Sleeping good at night

I am thankful that school is out tomorrow and we will finally be on the airplane Friday morning.  My brain hurts from trying to keep everything straight....visits with friends, teacher gifts, wrapping, packing, toffee making, the list goes on.
We decided to have a last minute birthday party for Reggie since he didn't really have one last year.  I told him there were no funds since he went to the Seahawk game, so it was basically a large play date.  I was cracking up....those kids take Pokemon VERY seriously!  I was hoping they would stick with that, but because it had been raining for a few day, the kids were ready to be outside and decided to play lightsaber and nerf guns.  There was about an hour left and I was praying no one was going to get hurt.  They definitely had a great time and I am glad he got to hang out with his buddies!

Sunday was a big day....we went to the Foster Wonderland and the kids did activities and got a few presents.  They got their picture taken with Santa (a very young santa!) :o).

After we left there, we visited K's mom in rehab.  He hasn't seen her in over 2 years and I didn't know how it was going to go.  He was a bit hesitant in the beginning, but then warmed up.  There's been a lot of questions and statements since, that tell me he has been thinking a lot and it is hard to know how this impacted him.  The only way I know if it was good is if he asks to go back, so time will tell.  Later that day, we had a visit from Kelly, our past respite provider and that was fun the catch up and visit with her for awhile.

This week, we went to an amazing light show.  I don't know how this person did it, but he had the Frozen movie playing on a screen and the lights were synced with the music and he had water shooting up on cue.  It was quite impressive, but I have to think with all the noise and traffic his neighbors might not be so cheery!

And last night, K had his school performance where the kids sang songs for us.  He did a great job and looked so super cute!

 Here he is with his teachers :o).

Happy 11th Birthday Reggie!

Well, it has been quite the birthday for Reggie.  Our gift to him was a ticket to the Seattle Seahawk/49er football game.  It was his first game and although the crowd was a bit intoxicated and belligerent, he still thoroughly enjoyed himself.  It really helped that Seattle completely dominated!!!

While at the game Reggie and I (Dad) had the privilege to be around an interesting crowd.  There was one guy in particular that was dressed in cowboy gear and he had his 8 year old son next to him in a Seahawks jersey??  Not sure how that happened considering that he was a 49er season ticket holder.  Needless to say he out wore his welcome as he nearly got in fights with all the surrounding 49er fans and was removed from the game while his 8 year old son sat in their seats.  5 minutes later the security guard came back and got his child (very sad to see).  It was interesting to see Reggies reaction and how he handled the chaos.  I asked Reggie if he understood what was happening and he said yes and was very focused on the game trying to ignore what was happening.  It justs reminds me of how important it is to set a good example for our children as they hear everything!  One more small thing that happened at the beginning of the game.  49er fan comes up and asks Reggie and I for a pen.  After telling him we didn't have one, he pulls out his own pen that has Richard Sherman's face on it in which he had turned it into a voodoo doll and was looking to stick it as this was his ritual for Thursday Nights Game.  After 3 quarters of play, I looked at the guy and told him that was a bad idea and that it back fired big time as Sherman picked off Kapernick twice during the showdown.  We had a great time, and the outcome was awesome of course.  Now we'll cheer on our team and see if they can get it done this week against the Eagles.

 He wanted to go to Red Robin for his birthday, so we headed there after opening his presents (we celebrated on Sunday because he had a swim party today).  He couldn't decide which present he loved most.  I have to say, everyone really gave him things he wanted....Seahawk towel, Comic Book Bible, Pokemon movie (that Khalif bought him at the thrift store for $.27!), a new down jacket, the new Wimpy Kid Book (which he already finished), etc.  You can see Khalif was very excited about the present he gave Reggie....

Tonight the swim team celebrated Reggie's birthday at Mountain Mike's Pizza (not really....it just happened to be the year end party).  It is always fun to hear what the coach says about the kids.  I was surprised that Reggie got best freestyle.  Apparently, that is his stroke and the coaches are really hoping he sticks with swimming!

