Two fun-filled weeks!!!

We had a wonderful trip home for the holidays. We were on the go a lot, but that allowed us to see many of our family and friends.

The best traveler's ever!!! They were so excited about the plane, train and escalator...what could be better :o)The afternoon we arrived, we headed to Grandma Pam’s for some down time before going to Cadia’s 3rd birthday party. Ainsley was wired, so after about 45 minutes of Ryan sleeping and her chatting away, they came downstairs and we visited the chicken coop and the kids just ran around. They had so much fun climbing on bricks and running up and down the grassy hills! It was nice to have a little outside time and the weather cooperated. The kids had fun at the birthday party and we had a nice time visiting. It was a long day, but Reggie and Ainsley were so excited to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s and even more excited to ride with them in the car. I guess Ainsley didn’t stop talking the entire time :o). The next day, Ryan and I were off to meet with friends for lunch and I had a physical therapy appointment. Turns out some of my hip/lower back pain is due to a fallen kidney. I visited her a couple more times, but my kidney just won’t stay put. She showed Ryan how to put it back in place, but I’m not so sure we can figure it out! I’m going to try to find someone here who can help me. Later that day, we visited Santa….or tried to. Alderwood Mall was CRAZY!!! We decided to go to the Spaghetti Factory instead! Our family misses eating there, so it was a nice treat. After that, we went to the Everett Mall to see Santa and only had to wait about 5 minutes. We stayed at Liha and Wade’s that night and the cousins got to play all morning :o). In the afternoon, I took Reggie to meet up with Kellen and Abby and they enjoyed playing together for a few hours. It was nice for us moms to catch up too!

We headed up to the lake after that and were very happy to be there for a couple days. Grandma did crafts with Reggie and they played up in the loft and we baked my favorite Christmas cookies! I missed cookie day this year and butter cookies were always my responsibility (they are pretty labor intensive and not so fun to make), so they just skipped it, but the dough was ready. It was so much faster having the kids do the cut-outs and having mom juggle the oven. Even my dad was helping, although he needs a bit more practice :o). I think we’ll have to do it again next year since everyone had so much fun and even more fun eating them. Reggie said they were the best cookies ever! Christmas Eve was spent at Uncle Anthony’s house, having a nice ham dinner and visiting. Unfortunately, Reggie wasn’t feeling well, so he was pretty quiet. I think it was all the sledding!!! My parents got a few inches of snow and it was super cold, so it lasted several days and Reggie was a maniac sledder, sometimes for several hours at a time. Even Ainsley enjoyed it this year. Oh, and Ryan and I went sledding too. We decided to go for a healthy walk up the logging roads and bring our sleds, so we could have a little fun on the way down. We didn’t really think through things, however. Sledding without gloves and snow pants didn’t work all that well. It was the fastest snow I can remember and we were flying down the hill, pretty out of control, with no hands for steering! I had to bail a few times to stop and because the snow wasn’t that deep, the gravel underneath gave me a few souvenirs. Ryan’s sled was a bit slower, so he faired a little better. When we got back, Ryan said it was good to feel like a kid again :o). Back to Christmas Eve….the kids opened presents and then we headed back to the lake. Poor Reggie fell asleep in the car. Christmas morning was lots of fun, although we didn’t get much excitement from the kids. Ainsley opened up her baby from Santa and said, “Hey, I didn’t want that one.” NICE!!! They were happy to have chocolate chip pancakes and later Reggie figured out how cool his Leapster was from Santa. The Rinehardt’s showed up not too much later and they opened another round of presents. Later that day, the extended family came and we had a nice time visiting and eating and exchanging our white elephant gifts. We were very happy to see Kristin and the girls….she barely made it, taking the Oso road (partially paved and snowy!).

