Birthdays, birthdays and more birthdays!!!

Ainsley and Khalif have been spoiled with party after party!  Since we are leaving earlier this year, we decided not to do a party for Ainsley, so we've combined the birthday celebrations :o).
We started the festivities at Lummi and made our usual rounds, looking for sea glass, baby crabs, starfish, cool rocks and any other treasure the kids could find.  We stayed 2 nights this time and everyone was very tired the second night!  Here's some pictures of our fun....

 Dancing in their fancy silk nighties that grandma got for them.

 Enjoying cake!

 Notice the butterfly on Reggie's hand.  They tried to save it, but since it had fallen in the water, there was little hope and it died the next day :o(.

 Searching for crabs...

The next celebration was at Uncle Anthony's and Uncle Dustin's.  We have been able to see them a few times this summer and it is amazing how much Easton has grown!  Ainsley was warming up to him and it was fun to see.

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Happy Birthday K!

Can you guess who's sunglasses???

I think K was starting to wonder if the day of his actual birthday would ever come!  We started his festivities in June before we left and then had 2 more celebrations here in Washington and when the day finally came, there was a look of amazement....he was so super excited to be 5!  He made it well known that it was his birthday and he could do whatever he wanted!
We love K for lots of reasons:
He keeps us on our toes
He is very intelligent and we have some fun conversations
He is full of life and his face lights up when he smiles
He is full of love
He is very helpful
He is a loving brother
He is a huge Seahawk fan
He is aggressive in take-out....Ryan is hoping he will wrestle some day
He seems so much older than 5, the mature things he says (like it is a figure of speech) and does (playing games like UNO and Pokemon with Reggie and building lego's).  He keeps up with the older kids for sure!
We hope this year brings K some permanency, finally!
Height: 39 3/4
Weight: 35 lbs

4th of July weekend

Our reunion festivities started the morning of the 4th of July.  Our class was in the Sedro-Woolley parade and we had a really good turn-out.  We were near the end of the parade which gave us some time to catch up with old classmates.  Grandma Peggy, Uncle Dustin and Easton were with the kids, but they thought the parade was boring, lots of trucks and horses.  Ainsley said the best part was seeing us (so you know it wasn't that exciting!).  Ryan handed out candy to all the kids and got in a water fight with Justin Melton that turned into a wrestling match.  It was pretty comical and I'm glad no one got hurt.  Of course, everyone cheered for them :o).
Tired out after the parade:

 We headed up to the lake to spend the afternoon with friends and family and the weather was beautiful.  Ryan went up with the kids and blew off some tanks and spinners, but then the clouds rolled in and it got a little chilly and then rained around 6.  That was enough to send almost everyone home.  Ryan's friend, Russ was just arriving and our high school friends, Jeff and Katie, came with their 2 week old!  How brave are they??!!  Ainsley stopped everything and just looked at the baby.  When she was done eating, she and Cadia held little Olivia and they were in heaven :o).  The kids were really tired and wanted to go to bed, so up they went and we watched fireworks from the deck for a bit.  I have to say, I was really tired too.  We didn't venture out on the party boat, but Aunt Sue said the show was fabulous.  Maybe next year.

Video of the canon:

The next day we had our class of '94 dinner at a winery in Lyman (I think).  We went over to Tisha and Alden's cabin beforehand to visit and that was great.  Both Ryan and I wanted to try to talk with everyone, so having a little more time really allowed us to make the rounds.  There were a few grandparents in our class!!!
We rode with Seth in a 1970 something convertible Cadillac and that was quite the experience.  I guess we were late because when we got there, the parking lot was full, so he just went right up front.  Tim came up to Ryan and was like, "REALLY, a Cadi....I wouldn't expect anything less!"  I guess it was a little funny.  We had a really great time visiting and there were only a couple people (I found out later) that I didn't get to chat with.  We went to the Train Wreck (bar in Burlington) afterward and visited a bit more.  Anthony and Emily graciously were our designated drivers, but I was fine.  I had 4 Mike's over the course of 8 hours, so no hangover for me :o).
I think there were a little over 50 of us there:

Natalie and Carly

Mike and Seth

The next day was the family BBQ and we knew that evening that there was a large group of people that were not going to make it!  They did a tour of the high school that we really wanted do, so we made the trip down with the kids and they got to see where we went to high school.  They had restored the theater and added on quite a bit...Reggie said he could never go there because he would get lost :o).  It was neat to hear about some of the programs they have.  They are top in the state for getting kids Microsoft certified in Excel, Word and Powerpoint and they still have auto shop, homec and welding.  Such great skills to have!  They also redid the track and turfed the field and it is amazing how nice and new it looks.  The principal who gave us the tour was really great and it sounds like a really good place to be.
Wrestling state champions wall:

I had to take a picture of this because Ryan's record might not be there for that long, since he's at the bottom.  Not to shabby for a full back who never got the ball!

