Goodbye K

Well, Friday was our last day with K :o(. He has slowly been transitioning to his aunts house over the last month, spending half time with us and half with them (being a 1/2 time parent was actually very nice!). I knew the day was coming, but I was still surprised at how sad I was. The kids don't really realize what is going on, which I guess is a good thing. I'm very glad that we have a good relationship with his family and will be able to visit or take him for a weekend visit.

It was a crazy 6 months, filled with lots of love and laughter, but also lots of challenges. Having 3 children is a lot, especially when you are thrown into the 2's, but we all adjusted pretty well. It was fun to see his growth in so many ways, behavior, speech and eating. He is an amazingly smart and happy child and it was fun to live life through his eyes....everything was so new and fun.

Life will be different, lots quieter for sure. We are taking a break until at least after the holidays and then we will re-evaluate where we are and decide if it is something we want to do again. We'll have to see how our kids were affected...time will tell.

And so, the bargain hunting begins

Last weekend Ryan took the kids to coffee and Reggie said, “Wait Dad, I have to get my wallet.” Ryan was a bit confused and asked him why. He responded, “In case we see a garage sale.” Today I decided to take Reggie with me and we went to a few garage sales. He got some star wars trading cards for $.50 and an erector set. We were looking at the erector set for awhile to see what all was in it and we found lots of pieces and 2 motors, but it was missing all the wheels. Reggie asked how much they wanted for it and she said $5. I informed her that the wheels were missing and I wasn’t sure what he could build. It was quiet for a moment and then she asked what he wanted to pay for it. He thought for a minute and said, “$2”. She was very surprised by his response and said, “Wow, you are a good negotiator.” They settled on $3. Go Reggie!!! I had a big smile inside. He spent all afternoon building and was talking about what he was going to build tomorrow :o). We also ended up getting a free kid’s table that is quite large and decided to put it in his room, so now he has a nice work table. He is very excited about his room now and I’m glad he has a big table to do all his building projects and arts/crafts.

He has been busy having playdates with friends and attending cub scouts since school started. We’ve been trying to get him to play basketball, but he just isn’t into sports. He is still running at school, but I need to sign him up for swimming (the only thing he will agree to do!).

Reggie has been obsessed with Star Wars lately and is ready for Halloween:

Ryan's old star wars toys:

Ainsley wanted to come with us today, but she couldn’t find her money. We are trying to teach them some responsibility, so she didn’t get to go and was very upset. It didn’t help that they had a sleepover last night at a friends’ house and I think she was up until at least 9:30 and then woke up at 6:30. So, it was probably best that she stayed home and took a little nap. Ryan and I enjoyed our free night…went to the movies and relaxed!

Ainsley has been in her own little world the last few weeks; working on school stuff, talking on her “cell phone” and doing really important stuff. It has been great because she has been very independent, but getting her to eat or get ready to go has been a challenge. She is very focused and homework with her is a dream! Reggie has been pretty good lately as well, but he never enjoyed it like she does :o).

Ainsley started soccer and really likes it. The first game, she bit her nails almost the entire time, but has improved quite a bit since then. She has also been going to gymnastics and is really excelling in that. She is super strong and is actually learning some skills now. And then there is swimming. Her lessons were such a struggle in the spring, but a couple weeks ago she turned into a fish while swimming in our friends’ pool. We put a smaller swim vest on her and she has to work a bunch harder now, but I think she loves it even more, going underwater and everything! It will be interesting to see what she chooses to do for an activity next year.

Swimming at Bill and Stacey's (Ryan's old boss):

Ryan started his job a couple weeks ago and life is so different!!! He can actually enjoy his evenings and hasn’t really worked at night yet (let’s hope this continues). He is going through a bit of withdrawal and misses his buddies, but I think he has realized how unhealthy his work/life balance was. It is nice to have him present :o).

First day of school!!!

All I keep hearing from people is how tall Reggie got over the summer!