We have noticed that Reggie is changing a bit these last few months.  He is starting to get a bit of acne on his nose and a few hairs in his pits.  Along with that has come some attitude and the realization that at 11 he knows it all and feels like he can freely say no to our requests.  It is unchartered territory for us dealing with him and it seems to come in waves, so thankfully, we have time to recover in between these behavior changes.  He loves God is still a super good kid and has such a big heart.  He loves Pokemon, playing with friends, drawing/writing, reading and FOOTBALL.  He really is quite a unique personality and it will be fun to watch him grow and see what path he takes :o).

Angels Camp

We decided to head out of town the weekend before thanksgiving, just to get away and have a change in scenery.  It is amazing how much the kids enjoy being in a new place!  It was a bit of a fiasco getting out the door because when I started Ryan's car to leave, the key case cracked and totally fell apart.  We tried duck taping it back together, but apparently when the key is dislodged from the electronics, it won't work.  So, we took a trip to Lexus and $90 later, we were on our way.  It was a blessing because if we had been 2 hours away up at Angels camp (with a population of 3700 and no Lexus dealer), we would most likely have had to be towed!  So, although it started out a bit rocky, we really enjoyed our time there.  The kids and Ryan swam in the pool (I forgot my suit, darn it!), ate junk food, played ping pong, visited Calaveras Big Trees Park and then toured the Mercer Caverns.
The Mercer Caverns was a bit interesting....we went 16 stories underground and the stairs were very skinny and steep.  At one point K was starting to freak out, but I picked him up and thankfully, he pulled it together.  He has come along way...I can remember a couple summers ago when the panic set in and he could not recover, so it was good to see his progress :o).  We learned a lot about the history of the cavern and saw the really neat Limestone displays.  Ryan was very happy to get out...he was starting to panic a little too.

Pool pictures.....Reggie is getting a little too heavy for dad:

 Not quite the same height....

More visitors!

Last week was an exciting week for us....we had lots of visitors from home :o).  Ryan's cousin Tonya and her husband Pete and their 2 boys, Jake and Lucas stopped by for dinner!!!  It happened to be the day that Grandma Peggy arrived, so the kids were over the moon.  It was kind of cool weather, but the kids played 4 square, football and jumped on the trampoline.  It was great for us adults to catch up and we had a nice visit.  As I was saying goodnight to Reggie, he said, "I really enjoyed playing with them mom".  It was pretty cute and maybe we'll be able to connect over the holidays.

Grandma Peggy's visit seemed to go by quickly....we toured Joe Michell School on Friday when the kids were at school.  We are likely going to transfer all the kids there next year.  It was interesting to hear about the International Baccalaureate program they are implementing and something that really aligns with how I would like our kids to think.   She did some of the preparation for our Thanksgiving meal on Saturday.  The lemon lush and apple crisp were devoured Friday night, but we had enough for Sat. too.  I was excited to have apples and oatmeal in the morning-what a perfect breakfast!  We really lucked out with our turkey and it was so moist and juicy....probably the best turkey we've had (honeysuckle brand).  We stuffed ourselves and then went to see Big Hero 6.  The boys loved it!  It was a little much for us adults.

There was a lot of 4 square played over the weekend and lots of laughs from Ainsley and Grandma....Ainsley makes grandma laugh and then they can't stop!

Sunday was Ainsley's state meet in Oroville.  It was a 2 1/2 hour drive each way and it made for a very long day.  Thankfully, Samantha was available to watch the boys.  She woke up with a sore throat and since I had the same virus, I knew it was really uncomfortable.  We gave her some medicine and she was fine and didn't want more before the meet, so off she went (she competed at 4:20).  She had a really great day!  A little jittery on floor of all things, but she had her best all around score yet, 36.2 (6th all-around).  Ryan had a red eye out of San Francisco, so he was maybe going to have to miss her last event, but praise God, she was the very first one up, so he got to watch her bar routine :o).  He is in Boston all week.  Ainsley was near tears when I found her afterward.  She opened up her mouth to talk and it was very hoarse and she could barely get the words out.  I felt bad that we didn't give her medicine....she was not feeling well at all :o(.  So....we had to go to McDonald's to get her an ice cream to help her throat feel better :o).  We made the long trek home and didn't arrive until 11:15.  It worked out o.k. that she was sick because I didn't feel bad keeping her home from school.  I didn't get any action shots, but hopefully will post some later from one of the parents had a fancy camera and was taking pictures.