Wood carving was going on downtown on our way to the BBQ, so we stopped to look at the amazing creations (there's a face inside the bear)!

We were exhausted when the weekend was over, but feel very blessed to still be happily married to each other :o).  It is good to remember those fun times in our lives.....We have done o.k. for ourselves!

Life at Lake Cavanaugh

We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves!!  Although, I only have my Iphone pictures to prove it....I forgot both cameras and am so bummed :o(.  Had a little bit of rain (monsoon type rain) the first week, but other than that it has been overcast with light drizzle or sunny :o).  We didn't do much the first week which was really good for everyone to get adjusted.  K had a few issues, but we are doing much better now (transitions are a bit tougher for him).
I took Ainsley to Dimensions of Gymnastics the first week, where I used to go, and sure enough coach Michelle was still there, along with her sister Toni!  They still look the same...I guess that is a youthful profession :).  Ainsley learned her cartwheel on the high beam in about 20 minutes (she has been working on it for 7 months!) and told me on the way home that she wished that could be her gym.  At least we get to enjoy it for a month.

The Rinehardt's came up on the weekend and we took advantage of the free strawberry picking.  We initially went to field 3 and the strawberries were beautiful and abundant, but we were the only ones there, besides what looked like an organized group pretty far away.  It felt like we were in the wrong place, but there was another person we chatted with and we decided to go for it.  About 5 minutes later we were busted and told the free field was number 2.  So, we headed over there and found a much picked over field with lots of moldy berries :o(.  We were able to get a bunch, but they barely made it home, so we mashed them for waffle and strawberry shortcake topping and jam.  It was an experience....a very muddy one at that!

We left bright and early on Monday to visit a college friend in Port Angeles.  The kids enjoyed the ferry and loved hanging out with her kids.  Reggie was very impressed with their toy collection (tons of lego sets) and they just played and played for a day and a half.  K learned to play the WII which he was very excited about and now wants a game for his birthday.  It gave Ann and I lots of time to catch up and look at old pictures and remember the good old days and talk about all the craziness life has brought us.  We will have to make it more regular thing :o).
On our way back, we stopped in Sequim at the Olympic Game Park.  I had read about this several years ago and wanted to make the trip, but then we moved and it didn't really make sense.  Since it was right on the way, we had to stop and it was a riot!!!  We all had so much fun and ended up going through it twice.  It will be one of those events that the kids never forget :o).   Here's a few pictures and videos:

Funny video of the buffalo chasing us down!

We made it!

I woke up Thursday morning and didn't feel so well :o(.  Unfortunately, I didn't escape the bug.  Although by lunch time, I was hungry and trying to figure out if I should eat or not.  Thank the good Lord above my version of stomach bug was only a few hours!  God knew I couldn't handle any more than that.
We had the babysitter coming that night, so we could go to the fair to see Eddie Money in concert.  What a riot that was.  The people were there were overly intoxicated and Eddie himself looked a bit altered, staggering around on stage (maybe it is because he is 65!!!).  Nobody seemed to care that he wasn't really singing much....he let the crowd do that....there was even a guy in the audience who was air playing all of the instruments.  Let's just say that we laughed a whole lot :o).
Ryan when Eddie came back on stage to play his final song....it is blurry because he was moving around...you can see the pure joy on his face!

 We got news that night that the judge signed off on our trip, so we packed most of the day on Friday and were on the road at 5:45 Sat. morning.  The trip went very smooth, but we didn't beat our time, 14 1/2 hours seems to be the best we can do.  We rolled in at 8:15 and everyone was so excited!
Elsa found a nice cozy spot in the car (K would tell you he was looking down, but he was actually fast asleep!)

The apartment my parents built above the garage is awesome!!!  Dad worked so hard to get it to a place where we could stay there and it has been great.  Here's a view from the deck:

The kids spent all day playing with the cousins and neighbors and have been having a ball.  I ran the lake yesterday and it felt so good to be out and about!!!
Today is supposed to be the end of the sun for a bit and I am very glad I brought rainy day activities :o).