Well, the first day of school was on Tuesday and it didn’t start out so smoothly. I had everything packed and ready the night before and we were going to bike to avoid all the car traffic by biking (no buses here, so there’s a million parents dropping their kids). We were ready early which never happens in this household, but the kids were really excited. Reggie got on his bike and sure enough he had a flat tire. We just cleaned out the garage and so I told him to get his old bike, but those tires were low too. I decided to use Ryan’s new fancy bike pump and couldn’t get it hooked up (come to find out later that it is backwards), so then I turned on the air compressor. Reggie managed to force the air pump on, but it still didn’t work and then I couldn’t get it off. By this point, I’m fuming so I pulled the thing as hard as I could and the plug came out of the tire, so that bike was out. Then I fiddled some more with the air compressor to pump up the other bike tire and couldn’t get it to work (later found out that that is very sensitive). So, we loaded in the car and drove through the surrounding neighborhoods looking for a parking spot. Time was ticking and we would have had to walk 15 minutes based on how far cars were parked away. Reggie wanted to try one more place and thank God, we borrowed my mom’s parking angel and got a spot right by the back side of the school. We walked quickly and made it. I snapped a few pics and Reggie was off. He has the same teacher as last year, so he was excited and has already met some new friends. Usually, I don’t get to hear much about his day, but he was pretty talkative and very glad to see his buddies.
Ainsley’s kindergarten didn’t start until 11:45, so we went home for a bit and then headed back. She was so excited!!! Happy to see her best friends and her new teacher. She came home today and was teaching Khalif all about the calendar and the 2 points of listening? Homework doesn’t start for another week and a half, so we can all enjoy school until then :o). It will be interesting to see how that goes…
The schedule was crazy this week, with drop off and pick-up, assembly schedules, early dismissals. It is amazing someone didn't get left somewhere! My friend Laura and I carpool, so that really helps (2 trips to school instead of 4!). Reggie starts at 8:30 and gets out at 2:40 and Ainsley starts at 11:45 and is finished at 3:05.

Ryan was traveling again this year, so hopefully, next year he will be able to see them on the first day of school!

Happy to be sitting next to Naomi:

Mrs. Gomes:

New Job!

Ryan has been looking for a job for a few months now and came across a position in Seattle in late June for a company he had worked with in the past. We have different views on moving, I feel like we just got settled and the timing just didn’t seem right to me, but he has wanted to move home for awhile. I think he wanted out so bad that he ignored me when I said not to even apply because how much harder would it be to say no if he were actually offered the job. I’m pretty sure he was thinking I’d change my mind. Well, forward 2 weeks and he was offered the position and we were butting heads pretty good. It was very stressful for all of us and we finally came out the other side in California. Ryan was so angry and disappointed, but God had a better plan! Forward 2 more weeks and he got a call from that same company because they had a job in the bay area. This time it all worked out! Had the Seattle job never happened, he wouldn’t have considered the job here (he probably never even would have known about it). So we can all breathe a little easier and hopefully, enjoy life at a slower pace!!!
His company did not take the news well and made him give a 4 week notice, so he doesn’t start for another 3 weeks, but he just got back from Chicago, doing a training for his new company, Avnet Memec. He has been getting lots of calls from people who are sad to see him go, but understand why he's leaving. This job is known within his company as the widow maker...hmmm. It is nice that he's so loved and I know he'll miss his good friends.
The cool thing about his new job is his territory is Seattle, Vancouver, BC and Portland, so he can work in the summer a bit and at Christmas, so we might get to go to Maui someday because he’ll have some vacation left! Or maybe a Cruise? He also doesn’t have to deal with China anymore, so no conference calls at night :o).
For this new position, Ryan had to buy a car, since he has to give back his company car, so we bought a Prius. I have been driving it and it is really fun, kind of a challenge to see how many miles to the gallon you can get, so I think he will enjoy it a lot :o). I’ve driven over 90 miles and still have a full tank of gas…I’m starting to think something might be wrong with the gas gauge!
We are so thrilled….the thought have having Ryan back is so exciting!!!

Ryan's trip around the world!

