the baseboards. The baseboards will be done this weekend. Lincoln is doing a trick for the picture.

Now I am off to the upstairs. I am not motivation to do the upstairs because I have a sinus infection but the carpet people will be here on Friday. The good news is I have the feeling back in my hands and they are no longer swollen. I actually got my wedding ring on yesterday.

Project

2009-10-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

I am currently on break from our project. My body hurts and is tired. I need something to lift my spirits so I got the camera out and started posting pictures. The BEFORE--Avalee and Lincoln finding gloves to help. Avalee was sick so she stayed home from school and Lincoln was still sick. This was their burst of energy for the day.

Lincoln admiring the linoleum on the back porch.

Chipping at the sub-floor. It took me an hour to make this dent.

Many, many hours, lots of help from friends, and hurting muscles later. It is mostly gone. I only have under the fridge, the closet, and the edgework. Stay tuned for the AFTER.

Six Hours of Canning

2009-10-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I tried to start canning and tried for four days. On Thursday night, I didn't have a choice because the food was going bad and we were leaving for the weekend. So in seven hours (7 p.m. to 2 a.m.) this is what Nathan and I accomplished. Pretty impressive!

Lincoln's Birthday

2009-10-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

Lincoln's birthday celebration was a party with 17 kids ranging from 3 to 7, dinner at Red Robin ,and the Ice Age 3. I think he had a good time.

All the kids against Nathan in Tug-a-war. Nathan won.

Unwrapping the presents. I couldn't get all the kids in the picture.

Homemade Pikachu pinata.

Pikachu.

Pokemon ball cake.

Lincoln opening his presents from us.

Lincoln still can't smile on cue. We are still working on it.

Blessings

2009-09-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

Lately, we have so many projects and calling related items in our life that we do what is needed to get by with life. When I heard it was going to freeze, I decided my tomatoes would just have to die because I didn't have time. I had some great neighbors show up and bring all my tomatoes in the house for me and saved them. I only have about 18 left that haven't turned red. What a blessing. I used these to make more salsa and spaghetti sauce.

I love good neighbors and am blessed to have so many.

Fort

2009-09-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Nathan got tired of the low hanging branches on our tree in the backyard. He cut down the branches and the kids asked for them. They took the branches from the trees and the sticks from the lilies and made a fort. We just watched their creative minds go.

Avalee's Homework

2009-09-10T14:28:00.001-07:00

I am always by Avalee when she is doing her homework but I never watch the paper or pay attention. Her homework is not challenging for her so it is just something we do.

Today I hear the word "ass" coming out of her mouth over and over as she reads her homework. I started laughing and looked down at the paper. This is what I saw.

Say the sounds.
a s a s a s a s

I am sure there are parents laughing all over the valley tonite.

Lacey, my college roommate

2009-08-31T10:13:00.000-07:00

My dear, sweet college friend's four-year daughter, Taylie, was diagnosed with Luekemia this month. I cannot imagine the heartache that Lacey is going through but I know she is a strong woman and will get through this trial. I have always admired Lacey's strength and good example. I can say that she helped me become who I am. I have not seen her in years but whenever I read the blog her family and friends have created I cry and just want to go visit her and help her family.

As Lacey is in Primary Children's with Taylie and expecting her third child any day, I ask that you please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. If you are interested in learning more, you are welcome to check out Taylie's website. http://www.tayliebug.com/

Too many posts

2009-08-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have had so much fun posting today. Please click the older posts to see all the fun we have had in the last month.

Entertainment

2009-08-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Avalee, Lincoln, and our neighbor Sarah spent an hour straining my tomatoes. It took all three of them but they did it and had a great time. Sarah would put the tomato in; Lincoln would push it down; Avalee turned the handle.

A couple of tomatoes got Lincoln in the face because he pushed too hard so after a while her learned not to look in the bowl. The kids thought it was pretty funny that some tomatoes would "talk" to them and others would making "farting" noises. They laughed the entire time.

The positive side was it took them so long that some of the water drained out of the tomatoes as they were waiting in the bowl. It was the fastest I have ever cooked down a batch of spaghetti sauce. I think next time I will let the tomatoes sit for a minute after I get them out of the water.

Wahooz

2009-08-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

When the bishop canceled our church meetings on Wednesday night, we head to Wahooz for there cheap night. Attractions are only $2 instead of the outrageous $6 or $7. We had been promising this to our kids all summer but didn't find the time until the first day of school.