Stomach flu

First week of summer and Reggie woke up with a stomach ache.  About an hour later, he tossed his cookies.  I sent the other 2 to VBS, but they called me at 11:30 and told me K was puking.  He was absolutely fine in the morning, so it came on very quick.  It seems with this particular bug that the older you are, the worse it is.  Reggie took a nap (he never ever naps!) and was pretty lethargic all day.  K was up and about, helping me pack his shoes and stopped to tell me he had to puke.  He ran to the bathroom and came out like nothing had happened!  We got it from the sitter and it took about 36 hours for the boys to get it, so I knew Ainsley was due Tuesday night if she caught it from the boys and sure enough, she started complaining of a stomach ache after dinner.  She was really happy once she started throwing up, so she must have felt REALLY bad.  She was a champ, puked in her bucket and brought us the bucket to clean out.  I heard someone else puking about 12:30 last night and it was Reggie.  He is a deep sleeper and didn't make it to the bathroom.  Luckily, I fed them the BRAT diet, so it was colorless and easy to clean up outside his door, except the smell has lingered.  He then made it to the bathroom, but decided to use the bathroom rug for his puke station.  It was a fun night...
Then, Ryan woke up this morning not feeling well, but went to work anyway.  He lasted until about lunch and then came home and crashed.  As of now, I am the lone survivor and I really hope it stays that way!!!!
It has to stay that way because I am still packing for our trip to Washington.  I have most of the major stuff done and I guess it was good that I was forced to stay home with the sick kids because I feel pretty organized and ready for the long haul.  That is if we get to go.  I got a call from the social worker tonight and K's dad is contesting our trip.  He has always given his blessing and I'm not really sure why he isn't this year, but the social worker was quite upset and worst case is we don't go or we go without K.  His lawyer is pretty confident that they are outside the window of when they can contest, but we should know in the next couple days.  Prayers are appreciated!!!

Last week of school and Happy Father's Day

Reggie's class spent a lot of time this spring learning about the history of California.  There last endeavor was a play.  This is his 3rd play and this was the most enjoyable to watch.  His teacher asked him if he would like a part and of course he said no, but then he saw a few of the smaller parts and tried out.  Who would've thought??!!  

Last day of school....Ainsley hanging with her big brother :o).  

They had an awards ceremony on the last day of school and we learned that Reggie had perfect attendance this year (as they were announcing the few students, Laura and I were amazed that they had not missed a day and then they announced Reggie's name and she looked at me and I looked at her....who knew, way to go Reggie!).  I guess all those colds and flu bugs he had as a little one finally paid off!
Ainsley being recognized for her 2nd place finish in the run.

Enjoying the climbing wall on Olympic day.  Ainsley's country was Norway and they tied for 1st-kinda fitting :o).

Reggie had a sleepover at Tyler's the last day of school, K was at a visit with his Aunt and Ryan was traveling, so it was just me and Ainsley!  One child is a piece of cake!!!!  We went to a swim party at Laura's after school, then went to the market and then went to family night at the rodeo.  It was a busy day, but lots of fun.  The next morning we went to the Penner's for breakfast...a good way to start out the summer :o).  

The kids have been asking for quite some time to sleep with me, so i decided when Ryan started his new job and did all his traveling that the kids could sleep with me (one kid at a time).  Ainsley got lice, so that went out the window.  Reggie got lucky, but I owed K and Ainsley, so K slept with me on Wed. night and A on Thursday night.  Let's just say between them and the cat, I was really tired!  Very happy to have Ryan home on Friday.  Saturday, we went with our friends, Diana and Dennis to the Rodeo (thanks to the free tickets I won) and had a very nice time.  Only one bull rider stayed on for the 8 seconds.  It was pretty crazy!

We are all still loving the cat!  We have worked out most of our major cat issues.  We finally had to get the squirt bottle out to control the playing at night in our bed.  She is 90% better, but when it gets light out in the morning, she has such a hard time controlling her need to attack.  We also figured out the litter and food issue.  She was pooping 3 times a day and it was pretty soft.  Mix that in with sandy litter and you have a mess.  We had so much litter in our bed and the poop would stick to her feet and then the litter would stick to her paw and it was NOT good.  So, we got the crystals litter and it is fabulous.  No more issues and now that we switched her food she only goes once a day.  Phew!

