The "Eck's" Files

Rory's Fashion Sense

2011-01-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

No, it wasn't dress up day. This was Rory's get up for school on just a normal day. Beanie, fingerless gloves, polo, loose tie, dog tags, vest. Oh dear.

We recently received a note that Rory needed to take off his hat, gloves, coat in school, so we have scaled back the "coolness" factor. He's 7 for pete's sake.

And being cool is more about your attitude and kindness.

Rory's Creation

2011-01-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

Rory was challenged to build a building for school using recycled materials.

Here is his finished project:

Rory's Hospital for Heros

Paige's Achievement

2011-01-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

At the kids' school, every year there is a accelerated reader program. One year, each stop (usually every 4 points) was an Oregon school, another year Olympic sports, and this year is National Parks. Every year, Paige sets a goal to get all the way around. At the end, they receive a medal and certificate for their achievement. Paige has struggled to do this, so this year, her 4th grade year, we are just going to do it!!

It's been a struggle, and we have looked for many things to keep her on track and engaged in the process. Auntie Amber had put feathers in her hair, and offered to get Paige some. Dad and I thought about it a LOT and talked about it a ton. Finally we decided that if she got to 15 points by the end of January, she could get some. Before Christmas break, she was at 8 points. She read a bit over vacation, but then her teacher gave her some Serendipity books (ones I'd forgotten about) and Paige was ON FIRE!! She was moving right along. Grandma Marlene was coming, and if she was at her goal by that time, Grandma would be able to go with her. Boy did that girl read, sometimes 2 books a night. She read all day Friday when Grandma got there, and Saturday morning, and wracked out those tests!! She was at 14.8 points....OH NO!! She didn't hit the goal!!

Well, Mom and Dad talked and decided that since she had worked so hard, without us pushing, we'd let her get the feathers. We ran down to the Indoor Market, found the lady, and picked out feathers. Paige picked 2 turquoise (her favorite color), 2 orange, and 1 yellow feather and had them put in her hair. They last about 3 months if you are careful, and it was super easy to put in.

Isn't she so styling? They work just like hair: you can wash, dry, comb, curl, anything you usually do!

She was so super excited! Then she convinced Mom to get some. Mom did a bit more tame, ones that blend with her hair, as she has some meetings in Seattle soon. It was a fun time, and Paige gets to look in the mirror and remember her accomplishment everyday!!

Nice work Paige!

Next goal is to be at 21 points by the end of January, and 28 points by the end of February! At 28 points she will receive her medal!! Come on girlie-girl, you can do it!

Randomness at the Eck Household

2011-01-27T19:15:00.001-08:00

Happenings lately:
Rory holding a can of tomato paste: "I'm a midget, so I eat tiny things."

Me: Rory, what recycled item would you like to use for grass on your project? Rory: "I'm thinking I'll be really classy and use dead grass from outside."

Chad turned on the light to wake the kids. I went in to see if they were getting up. They are dead asleep. I shake Paige, and she looks right at me, except she's wearing her eye mask....

Paige: "Mom, we got a new staff member today." Me: "Well, that's an exciting day!" Rory: "Yeah, she's Asian." Me: "Oh" Paige: "No, I think she's from Salem" (About a 3 hour drive from here). Rory: "Well she's black, so I just figured." Me: "Um Asian?" Rory: "No maybe she's from Africa?" Paige: "I'm telling you, she's from Salem." Shaking head.....

Rory being quiet because he didn't want to read. It was a bit, so I call, "Rory, what are you doing?" Rory answered, "Trying on new underwear."

While shooting Rory says, "Man this is like bullet heaven!"

Paige explaining Glee Karaoke: "You can duet, solo or co-po." She meant co-op!!

Rory: "I'm thinking I might become a detective, or maybe a drawler (Drawer or artist)"

Us at Sharp's Burger Ranch in Clarkston. "We'll have 2 Whackers with special sauce, and 2 saddle bags." When we got our whackers...they don't come with fries OR a shake (drink)!! LOL They couldn't have asked or something?? And who can't ever get enough whackers with special sauce?? (Yes, there actually is a hamburger meal called that. I have NO idea why.)

Skinny Jeans and Allowance

2011-01-02T01:02:00.000-08:00

Oh my heavens....those 80's fashions. Boy I loved them in the 80's, and remember my mom saying "WHY DO YOU WANT TO WEAR THAT?" and I remember her letting me. Within reason, cause I never did get a pair of hammer pants. Rude!

Well, my darling Paige is getting to the age of fashion. It's been quite fun until for her birthday she got a gift certificate to Old Navy. (Thanks Auntie Colleen. :) ) We went down to spend her new money.

Queue ray of light and angels singing, because in the clearance area was a pair of BRAND NEW SKINNY jeans...just her size, and just in her price range!! Oh goody, oh goody!! (Can you hear the squeals and jumping up and down right now? Well, you should have been there!)

It was fate, because those skinny jeans fit!!

She then decided to ONLY wear those jeans. Every day. So rules were put in place. Yes, you can wear them 2x times without washing. You may not just wash 1 pair of jeans as a load. Then, no, you can only wear those (insert rude noises) things 2 times per week. Then it became; "if you are only wearing skinny jeans now, you probably should go buy more with your allowance, as this is getting ridiculous.

Well, it's the end of the year. She got leg warmers--sparkly ones. Yes, I said leg warmers! She didn't get any arm warmers though. Pout.... She got jeggings for her birthday. For those NOT in the know, those are leggings that appear to be jeans, but are not. She got new leggings for Christmas. She likes leggings! So super cute with a skirt and Uggs...I mean, totally! :)

Chad took her to Old Navy to find a pair of skinny jeans. No luck. And a cranky kid. LOL Poor thing!!

The next day, mom needed a break, so went to Kohl's after grocery shopping. Goodness, but the clearance racks were FULL of skinny jeans, AND I had a 20% coupon off ALL prices. So the following day I took her over. (BTW, Chad's theory on the clearance is that, please they are going out of style??? Please? LOL) We found 5-6 pair and she tries them on. 1 wasn't too bad as far as skinny jeans are, and one wasn't quite skinny jeans, BUT they did come with markers so you could color your jeans after washing them. Remember that??? I didn't get to do that either.......again.....RUDE.

So Paige used her hard earned allowance on jeans. I'm hoping this will cut down on some of the early morning, "I don't have a THING to wear issue" since we have all these rules, AND more acceptable (to a 10 year old) jeans to choose from. Plus she's learning that if she wants the latest and greatest style, she might have to pay for them herself. And when you don't make that much, and pay tithing and savings first, it's hard to save up for cool things! Good life lessons there.

So now, I'm thinking, what was the "style" after those 80's and can I live through it?? I'm thinking perms and big bangs are coming soon!! Hide my pictures Grandma's, cause we don't want to show her my pictures of my rocking perm and bangs....I looked Goooood!!

Side note, it's been so fun to watch her become her own self and determine who she is, and what she likes. I just have to remember to let her, and enjoy!! And be thankful for allowance!

Umm...fractions anyone?

2010-12-31T18:45:00.001-08:00

I needed some new ground turkey. I buy it at Food 4 Less, where you can get 20 lbs of frozen ground turkey for about $1.10/lb. Great deal, and great turkey. Since it's frozen, you can ask the butcher to slice it for you. Each tube is 10 lbs. I asked for 6 equal peices in each tube.

Um...this is what I got. 5 UNEQUAL cuts of meat. I think those 2 large pieces on the right are about 3 lbs each...I showed Chad. All he could do is laugh. Then he noticed that there weren't even 6 cuts per tube!! LOL.....sigh. I have ground turkey though!! Thank heavens I got a slicer for Christmas....it's just not here right now! Dang!

Slight Embarrassment and learning opportunity

2010-12-31T17:25:00.000-08:00

Rory has had some "medical" problems. (We'll leave the nature out for his privacy! LOL) If you don't know, he is a SUPER modest boy, always has been. So therefore, I knew things were getting rough when he asked both Dad AND Mom in the restroom for some help.
We weren't sure what to do or what is wrong, so I asked if he would like to go to the Doctor. He said, "Yes, call right now please." It was evening, so I couldn't, but promised I would first thing in the morning. I told him the Doctor may need to look at his "privates" and would that be okay? He said he would prefer not to, so we discussed how Dad can't fix helicopters over the phone, telling the pilots what to do, he has to actually look and see what's wrong. He decided he would let the Doctor look.
The next day, he reminded me to call the Doctor so I figured this was more serious than I though, so we got an appointment, and off we went. We finally get in, do the standard, give urine samples, but he had just gone, so he didn't have much...boy, you would think peeing in a cup would be easy for boys.....

The Doctor comes in, and he's telling him what's going on, and the Doctor asks to look. He changed his mind and said, "No, I'd rather you not." LOL I finally get him to do it, and he's telling the Doctor how he's starting to get sweaty!! ROFL!! The Doctor said, "I bet!"
We get done, and he asks for another urine sample, and while Rory is getting ready, he says, "I'm really regretting my decision to come here." I'm like...um, why? He says, "Well, he just looked at my penis!" That made me giggle....he said "regretting"! Cute kid!

The Doctor prescribed a pill for him, and we pick it up. Now we have to teach him to swallow pills. I give it the college try. Not working. I'm getting frusterated, Paige is upset that Rory's upset, so I call Chad in. Chad starts trying, not working.....sigh. Rory starts crying, and the pill is disingrating, it's not going well. Chad's saying, "it's not that hard!" Rory says, "okay, but I've never done it before, this is all new to me!!" Score one for the logical kid.
At that point, he figures out how to swallow the pill, but now his mouth is all gross from the pill, but we have success. I thought I'd share his sadness and triumph, so that when he's an adult, he'll have this to reflect on!!

Who's hearing???

2010-12-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

The other day, I was getting ready and was in the kitchen when I realized I had lost one of my diamond earrings.
Naturally, I panicked a bit and said, "I lost my earring!"
Rory had HUGE eyes and started laughing. (a bit like his mom maybe?)
I told him it wasn't funny, they were expensive, and I couldn't just replace them and that I lost my earring. Punk...
I went back to the bedroom to look, and hear Paige say, "No, her earring."
Rory had called Chad in a panic and told him I lost my HEARING....
But I wonder who REALLY lost their hearing!! LOL

Have no fear though, I found the back, and after some heartfelt prayers, Chad found the earring the next day!! Yeah!! Then more thankful prayers!!

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, March 22, 2010

2010-10-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Little monkeys at the zoo...they are so cute!! Nick, Rory, Jack, Aiden & Chase and Paige. We missed Madi, Jenny and Emily...they got there a bit later. Good, good memories of this zoo. We always had a family pass, so would come up to see 1 or 2 animals before I went to work. It was great. Bud and the kids had some really neat experiences here too! When we first moved to the Springs in 1996, it was not the best zoo. Sad animals and enclosures, and Chad and I went home so depressed. Slowly they have built this into an incredible zoo. I love this zoo!! The giraffe area is amazing, Tigers, gorillas, wolves have whole sides of the mountain to move around. Amazing. I could go on and on, but again, the zoo did not fail, great memories and a fun time with friends!! I miss you guys!