Well, my trip to Asia was very interesting and busy.. The calm before the storm started when we arrived at the lake on July 3^rd and I was able to enjoy and beautiful 4^th of July week with the family. The weather was gorgeous and the company was fantastic. (I think we’re going to have a “low key” 4^th next year and just party boat the lake and watch everyone else burn their money up). I left on the 10^th of July and was gone until the 20^th of July. My trip started from Seattle to Taiwan, then to Hong Kong, Shanghai, and finished in India. It was a world wind tour. It was my first time in Taiwan and the weather was hot and rainy. As I was there I started to notice 7 – 11’s everywhere. It reminded me of Starbucks in Seattle as every street corner was covered with these things. Come to find out that there are over 3 thousand 7 – 11’s throughout Taiwan and it’s really not that big of a geographic area. It was then onto Hong Kong. I was happy to arrive because I had been there several times and it almost felt like home just because it was familiar. The highlight of my stay in HK was visiting my boss’s boss’ house and having dinner with his family. He lives in a high rise building that overlooks the Hong Kong Harbor and the rest of the hi-rise buildings. I had a wonderful time with his family (his wife, and 4 children – 3 boys and 1 girl). On Friday I had to take a day trip to Shanghai (2 hour flight); left early Friday morning and got back late Friday night. It was a long day and I was very glad to be back in HK for the weekend. I got to hang out with my quality engineer that is also from California that just happened to be there during my trip. I got another custom suit made during my stay in HK which was a great perk. Sunday afternoon I flew to India (8 hours). The hotel was beautiful brand new 5 star that was placed right in the middle of a very dense and not so clean place. The day started on Monday and traffic was nothing I had ever seen before. People everywhere, cars, tractors, motorcycles (thousands) and even cows laying in the middle of the highway.. It was organized chaos.. The food was wonderful (curry) and the company was great. People in India are very helpful and friendly and are willing to do anything for each other. I visited one of the managers’ homes during my trip and I hadn’t even met him until this trip. He opened up his home and family and they were very generous. The sales person that I was traveling with (Reddy) was very generous too.. Funny story – The last day during my stay in India I wanted to find a gift for Ainsley for her Birthday and found the perfect thing (Barbie –Ken from India!). Reddy insisted to also buy her a gift and wouldn’t let me leave the store until he also bought her a Barbie doll. My trip ended in India as I flew out of India headed for Germany at 2:30AM Wednesday morning. 9.5 hour leg to Germany and then from Germany to Seattle another 10 hours. Being in the air for almost 20 hours straight was rough. I can officially say I went around the world in over 10 days. I can also say I will never do that again!!

Take note of the tractor on the right... Taxi cab:

You can't see it that well, but there were 4 people on this motorcycle!

Cows all over the place....even in the middle of the road! Driving in India was crazy!

Washington-part 2

Ryan and I flew back home on Monday July 25th to take Khalif to visit his parents. The kids stayed with grandma and grandpa and didn’t even really care we were gone….I guess they love their grandparents :o). They went to a petting zoo and Water park in Everett one of the days and because it was rather cold, they had the entire water park to themselves! They went back to Aunt Liha’s and went slip n’ sliding that afternoon. We were at their house a few times this summer and they love their backyard, hiking around in the wild flower, playing in the little house and setting up multiple slip n’ slides.

Pen make-up. I made her wear it until bath time and I'm pretty sure she won't be doing that again:

Ryan’s birthday was that Monday and he had work people in town and had his Cisco SBR, so it was a crazy day for him and he didn’t get home until after midnight! Khalif and I had a quiet time hanging out. I had no car, so had to rely on my bike which was kinda fun. We went grocery shopping and ran some errands and Khalif really enjoyed riding in the Ibert (bike seat that mounts on the handle bars). He had a nice visit with his family and we met his aunt and cousin at the park one day and they are really great people! We had a playdate with the Williams’ girls and they dressed him up as Minnie Mouse and he was pushing a shopping cart with a purse….his parents would’ve been so proud! The time flew by and we left Wed. afternoon. Ryan stayed back to work.

The kids were really excited to see us, which was kinda fun for me because I don’t usually leave them and they actually missed me :o). I missed them too. The house was very quiet without Reggie and Ainsley. I can see why Ryan doesn’t like it when we are not there. The sun finally started coming out and the kids were in the water or on the beach most of the day. It finally felt like summer, except the water was freezing. I usually do a swim workout a few times a week and I just couldn’t this year…only swam once :o(. Our last week was really busy; we went to the Children’s Museum, the zoo and the Stanwood/Camano Fair. We had a great time at all of those places. Ryan flew in on Wed. so he got to enjoy some sun and the fair. We talked Reggie into kneeboarding and he did great and loved it! The neighbor was nice enough to lend us their kneeboard….they’ve come a long way since our day. Theirs had a hook for the rope, so he didn’t even have to hold on! I went with him and I couldn’t tell by his face whether he was enjoying himself. When we were done, he said it was really cool, but we couldn’t get him to go again before our time at the lake was over. I decided to go again by myself to have my own fun and show him what you can do on a kneeboard. I could still jump, do 360’s and stand up. I’m not sure about him, but I was pretty impressed with myself :o).

Watching the horses at the fair:
Zumba!

About half way through the summer, Ainsley was asking to sleep in the toddler bed up in Grandma’s room (Wade and Liha stay in grandma and grandpa’s room with their whole family when they are up visiting). Grandma is a softy and said o.k. The only problem is that Reggie and Ainsley sleep in the same room and Reggie wasn’t about to get cut out of the deal. So, it became a nice treat for them to sleep in grandma and grandpa’s room. Reggie was very excited to sleep in a sleeping bag and they loved it. Not sure grandpa was on board, but I’m glad they love their grandparents!