Christmas morning....misfits???? My mom, sister and I went shopping the next day and out to lunch. I can’t remember the last time we did that! No kids, no worries…if only we were at a spa…maybe next year :o). That night, Ryan and I left the kids again and headed to Kim and Shane’s to spend some time with Ryan’s extended family. They pulled the karaoke out and it was fun to watch everyone sing, but I’m not thinking we’ll see anyone on American Idol and Ryan surely won’t get any awards for singing Beat It!
The rest of our trip consisted of another play date with Kellen and Abby, a dentist appointment for Ryan (we still haven’t found a good one here), another sleepover at Liha and Wade’s, Jump Planet with Maggie, fireworks on New Year’s Eve, Jungle Playland with Grandma Peggy and Maggie’s birthday party. Whew…I’m tired just thinking about it. Oh, and I can’t forget the massive amounts of rain. Thankfully, we had some active indoor activities that let the kids burn off some steam. They had a great time with Grandma Peggy at Jungle Playland and I think she may have gotten a good work-out too!

To see video, go to www.arrtwade.blogspot.com

There was also a bit of wind at my parents house, followed by a power outage! Reggie thought it was the coolest thing ever to use lanterns and flashlights. He was placing them all around the house as we were trying to explain that you keep the light with you. Of course, the power went out right before dinner, so we cooked on the BBQ and it turned out to be a really fun evening :o). We got a good laugh just watching Reggie enjoy himself!

A walk in the woods with Grandpa, just before the power went out!

Maggie's birthday party:

Fashion Queen

I think we’re going to be in trouble with Ainsley!!! She changes her clothes a few times a day and won’t wear anything I suggest. It took weeks to finally get her to wear socks and I had to hide her Capri pants because she wouldn’t wear any warm clothes. She still wears her swimsuits and gym suits around the house like it is summer! Her room is ALWAYS cluttered with clothes she’s tried on and taken off….I guess that is payback since my room was like that in high school! Her latest is shopping around the house. She fills my reusable shopping bags/Reggie’s snack bags/empty shoes boxes/her purse with all kinds of things and puts them in her shopping cart and wheels them all around the house. It is quite funny, especially when she starts explaining everything to me. Here’s a clip:

Christmas Program and Live Nativity

Ainsley had her Christmas program on Thursday and I charged the camera battery and forgot it in the wall :o(. Sarah took some pics, so I’ll upload them later. She looked great and did a good job with the movements, but forgot about the singing part, which is so funny because we’ve been hearing the songs for several weeks! I suppose part of it is her age because a year seems to make all the difference.
Last year, Reggie didn’t do much participating in his Christmas program and this year, he sang and moved!!! He still looked a little uncomfortable at times, but WOW, he did such an amazing job :o). He was pretty proud of himself afterward (probably because we were clapping so loud and cheering for him). It was really cute when we got in the car and Ainsley leaned over and said, “you did a weally good job singing Reggie.”

Here's a video:

After that, we decided on the fly to check out the live nativity that is at a church just down the street. I was excited because there appeared to be no line. As soon as we drove up into the parking lot, we realized we were going to be there for awhile. Since we were parked most of the time or moving very slowly, we let the kids get out of their seats and I think they actually enjoyed waiting. Moving all around the car and sitting in the front seat is REALLY cool. There were 6 scenes in the nativity and the kids were glued to each station. Reggie thought it was the neatest show ever! Ainsley just wanted to see baby Jesus! I’m glad we stayed out a little past bedtime because it was a good reminder of what the holidays are really about :o).

Grandma Peggy/Uncle Dustin visit

Well, it’s time to rewind the clock….my mother (Ryan speaking) and younger brother came down for Thanksgiving to visit. It was great to finally have Dustin here so that he could see where we lived. They got in late Monday night and stayed through Friday afternoon. Tuesday we hung out most of the day, but did plan a shopping trip so that Grandma Peggy could get Reggie a birthday present. Ainsley was able to jump on that bandwagon and scored some new sparkly shoes from Grandma. That night we went to my mom’s favorite restaurant “Sweet Tomatoes.” Dustin almost put the place out of business as he ate and ate. We enjoyed the all you can eat soup/salad and bread and topped it off with ice cream. Thanksgiving approached quickly and Mom put in a turkey with all of the fixins. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and then made our way to the Bliss’s place to hang out with them that evening.