Since we have left, they have added an old ski lift which takes you up the mountain, with a bird's eye view of the zoo and the Springs. I forgot when I got on how much I "love" ski lifts...love them. I heard Cindi's giggle the whole time, as she was the person to get me on my first ski lift, and that's another story in itself!! I miss you Cindi! It was amazing to look and see all the animals under us. Though Chad pointed out that going over the tigers and grizzlies wouldn't have been his idea of safe! LOL!

My beautiful Paige girl....she was a bit nervous, but did well!
I thought about leaving Rory...he was so excited and wiggly. I was getting worried about all his sudden movements. If you are that high off the ground, let's just move carefully? I was just thinking!!

This is the children's area, which a great place to play. We didn't make it this trip, but there are so many play areas, it was okay. This area is the petting zoo, with lots of learning areas too!

Rory and Paige at the top of the zoo, looking over the Springs.

Isn't that view amazing? LOVE it!!

Looking into the tiger enclosure as we came over the top of it...I wonder how many tourists a tiger family eats a week? These animals are beautiful...and rather large. Bud and I got a good look once when it was only about 18" away from us....incredible!

Jack, Rory and Nick being "captured" by a Grizzly. The grizzly area was new as well, and WOW!! There were HUGE salmon swimming in the pool, and the grizzlies would come down to get them. You can look through the glass as they go into the water. One grizzly snuffed around the seam of the glass, right about the top of a little boy's head. It was a bit nerve wracking. What if the glass broke? Holy COW!! RUN!!

Proud peacock strutting his beauty!

Giraffe's LOVE the crackers you can feed them....it's great fun!

This guy was in LOVE with Paige...she loves being licked by them...NOT!! :) They have slimy tongues!

Paige, Nick, Rory and Jack on the zebra. We have lots of pictures of the kids on this zebra....good times, good times!!

After the zoo, we went for dinner with the Hepworth's. We love that family....so it was good to see them. Everyone is growing up quickly! After dinner, we went to the Miller's, and stayed just a quick minute, as they were prepping for a wedding. It was good to have a few minutes to visit!

March 21, 2010 Church and Bosom Buddies

2010-10-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

We got up bright and not too early and headed to southern Colorado Springs to attend church in our old ward. We hadn't told many people we were coming, so it was fun to go to Sacrament Meeting. There were a few whispers when we came in....and lots of people were gone as it was Spring Break. The boys were passing Sacrament, and there were a few double takes, then a few grins! It was really nice to be back with them again! So many people were still there! I imagine Heaven is like that. What a nice thing to look forward too!

Paige with her friend Gyani. They are only about 2 days apart. Her mother and I and another friend Cindi went to the movies together on a regular basis, but neither of us knew the other was pregnant. Cindi did though!! TOO FUNNY! Finally about a week before they were born, we found out, and Relva threatened bodily harm if I had Paige before she had Gyani. I was just a tad scared!! :) When I had Paige, I called Cindi to make sure I wasn't first, and I WASN'T! Crisis averted!! We have laughed as they have been pound for pound, inch for inch (though Paige is a bit taller now) and Gyani is full blooded Samoan! How did that happen that Paige is as tall as she is? They were like little magnets after Sacrament was over, and the bosom buddies went off to class! Below is a picture of the mountains from the church building. Miss those beautiful mountains far off in the distance! After church we went to Cindi's house and had a fantastic dinner with her family, and Gyani. We didn't get a picture with her cute family, and super cute twin boys....they are just fun!! We then took Gyani to the hotel for a sleep over! Oh what fun!! Sleeping over with a great friend! Hee Hee...but Rory had to sleep with mom! But I did stop at Panda Express for Orange Chicken for breakfast. Breakfast of Champions I say!! And we were on vacation....so what??? Oh yeah, and I was the mom!! LOVE IT! Rory was taking the whole bed.....Paige sleeping tight!! Gyani sleeping tight!! It was sad to separate the two little plums and I hope they have a chance to get together again! They are so cute together!!

March 20, 2010 Cliff Dwellings

2010-10-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

The day was great, not too cold, and fun for running and climbing and seeing how indigenous people lived MANY MANY moons ago. The kids were pretty intrigued by this! Rory purchased a dream catcher in Manitou Springs from the "Indian people". He keeps it in his room for "bad dreams".
Newer part. This houses a museum and gift store. Paige purchased a "best friends" necklace. Then it somehow got lost in the car. Sad face. She was SO sad....

I'd love to have this in my backyard. A place to bake bread. I have always loved this thing!

The workmanship is crazy. I know we "think" they weren't advanced or knowledgeable, however, look at how they lived, how compact and correct it was. Places for eating, sleeping, families, cooking, working, defense built in, worshipping. These utilize the resources of the sun, wind, land, and worked for them for many years, and still stand the test of time. It's amazing! Simply amazing!

Not much damage after all this time...isn't that amazing. Most damage was done in the early 1900's when the Cliff Dwellings became the "in" place to come and be seen. Finally a group put a stop to it, and this remains now.

My dear friend Rebecca with Troy at the entrance to the Cliff Dwellings...it really was a beautiful day!! Sunny and warm!! Chilly wind! Great place to go! Paige and "the boys" Jack, Nick and Rory in front of the dwellings. Rory really enjoyed playing with "those boys of your friend!" Beautiful Paige pretending she is an indigenous person!!

Colorado Springs AM March 20, 2010

2010-10-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

The morning dawned clear and bright--and a tad chilly, but not too bad. We stayed at the North End of the Springs, and the kids were super excited by the mountains and slight skiff of snow on the ground around us.

We took these pictures while we were waiting for a dear friend Patti, who I hadn't seen FOREVER, came to pick us up for breakfast. It was such a wonderful time, and great catching up with old friends....and no pictures! How did that happen?
Look at Paige in front of the Front Range!!
Beautiful Mountains, but I really have come to love the individual mountains around us in Bend. Each has a different characteristic, and we enjoy them. However, it was good to see the mountain range that we looked at daily for 10 years!

What a beautiful girl. I have a feeling we have lots of these years of hair fixing in the future!

Updates

2010-10-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

Apparently my Father-In-Law logs on everyday to read my updates.

He's been SOOOOO very sad. So, I'll be going clear back to March to update the family happenings....

Sorry Rusty!

Rory's Prayer

2010-06-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

Rory said his prayers tonight, and I needed to capture it. Usually it's just "Thank you for the day, I had a nice one, thanks for time with my family, bless the homeless"

Tonight it was:

Thank you that school gets done at 12:15 tomorrow and it's school break.

Help my teacher not cry when she has her baby. (She's due in August)

Help the homeless not be cold, that they can have some money, a car, clothes, a table and some food on it.

Ohhhh....what a good kind hearted boy!!

Paige had prayed for the homeless every night for about 4 years. She really thinks about them and does service for them whenever she can. She makes hygiene kits, towels, and sheets to our local homeless family shelter, and begs to serve when it's time for the ward to provide dinner. She really loves to help them.....I guess Rory decided it wouldn't be fun to be homeless either!

I bet when I'm independently wealthy, and have greenhouses for homeless shelter veggies year round, I will have 2 willing helpers!!

Paige cracks me up!!

2010-04-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

I was listening to the kids today read scriptures. Paige was reading.
And Zeerom sayth...
Paige: That's a fun name to say. Zeerom. Rory, wanna say it with me?
Together: Zeerom. Zeerom.
Rory: Geez, that IS a fun name to say!
Paige also gets so excited to go to the next verse. She will say so excitedly....OK, ready for the next one? Or Are you waiting for verse x? It makes me laugh!! I love our early morning scripture reading times!

March 19th -- Lots of good stuff!

2010-04-10T20:26:00.001-07:00

The day dawned bright and sunny with a bit of snow. We got our hoodies and heavy jackets (for the just in case) and headed out to explore prior to meeting up with friends. We were just down the road from Garden of the Gods, so we headed there.

As we took this picture, it was getting colder and darker. I told the kids, just think, lots of your friends are going to Jamaica, but you GET to be in Garden of the Gods in SNOW!! How lucky. They thought that was cool!

Amazing beauty!! I love this place!

Hurry Mom, it's super heavy!!

What are you talking about, it's nothing but a big rock to hold up!

It was slushy, and we missed our boots!

Balancing Rock--then we drove to Manitou Springs, looked around the stores, got some salt water taffy, saw and read about multiple springs in town, checked out the pumps and houses, looked at toy stores, enjoyed the town. Always loved that place too! Rory bought a dream catcher to catch his bad dreams. Let's see if it works....

We then met with Cindy and her twins, Aiden and Chase, and Rebecca and her two boys, Nicky and Jacky, and had lunch at Waffle House. Then headed to Ghost Town. None of us had been, but it was inside and looked fun for kids.

We learned lots about the Old West and how they lived "back then". There was a jail complete with a "creepy" talking guy. The kids LOVED yelling to him so he would talk back! Yikes!! There was a shooting gallery, store, saloon (complete with "peep show" machines--we were out of quarters though), bank, post office, and a house. There were buggies, and a "ghost" piano. The kids thought that was fun too! Alas though, I ran out of battery there, so that was SAD!! There was a funny mirror there that made them look like midgets. It was so funny to watch them dance and prance in front of the mirror and giggle!! Oh my goodness!!

At the store, Rory chose a arrowhead necklace with his money from Grandma and Grandpa. He had to buy something every place we went. I think he might have had a spending problem. Once we got home, he set out his clothes, (including socks) with his necklace to make sure it "matched". Oh my...luckily it did!

March 18th--Denver Zoo

2010-04-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

The day dawned bright and beautiful! We had breakfast at Kings Sooper, yogurt and fruit and water! We met Rebecca and her boys at the Zoo in Denver shortly after they opened!

Here's all the little ones together in front of the zebras and ostrich! Paige's shirt says "It's a Girl's World, Boys Just Live Here". However, this trip was rife with boys, and very little girls, so it was just wishful thinking!!

View of Denver from the zoo. Rory loves big cities and loved the tall buildings!!
This was the first thing we saw walking in the zoo!! He was beautiful and sat sunning himself in the warmness!
Denver Zoo was HUGE!! We walked FOREVER it seemed! The animals were out and active and there was lots to see! Grizzly bears were spatting with each other. Rory decided they were MUCH bigger than he was!! Check out those claws! Kids ran around and had super fun! At lunch I felt a bit woozy, so drank LOTS of water, and felt a bit better---whooo....altitude sickness in it's fullness would STINK!

We really had a great time talking and enjoying the weather, getting a sun burn, and seeing everything (well, lots of it...we skipped some too!).

After the zoo, it was about 4-5 pm, so Rebecca and her boys headed home, and I called a friend in Denver and we met at Old Chicago. We wanted Thai, but the kids nixed that. I think they should try it! We had a fantastic dinner, catching up, though his beautiful wife couldn't join us. I missed her!

We decided to drive to Colorado Springs that evening, as a storm was coming through, and the drive between Denver and Colorado Springs in a storm is not the best! We stopped in Castle Rock to take this picture of the sunset. Beautiful!!

By the time we got to the hotel in Colorado Springs, it was blustery and cold and not so calm!! Rory lost all his root beer float we got right before getting to the hotel, as in his words, "the wind blew me right over!"