Lincoln making a good effort to get a goal.

Avalee won but Lincoln made a couple of goals.

Lincoln going for a ride with Spiderman.

Avalee is very good at the spider game.

Avalee was a very good minature golfer.

Lincoln not so much. We really tried to help him but he didn't get it. I was crying at one point I was laughing so hard.

Showing off their golf balls and clubs.

Riding the go-carts. So much fun.

Lincoln and I after the bumper boats. I got really wet but it felt nice because it was a hot night.

This is the end of our summer fun!

First Day of School

2009-08-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Avalee started 1st grade this year. She is loving going all day and learning. She is not loving that school starts at 7:55 a.m.

This is the most normal picture I have gotten of both the kids in a long while.

Garden Explosion

2009-08-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

When we got home, this is what we found in our garden. The neighbors had picked all they could eat. I have since made 20 jars of spaghetti sauce, 16 loaves of zuchinni bread, and three batches of zuchinni brownies. The tomatoes and peppers just keep ripening so salsa will be next.

Nathan's Birthday

2009-08-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

No, Nathan did not turn 39 but it was the only candles we could find in the house. Since he lies about his age anyway, I decided it didn't matter.

Nathan checking out the ice cream situation.

The kids waiting patiently to eat cake.

From this point on, I gave Avalee the camera. She took pictures of Nathan's high school friends that were in attendance. It was a fun night for Nathan to have a birthday and catch up with old friends.

Kirk

Mark

Rachel

DC Zoo

2009-08-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

I love the DC Zoo. They have the best animals and it is free. Avalee insisted on carrying this purse she had found. At each animal stop, she pulled out a toy animal of the animal we were visiting. I have no idea where she found these animals but it was pretty funny when we caught on to what she had done.

This is the first time the kids had seen a seal.

And they were so excited about the panda bear. Everyone else was also excited about the panda bear so it was hard to get a good picture.

The DC zoo has mist sprinklers in many locations. The kids loved to stand under them.

They would get completely wet but they were always dry when we got to the next one.

Parks

2009-08-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

We went to a lot of different parks but the kids were also moving too fast for pictures. Here is a nice picture of Lincoln with the sand castle he built.

Hats

2009-08-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to visit Nathan's old work in DC. They wanted something fun to do so Nathan's co-worker let them try on the hats that were on her wall. They had a blast. My favorite is the hat that makes Lincoln have a ponytail.

Cousin Dress-up

2009-08-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

After the wedding was over, Grandma showed the kids were the dress-up clothes were. The kids had a blast. Her is Avalee as a cheerleader.

And this is Lincoln as a dinosaur pirate...

with a double tail.

Seriously, these kids were so funny.

Cousin Wesley was ok to be on the calmer side dressed up as a mom.

2009-08-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

Air and Space Museum

2009-08-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

All 18 of us went to the Air and Space Museum. It was so busy that we didn't get many pictures of the others that were with us. Here is Nathan and Lincoln in front of some airplane guys.

The kids thought the controllers were fun.

In the interactive center, Natalie could not get enough of this ball being held up in the air by the fan.

The main event

2009-08-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

We went to Virginia for Nathan's sister's wedding. I only got three pictures of the entire day. I guess I knew that Amanda was a good photographer and would take lots. I am excited to see the pictures. The wedding was a lot of fun. The decorations and food were the best I have ever seen.

Lincoln's attempt at a smile. We are still working on this.

Aunt Nancy was always helping Avalee be cute. Avalee loved it. She now calls Aunt Nancy. The nice lady that gave me the angel necklace. The skirt that Avalee has on was made the two days before the wedding by me and my sister-in-law, Rose-Ellen. We had 15 choices of fabric and no pattern. I think we did a pretty good job at creating.

The bride and groom coming out of the DC temple.

Airplane Ride to VA

2009-07-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Before Lincoln was 18 months old, he had flown on an airplane at least four times but since then we haven't flown. Avalee and Lincoln thought the airplane was fun and they were so good. Nathan and I were really regretting flying because we had such bad memories of crying kids and a puking Lincoln but now we know it is no big deal to fly. Everytime we were waiting to take off, Lincoln would ask "How long before this plane blasts off?" He got so excited to blast off in the plane

The ginger cookies they had on the airplaine were so good. We all enjoyed eating them.