What a good cleaner....grandpa loved it whenever Khalif got ahold of the sponge!

Dancing on stage at the Children's museum-Reggie was working hard in the picture above to do sound and lights:

Reggie's old fav. the Comodo Dragon:

Aunt Sue and Uncle Rich’s cabin became one of Reggie’s favorite places to visit. He biked there with Ryan and always wanted to stop there when we were out in the party boat. They do have a fun place….it is really cabin-like with a loft and they’ve made some trails with interesting attractions, like a fairy house. Look what we found on a walk at Aunt Sue and Uncle Rich's...pretty cool:

The kids got to enjoy an adventure with Grandma Peggy and Uncle Anthony. They always do something fun and this year they went to the water slides. This is something I would never do with them because they are water weanies, but I was hopeful that they might be brave. It was good they both went because Ainsley hung out in the kiddie area with grandma and to our surprise, Reggie went on all the slides with Uncle Anthony!!! Way to go! They had an awesome time :o).

Hanging in the little pool:

Go Reggie!

Sat. was a bit of a whirlwind, as usual with Ainsley’s birthday party and packing. I decided to do the Once Around Lake Cavanaugh race. My back has been feeling good all summer and I’ve been running a lot and for long distances, so it seemed like a good idea. My back was a mess earlier in the week, but it quickly recovered and I ran it without stopping (7.8 miles in 1 hour 12 minutes)!!! When we got back, Peggy, Dustin and Anthony came to visit, then Megan and her family and then the rest of the party around 3:30. We had fun watching people try to paddleboard. Some people can do it and others, like Ryan and Dustin, just can’t. Reggie had a blast playing with Lachlan, Cohen and Mack (Megan’s children). Lachlan even waterskied for the first time, so it was good for Reggie to see that a 9 year old can do it. Maybe he’ll try next year??? Ainsley had fun with Cadia and the twins, Stella and Ruby. Reggie had fun with Charlie….it was just a great day! We had a great time visiting with Jim/Ruth, Lacey/Aunt Jana, Kristin, the Boyd’s, and Aunt Sue/Uncle Rich. Thanks mom for letting us host at your house. The weather even cooperated and it was beautiful.More than half way around the lake...

Presents the night before her party...I now know why so many easy bake ovens end up at thrift stores!

Lachlan and Reggie:

Reggie and Charlie :o). He was so glad to have a boy cousin to play with!

We had a great time watching Ainsley open her gifts. She wanted an American Doll this year, but that didn’t seem to make sense to me. She is pretty young and those dolls are $100! Ryan thought it would be a nice surprise to buy her one, so he got on some website and ordered a doll without telling me because he knew that I’d veto it. I’m not sure how many links he clicked on because he ended up getting baby Kevin for $100. He showed up at the lake on party day, so at least the timing was good. We explained to her beforehand that there was a mix-up and she wasn’t getting an American Doll, but we could send the baby back and get one. Of course she opened up Kevin and wasn’t at all wanting to ship him away. The box said, “Not for play. For children 14+ or adults as a collectible.” Hmmm…I’m not thinking the glued on hair is going to make it. Although, we’ve been home for almost a week and baby Kevin has only had about 5 minutes of play time, so he might just be going on a trip back to wherever he came from. It was a really nice thought and we love Ryan for that….the whole scenerio also gave us a lot of laughs :o). Baby Kevin:

Grandma had a brain seizure and thought Reggie was little and tried to pick him up. Thankfully, she didn't hurt herself!

Jumping with Stella and Ruby:

No animals in the house this year....the cats have gotten a little better about leaving stuff outside. Ainsley was very sad to see the dead rabbits...also had a dead duck this year :o(. She did find a live snake to pet though-for some reason it let her do it: Amazing to see a deer in the water! Haven't ever seen that before :o)

We awoke early the next morning and were on the road a little after 7. We stopped for gas and to go to the bathroom at the Costco in Salem and then stopped for dinner in Yreka. We would have made it in just over 14 hours if we hadn’t hit construction traffic. As it was, we pulled in at 9:48, so it took us 14 hrs. and 39 minutes. Not too bad since it took us 16 on the way there and last year 17 hours each way. The kids did much better on the way back and somehow entertained themselves for a good part of the way (only watched 2 movies).

The summers just seem to go quicker and quicker. We slowed down a bit this year and didn’t schedule much, but somehow it seemed to go by faster. I know it is a lot for my parents to have us there for 5 weeks, but I’m glad they let us impose. The kids will always have their memories of summer fun forever…….thank you!