Traveling to Colorado Springs March 16-17

2010-04-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Well, kids had a long spring break, and we needed something fun to do. We also needed to go spend some time with my girlfriend Rebecca who was having a rough time...and I missed all my friends! We left Tuesday after school/work and headed to Portland. We did manage a quick stop at the Craft Warehouse for some bottle top jewelry materials. Thank you Rory for finding them so quickly! We stayed overnight then got up early for a 9AM flight. Kids were pretty excited for their "first" ride in a big plane. They have spent many hours in smaller 4 seat planes and some helicopter time, but not the big, airport ones! And they don't remember the plane trip here in 2005.

We get up, get to the airport and we are prepped for security. Rory was asking me LOTS of questions, and I was answering, but not really paying attention. I just wanted to keep them moving as it was business traveling time. BTW, they ask for kids to have ID, then don't use them. And BTW, kids' ID's are $50 a piece....thanks!

We are getting closer to metal detector, and Rory is asking tons of questions, hurrying to do the shoes, ect. Then I notice he's laughing, loudly. REALLY loudly. He's worried about the rivets on his jeans, his buttons, etc. Finally I say STOP LAUGHING. He was starting to make me nervous!! LOL....Paige was a seasoned traveler it seemed...she was good to go!! I think Rory was just really nervous and worried.

Paige gets through the detector, no worries. Rory goes through, bumps the side, sets it off, panic in his face, embarrassment, goes through again, same thing. This time I say, don't touch anything! WHEW, we got through! We get redressed and all I can think is how much easier this is than when we flew to Bend in 2005. They can both take care of their own shoes and bags!! LOVE IT!

We get to our concourse and gate, get on the plane. Taxi out, smoke. Taxi in, wait. Taxi out, smoke, taxi in. They unload us so the mechanics can fix it. We wait a few hours.

So instead of 9AM, we left about 12:30-1PM. I was so glad it was vacation and we hadn't set any tight plans. So no stress, no worries! YES!!

We get back on the plane and smooth sailing (flying) to Denver. Here they are at the famous map at the Denver Airport. So you know Peterson's Gardens in Redmond is listed over Oregon!! How cool! We'll have to go!!

We get our stuff, kids are getting the hang of how to get around in an airport. Get to the rental shuttle, Rory shares our life story with everyone. I get to the rental place and realize I reserved for the NEXT day. Whoops. Nice thing is, it was the same price, so yeah!! Get our car, hand Paige the map and instructions and off we go! Of course by now, it's rush hour! Paige is the best instruction giver! She rocks!

After driving and taking a missed turn, we decided to do something else at the last minute (Children's museum would have been closed:( ) and went to our hotel. Right next to it is Chili's. Rory LOVES that place for their warm applesauce, so we had dinner there! It was early enough we missed the St. Patrick's rush. We then drove across the street to a school playground and played there until way after dark, while I caught up with some old dear friends via phone!

Rory's goal was to make some friends, and he did. He learned how to play capture the flag with some kids, and Paige hung out at the swing set. It was a beautiful night!!

Fire.....

2010-03-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

I had been looking for a fire pit for some time, and could never catch the clearance sales. So I asked a friend who is also my visiting teacher to be on the lookout. Well, she came through (thanks Heidi!) and a week later, she let me know where to find one! We hurried down and purchased it, but hadn't put it together. We recently put it together and started a new tradition of hotdogs on the fire!! YUM!! It's been super cold, but fun family times!!

Thanks Matt and Abby for sharing your firewood with us! We were bumping along in our little red wagon, and Sadie really liked it!!
Our first night out!! FUN!!

Last night....delicious!

Legs....

2010-03-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

Went to the ward talent show tonight. There were a couple of boys wearing kilts, then played the bagpipes and drums. Rory didn't like the kilts so much. While dropping off the kids at Grandma's, he told Amber (who happens to love all Scottish and kilts yum....) who said how much she liked them. I agreed and said that I wished his dad would wear one too.

Paige said.....in a very affronted tone......"not with those legs!" Oh MY HECK!! LAUGH OUT LOUD!!! That made me laugh SO darn hard!

Then I was saying how I really wanted to get him a utili-kilt, but one of his friends at work said that it wasn't allowed. Chad is on ladders fixing helicopters all the time, and Matt was pretty sure he didn't want to look up and see anything....boys....

Not with those legs....funny funny girl!

Oh My

2010-02-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

Just what a parent longs to hear:
Kids going to bed....

Paige tattling: Rory just said a bad word.
Me: Quit tattling.
Paige: It was BAD--it was the "F" and the "B" word.
Internal me: WHAT THE HECK?
Me: Paige, quit tattling.
Me: Rory get out here NOW.
Rory comes out, head and shoulders hanging.
Me: Rory, what is going on?
Rory: Paige tattles about everything.
Me: I know, but why are you saying bad words?
Rory: But she tattles.
Me: Rory, what was the "F" word you just said?
Rory leaning up to my ear to whisper: Fart
Me: Okay (laughing inside too! Cause WHEW!!)
Me: What was the "B" word you said?
Rory leaning up to my ear to whisper: Butt
Me: Rory, you know better that that.
Rory: Well, our bedroom does smell like that.
Me thinking...showers...showers, I tell you all the time!!
Me: Okay, go talk to your father about this. He won't be happy.
Rory starts to cry.
Rory: But he'll get me in LOTS of trouble
After much cajoling and me giving facial expressions to Chad to stop smiling (he has a nasty habit of that) and a threat of "if I have to tell Dad, it will be MUCH worse for you", Rory tells him the "F" word, then the "B" word.

LOL Laying on the floor laughing!! But only in our minds....promise!!

Chad: Words are powerful, you have to use proper words, and that was not appropriate.
Rory still crying: But Paige told!
Chad: Do you like crying?
Me: Do you like being embarrassed?
Rory with a little teeny: no....
Okay.....let's not have that again.
Rory: Okay, I'm sorry.

Went back to the room to see how they were doing, as Rory was still crying.
Rory: She said, na na na and made fun of me.
Paige: What???? (all innocent)
Rory: She's such a mean jerk.
Me: Paige, I hope it makes you happy to say mean things to your brother when he's sad he made a mistake.
Paige: Well....
Me: Again, he looks up to you, that wasn't very nice to be unkind to him. And now he's awfully sad.
Paige: Hufff

Sounds now coming from the room:
Paige crying. I'm sorry Rory.
Rory: You didn't have to tell.
Paige: Well those are rude words!

Sigh....is it bedtime yet???

Library

2010-01-22T06:13:00.000-08:00

Chad and Paige went to the library--without Rory and I--jerks!! LOL We love the library, but Chad hates going with me. I read super fast, so I can read a book (or two) a day, if I have time. Usually I just read in the AM when I'm SUPPOSED to be getting ready for work, and in bed after the kids are asleep. It's nothing to have me read until 2-3-4 in the morning, which makes a very long day!! =)

Anyway, Chad and Paige got online previously, and set some books for pick up.....boring!! You have to go and look, touch, smell and pre-read books people....and get LOTS!! Just so you know, you can only get 100 books per library card. Chad gets so embarrassed when we come out with stacks!! We like books, what can I say??

So when Chad and Paige get back, I ask which book she ended up getting. Fudge-O-Mania. Cool. We are almost finished with Ramona Quimby, Age 8, so we need a new one.

Rory lights up because it's after dinner and says, I want some Fudge-O-Mania. LOL He thought it was dessert!! We laughed and let him know he can have as MUCH Fudge-O-Mania as he wants. He was slightly disappointed it was not a fabulous fudge laden dessert!!

He was super excited that Chad brought home 7 books on building tree houses.....

While putting them to bed, Rory asked for a snuggle. A while ago, when snuggling with Rory, Paige asked why we didn't like her? UM WHAT?? So I asked why she would think such a thing? Well, she said, you always snuggle with Rory every night. I said, he asks....and she said, Oh, that's all I have to do, ask you? Well, yeah.....silly girl!

So after Chad got in bed with Rory, Paige asks for a snuggle too....sure thing. So I get the TOP BUNK!! LOL We talked and chatted, drove the boys nuts, then finally I snuggled her close, made sure her eye mask was on, and she was out...then I was!! It was so warm and cozy!! I think Paige will always have a snuggly bed! She did in Colorado. We would lay there and snuggle and watch Food Network. That must have fed her desire to be a Food Network Chef when she gets bigger!! I so love Paige!

Saturday Running Club

2010-01-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

I started the Saturday Running Club again. Missed last week cause I was feeling under the weather, and I worry about getting bronchitis....because it takes me FOREVER to get over it. I did go this week, and boy, they are starting us out hard!! 1.5 miles, 2.5 minutes running, 1 min walking....holy, I have not done anything since Thanksgiving.....I so wanted to throw up!! But feels good to get out there again, and I was really proud of how I did!! Now, to get up every AM at 5:30 and run. Need to decide if I'm doing it inside (yuck) or outside (cold). I'm also lifting weights as well, so we will see how this goes....by golly, I'm going to rock this out!!

The following is for posterity...as this is our family log of items!! So feel free not to read if you don't want to know crazy things about me!

Stay away bronchitis!!! In Colorado many moons ago, my good friend Cindi and I went to Breckenridge for a day of skiing. I'd skied when I was about 3 with my mom, but hadn't since. We get there, Cindi says, get your skis on. Okay, how do you do that? I finally get them on...and if you haven't been to Breckenridge, its BUSY with LOTS of EXPERIENCED people. Who are not patient or kind. I finally get going to the lift, ride it (hate heights) get off, fall down, get up, fall down, get up, fall down. If you didn't notice, we didn't do a practice run, oh no we didn't. Cindi, my dear, sweet friend took me to the TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN and said.....ski.....so I did!! Or rather, didn't.

Boy, I would get up, ski, fall down. I was tired, hadn't been feeling well, Chad hadn't wanted me to go, but I did anyway (would you expect less from me?) I can do anything. Well, I remember half way down the mountain, laying there, watching all the kids fly by me, little ones I might add, hurting, trying not to cry, and wondering how embarrassing it would be if one of those really nice snow mobiles would take me down? I'm just stubborn enough to know that wasn't an option, so I got up, skied a bit, fell and continued on that path.

Well, we ended up at the bottom of the run in a COMPLETELY different area than our car. I'm EXHAUSTED, mad I've spend $40 on a lift ticket for one run, and feeling bad Cindi stayed with me the entire time, and starting to feel like total dog poo. We warm up a bit, I take some medication, Cindi goes on another run, and comes back to the lodge.

We hike in our boots to the bus, get back to the other side of the mountain where our car is, and I don't remember if she did another run or not.

Back at the hotel, um, I'm so sick....it was NOT good.

I was a trainer then, so would go in, train in small rooms cause I had no voice, and keep going. Finally after about a month my boss sent me home after a session. I laid on the couch, slept, woke up and thought I might die!! I ended up with a sinus infection, laryngitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia. NOT GOOD if you haven't done that. So I would train a few hours, go home, repeat. It took me about 4 months to feel normal!

So since then, whenever I get a cold, I am VERY careful as I get bronchitis like no body's business. I think I might have thwarted it this time....so YEAH!!

Cindi--I still love you--you know that, right?? I even went a few more times with her....once about a month after having Paige via C-Section....again, not such a great idea, but super fun, and she even got to sit there while I pumped!! LOL....paybacks!!