Avalee's 4-H Projects

2009-07-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

Avalee did 4-H this year as a Cloverbud. The Cloverbuds receiving a participation ribbon. Avalee earned three of them. One for her purple ceramic bunny, one for the bag she sewed, and one for her record book. She had a great time doing these projects. Next year she is going to enroll in the cake decorating class and Lincoln will also be old enough to join in on the learning. Avalee's club did this display for the fair. She is the cow in the bottom middle.

24th of July

2009-07-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

On the 24th of July our stake had a pioneer celebration with breakfast and activites. The kids enjoyed being pulled in a handcart.

Avalee enjoyed petting the animals but Lincoln would not go in the pen.

The covered wagon was not too fun because it didn't move.

Avalee's Surgery

2009-07-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

Avalee's surgery went really well. Her tonsil were infected as suspected and the doctor thinks she will have a much better life without them.

We did have to stay at the surgery center an extra hour because Avalee threw up 10 minutes after she woke up. They got medicine in her fast to stop this. She also threw up on the way home which I was prepared for in the car by myself. She came home and has had three scoops of ice cream and a half of yogurt.

Avalee has been very pleasant and is being very faithful at drinking lots of water.

Summer Fun--Secret Wish

2009-07-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

I secretly hope our summer fun in Idaho is not over. There are a couple of fun things I would like to take the kids to at the library, the fair, and a stake activity. Let's hope that Avalee recovers quickly so we can have more fun before our summer in Idaho ends. Stay tuned for more updates in the next month.

Summer Fun--With Dad at Lunch

2009-07-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Avalee wanted to meet Nathan for lunch and feed the ducks. The kids did not expect the ducks to be so large in number or so aggressive. One actually nipped at Lincoln. So we the kids watching Nathan feed the ducks. These ducks were not scared of anything and would not wait for you to throw the bread they would just attack you.

This is my favorite pictures because Avalee is screaming. Mom unlock the door so we can get in. The duck just kept getting closer and closer to her.

Summer Fun-At Settler's Park

2009-07-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

This park is amazing. I don't know we have never been there. The kids had a great time and we will go make a couple of times next year because it is free. The pictures below are the things you can do there...play musical instruments, play in the water, climb the rocks, and other things.

Summer Fun--In the Backyard

2009-07-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

Avalee got to make a wish list of things to she wanted to do before her summer in Idaho ends on Tuesday. We have done swimming lessons, been to parks, visited the library, had friends over, played with friends, and many other things. I did not get a picture of everything but we have been busy and fulfilled her wish list.

This is a picture of backyard fun. The kids actually understand how to slide this summer.

Merdian 5k Dairy Run

2009-06-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

Why we forgot the camera I do not know?

I ran my 2nd 5k this summer. I made it in a time of 32:59 minutes. I would have probably gone faster but there were two hills that I had not expected that slowed me down. I cut a minute of my time and hope to cut another minute off my time in September at the 3rd 5k of the summer.

Avalee and Lincoln ran in the 1/4 mile run. They did very well and got a shirt and cow bell for running and finish the race. I was equally impressed because the next week I found out Lincoln was not breathing and had to go on a dose of steriods for a week.

5-mile run

2009-06-17T21:01:00.001-07:00

I accidentally ran five miles on Monday night. Here is how:

On Friday, I went out running and got rained on because I got to far away from the house. So on Monday, I decided to run around our subdivision until I hit four miles. Mapmyrun.com told me our subdivision was .7 miles. So off I went for six laps. When I got home I looked at the clock and thought I had gotten really slow. Then I decided to get in the car and clock it. I found out the subdivision is .8 miles and with six laps. I had ran .2 miles shy of five miles.

This is an amazing accomplishment for me because my foot still hurts at times. With another 5k down on Saturday, I only have one more to go to reach my goal of three this summer.

Tonsillectomy and Adenoid Surgery

2009-06-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

After a winter of antibotics and a sinus infection and a six week wait, Avalee finally got into see a Pediatric ENT doctor today. Only to find out the the antibotics had cleared her sinuses but she needs her tonsils and adenoids taken out as they are 50% swollen. The earliest day they could do it is July 14. She cannot leave the area for 14 days. I asked them to please notify me if they have a cancellation because we are going to be pushing it close for leaving for Virginia.

I also guess Lincoln and I are going to my family reunion my ourselves and Avalee and Nathan will be staying home.