Washington-part 1

Well, as many of you know the summer started out very cold and rainy. We had sun on the 4^th and we were hoping we brought it with us, but no such luck! It rained at some point almost everyday for 2 ½ weeks! That didn’t seem to stop the kids from playing on the beach and even swimming :o). We went on lots of walks in the woods and Reggie taught the girls how to fly down the driveway on a big wheel and maneuver down another steep hill, using only their feet for brakes. Reggie is very cautious, so I let him keep doing it despite my better judgment. Amazingly, no one got hurt.

Ryan took the entire week after the 4^th off (which means he was still working, but minimally). We went down to our house in Kirkland and did some maintenance, went out to dinner and took the kids to Jungle Playland. We put the Mastercraft in this year and we were hoping to use it lots. Ryan got a tube for his birthday and was dying to take the kids on it. We got one that they could sit in because of our experience when Reggie was little and it submerged and dumped all the kids. So, it was Ryan in the middle and the girls on either side. We weren’t really thinking about the fact that the middle seat was more forward and therefore, a little front heavy. Well, we managed to almost repeat the same incident, but Ryan thought quickly and jumped off. Needless to say the girls were a screaming mess and it will be a few years before they’ll go again :o(. We were able to talk Reggie into it, but it didn’t seem like he had too much fun. All in all, it was a nice, relaxing week. Ryan left Sunday for his trip around the world.

We had a nice BBQ with the Wade side of the family. It was nice to see everyone and meet the new puppy. Ainsley has gotten much better around dogs these days, but wasn’t as brave as Jake, who had no problem getting mauled by the puppy :o).

The kids and I did more of the same when he was gone, playing on the beach, walking in the woods and I almost forgot, lots of party boating! Khalif’s favorite word is water and boat, so I think he really enjoyed it too.

Meal time is a little chaotic, but it is one of our favorite things to do?

4th of July. Lots of food, fun and sun!

Looking at the roman candles:

Fun run in Sedro Woolley. Ryan and Reggie did the 2-mile run without stopping in just under 20 minutes! He never wants to do that again....it was too hard:Lake Cavanaugh parade:

Uncle Wade teaching the kids pyro techniques:

Enjoying staying up late to watch the fireworks. Why don't they sleep in?????

Popsicles on the party boat!

We did take a quick trip to Aunt Pam’s cabin on Lummi Island and the trip could have been really fun or a complete disaster. My sister decided if she went it would be a disaster, so we brought Maggie and Mom, Aunt Pam and myself managed the kids and I have to say it was really fun!!! We turned over rocks looking for tiny crab and explored the beach and tide pools. Reggie found a jar of sea glass in the cabin and decided that was his mission, so they all searched high and low for sea glass. They made several trips down to the beach and brought back all kinds of treasures that they spread all over the deck; shells, dead crab, special rocks, etc. They ran all over the yard playing games and having some kind of imaginary fun. We made a fire in the pit and had smores and got all gooey. We also visited the local school and played on their playground which they thought was the best! While we were waiting for the Ferry, Aunt Pam suggested we get some ice cream from the local store and no surprise the kids were up for that :o). I’m sure they will have very special memories from their visit at Lummi….thanks Aunt Pam!

Smore faces:

Looking for crabs:

Unfortunately, we had to make a run to the urgent care the day after we got back. Khalif was not himself and sure enough, after waiting 2 hours, he had an ear infection. Ainsley wanted to go with us to visit Grandpa Geno, so she and grandma went there and watched some Lawrence Welch. We had to make a run with Ainsley the following week because she had a sketchy bug bite that she probably got up at Lummi. It lasted for 10 days and was starting to go away and then came back bigger on the last day. She had the same thing last year, so we know what to do now and when to be concerned.

Ryan flew back from his trip for his birthday weekend and we enjoyed some great food and had some more fun. Ryan went waterskiing and has decided to get on a health kick so he can actually go for more than 5 minutes. He even bribed Liha to go and she got her $100 because she got up on one ski! Way to go!! Funny story….Ryan saw that my dad had the movie the Great Outdoors and thought it would be fun for the kids to watch it. Ainsley and Maggie sat down and were watching it and shortly after it started, Ryan put in another movie. He told me later that as they were sitting on the couch watching, some inappropriate language was said and immediately, Maggie turned to Ryan and asked, “Uncle Ryan, what is a motha fucka?” (she doesn’t say her r’s that well). I guess PG was different back in those days!


Birthdays:

Dad celebrated his 67th on July 6th:

Khalif turned 2 on July 22nd. Reggie was so proud of himself....he made the cake topper out of legos. Khalif's favorite thing is Sponge Bob:

Ryan turned 35 on July 25th-not sure what the gesture was about....