 She tied for 3rd on beam with her teammate, Izzy.  Ainsley is 2 weeks younger than her...she is the cutest little thing!

There was so much anticipation with the state meet and it is nice to have it overwith.  She has been excited to tell us the new things she is doing at practice already!

Here's a couple of pictures that I didn't get around to posting.....
This was taken the first week of Nov.  It was a beautiful week and we were enjoying a few quiet minutes at the gym by the pool!  On Nov. 2nd, I did finally have to turn on the heat .  The nights have been getting chilly.

Can you believe the size of this bear at Costco....REALLY??!!  What's next?

Halloween

The weather forecast was rain....of all days, REALLY???  We lucked out as it sprinkled toward the end of the school parade and cleared off for the evening trick-or-treating.  The rain doesn't usually last long here :o).  Today it was in the high 70's!
We found a bit of time the day before Halloween to carve pumpkins (it was K's idea) and since we haven't done it in a couple years, we thought it would be fun.  We quickly realized why we don't usually do it because WE end up doing all the work and the kids ran around and played.  At least I got some seeds out of it and this year I did garlic salt and they were delicious!
We even carved the neighbors pumpkin.  Noah was very excited (he said this was his best time at our house!).

 We can't take credit for this one....someone at Ryan's work did this for their contest and she let hm take it home.

Both the boys were Pokemon characters and I felt a little embarrassed for Reggie because his costume was a little small and well, he's huge!  But, he didn't care and good for him:

K was helping a classmate with her candy at their party....she said, "I hope I got a butterscotch one!" and he grabbed it and said, "M-I-L-K, oh yes that is a butterscotch one" (he was reading the letters from a Milk Dud box) and she was so happy!  Until she eats it and realizes that they are Milk Duds-which just made me think....why would you name a candy milk dud?
Later that day we went to the Williams for dinner and trick-or-treating in our old neighborhood.  We had to stop by Mrs. Pierson's house (Reggie's kindergarten teacher), but we didn't make it to the smoked sandwiches and beer/wine stop this year.  On the way home, we stopped by the house with the pig and it had sure grown since last year.  It was sitting on her lap on the couch and was fully grown at 65 pounds.  Ainsley pet it and it was making a very strange noise (equivalent of a cat purring).  I had no idea they did that!

Sorting and trading candy the next day....

Exciting night!

I was putting Reggie to bed tonight and he asked me if he had already accepted Jesus and I said, "I don't think so, unless you did it at church and didn't tell me."  I asked him if he wanted to and he said yes!!!  So, we said a prayer :o).  They have a kid baptism class at our church, so we'll look into that and see what he thinks.  Praise the Lord!!!

Visitors

I can't believe that it has already been 2 1/2 weeks, but that is when Grandma, Grandpa and Grandma Pam arrived!  They got to run around with us and attend all the kids activities and go to the market.  It was a packed couple of weeks!  We had a fun outing to the Cal Bears/UW Husky football game without the kids.  We had awesome seats and the Huskies crushed the Bears, so it was awesome :o).

We did a little thrift store shopping and Reggie got an early birthday present from Grandma Pam that he was very excited about.

The following weekend we headed to our annual Halloween KOA camping trip.  It was REALLY fun and our group costumes were met with mixed emotions, but surprisingly there were a lot of closet Seahawk fans.  Ryan did get shot with a cannon for wearing his jersey (I wish I had taken a picture....they created a pirate ship with a working cannon!).  The kids ran around with their friends and Ainsley was so happy to see her friend Morgan from last year :o).  They jumped on the jumpy, swam and Reggie banana biked with Noah.  The adults relaxed, hung around the campfire and did lots of Jello shots on trick-or-treat night!

 Wild Style was running around somewhere too!