I can now say that our summer break will be over in exactly 3 1/2 weeks. The kids and I are going to make a list of the things they want to do and we are going to be very busy.

Avalee's 1st violin recital

2009-06-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

As a first year student, Avalee did not go to festival but got to play in the end of the year recital at her teacher's house. She was one of 20 or so students that we got to listen to that evening. Avalee did a very good job. She stood in front of 50 people and played her song the best she ever had.

For the last song of the evening, the teacher and a couple of students played a song together. The teacher encouraged the parents to enjoy dancing. Lincoln was the only one that took her up on that challenge. He is a pretty funny dancer. After the recital, we enjoyed dinner and a swim in the pool. I can honestly say not many students have this much fun after a recital.

Last Days of School

2009-05-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here is pictures of the last days of school for Avalee and Lincoln. Avalee came home and cried because she did not want to get a new 1st grade teacher. She wants to stay with Mrs. Williams forever. I admit that I cried with her because she has had an awesome teacher this year. I can only hope that 1st grade brings another good teacher.

Lincoln on the other hand is not very proud of his preschool certificate because he doesn't think it is fair that he has to go to preschool again for another year when all the rest of his class passed and got to go on to Kindergarten.

Wednesday's Fun

2009-05-27T17:58:00.001-07:00

After three years, we had to buy a new pool. The kids had to check it out today. It started with just simple fun.
Then Lincoln got brave and started cannon balling off the slide. I told him I was not taking him to the hospital if he got hurt.

So then he grabbed the bucket and said "Now I have a helmet and will be safe." Then he jumped again. He seriously has no fear of jumping and water unless he is in a bigger pool.

In Rockland, they make a huge deal out of Kindergarten graduation. So today Avalee got a card from her grandma. This is her expression when she found a couple of $1 in the mail today. Dollars are pretty cool to a six-year old. We are proud of Avalee for making it through Kindergarten.

Week of Avalee

2009-05-24T18:56:00.001-07:00

The last week of school has been busy with one Kindergartener. I can't imagine what two kids in high school will be like.

This week Avalee got invited to an awards ceremony for her elementary. When we got there I started looking through the program and saw that she had earned two awards. The music award which was picked out of 100 kindergarteners and the Merit Award which was picked out of her class of 21. We are proud of her.

Avalee after she received her music award.
Avalee with her certificates and medals.
The next day we were off to the classroom music program. This is a fun picture they were suppose to do clap, clap, hit, hit. Her partner took a couple of times to get the rhythm so in the meantime, this picture looks like she is trying to push him over.
We also got to go the on a field trip to the zoo and Planet Kids. The Boise Zoo is not very exciting compared to the other zoos we will see this year. Little brothers are not suppose to go on field trips but Avalee's teacher always says just drive and come. The other teachers will never know that Lincoln is not in Kindergarten.
Posing on a tiger at the zoo.
The kids had a blast at Planet Kids. There were sixty kids and enough room for all of them. They were very tired after we left. This is definitely a place we will go back and visit. Lincoln is standing up in the orange shirt. Avalee is in the pink shirt in the balls.
This is a picture of Lincoln in the many tunnels. It was hard to take picture because the kids were moving so fast.

5k Race

2009-05-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

Today I ran a 5k race. This is a huge accomplishment in my life. Two years ago I broke my foot and it has taken so much effort to get to the point of running again. For those of you that don't know I was scheduled to run a trialthon 10 days after I broke my foot.

I ran the entire time and did not allow myself to walk. I finished in 34 minutes and I was thrilled. The minute I crossed the finish line I stopped running and they helped me sit down because I couldn't feel my foot. I have been limping ever since but I did it and I will do it again and try to finish faster.

Now I need to find my next race so I can always have a goal in mind.

Camera problems

2009-04-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

It has taken me a while to get all of these pictures up on the blog because my computer no longer likes to transfer pictures. So I had to wait for Nathan to give me a lesson to get them from the Mac to the blog. Now I need to figure out how to get the pictures turned on the Mac.

I guess I need to spend more time on the Mac.

Easter

2009-04-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

For Easter the kids got a tiny bit of candy and a scooter. They have had a lot of fun on the scooters. It was cold and rainy on Easter but that didn't stop them from having fun.

Arizona

2009-03-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

I didn't get any picture of the Organ Pizza Stop. I guess I was so fascinated I forgot about the camera. Here are the last of the pictures of the Arizona. It was a lot of fun and it makes me excited for the fun in DC this summer.
Somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Nevada we found Lincoln's bighorn sheep.