During their stay we organized a trip down into the city of San Francisco. We planned an Alcatraz tour and wow, the weather cooperated. We bundled up thinking that we were going to freeze and once we got down to the city we started to peel off the clothing. It was 70 degrees and beautiful (Nov 25th are you kidding me!!). We really enjoyed the tour and learning a little history. By the time we left, I think Dustin could have been a tour guide! It was lunch time and we lucked out having a Taco Del Mar right down the street from the pier. I hadn’t had Taco Del Mar in months, so it was on. We grabbed a bite to eat and headed back home to pick up the kids (thanks to the bliss family + Grandma Kate for watching the kids!). Friday morning, we celebrated Reggie’s birthday at the bowling alley (of course, we forgot the camera!). If you ever want the bowling alley to yourself, go the day after Thanksgiving. It was great. My mom felt really old, but she got into a groove toward the end. The bumpers saved the kids and Dustin!

Enjoying the warm weather at the park :o).

Dustin taking a beating :o).......I still got it!

Dustin found someone he could pick on:

Last couple weeks

Reggie was student of the week a couple weeks ago and had a different activity to do everyday and share with the class. We celebrated his birthday and he shared Oreo cookie dippers that all the kids have been talking about. The last day, he had to lead an activity. It was torture for him, but he did a good job showing the class how to make art by tracing your hand. Reggie’s party was last weekend and he invited his best friends– JD, Michael, Caleb, Jason K, Tommy and Colin. He was so excited to have his friends over, but I’m not sure having 7, 6 year olds, running around the house with light sabers was such a good idea. It was very loud for awhile, but they calmed down after going in the bounce house and got some energy out! It was a bit crazy, but Reggie had a wonderful time and enjoyed his party. He got a Lego garbage truck kit and put it together all by himself…I have to say, I am pretty impressed :o).
I can’t believe Reggie is 6….that sounds so old.

Go to http://www.arrtwade.blogspot.com/ to see video:

Funny story
Reggie has his Christmas program this week and I have been trying to find him some khaki pants at the thrift store and haven’t had much luck. I finally found some, along with a button up blue shirt and some nice brown shoes. I got them all washed and had him try everything on. He absolutely loved it! He said to me, “mommy, I look just like a dad….can I add these to my dress up box?”. To which I replied, “you can wear these clothes whenever you want!” It was pretty cute and this weekend he went to a birthday party and wore his grown up pants. I guess I might have to look for some more, since he seems to enjoy looking nice :o).

325,000 lights
We visited Deacon Dave’s house in Livermore last week and it was amazing…he had Christmas scenes, a huge Christmas village, the nativity, complete with doves, waterfalls and 325,000 lights! We all loved it and walked through it twice :o). Ryan is out of town tomorrow night and I’m going to load up the kids and drive around to look at all the lights. It is such a beautiful time of year and I’m excited to slow down and just enjoy it. I’ve started to get a little stressed about packing and getting everything done….we only have one week until we’re back home and there’s a lot going on between now and then!!!

Decorating our tree, 125 lights

Reggie and Ryan are at our 3rd birthday party of the weekend. We had Caleb’s yesterday, along with the Veggie Tales Christmas movie at church, Michael’s this morning at Chuckee Cheese and JD’s this afternoon at Party Palooza! We were only home for 10 minutes yesterday, so we’re looking forward to a quiet evening tonight with an early bed time.