Seaside, Nov 2009

2010-01-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

Over Veteran's Day, we went to the coast with Grandpa Rusty, Grandma Marlene, Cameron and Molly, Beth, Brian and Mary, and Rick and his wife. These are Chad's cousins (Beth, Brian, Rick & wife). For being married 18 years, and dating/together 21, I'd never met anyone besides Beth....weird!! Anyhow, we had a great time, had an early Thanksgiving, visited Tillamook, ran along the beach each AM (with Paige) and relaxed. Grandma Marlene came prepared with A LOT OF FOOD!! We had a 3 room condo that we shared with Cameron and Molly. There were 3 pools and a hot tub. While we were there we saw a KILLER lightening storm. It was AWESOME!! We were right on the beach too!! Good times! Here are a few pics of our fun!

My beautiful Paige girl rockin the Oregon Ducks...
Trying out the new camera...I think I like it!
We found this rock with hearts all over it...we like to collect rocks, and this one was great!

We found this waterfall coming right to the ocean...cool!

Rory loves his mom!! What a cutie! I heart my mom he wrote!

Thanksgiving....Late

2010-01-08T22:49:00.000-08:00

I just cleaned the photo files...oh my heck is Chad NOT a organizer...Holy Moley....Sadness.

Anyhow....we ran our 5K that morning. Here we are: Sierra, Amber, Me, Esmeralda and Paige!

Had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Adams, Sierra, Amber, Piper, and Esmeralda too!! Drove to Moses Lake for Baby Max's Blessing, and Kevin's Baptism. Fun times. Piper came with us too...She keeps Chad in check as seen below...

Paige with Ashley who is about 7 months older than she is!! LOL Amazon Girl!

Grandma with Baby Max at the Baptism!

Rory and Oliver at the Baptism.....those two could get in a heap of trouble!!

Serious moment for Kevin I suppose!

And Caleb, who is about the cutest little thing this side of the Mississippi. He is so cuddly, mischievous, and snugly it's not funny!! And the wicked twinkle in his eye cracks me up!!

And I'm pretty sure I have this same picture of Piper --same holding stance, and smile--from when Paige was a baby. I'll have to find it. Paige was also wearing a white jumper with brown bears on it. Max has dogs...weird!

The Circus is Coming

2010-01-07T22:27:00.000-08:00

So dang excited, and since she blogged, so can I!!

Piper is engaged and has picked a date!! May 15! Yahoo! Side note--it's also Chad's birthday! Lucky little fella!!

Anyhoo....we were all talking--okay, Piper, Colleen and I, and Colleen said, "but you promised when you got married, you would play the dun dun dun dunnting circus theme and get out of your little clown car.....WAHOO...an idea is hatched!!

Hee Hee

It's a Circus Wedding...oh yes, it is!! And yes, our mom was in LOVE with the idea, and so was Chad's mom! (Piper and Bud have kinda been part of that family, as Chad and I started dating when they were 5 and 1....therefore spent lots of time on our dates with us!)

How flipping cool!! We have some great ideas, and are super excited to get it planned and ready to go!! We are practicing with fondant and going to see if we can swing the cake ourselves as well.

I do have to say Sorry Mom!! I was thinking when I got married in 1992, Chad and I were ADAMANT that we have a black and white wedding, yes, with black and white bridesmaids and groomsmen. I know that is the thing now, but um in 1992, that was the season of pastel and poofy!! And I was not a pastel and poofy kinda girl! I also DID NOT want the Precious Moments cake topper and tiered and staired cake and had a nice flower cake topper instead. I know Mom was NOT in love with our theme and ideas...but being the trooper she was, she made those dresses!! And I have to say, my wedding would still be vogue now!! So there!

Colleen eloped--smart girl!!

Then Brenna got married...oh boy....I'm not sure what to say about that one!! LOL For those of you who were there...you know what I'm talking about!! Good times. Good times. I love ants!! LOL And we love and adore Brenna. That wedding gave us some serious good stories!

Now Mom's youngest and last girl is getting hitched....and she picks a circus theme!! LOL Love you Mom!! I promise it won't be a circus like you are thinking!!

Though, there will be hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, soda and circus music!!

I CAN'T WAIT!!

I love my kids

2010-01-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

You know, I always wanted 5 kids, and have been sad that we couldn't have more....and to be honest, a bit jealous of those mommy's with more kids. I like lots of kids, and having them around! I keep thinking more would come, but alas, they haven't decided to come here.

However, even though I have been sad about just having my two, I am really starting to appreciate it! They are both great kids, and as they get older, what a fun time we have!! And since they are close in age, they have a fun time too. They are great friends (and sometimes enemies) and really like each other.

I haven't been feeling 100% lately, so I have slept in, and Chad has woken the kids up for me. One day, they both came in, dressed and ready and hugged me awake. Ahhh what a good start to the day!!

This entire week, they have gotten up, no arguments, gotten dressed, made each other breakfast, and lunch, packed their bags, ensured scriptures are read, and family prayer is completed. What a awesome thing!!

So, I think that I'm not going to be as jealous of all those mommies with lots of babies and stuff, well, not as much...and really just have fun! And we can! They can help clean up, get picnics ready, and then really appreciate what we do!

So yeah Eck children. Child 1 and Child 2!! (kinda a play on Thing one and Thing two in Dr Seuss!!)

I love you!! Thanks for the help this week--you guys are Awesome!

Thanksgiving 5k

2009-12-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

Paige and I have been running for 3 months in preparation for our first 5k. Paige joined Girls on the Run, and organization for 8-11 year old girls to help them learn to deal with peer pressure, healthy eating, body image, self worth, and running. I joined Fleet Feet's Saturday warriors where we met to run each Saturday.

Thanksgiving morning was chilly, and we headed down to the Goody's booth, who is a sponser for GOTR. We did hair, and got some fun hair items. Paige was #120, and I was #119. Amber was #1, with Sierra #386. There were about 550 runners for this first GOTR 5k. GOOD showing!!

We got to running at 9am, and it was really packed the first mile, then spread out. She did so good!! And it was SO cold. After mile one, we started to get toasty, but couldn't figure how to take a layer off, as our number had to be visable and was on our bright orange GOTR shirt. Everyone else got a dark green, but the orange was to show the girls and their running buddies. Our goal was to come in under 48 minutes, as our practice 5k had been 52 minutes.
Well, we came in at 41.41 and 41.52 minutes!! Yeah for us!! She did so good! I was so proud of her, and I had such a fun time sharing this first milestone with her!!
After that, we came home, had a warm shower, took some naps and then Thanksgiving was later at 3pm....good food and lots of family and friends!! Piper, Sierra, Violet, Amber, Grandma and Grandpa Adams, Matt and Abby from Chad's work, Esmeralda my friend from work. I love having lots of people at my house eating and sharing with us!!

I'll join the next Saturday's Warriors and I think Paige may join GOTR again!! Great experiance for us both!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Ready for the Holiday?

2009-12-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I got a new camera, and figuring out the downloading DRIVES ME NUTS!! Argg...and in the middle of this, Chad decided to change the way he is filing things! Seriously...sometimes I wonder about his thought process....alas....
Yesterday we went to the parade down town. Well, minus Rory. He lost his coats (well, 2 of them) this past week, so his consequence for not bringing them home was no parade, and no TV this week. Paige and I thought about running the Jingle Bell Run, but haven't been feeling well, so we just skipped it. We will next year. Promise!
Parade was good, forgot my camera, and boy, was it COLD!! I should have worn my Sorel's. My feet were FREEZING!!
We went to Walmart (hate the place, but they had most of what I needed) to get some Christmas organizers, ect. Then hurried home to change for the ballet. We were going to do dinner, but people were busy, so next year!
Piper, Amber, Paige and I went to the Nutcracker....beautiful dresses!! Grandma, maybe we can have Christmas Dresses early for this occasion? Oh well, it was super fun, and a great first ballet.
After, Amber had some things to do, so we called Chad and Rory and had them meet us at McMinnemum's. Yummy--and it was warm inside.
After that, the kids kept saying they didn't feel good. Oh boy....
This AM, Rory didn't feel good, and got in our bed, and I kept saying, if you barf in here.....HE DIDN'T!! Yeah!! He didn't barf at all, though we all wanted to.
Stayed home from church, he laid on the couch and snoozed a bit, Paige got in a bit of trouble and was sent to her room for a minute. She then passed out at 5:30 and is still asleep 3 hours later. Wondering how she is feeling?
Made some more cookies. Will need to make more, Chad's been eating the ones I made and put away a bit ago. Dang that boy! How will neighbors get some goodies??? Geez!!
Hoping to put up some decorations, but only lights came out of the shed today. Maybe tomorrow....

Laundry Day

2009-12-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

We have piles of laundry to fold, and we've gotten in a habit of doing all the laundry, then having a "folding party". For a while we watched DVD's of the old Wonder Woman Show. Boy--that show ROCKED!! Then once in a while we will get a movie from Redbox or Blockbuster. Well this AM, I mentioned it was a laundry folding party and we would watch a Christmas movie. Rory said...YES!! Pizza night...so because ONE night we folded, watched a movie, AND got a pizza, I guess it's a done deal.
So we stayed up late, watched Santa Clause 2, folded and ate pizza. Might have to do it again, as I have 3 more loads. How does that happen I ask???

Also, this year we started a new tradition. I purchased 2 wreaths, and let the kids decorate as they pleased. Then nightly, Chad or I put a tag on their wreath with a note about something we love/appreciate about each kid. I thought we might scrapbook them yearly so they know we did love and appreciate them amid all the other loudness....LOL. It's been fun, and after just one day, they are calmer and appreciative towards everyone....hummmm...I might be on to something! Hee Hee!

High Desert Museum

2009-11-16T20:56:00.000-08:00

Paige asked to go to the High Desert Museum next Wednesday so we can see the animals before they are sent away. We were talking about how that was sad, and was our favorite part of the museum, and the reason we went there. She said, well, if Stupid Obama wasn't around. I laughed a bit, then explained it was due to budgets and how board of directors work and the ins and outs of the decision. She then followed up with "well, if Obama hadn't jacked up the economy, we wouldn't be talking about this".

Oh my--I don't think she understood! She was passionate though!! And she voted for him!! LOL silly kid!

Trail of the Molten Lands

2009-11-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

Below the cauldron, there are miles of trails through the "molten land". We walked on MANY of them! Just so you know....miles of lava rock in summer is H O T!! Below is a picture of the start! They didn't know what was coming! Hee hee!

Doesn't that look hot and awesome? Apparently, before we sent the astronauts up to the moon, they trained here! Pretty cool to know! WWII soldiers also trained for winter warfare in Bend at Mt Bachelor as well!

Looking over the landscape to the mountains to the West! Isn't this amazingly beautiful?
In the forest service center here, the kids learned about all the rock and how it's made. There was a pretty cool deal where water would shoot up around different rocks, so they could show how pumice was a rock, but floated! They thought that was AWESOME as Rory said!

Newberry Crater Monument 8/31

2009-11-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

Just between Bend and Sunriver is this volcano (there are actually TONS of them) where you can walk up and look into the crater...COOL!! We drove up the crater--but walking would be a great hiney buster--then walked around the rim. WAY COOL. You could see for miles!
Showing the love!
Another Mom took a pic for us!

Looking into the crater. It doesn't look bad, but it's steep and deep!

Lava Butte Monument!

Vacation in Sunriver

2009-11-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

For a quick vacation before school started, we got a vacation home in Sunriver, about 20 miles south of Bend. We got a 3 bedroom home with hot tub and great yard for a measly 90$ a night!! ROCK ON!! It was beautiful and perfect!