Reason we went to AZ

2009-03-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

We went to AZ to see this cute family sealed.
At the Mesa Temple. The other five kids were with a babysitter.

Bahama Bucks

2009-03-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

How many Bahama Bucks did we eat in AZ? I truly have no idea but I know it was a lot. They are the best snow cones you have ever eaten.

Dinosaur Museum

2009-03-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

Panning for gold. This was Lincoln's favorite part.
Searching for bones.
One of many displays.

The Zoo

2009-03-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

We ran out of batteries in our camera but we got some pictures and had an awesome time. The zoo was huge and the kids were tired at the end.

Trains, Caroseul, and Park

2009-03-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

Avalee and Maxine.
Lincoln giving a ride to Natalie.Riding a train around the park.
Cousin fun.
The Merry-go-round.

Racing down the slides.
This last pictures represents what Lincoln did every two minutes in AZ. Dump the sand out of his shoes. He hated the sand in his shoes. Towards the end of the vacation he had figured out ways to avoid the sand and he would go to any measure to run around the sand instead of through it.

Feeding the Ducks

2009-03-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Avalee got sick at the first of the trip so this is a day were we just fed the ducks. The kids had a great time.

Warning to All about defrosting your car!

2009-03-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was in my house and heard this horrible scream so I looked out the window and saw my neighbor chasing her car that was going BACKWARDS. So I put Nathan's shoes on and hurried down the street as fast as I could because I had no idea what was going on.

This is what happened. My neighbor has an old car and had turned it on to defrost the windows. Her three year old put the car in reverse and locked the driver's door. The car went backwards across the street and hit a garbage can. At this point the five year old, grabbed the steering wheel and tried to put it back in gear but he ended up turning the steering wheel. So then the car hit a mail box and came back across the street. She finally got in through the back door and jumped over the seat to stop by car before it hit the house. If the five year would have not turned the steering wheel, the car would have hit a car but since he turned it the only damage was to the mailbox.

So my warning.....Never leave your car on while you are not in it and your kids are. I am thankful that newer cars have safety features so this can't happen as easy.

Lincoln's Toe

2009-03-02T19:52:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Lincoln dropped a can of kidney beans on his toe. It immediately turned blue. He cried and cried. Avalee and I were not home but came home to him still crying. We sent her to make him happy. In a matter of minutes, she was able to calm him down and he stopped crying.

On Sunday, we had a friend that is a nurse look at his toe. She told us that if it got worse we were going to have to pop it and get the pressure out. Well it got worse and today Lincoln could barely walk. So tonite, she brought over a local to numb the toe before we drilled. There was so much pressure in his toe that one poke of a needle caused it to blow. It immediately went down. We could then see that his toenail is going to fall off in the next couple of days. He really did it good. The picture below is after all the blood came out. This picture doesn't do the blood justice.

All I want is my front teeth!

2009-03-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

In three weeks, Avalee lost her front teeth and now doesn't has a big hole. One of her teeth came out when she was sitting in Primary. She used the string on her dress and it popped right out. I asked her what she did. She told me that Mason climbed under the chair and picked it up and then she just held it until Primary was over.

Special Olympics

2009-03-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

The Special Olympics came to Idaho this year. This is a floor hockey game and India had just won. We should have gone to more events but the kids were sick.

Blocks

2009-03-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to Engineering Day at Boise State. They had an hour long class on block play. The kids had a great time building with all types of blocks.

How to Buy a Toy Online

2009-02-20T18:07:00.000-08:00

Lincoln saw a toy the other day online that he wanted. So he got all of his quarters and stuck them in the cd drive of our Mac. To his dismay the website would not let him buy the toy.

Now he didn't tell us this for days. I was helping him clean his room and asked him where his money went and he told me he had put it in the computer to buy a toy. I had to snicker. I told him it was his responsibility to talk to dad and tell him what he had done. He then started to cry and said "Dad is going to be mad." Nathan got a good laugh out of this but I know is dreading taking the computer apart to get the money out.

This truly makes me laugh because Lincoln is very careful to save his money. I don't know what toy he wanted but it must have been something good.

Avalee's Birthday

2009-01-25T20:48:00.000-08:00

I posted some post on the family blog but thought I would add pictures to my blog.

For Avalee's birthday we went to Chuckee Cheese. She had a great day and keeps asking if we can go back again someday.