Ainsley and Sam at Chuckee Cheese:

Happy Birthday Big Guy

Dec. 1st:
Reggie had a great day. It started out with a scavenger hunt around the house, getting pictures of transformers, batting gloves, and a color book only to finish it off with a cupcake in the play kitchen! A cupcake for breakfast…what could be better :o). His good friend Michael came over for a morning play date and then we headed to school. He chose to go to Red Robin for dinner and we had a fabulous time. Reggie opened a Star Wars book from Ainsley, so we read that during dinner :o). Ryan has been on a health kick this week, so eating out wasn’t nearly as fun. As I took down a bacon cheese burger Ryan ate a Boca burger wrapped in lettuce… I felt bad for about 1 second, until I remembered that I always eat good! We got home and let Reggie open his gifts and it was the year of the Lego’s and he has been possessed with building since! I think next year we might do presents earlier, since he didn’t want to go to bed that night and was up bright and early the next morning.
I love my child! What a good boy he is :o). He is wise beyond his years…when I was sad about my cousin, he wanted to do something nice, so he put on a puppet show for me. He saw Ryan on the couch this weekend asleep and wanted to show him a craft, but found me instead because he didn’t want to wake him up. He saves the girls at recess from the other boys (I think he’s going to be one popular guy!). He helps his sister with crafts and plays baby’s with her (some day he’ll kill me for sharing that). He respects adults and knows his boundaries. It is amazing to see how much he has grown up since last year.
Milestones this year:
Training wheels came off
Started Kindergarten
Got his tonsils out
Learned to swim
First loose tooth
Grew: He is 48 inches tall and weighs 51 pounds

Things Reggie likes:
Holidays and decorating for Christmas
Arts/Crafts!!!
Waking up early-thankfully, he is quiet and plays and eats his breakfast without disturbing us :o).
He loves playing
He loves getting presents!
Stickers over a lollipops (not sure what genes this came from!)
Ice cream - As you can see above.....

Parent/Teacher conference and trip to Seattle

Reggie’s teacher’s conference was scheduled for Monday afternoon but sadly, Scott Lui (Trina’s cousin) was called to the Lord and Trina had to fly back to Seattle for the memorial. She flew out Monday afternoon and the kids and I started our “Disneyland journey.” The kids and I managed to only eat in once and enjoyed every other meal out. We also pulled out the Christmas decorations and put up frosty.

I had to keep their minds off of their Mom being gone (they missed their mommy). Trina was gone for just a couple of nights. She enjoyed seeing her extended family as all of the cousins were there. The circumstances weren’t ideal, but the company was a blessing from God. It was nice for Trina to get away and spend quality time with her family without the kids. Once she got back we settled back into our routine and before we knew it Reggie’s conference was here. We knew we had a sweet boy, but when you hear it from his kindergarten teacher, it just re-confirms it. Reggie is making great progress in school as he’s learning his “sight” words (the, and, it, we, etc..) along with hand-writing, and basic math. His teacher Mrs. Pierson tells us that all of the boys in his class fight over who gets to sit by Reggie, eat by Reggie, and play with Reggie. All in all, he is right where he should be with all the things he is learning and is a joy to have in class. I’m so thankful to God that Reggie is the way he is. Remembering back to my childhood I dreaded going to school and was never very good at it. I can tell that most of it will come easy to Reggie (must be the Norwegian genes) and that he’ll enjoy going to school. Hopefully his sister will follow in his footsteps.

A very late Halloween update

Oh, the fun of Halloween! Reggie dresses up a lot at home, but the week of Halloween, he got to wear his costumes out in public! His school had a fun parade and class party which he thoroughly enjoyed. His eyes were darting everywhere, looking at everyone’s costumes and he was really excited. Ainsley dressed up as Bell and was met by her "friends" in kindergarten. She plays with a couple girls who hang around after their morning class and they were excited to see her.