Kids were getting up at 6 every AM to go to the hot tub, so I told them one morning they had to sleep in...the next morning was so QUIET...well, they snagged the DVDs we brought and watched them in their rooms....must have been heaven for them! It was for me! I finished the book I was reading!

Patio was so great. I so want one. We keep saying next year, but I'm thinking NEXT YEAR we are getting a patio!!

Hot tub---the place to be I tell you!! It was NICE!!

We had a great time, and it was nice to be home and make dinner for Chad and eat as a family! He drove into Bend to work each day, but we had a fabulous time!! Kids and I have a super fun time looking at historical markers and state parks and other fun things!! Lots of hiking and water and just goofing around!

Rory's bike is dead...

2009-11-15T20:01:00.000-08:00

Rory was told to put his bike away by the fence by the mailbox. Well, it was placed in the entrance to the driveway sort of by the mailbox. When coming home with dinner August 24th, I turned into the driveway and RIGHT OVER HIS BIKE. He was so distraught (obviously, this picture was taken AFTER the shock wore off) and cried and screamed, "Mom WHY did you DO that? You TOLD me to put it THERE!" Needless to say, the bike was destroyed. Hoping Santa brings a new one!

Coonie

2009-11-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

Rory got a racoon stuffed animal from Grandpa and Grandma. I went to kiss them before going to bed, and I must say, I kind of was taken aback...it looked a little too real for a minute in the dark!

Farewell Bend....

2009-11-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

While Chad and Piper went to coaches training for soccer, we went to Farewell Bend for a picnic. This was the spot where Bend kinda started..the bend in the river was a post office for a time. Now it's right across the river from the Old Mill District which used to be--imagine--the Old Mill, and now is the upscale shopping and movie theater for Bend.

It has a great sandy beach area for swimming and relaxing...and BEAUTIFUL lawn. I thought about how I'd like to mow that lawn....ahhhh!!
This park has lots of trails through it and along the river, and happens to be around the area where Paige and I will run our first 5k on Thanksgiving! Bend is beautiful!

Updates...

2009-11-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

So, I'm going to update this thing..and it won't be in order I'm pretty sure..but at least I can get it done, and we can look back and laugh and enjoy our memories!

Before I forget...one morning I had an early AM meeting and they were going to Sierra's. I got home from my run, realized I was SO out of time--woke them up with--you have 12 minutes to get ready. I will give you lunch money for hot lunch today, and you can take oatmeal to Sierra's.

Boy, Rory was out of the bed like a shot!! (This is coming from the kid who needs to snooze for 20 min before hopping out of bed!) He was dressed and in the bathroom before Paige got out of bed. He must like hot lunch!!

They took their oatmeal and money, and went to Auntie Sierra's and I was home when they got home with snack ready. That doesn't happen very often.

Later we had stuff to do, so Chad got pizza for dinner. Rory said, "This is the BEST day of my life!! Baby Violet before school, hot lunch, Mom was home with snack when we got home, AND Dad got pizza for us!! WAHOO!!" I think he's a little tied to food, don't you think?

Practice

2009-10-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

Paige and I completed our practice 5K for the GOTR race Thanksgiving at 9:00 AM. We were super excited to do it, had a great time, even though it was more than a bit chilly!! Paige did great!! We ran all 3 laps for the total of 3 miles! We recieved 2 cat calls, and watched the river, the ducks and admired all the changing colors on the trees! We did this practice in 52 minutes and set a goal to complete in 48 or less in the "real" race! I will post and let you know how we do!

More of kids' sillies....

2009-09-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Before the school Open House on Thursday (Chad and I were not planning on going), Paige: "But this is the type of thing that makes me not pass 3rd grade. YOU HAVE TO GO!" So we went....

Rory today at soccer...he does a huge growl before kicking the ball...freaked the other team out!! So we were talking to him, and I let him know what his coach said. "I love Rory, he doesn't give up, goes after it, and is a great player." We held him from the last 15 minute game because of his cough. So he says; "You know why? Because I'm livin the thrill. I'm going to play to win, and get that trophy." I hope he knows no one gets a trophy in 1st grade soccer......

I'll have to post pictures later. I hate how you have to download now, then search for them, so I'm boycotting that portion of the computer.

Devil/Angel

2009-09-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

I asked Rory why he was so snuggly lately. ( Not that I minded) and he said it was because he was a "Devil/Angel". Um--okay.....

Then he proceeded to tell me (imagine hand gestures here like going down a line) that Paige was "Devil/Devil/Devil/Angel". Okay--again

Then he let me know it's like he has a suit on that is half white and half red on with one of those angel things on his head and two little devil horns on the side. Oh..and a long white tail.

WOW!! I was happy to just get more snuggles!

More vacation items.

2009-09-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

We decided to make jewelry/tie holders as I'm SO tired of finding them everywhere. I found some premade peg hangers, and added 3 to the one for Paige. (Girls have lots more jewelry than boys have ties..)
Paige picked her colors herself and I think she did WONDERFUL. Rory wanted to pick zombie/halloween paper, but the mean mommy said no. He was SO mad! Poor kid!

Paige's finished product!

Rory's finished product--we added monster trucks to his, so it would be a 'boy' one. Like brown, orange, blue and green is not already 'boy'.

Now we need Dad to put them up..or let Mom--apparently she doesn't have the right kind of nails....really....silly Dad!

That night they camped out on the floor. They like the floor rather than their beds, or maybe it's Dad's sleeping bags? Again, traditional Rory sleeping pose!

Metolious!

2009-09-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

One day I was off, so we headed to the Metolious for some cooler weather. It's such a pretty river. And there aren't usually a bunch of people. We go to the end of the campgrounds and grab a site and have lunch. It's so relaxing! The water is SUPER cold! But beautiful!

I love this pic of Paige...she is just beautiful!

And I LOVE this picture!!! They got to laughing about something, and just had the giggles. I love the sheer joy they both are showing. I think we might just blow this one up! We really had a fun picnic and since it's close, we played then were back in time for dinner with Dad!

Mountains

2009-09-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

When we left Colorado Springs, we realized we didn't have any pictures of the mountains. I decided we have such beautiful mountains here we would learn which ones they are, AND have pictures!! I hope I remember these all correctly! I took them a bit ago, and so we shall see!

Three Fingered Jack
Broken Top
South Sister

Middle and North Sisters (also known as Faith, Hope and Charity)

On our way to Church we see these and check out which dresses of snow Heavenly Father gave them. We LOVE the Easter dresses!!

Grandma's

2009-09-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

I know I've been lacking in posting, so will be making some up...however, don't feel you need to read them all, I'm doing this as the "family" journal...

Kids like traveling with Chad...he lets them take the DVD player my boss gave me for Christmas...what a gift! Mom just watches the crops and stops at 'hysterical' markers!

A bit before Orofino, Rory got a bit loopy....he was balancing his soccer ball on his head (using the roof...)

It sure is tiring to sit in the car all day!!

Rory found Cameron's transformer and apparently decided he needed to sleep like the transformer....I also was told when he was a baby that people who sleep like this are happy. That would be a true statement! He IS a happy boy!

Kids' Sayings

2009-08-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

I have lots of pictures to post, but it's been some weird weeks, and we have been TIRED!! Paige and I are running every day, bought us some good, new shoes, and enjoying it! We trail run on Saturdays and that is super fun too!

Anyway, some sayings from the kids lately:

Rory talking about his "best" friend: We have so much in comment.

Paige: I super like cooking with you Mom! (and I super like cooking with her too!!)

Kids have been sleeping on the floor at night again--weirdo's. Rory has lots of mosquito bites: Mom, I'm not sleeping on the floor until you call an exterminator. (Chad told him they were from hobo spiders. Nice)

I'm so glad to have them home with us! I missed them like crazy!

Spirits

2009-07-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

So when discussing a cousin who just had a baby---CONGRATS Heather!! Baby Paisley is BEAUTIFUL!!

Rory was wondering about C-Sections, and how babies come out...(Thank heavens for C-Sections by the way!) I told him how you get cut open and the baby comes out!

His comment a bit later after digesting...."So I'm wondering how the Doctor's keep the spirit in the bodies when they operate."

He's a deep thinker!

Kids' adventures

2009-07-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Checking out some horses....
Grandpa had to stop the truck. There was a bee in the truck, and Rory is not fond of bees. Then they found rattlesnakes....which is worse?? Me? I'd go with snakes being the worst!.

They spent 8 hours on fire patrol on Dworshak Reservoir with some of Grandpa's buddies.

Dworshak Dam in Orofino, Idaho They sure liked saying Dam, Dam, Dam on the drive to Orofino! Silly kids!

Hanging out on the patrol boat! What a life!

Rory has started to READ!!

2009-07-18T08:53:00.003-07:00

Here is a picture of him reading his favorite book....

Kids' Adventures

2009-07-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

Kids getting ready to go up with Johnny. He's the pilot who flies Grandpa around to take pictures. Today, they were dropping candy to the 6th graders on their annual field trip.

Here they are in the plane...They like going up in the planes and helicopters. They think EVERYONE does stuff like that....um, they usually don't....shhh, don't tell!

Here they are having lunch at the cookhouse in Headquarters, Idaho. Chad spent lots of time there as a kid and when he fought forest fires.
Here we are on the 4th, floating down the Clearwater. It was SO much fun. I now have little river rats! I love it!!

Missing the kids

2009-07-08T02:27:00.000-07:00

We left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa Eck in Idaho for a couple weeks. I'm sure missing them....Rory got hurt, and it so was horrible to not be there...Had to go hug the HR people instead....

He seems to be fine now, and I'll post some pics of his various medical activities later when I get them....poor kid!

Paige is getting ready and running for her 5k. We did notice she is much more willing (read: less crying/arguing) with Uncle Cameron. Imagine that!

They are headed up in the plane tomorrow for the day, so I'm SO sure they are pining away for their parents!! LOL

Anyhoo...Sadie keeps looking for them and crying and going to their bedroom too, so we are all lonely for them!

Come home FAST kids!! It's lonely!

Sweet Paige sleeping

Rory showing his vulgar Billy Bob teeth--hope our dentist does not see this!

Paige and Rory learning to like each other

Paige curled up on the couch with Baby Rory.

Hanging out in the tub. Where else would two kids play prior to bedtime?

I'm glad they are friends and have a good time together...and boy have they grown!

Update to Skateboard Saga

2009-07-01T00:09:00.001-07:00

Well, after a bit of searching, we were successful on the skateboard search. A friend at work with no kids had one in her garage. $10.00 later, Rory was the recipient of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle skateboard. It was almost like Christmas for him!! He carries it everywhere, and we've already had an injury. Please note below....he was in the car!! LOL Chad went around a corner and it whacked him on the head!! He's so funny. It works great in the kitchen which doesn't make his Dad so happy! Yay Rory!! You are a skateboard owner!!

Mountains A-Plenty

2009-07-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

A montage of the mountains around us!! Every time I see them, I just am happy!

This mountain the greets me each AM as I turn into the T-Mobile parking lot.

Various mountains on the way home from the hanger. I don't even know which road I was on..that's the best!
Isn't this just great. Heavenly Father must have sure loved us to give us all this to enjoy!!