 We made it to the beach for a bit.  We saw a few whales blowing out water :o).

Of all of our friends, we had the only cabin with a bathroom and refrigerator and the only reason we ended up with that is because mom and dad REALLY wanted a bathroom.  I put our name on the wait-list and they just finished building the cabin, so it was brand new!  It wasn't the layout we were used to, but we made it work and everyone was VERY thankful to have a bathroom.  The kids enjoyed hanging out in our cabin too and watching movies (isn't that what camping is all about??!!):

 This is what Halloween is all about!

We went straight from KOA to Ainsley's gymnastics meet and I'm glad everyone got to watch her in action.  Then we shared one of our favorite places to eat, Sweet Tomatoes.  Aunt Pam left the next day and mom and dad left this morning.  I am very glad they were here this week since Ryan was traveling and I had to be in 3 places at once due to the kids activities.  They were a great help :o).  I am trying to figure out a way to simplify, but so far no good answers.
Dad did a lot of work around the house, cleaning gutters and filling cracks in the driveway and mom fixed up the plants and pruned rose bushes, so they kept busy while the kids were at school.  Oh and I almost forgot that dad bought a car on Ebay and had it shipped here, so they were working out all those details!  Let's hope it is a reliable car since he is driving it 900 miles today (in the rain-fitting it rains on the day they leave)!
We were sad to have them go, but we will see them before we know it!

Where does the time go??

Sometimes, it is hard to keep up and now there's so much to update!

Ainsley....she has had a couple more meets and got 2nd all-around at one of them and was really excited.  Her beam score was a 9.675 and she was 1st on that event!  It happened to be the meet where her old team was and the parents were surprised at how much she had improved.  She continues to feel more comfortable and enjoys the gym more and more.  Her parent/teacher conference was great!  She is exactly where she should be and doing great.  I am so thankful that they are all good students.  

Reggie....he is working to get his Arrow of Light for Scouts and has missed quite a few things, so we are trying to play catch-up.  This will be his final year and he wants to finish with his den.  His teacher also had great things to say at his conference.  He is working on participating more, but besides him being a Seahawk fan, she is very happy to have him in class.  We did talk about Middle School at his conferenced, since we have a couple options where we live.  There's a K-8 we can walk to or the most sought out middle school in our area.  I am thinking we are going to simplify and transfer all the kids to the same school and Reggie can enjoy a smaller middle school experience and they all can be part of an International Baccalaureate program (which I guess is a big deal).  He wants to go to the bigger school where he might have a chance at being with his friends, but for simplicity, I am not thinking that is going to happen.

K.....he has been doing great!  School has been such a good thing for him and his teacher has been impressed with how well he is doing and how smart he is.  We had a field trip to the pumpkin patch this week and he had a lot of fun.  You know you're with a kindergarten class when one of the kids throws up and another pees his pants!  Thankfully, that wasn't K!  He is really enjoying that I volunteer in his class :o).  We had court last week and it was starting the same as usual....his dad tried to fire another attorney (#5) and it was a circus.  Now that the judge is leaving he had a very different approach and moved forward, so Ryan finally finished his testimony and he doesn't have to go back!  The social worker and K's attorney said Ryan did a really good job and because of that the judge reduced visitation to 2 hours per month, supervised!!!  This is such an answer to prayer as many things have happened during visits that have made K nervous/scared.  The next court date is in Jan. and we are really hopeful that parental rights will be terminated and we can finally move forward :o).

Cats....I thinked I blogged awhile back about two feral cats that we were trying to get fixed up.  Well, we trapped them and got them shots and neutered!  I put a collar on the nice one to see if he would keep it on (our cat door needs a magnet to open) and he came back with a note!  Turns out he has a family, but they are happy to share...YIKES.  I guess they didn't notice their cats have no balls and their ears have been clipped, signifying they are feral but fixed.  We created a place for them to come and eat and get out of the elements, but a couple days ago the raccoons found it, so now I don't know what we are going to do.  I think they aren't getting much food at their home and they are strictly outdoor, so I feel bad.  What a mess!!!