Here's a clip of Reggie at his school parade:

Ainsley's class doing a Halloween craft:

Sat. was Halloween and Reggie woke up with the sniffles. He still hasn’t gotten over the cough from his first cold, so I was bummed he was getting another. Ainsley got his first cold and we were up many hours of the night for about 3 days trying to get her to stop coughing. She coughed so hard, she threw up a few times. Thankfully, the days are much better for both of them. Anyway, Reggie wasn’t feeling well on Halloween night (wouldn’t even eat dinner!), and we were at Bill’s house (Ryan’s boss), so we decided to go up and down the street and call it a night. Ainsley was having a lot of fun because they have 3 girls and they had their friends over. She wants so badly to be a big kid! I think she would have been fine with us leaving her to go with the big girls! Reggie fell asleep in the car at 7:30 and had a great night of sleep, so he was a different, happy kid on Sunday. And the best part was we didn’t end up with much candy!!! We were home in time to give out ours and we were left with only 1 candy bar :o).

Visit from Aunt Liha and Maggie

We had a great visit!!! It was a little more challenging to find time for fun activities with school and preschool, but I think we found some fun things to do.
Reggie had his school carnival/walkathon on Sat., so I was able to help in the classroom on Friday. The carnival is put on by the PTA and I volunteered with another mom to be our class PTA rep., not really knowing what was involved. Let’s just say, it was good there were two of us and good my sister was in town, because we were pretty busy! The Kindergartner’s were in charge of decorating cakes for the cake walk (it is kinda like musical chairs) for our class game on Sat. We had an abundance of cakes because the morning classes gave us their extras and some people brought 4 cakes, so each kid decorated 2. It was quite the sight and we finished just in time!

Liha had a really bad cold and a migraine, so things started out a bit rocky, but everyone finally slept on day 3 and she started feeling lots better. All the kids went to the carnival on Sat. morning. Reggie walked laps (he was coughing so much that he couldn’t run) and the girls played on the playground. They had all kinds of carnival games, so we ended up with lots of stickers, spider rings and candy! They had a bake sale and Aunt Liha got them a decorated Halloween cupcake, so they had their sugar for the week! They also were raffling off class theme baskets and some were really cool. We did a Christmas theme basket that Libby and I put together….making those baskets look nice is quite the task! I only mention the baskets because I won one….the one we spent so long putting together!!!

Thank you everyone for supporting Reggie and his school for their walkathon!

Sunday we went to church and then headed for Six Flags. They had a new tiger show, so we watched them dive for dinner. It was super cool to see the tigers swim and dive. The kids rode a few rides and then we watched the sea lion Halloween show. It always seems like we are there for a long time and don’t get to do enough, but as usual, the kids had fun. It was dark when we left and they had “smoke”, along with crazy dressed people scaring those walking around, so it was kinda spooky.
We didn’t have much excitement after that. The kids played and played….I’m not even sure what they did, but there was a lot of giggling going on with intermittent shrieking! We took a few trips to the park and the kids played outside in the sandbox and yard because the weather was so nice. And we had to go to Sweet Tomatoes and get bagels for Aunt Liha. For some reason, there’s a lot more bagels shops here.
The night before they left, Livermore had a downtown Halloween festival. Usually, the kids trick-or-treat through the local businesses, but they decided to switch it up this year. It was o.k., but similar to Reggie’s school carnival, except with really long lines. It was kinda chilly, so we didn’t stay long. Colds aside, it was a great visit and we’re bummed they won’t be back for a long time…why did Liha have to go and get knocked up???? It will be exciting to meet the new little girl/guy at the end of April :o).

Cousin Scott

Today is a sad day. Scott lost his battle with pseudomonus, aspergillus, and some mystery fungus in his one functioning lung. He was on life support for almost 3 weeks and had his ups and downs, but took a turn this week. They decided to let him go and he went quickly. I can just imagine he ran to God without having to stop to catch his breath, excited to be rid of his sickly body. Praise God!!! I’m happy for Scott, but sad for the rest of us who will miss him. Please pray for his wife, Kristin, and daughters, Stella and Ruby, along with his parents and brothers and all that loved him.
He’s been the cat with nine lives, surviving his transplant and numerous infections and hospitalizations. Although this day was inevitable, somehow, I think everyone thought he would pull through yet again. Funny how it comes as a surprise when the day is actually here….wow…I can’t believe he is really gone :o(.