Avalee's favorite game. She had to stomp on the light that lit up.

Avalee's cake and birthday hats.

Her Uncle Roland was thrilled he got pink.

And Daddy was so excited to be a kids again.

Random Pictures

2008-12-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

Lincoln's funny face.

Avalee's Funny Face.

Avalee taking pictures on my birthday.

Lincoln's Stitches

2008-12-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

Lincoln has a great imagination. I could hear him imagining with a paper airplane and then I heard him screaming. I found him on the floor with blood all over his face. After cleaning him off, I found a nice gash in his forehead. He explained that he swooshed his airplane around and hit the bottom of the kitchen chair. So of we went to get stitches.

He was really good until they started putting the stitches in. At that point, we had to hold him down but they were smart so they put his arms in a pillow case and then wrapped him like a burrito in a blanket. My job was his body, the nurse took his head, and the doctor put in four stitches. Lincoln screamed and screamed. About a minute into it, Avalee said I have to leave. I told her to go out in the hall. I thought for sure she had left for the blood but she told me later that she had to leave because she couldn't handle Lincoln being so sad.

The happy pictures first...This is four days after the stitches came out. Looks pretty good!

This is a great friend who took out the stitches so we didn't have to pay for another trip to the doctor.

This is right before the stitches came out. Lincoln was scared to death it was going to hurt again.

This is the one of the cool bandaids we bought for Lincoln to wear on his head for a week.

$30 of food and $1.37 a gallon for gas

2008-11-23T19:33:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to be the thrifty shopper and grab hold of all the deals. This week I spent $30 at Albertson's and got this and none of it is generic. Everything was on sale or had a coupon except for the two bags of white chocolate chips which are to put in the cookies I am making this week and freezing for all the December events.

On the bottom of the reciept I saw, you have earned $.15 off you next purchase of gas. My tank in the van was empty so I decided to fill up at Albertson's instead of Costco. At the pump, I was told I had accumulated a discount of $.60 off a gallon. So I filled my tank at $1.37 a gallon. I paid $22 for a tank of case for my van! I am not a frequent Albertson's shopper so somehow my bargain shopping is not only paying off on food but also for gas.

This is a pictures of the kids practicing for winter. We saw snow come out of the sky on Saturday but it melted when it touched the ground.

15 men

2008-11-23T19:28:00.000-08:00

On Friday, we moved out all of the furniture in our downstairs and moved in tables and chairs. The kids and I went to dinner, a movie, and then bed. Fifteen men brought their computers over and gamed from 7 p.m. until 4 a.m.

These are pictures of the aftermath.

Turkey Hats

2008-11-23T19:26:00.001-08:00

When I was working, I promised the kids a craft everyday at 5:30. So one day they made a turkey hat. They did a good job.

Lincoln's checkup

2008-10-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is 39 pounds and 41 inches tall. He has gotten taller since last year and lost one pound so he is no longer considered overweight. Personally, I don't think he has ever been overweight. Last year his pants at least stayed up. Now they are constantly falling off!

He had the nurses laughing during the exam. Instead of a star it was a smashed bug. Three lines looked like a ladder. A teacup was a boat. The plus sign was an X. The cirle was a moon. Lincoln has a good imagination and today it came out on the eye exam.

The poor kid did have a rude awakening. Our doctor likes to give Kindergarten shots at 4. So Lincoln got five shots. He only cried a little and when it was all over he looked at the nurse and said "Ouchy, that hurt me." But when we left he told them "thank you".

Discovery Center

2008-10-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

The kids earned tickets to the Discovery Center from the library reading program.

Pretty cool picture. Avalee blowing huge bubbles. The kids loved the wall of bubbles.

Lincoln putting a cardboard creation in a wind tunnel.
Avalee watchin her name be spelled after the computer randomly shuffled all the letters.

Avalee's name complete.
Lincoln going up in the swing. The second time he did it. He was able to pull himself up.
Avalee and Lincoln playing being vet's. On the walls were all kinds of x-rays.

Lincoln's Birthday

2008-10-05T20:06:00.001-07:00

I decorated this cake with a baby in one arm and four little kids helping me. It doesn't look too bad for the requested Spiderman cake.

Pin the tail on the horse. Requested by Lincoln. Made by Avalee.
The other party came was to keep the balloon from touching the floor.
Thumbs up for Lincoln's birthday.