Dad working nights

2009-06-30T23:54:00.000-07:00

Chad had to work at 5PM, so I came home early to get the kids, and we headed to Drake Park with our picnic basket full of PBJ, pears, chips and water. It was BEAUTIFUL!!

Geese on the river....

A race to the finish!!

Getting ready for sunset!

What a place to live!! I love it!

Then we had to do a coffee run to the hanger. They were getting sleepy. Did you know that Starbucks closes at 7PM??? So we had to go to Barnes and Nobles. Their Starbucks is open until 10PM. I do not love that though....not the Starbucks, but the "open until closing" which can mean ANYTHING!! Poor Chad didn't get home until 5AM.

How do you know they are tired?

2009-06-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

Rory had a father-son camp trip. Chad so loved it! :) I love you, Chad for taking him!! THANK YOU!! After that, he went to the Roberts to play with his "best friend Marcus". They play HARD!!

When he came home about 6PM, I sent him to the shower, fed them Top Ramen, and 2 seconds later, I found this! He didn't want to go to bed until 8, and was so worried that Paige was up later than he, but then he told Chad, "I just can't keep my eyes open." He was TIRED!!

Chad and I went to a movie with Michael and Piper so the babysitter had an easy time of the night!

Paige and I had a great time while they were gone by attending a mother-daughter BBQ at the Robbins'. Super fun to talk to great friends. I need to do that more. Then we snuggled for a bit, and she slept with me. We got up and cleaned the next morning and went yard sale-ing. We were looking for canning jars...no luck! But we had a great time!

FHE and Swim Lessons

2009-06-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

Kids got 2 weeks of swim lessons. It was fun to go and watch. I'm glad I missed a few meetings to have the opportunity to do this. We would read scriptures on the way and back, and that is always a nice start to the day! Paige is MUCH more confident, and can do pretty well now! I'm proud of her! Rory is just a fish, and he struggled more with listening....silly boy. They wanted him to swim ON TOP of the water, but he would rather be UNDER the water. Even when floating on his back!! It made me laugh. Grandma and Grandpa Adams came to watch them "Graduate" that last day! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Grandma Adams has a GREAT job. She works at a nursery, so one day, we had a little present of flowers. We planted them outside the kids' window in the new garden that we created last year. We are really excited to see them grow and bloom! It was a fantastic FHE--but we do need to get better about treats. Rory is about to boycott FHE if treats don't start appearing!

Historical Sites on our Way

2009-06-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

Misc pics on the ride home.....

Look at that sky!
We loved the mountains and the green fields (Paige learned to identify the crops. Chad is still trying....sad) against the blue cloudy sky!! Isn't God's creation WONDERFUL?

These clouds just seemed to hang there all by themselves....

We stopped at a historical marker that was quite off the road. I was trying to go to Emmett and see my Dad's grave. Well, we didn't really find Emmett, but we saw lots of fun things on the way. Like this little park memorializing an Indian attack on the Ward family. There was an aerial shot of the area and arrows were all the bodies were found. I think there were like 20 women and children killed, and some other men heard the screams and then they were killed. Only one person survived....yikes. Perilous times I would say!

And it was still perilous....mosquitoes were EVERYWHERE!! It was pretty marshy and they were HUNGRY!!

Across the street was a wheat field, so the kids wanted to see what it felt like. Hope the farmers didn't care. The kids thought that was cool, and wondered if it's the wheat that makes the bread they eat. I think it's good for kids to know where their food comes from!

Last stop before heading back to Oregon was in Payette. This is my Great-Grandparents home. Boy does it look different than I remember! LOTS smaller!! Grandpa had big walnut trees that the squirrels would get in and run across his roof. He hated that. He had a HUGE beautiful garden in which he grew eggplant. Have you ever seen those grow? They are PRETTY!! He also had some HUGE lilacs that always smelled so beautiful! My cousins and I put those on his casket when he died. I was 8 at the time. There were also lots of poppies. I remember that if you cut them, they would droop pretty fast! Grandma had a great kitchen and I hated when they had us go to the cellar. Hated and loved at the same time. It was cool, cold and scary. She would have her canning down there. They were great people and I'm super thankful I got to know them. Great-Grandma lived with my Grandparents after a while, and she would slip us a fiver every day before going swimming!! Grandma would get after her...but we loved it! We had candy money after heading to the pool!! Great-Grandma died when I was a freshman in high school. She was in her late 90's. Imagine all she saw change in her lifetime!

Gun Museum inside Prison Museum

2009-06-30T23:34:00.000-07:00

Inside the prison museum is another museum of weapons. There was 6000 sq ft of weapons donated by a guy...that's a lot of weapons. Can I say, there were LOTS of different ones from all periods of time.

Paige sighting in....Rory trying to explain how he knew better!!

Rory getting a good shot!! He took it SO seriously!

Some samplings of the weapons....I didn't note which they were...but thought Chad would appreciate some of the pictures.

This one below was REALLY REALLY little. Like 6 inches or something...now, that's cool!

House I need

2009-06-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

Just outside the prison were 3 houses. The warden's house, the bishop's house and one other. I LOVED the Bishop's House. I need it!! It was so wonderful!! You couldn't go in, as someone lived there....lucky them!!

Look at this arch to the side yard....oh...the drool!! The total drool!!

Idaho Territorial Prison Museum

2009-06-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

After the historical museum, we headed over to the Idaho Territorial Prison which was run from 1872-1973. There was lots there, and I'd never been. Driving up there were still crops being grown like they used to do to feed the inmates. We should do that now!

Here we have the kids following directions! LOL!!

There were LOTS of rose bushes. I'm guessing those weren't there then....But they sure smelled pretty!

This was in the yard of the women's prison. They had to build another part, as the first women there didn't cause any issues, but ended up pregnant. The women were able to knit, plant flowers and vegetables and could be seen by the guards over the other portion as well. There were only about 8 cells there that could house 2 inmates a piece. One lady was there for killing 4 husbands or something like that! By poisoning. She was friendly and many times offered to cook for the guards.....LOL, right. I'd love that!!
Also in the Women's area, there was a poster, saying, "did you live here? If so, we'd love to hear your stories! We will keep you anonymous if desired." Um....WOW!!!

In front of the death row cells. Only one person per cell here....we also saw the gallows. Interesting!

Rory watching the movie provided.

Paige watching. This movie was at Paige's request I might add!

This beauty was solitary confinement. We closed the door, and it was DARK!!! There was a 6 inch hole in the ceiling, but was about 2 feet long, so not much light coming in. And it seemed like it would be super hot, and super cold. There was one account that one guy came out after 2 months blind and crazy. I could see that happening. I also didn't see a toilet area....so smelly too!

Paige sad she was in prison!

Rory sad he's in prison!

Exit. All told we saw lots of great things, and had some great learning experiences. Rory determined he was NOT going to jail, so we discussed multiple ways he could avoid that!! YEAH!! That would be AWESOME!! LOL

Idaho Historical Museum

2009-06-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

After the zoo, Becki and Aedon left and we headed across the street to the museum. I LOVED going there as a kid for field trips. Kids loading a boat similar to Lewis and Clark's boats. The trick was to load it all carefully so it didn't tip over. We struggled a bit!!
This was my FAVORITE as a kid. The 2 headed calf. It's still there and just about the cutest thing ever!! Is this NOT cool???? I love it!
Kids have learned that museums have "scavenger hunts" or "kid guides" so we get one each time. They are the best. Keeps them involved and the parents can enjoy just as much, because the kids really look everything over!! I highly recommend it!! Below is their "reward". They choose candy necklaces. "Because that is what Indian necklaces looked like." One lady was in there and looking a picture from Kuna and there was an old homesteader. She said, really look at this picture. That guy is holding a pig and a dog on his lap!! I said, well that's fun. To which Paige replied, "Yeah, for bacon." Then, "I bet it tasted good." Oh my!! The lady didn't think that was funny, but I have to admit, I laughed. I laughed a little.

Okay, I laughed a LOT!!

Boise Zoo

2009-06-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

Here are the crazy kids at the Zoo....Aedon, Paige and Rory. My friend Becki met us there, as she is a newly unemployed person!! YEAH!! She will let me know how she feels in a couple of months!! I'm holding you to it Becki!
This tiger was about 2 feet from us, behind the glass. BEAUTIFUL animals! They got up and paced to the fence and were smelling things...I jokingly said, that's probably where the deer are. Well, it was...too funny! The deer then went to the other side of their area!!
Kids in dinosaur eggs, which were then called "escape hatches". Kids....
This was so cool. Who knew that turtles had a backbone? And we learned how to tell land and water turtles apart. Differences are the smoothness of their shells...COOL!

Riding an komodo dragon. Who else has done that? It was a super fun time, and Becki and I were able to chat while they played at the Julia Davis Park. WAY FUN!!

Boise Here We Come

2009-06-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

I took the kids (sans Chad) to Boise over the weekend after school was out. I so need to do that more often. We have SUCH a great time!! Here we are at some obscure rest stop eating our chicken salad sandwiches. I forgot a spoon or knife....whoops. Rory committed to bringing his pocket knife next time...Good thinking!

Weather was BEAUTIFUL!! Not too hot, not too cold...rainy in the distance. Isn't this beautiful? I love the plains and forget it until I go back! We LOVED looking at all the crops and colors during the ride!

Paige Sleeping. Isn't this funny? She is like Chad, out like a light, while Rory and I have to chill out a bit and think before sleeping. We chatted a bit before we hit the hay!

Here we are Boise. Kids thought this was a GREAT building. Wish I could have taken them in. It is BEAUTIFUL looking up at the dome!! It's a neat place...it's the capitol, if you are not familiar with Boise!

Airport Day

2009-06-30T08:17:00.001-07:00

After Balloons Over Bend, and Breakfast...YUM--see post below....we went to Airport Days. These are the mountains across from the Airport. BEAUTIFUL!
We saw Chad doing a TON of drooling...a TON!

Pretty cool plane. Kids played hard with the Roberts Family, as they were there too!

Pretty neat...we were SO TIRED after this. Piper came to dinner, we sat down afterward, and I crashed. Sorry Piper. Guess I could have given you the remote!! LOL

Balloons over Bend

2009-06-30T08:03:00.001-07:00

We got up REALLY early to watch Balloons over Bend. Just so you know, just tell the kids it's an adventure, let's go, and they are up and at them!!

Held at the Les Schwab Amphitheater...Beautiful venue across from the Old Mill
Yes, I took this picture...AND it was in a moving vehicle with the window rolled down!! NICE!

Kids watching balloons--none went up on Saturday, but I heard some did on Sunday...

Interesting advertising for one of the balloons....Mom, this was just for you!! They were from Cody!

Sun coming up over the Old Mill. I realized after leaving Colorado Springs, we don't have many pictures from there...so I'm fixing that with Bend!! So get ready for Bend pictures!!

One balloon went up, then the wind went up, then down it went.....sigh....side note, we then went to breakfast at McKay Cottage. Oh MY HECK--best breakfast EVER...and those that know me, know that breakfast is NOT my favorite food....NOT!!

Introducing Josiah Lee Viele 6/7/09

2009-06-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

My new nephew....Look at his little face!!

Mommy Sierra with the new baby

Paige with Josiah, Grandpa, Grandma and Auntie Piper

Rory with Josiah, Grandma and Auntie Piper

Mom was hungry!