We went to a birthday party on Saturday morning at the movie theater.  They rented the entire place and it was really a great idea.  We are thinking of getting a few of Reggie's friends and doing a joint party for his birthday next year so it is more affordable.  What a blast!  Ainsley with her new buddy Ginger:

Happy Father's Day!  It was a bit of a fast morning, made Ryan breakfast, went to church, Costco and then the movies to see How to Train Your Dragon 2.  Somehow, I missed getting a picture of all the kids with Ryan :o(.  After that we headed to San Ramon to say goodbye to the Fitzer's (Ryan's old boss, Bill, is moving to Arkansas).  It has been a couple years and their oldest daughter is starting college...talk about feeling old :o(.

Ryan is such an amazing dad and the kids love him so much.  How blessed we are!!!! (this has taken me forever to type because the cat thinks its fun to attack my typing hands!).

I thought last week was busy.....

Last weekend the kids were off of school Friday and Monday.  We were invited to breakfast on Friday at Kelly's house (our past respite provider), so we made the trip and enjoyed a nice breakfast and visit and played a little Uno Attack :o).  We took Angel for the weekend and it was a pretty quiet (besides the dog barking in the morning and at night) weekend for us.

We hung out at the pool on Sunday and Ainsley tried a new gymnastics place.  The gym gave great instruction, but everyone was so serious and frankly the older kids looked unhappy.  She liked it, so we may go there short term until we can figure out a better option.  We just found out that her favorite friend at the new gym is quitting level 4, so that might be another reason she is open to this new place.  We'll see.  I just don't understand why it is so hard to find a place that gives good instruction and let's the kids have some fun.

K had swimming again on Wednesday and earned his first ribbon.  It has been really fun to watch him:

A little piece of heaven here on earth....we are so happy the market is open again!

Ryan enjoying an apricot from our tree:

Friday was a really crazy day....Reggie and Ainsley had the mile challenge to start the school day.  Ainsley told me last week that she made it and I was a bit confused because she NEVER runs during running time.  Her heel always bothers her and she just doesn't seem to have much stamina.  She has made a new friend late this year and decided to run with Ginger and she qualified with that time.  After school she ran up and told me that she was really worried about it and didn't know what to do.  I told her just to run with Ginger and have fun!  To our surprise, Ainsley IS a runner.  She kept turning around waiting for Ginger and Ryan encouraged her to catch her other friend Dani.  So she got 2nd place for girls in her grade with a 7:38 mile and wasn't even really tired.  I wonder what she could've done if she pushed herself?  Reggie was also nervous.  There's a 5th grade girl as tall as me who broke the school record last year and finished with at 5:38 mile!  Reggie also got 2nd place for 4th grade boys with a 6:04 mile.  He and a girl were tied coming to the finish and he turned on the burners and beat her.  He thought he might throw up...it was great :o).  Too bad he didn't run like that during track!

 Close to the finish line!

From there, we went right to Robert Livermore Community Center for K's birthday party.  He was counting down the days all week!  We decided to do it early because it is much harder to reconnect with preschool friends over the summer and the big kids are still in school.  It was his first friend birthday party and it was really important to him.  For some reason, those type of things are a big deal to him and seem to stabilize him in a big way.  After his nap, he told me it was the best day ever!  He had never been to that pool before and I am pretty sure he'll be asking to go back!

Sorry this video is sideways, but you can see he is swimming underwater!

 Opening presents :o).

That evening, I drove to Brentwood to pick up a kitten!  K's aunt had been fostering 5 and we lucked out with Elsa (they named all of them after Frozen characters).  I was a bit worried in the car when my right eye started itching and my nose got pretty stuffy.  I've been praying since that if I have cat allergies, they will disappear because she is an amazing kitten.  She is so friendly and social.  If the kids sit on the floor, she finds a lap.  We could just watch her for hours.  The kids giggle and are amazed by all the things she does.  We have been having a few challenges because she wants to sleep with us and play all night!  She really likes to tunnel under the covers and then attack.  Hopefully, she learns quickly or Ryan and I will be very grumpy!

Today we had a little excitement at the high school (about 2 blocks from our house).  Ryan went to Costco and called and told us there was a big fire on the trail and they had the road closed.  We walked over to the school and it came about 6 inches under the fence that borders the school.  It was crazy.  We saw some flames but it was mostly contained by the time we got there.  There were some other lookie-lu's hanging out on the wood chip pile we were standing on.  Ainsley noticed that it was smoldering and one of the guys stomped on it.  We called the fireman over and they brought a truck and started digging through the pile and spraying it....pretty crazy!  I think Ainsley saved the high school :o).