The little family
Paige LOVES babies!!
He totally chilled through the entire thing...

Dr. Rory, so what are you doing? Why are you poking holes in him? And the best question.....why is that thing on his wiener? Well, it was his belly button!! LOL But Cousin Rory was concerned for that little guy!

Bouncy Houses are Dangerous

2009-06-04T21:21:00.001-07:00

I was getting ready for a meeting the other day, and a call rang through my phone. Lava Ridge. Oh boy, someone is sick.....

Well, the lovely secretary at the school (I think she is so awesome--have you ever met a rotten school secretary???) lets me know that Paige has ripped her pants.

Okay--no sick--but Chad isn't answering, so can I help?

Yup, sure....but I'm 30 minutes away. BTW--Chad is 10, but oh well.

I drive home, get some pants, get dinner out because I forgot, started a quick load of laundry and head over....might as well be productive, right? :)

Here's what I get.....

OH MY HECK....what the heck???? Big goober!!

I laughed so hard!! It's a tough day when the bouncy house eats your pants!! LOL

Do you have????

2009-06-02T02:20:00.001-07:00

Rory and I had a Mother/Son spa day at church Saturday. It was so cute to watch them all start, be totally embarrassed, but really love doing it, but didn't want anyone to know it!! Little boys!

He painted my nails--2 colors, then soaked my feet after a sugar scrub....yum! While my feet were soaking he gave me a back massage. Can I just say he is the best massage-r in the WORLD??? HEAVEN I tell you. I also am NOT being facetious, I'm bluntly honest.....HEAVEN. He only works Tuesday and Saturday from 10-11 though, and it's 1-5 dollars. Depending on his mood!

While soaking, a friend put in some soap type stuff, and pretty soon we had bubbles to my knees. Also while soaking, I think I might have soaked a ton.....he brought me breakfast BEFORE getting his...what a gentleman!!

When going home, he wanted me to stop at a jewelry store to buy me some jewelry. I asked how he was purchasing, and he said, "from my account. But oops, it's at the bank. Well, stop Mom, and you can give me half of your money and that will be fine." Okay, sure?!?!?!

We did stop at a super cool store and look around, then he asked to go to yard sale. Because he's only been to the one at Piper's house. He knows he can find what he wants there. So we drive around, and don't find anything. I finally ask what he's looking for and his answer is "a skateboard". OH....I didn't know that!

We stopped at a couple, looked around, then he would ask really expectantly, "do you have any skateboards?", to which the reply was "sorry, but we don't."

Oh my goodness, I don't even know how to capture, but his little tiny shoulders would droop, and he would turn and mumble, "okay, thank you" like you just said, "no, I haven't seen your puppy".

SADDEST THING YOU WILL EVER SEE.

So we are watching Craigslist and Friday we will take a look at what is on at yard sales, and head out. For those of you that haven't purchased a skateboard--oh my heck. EXPENSIVE!!

He also doesn't want to spend his dollars, just his quarters and nickels, cause he's saving his dollars for a skateboard.

Little boy logic......

New Camera

2009-05-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Chad got me a new camera for Mother's Day. My old one was used by a little girl in our family, who insisted she hadn't. So I'm thinking I really need to talk to Rory about this photo shoot I found.....what do you think?

Chad's Birthday

2009-05-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

Big and bigger.....

Paige with Sierra and Grandma in the background

Piper with Baby Violet. She was trying to sneak away!

Chad's new birthday hat from Amber--straight from Ireland--COOL!!

Amber....She was talking I think...

Don't ask....

Jason and Sierra

I surprised Chad by letting him choose dinner, but really we had everyone waiting at Outback for us to get there.....I raced home, he was fixing the sprinklers, so wasn't in a hurry. The kids knew, and were DYING to surprise him, and were in the car, he's like, what, it's not like we have a time table.

So I say, I HAVEN'T EATEN ALL DAY....LET'S GO!!

He usually drives, but I jumped in the car, he tooted around more, then got in....holy cow!

We get to Outback where everyone is waiting---whew! Had a good dinner, then went to "rock wall park" for chocolate cake....yum!

Pilot Butte

2009-05-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

We walked to the top of Pilot Butte on Monday the 18th. Pilot Butte is in the middle of Bend, and was used as a waypoint type of thing for trappers/travelers back in the old days. It's an old volcano that once you hike up, (hiney hurts 2 days after) you can see all of the mountains and Bend...or as my kids like to see....the CostCo building...who cares about anything else, but there is the CostCo building!

It was FHE, but Chad stayed home and washed dishes. I love him!!

We went with our neighbor Tracy and her little girl Lauren. We had a great time...and dinner on top. Dinner consisted of cheese sticks and oreos. Well balanced if I do say so myself....

When the Cat is away......

2009-05-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Piper and I tend to get "in trouble" when we are together......so today, we had a GREAT time!! Hee Hee! And unlike last time, the fire department DID NOT need to come to the house!! LOL!

We decided to go yard saleing!

First I had a YUMMY breakfast with a friend at McKay's Cottage. YUMMY!! Spinach, mushroom, sausage scramble with cottage fries, complete with a freshly baked scone...Delish!! And great company too!! That's always fun. Thanks Peggy!! Stephanie, you will need to come next time...probably about August or so!

Then I went to Joe's and picked up a home gym for Chad.....Couldn't get a hold of ANYONE, and wasn't sure which he wanted, so I got 2. Piper said she'd buy the other from me.

Piper met me at the house, we unloaded the weights and gyms, and headed out....hee hee....I am looking for some "yard art" as my house is hard to find, and I want something that I can say, when you see "......" turn there!

We went to this total weird place between Bend and Redmond that is full of junk!

I purchased a REALLY old yo-yo table runner for $4. And Piper found.....

FOR just $5!! Can you believe that????
Hee Hee.....so now when you see the Frieda's Parking sign, turn....that's my house!!!

Chad, I love you the best!! Miss you!! And the fire engines did not come this time......remember that!

Then we drove downtown, spent a ton of time in Powell's Candy Store, and oh my heck, what a candy store it was!! Got some Salt Water Taffy, some Gelato, walked to the Saturday Market, purchased some jewelry, then went to the Pita Pit for lunch...YUM

We then went to Iron Horse, a quaint little store with metal EVERYTHING!! I found was this metal globe thing....LOVE IT!! It will go in my Mediterranean garden I'm building this year. The metal gate will also be part of the planned activities! LOVE that store...I could get one of everything there!

Next door to the Iron Horse is an antique shop where I found a 1/2 door, and Piper found some really cool glasses with no stems that you put in a clear vase. Each stem is a different color...we got cut some SERIOUS deals there, I'm telling you....wish they would have sold me the quilt for next to nothing. It was done in Oklahoma, and was completed in 1934!! It was Beautiful!!

I will take the 1/2 door and create a garden arbor type thing with the door, then grow clematis up the sides, now to find some super cool metal numbers and letters....any ideas on where? Like Copper ones?

Sadie found a comfortable, cool place to hang. I came in and will clean up a bit (it was messy with all the packing and nonsense going on this week) then wait for it to cool down a bit.....it will be time to get sewing out! And plant the garden! YAHOO!

Fun day, and Chad, I know, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, remember I love you dearly!! Please?

Piper--we should really do that more often....I like when we have time together and you have great gift certificates! LOL! Fun times....I'll let you know when I'm coming over to sleep at your house. Hope Michael doesn't mind!

Stitches

2009-05-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

Update on Sadie.....
I took the stitches out my own self. Super easy, and no sweat!! Anyone needing my services? I'm cheap, and it was so SUPER cool!!

I got a new camera for Mother's Day, so getting the software loaded, then I'll update...I mean, Rory has lost a tooth, it was Farm day, programs, ect...lots lots to load!

My Mom did WHAT???

2009-05-22T22:21:00.001-07:00

Chad brought the kids to work on their way out of town for a last minute snuggle and hug before they headed out of town. One of my employees was on his way in, and while I was talking with Joe, (and his friend Joe) Rory ran up.

I kept talking and Rory was intrigued by Joe. Joe has no hands.

Rory said, "Where are your hands?" to which Joe replied, "your Mom cut them off, because I didn't do what she asked."

Rory looked at me and I shrugged.

Then Joe tells Rory, "You really need to listen to your mom, because she doesn't mess around."

Rory looks slowly at me, then Joe's "hands", then down to his, and says, "OK".

LAUGHING MY HINEY OFF IN THE INSIDE!!!

Then as Joe walks off, Rory has one last question, "Hey, how do you type?"

He was pretty impressed and let Chad know that he got to see the "coolest" thing EVER!!

I love kids! And I love Joe for letting people ask him things like that!

Side note, Joe's best friends are Joe and Joe....CRAZY!!

Why we love Grandma Marlene

2009-05-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

Rory:

1. She has lots of cookies
2. She has stairs
3. She has a bed that transforms into two
4. She has lots of TV's
5. She is a doctor
6. Grandpa used to be a forest fighter
7. They have a different lawn mower than us

Paige:
1. She has stairs
2. She has cookies
3. She's really nice, but so are you Mom....

So I'm seeing some trends. We need more cookies and we need a house with stairs!!

Have a good time visiting every one!! I'll miss you!

Young Author's Night

2009-05-04T01:40:00.000-07:00

Last week (or so) was Young Author's Night at the school. Kids write stories, then there is an open house, and they read their stories to anyone who sits down with them.

Rory's were pretty simple. I see a web. I see a rocket ship. I see a skateboard.

Paige wrote a story about some underwater sea friends who go to the swimming park. Pretty cool!!

They were super cute too though. Rory convinced Chad that a tee shirt (a nice one I must say) cords and tennis shoes was church (best) attire....maybe next time I should lay the clothes out?

Poor Sadie

2009-05-04T01:18:00.000-07:00

I couldn't find Sadie last Friday night, and was pretty worried about her. I kept waking up to look, and nothing. Finally at 4, I prayed to find her so I could help her, as I had a feeling something was wrong with her. I went to the rest room, and in she comes. Yup--LIMPING. I look her over and find that the pad of her paw was oozing pink stuff and is seriously swollen. Crud. Vet is closed, so I call the animal hospital. And in I go. She cried so hard in the car I thought she was going to throw up. She was in her carrier, and I was trying to get her out when the tech came in. She growled and peed herself. Off to a great start!

By this time, her paw has scabbed over a bit. The vet comes in, again, another growl. We look it over, and the vet asks me if I will hold her while they shave it down....um, sure? WHAT?

I ended up leaving her there for them to do it, and they found a pretty serious laceration in the pad and 2 punctures. At least 3 stitches. No idea what caused the cut, could have been a fence, glass, anything... They also ask ME if I want pain meds for her. Do I think she's going to be in pain. Again, I'm empty...so we have the script, but decided I'd come back if she seems in distress. (For all of you out there, I would have done the same with the kids!)

I go get her, and this is what she looks like. She's not loving life.

They have me buy recycled newspaper litter which looks like rabbit pellets and she was NOT impressed. So not impressed that she refuses to go to the bathroom. If she didn't go within 24 hours, I was to bring her back in. FINALLY we put some regular litter down, and AHHHHH she went--for like 5 minutes. Poor thing! LOL

On Tuesday, I take her to our vet for a follow up. She takes the bandage off, and DISGUSTING!! Puss filled, bloody and STINKY! Ouch!! So again, I leave her there, and they put her back to sleep, then clean her up. I now get to soak her 2x a day in antiseptic and bring her back in 10 days to take stitches out.

She's a dream at the soaking. Just lays there and lets me. BUT has figured out that if she sits JUST so, she can lick her paw. So I call the vet again. She says, no worries. If its not smelly anymore, soak 1x day.

Now Sadie just wants to go outside. Poor baby!! And I want her outside going to the bathroom. I forgot smelly litter.

And really, I could take the stitches out myself, right? I can handle that!

Plus note: Kids learned that you can take the cat to the vet and not have to bury them!

Chad and the kids...

2009-04-25T17:39:00.001-07:00

Sending a package to my brother in Cuba....here's a sampling of the pictures he will receive!

FHE: Pink Pancakes

2009-04-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

While in Portland, I went to the church bookstore and found a book on FHE teachings with food!! How cool!! the treat and lesson as one!! So I got it! Monday we learned about King Benjamin and the Pink Tower of Pancakes. Great lesson (fast and easy) and great treat!! We topped them with whipped cream!

Portland Temple

2009-04-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

We headed to the Portland Temple this weekend. Thank you Aunt Mary for always letting us stay!! We ended up finally rolling our car mileage over 100,000 miles. We purchased it 4 years ago with 30k on it...

We also forgot our camera, so these are cell pics only...sad!! But they were good too!

Paige finally got her scriptures for her baptism. She chose burgundy, and they are BEAUTIFUL! She had her name put on them as well! She LOVES them!

Rory loves these doors. I think they might be his favorite part of the temple. They sure are pretty!

Enjoy the pics, it was a beautiful weekend, and a beautiful time....and we went to IKEA and I went to Chipotle....sigh...I miss cities.....

Easter

2009-04-15T22:05:00.001-07:00

We bought a new video camera, and my camera is broken--and I really don't like Chad's, so we arent' taking many pics lately. Anyway. Here are few of Easter...and Rory was sick, so didn't have the cutest vest in the world on....next week....

Putting together the bean bag game from Grandma and Grandpa Adams.

Isn't this the cutest dress? She was also sporting a "Jennifer Anniston" Golden Globes hairdo....so cute!

Paige and her Spotlight Poster

2009-04-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Paige was the spotlight kid at school. She had to create a poster of who she is, and what is important to her. Her most important things were: Her brother, her cousins, Violet, Uncle Bud, her family, her cat, The Oregon Ducks, and her favorite color PURPLE.

I took a couple pics of the poster for your viewing pleasure!

Tired, so very tired

2009-04-08T02:48:00.000-07:00

I so hate it when I have so much on my mind. I'm so tired and worn out, know I have a BUSY, CRAZY day tomorrow, and yet, I can't sleep. Again...... So it's 2:49 AM, laundry is going, dishes are going, dishes and counters are washed, and I'm blogging. That would be an effort to NOT fold the clothes, and just be tired.....alas. I suppose I COULD do the rest of my employee reviews, but that's not really fun either...and I have until the 13th, right?
My trick to use NyQuil can't be done, because otherwords I would be DEAD about 6am when I need to get up to start the next day.....besides, that would be a nasty habit to start!
Sigh....poor, poor Kayte.
This is also a reason I can't move to Alaska (besides the cold). In the summer when it's lots of sun, I think I would die of no sleep. I think that is possible....but let's not try!!

April Fool's!!!

2009-04-01T22:02:00.001-07:00

Last year was my first prank on the kids. I allowed them "dessert" first. "Dessert" was meatloaf cupcakes decorated with pink potatoes as icing. They were SO excited, then so NOT impressed when they found out! So until they ate the cupcakes, they didn't get the "dinner" grilled cheese sandwiches. Those were made from toasted pound cake and cheese colored icing. LOL! They liked those! Chad said if he didn't know, he would have thought they were real grilled cheese!!

So this year, I can't let them down, but April snuck up on me, but I know I'm going to be super busy....what to do? So off I go!! I found this online, and I did it for lunch!! The sandwich baggie was taped shut, and the apple had a worm in it!

I also got some little bags of goldfish and cookies. I opened the bags at the bottom, filled the goldfish with carrots and the cookies with beef jerky with a little note!!
I sometimes put a note in their lunches, so I gave them those too, but signed it "yourmom" cause we do the "yourmom" here...a lot!
Rory saw the apple prior to leaving and I got a hug with a "you're the best mom ever"!! I love that!! I hope it works at 16!!
I also tricked them when they woke up, and told them they only had 5 minutes to catch the bus, as they had slept late. (they had, but we were still fine on time!)
When I talked to them afterwards--I was dying all day to know how it went--Paige said "you got me almost all day today Mom!! "
Rory also told me the principle had to help him open his baggie!! LOL It was awesome!
I did an apple for Chad, and I need to make another one, because one of the guys was a bit jealous!!! I love fun April Fool's Jokes!

Rory and Poison Control

2009-04-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

Rory, oh sweet Rory. What would we do without you? Would our lives be complete? Would we have a moment's peace? Probably not, we NEED you to make us laugh....cry.....and sleep!!

Tuesday of Spring Break, I'm loving the stay at home thing, Chad has gone bowling, I'm feeling great, so kids, jump in the shower!! They are in there FOREVER!! And JUST as I'm getting up to get them out, they start screaming, so in I go......

I walk into the bathroom with about 1/8 inch of water EVERYWHERE...okay....Rory is buck naked, covered with soap, screaming, "Make it stop, make it stop" as he's slurping down water. ?!?! Okay......

I notice a stream of conditioner towards the toilet, and I'm thinking, "he barfed conditioner? That's a lot of conditioner." Then I see another stream of it by the other door. And then I think, "he barfed it 2 directions? Impressive. How much did he have in there? And why?"

Paige is screaming because she has soap in her eye....but I'm more focused on Rory, and him now screaming/crying "help me, oh please help me". It was so sad/scary.

I have to say at this point, I still have no idea why he was drinking conditioner...

So I'm asking questions, and then it comes out that soap? shampoo? was by his nose, then it accidentally got in his throat? WHAT? PAIGE........Oh, it wasn't her I guess.

Now I start laughing. For those of you that may have been in a stressful situation with me, know I'm a stress laugh-er....cause then I won't cry.....I won't name names, but Terrie/Missy.....please let's not start discussing!! LOL

So I'm laughing and thinking....hummmm what to do...here's a glass. Drink lots of water. Get back in the shower and rinse off, and gargle a bit?

Rory says, {no lie} "Mom, I can't gargle anymore, it's making too many bubbles in my throat."

I leave, because I am seriously laughing HARD. The kids are none too impressed. I know they are scared too. I call my mom, because I can't stop laughing....I'm outside ready to pee my pants.

Paige is freaking out, tears in her eyes (me too, because I'm laughing so hard!) she comes out and said, "I prayed, now call someone for a blessing." Oh dear, I'm laughing HARDER now. This is my life. My boy is snorting/drinking shampoo, and I still can't figure who barfed conditioner. And I can't call for a blessing, we have WEIRD stuff happen, and no, I just can't do it.....word will get around! Kayte is a crappy mom!! Her kids (Rory) are insane and do weird things like wrap cords around their necks and try to hang themselves. Or snort/drink shampoo. WHY?!?!?!

Finally things calm down. Rory is dressed, Paige is breathing, I'm sorta breathing and I have dry pants on (j/k) and WOW!!

I call poison control. She was impressed that he used the tangerine kind. (btw--it doesn't taste like it smells, JUST in case you needed to know) She says, he'll probably barf and have a potty problem.....

Well, he didn't have either problem, bathroom got cleaned up, I quit laughing (sort of) and the REAL story comes out. (just so you know, I laugh so I don't cry....because brace yourself for this one.) Rory didn't drink the shampoo, he was sniffing it...and he sniffed an inch (according to him) then it went up his nose, down his throat and got stuck. (I'm having trouble even typing this....) and the conditioner? It was knocked out of the tub, stepped on one way when he got out, spun around then was stepped on the other way when he stumbled back to the tub.

REALLY?!?!?!?!?!?!

Family Home Evening

2009-04-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

Paige, every Sunday creates a Family Home Evening Lesson. This week's was either Temples or Families....One question she asked the family was, "did Mom and Dad get married in the Temple Rory??" Rory said, "I don't know, I wasn't there." LOL--no, he was not...

She had pictures of family, Chad and I, and a tile saying "Families, a journey to forever" as the backdrop. Nice set up if I do say so myself!

Questions posted on the board, found at LDS.ORG (how do kids know all this? It's scary!)
I made some chocolate covered strawberries. Rory was impressed and wondered if I'd hidden some for later, so he could have them tonight.....nope!

Thank you Paige for ensuring our family does what we are supposed to!!

Some Spring Break Activities....

2009-04-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

Our Rock Band--Starring SuperBoy and SuperPaige! They crack me up...these are the Wii instruments.....Then Rory started break dancing to Justin Timberlake.....He's getting pretty good. He's also never seen anyone break dance to my knowledge!

Here we are with some of our crafts. We painted terra cotta pots for some plants this year, then modge-podged a bucket for pencils. Super fun!

Had a late St Paddy's Day dinner. Chunky-Cheesy-Chicken Soup.

Paige created a Google-Doodle at school. We hope she wins. It's a 15,000 scholarship!! Cross your fingers!!

Oh and Rory went shooting while Paige and I helped the Beehive girls sew their quilts.

She's not human and The Wiz

2009-03-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

The other day, I took some pants to Rory while he was doing his "business" in the bathroom. He said....."Mooooommmmm, get out, I need privacy". I started to shut the door and saw Sadie meander in. I opened the door again, and said, "you let Sadie in". His response? "She's not human."

Okay.....she's not!

Friday I took Paige to "The Wiz". She LOVED it. She couldn't take her eyes off the stage. She's SUPER tired today though, we didn't get home until 10.....

The group did a great job, and Ali (Dorothy) was fantastic. Paige thought it was cool we knew the main person! She gave her a huge hug afterwards! I also have to say that the Lion was FANTASTIC!! He almost stole the show!! WOW!!

Paige and Chad are out right now. I think they are shooting. I asked Rory why he didn't go (We are folding clothes and watching DVD's of the old Wonder Woman shows). He said, "it's good for me to give her a chance....."

I'm sure Paige is loving it, Chad doesn't feel well, so we'll see how he's doing. I am concerned though, they are shooting all our ammo, and we aren't having great luck replacing it right now....Anyone have a box of .357 shells? Anyone?

Happy Birthday Rory!

2009-03-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Rory!! He's 6!!! Where did the time go from a little baby who was a blessed 2 weeks late (totally okay with me.....I had a month off of work prior to having him!! Paige and I had a GREAT time!) to a 6 year old kindergartner who is learning to read?
Below are some fun memories we all have of Rory, from his first day where Paige was fascinated by his mouth, to his "freak" foot, (and how it looks now) to riding a bike, asking Grandma if he could watch her washer (for hours), his neck after playing Superman, to this year's birthday!

Happy Birthday Rory-boy!! We sure enjoy you around the house with your sweet heart full of kindness, goofy smile, and your calm sense of "okay, whatever" attitude!!

17 years....and Lincoln City

2009-03-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Chad asked Piper to take the kids for the weekend, and we actually celebrated our anniversary (17th) by going to Lincoln City, Oregon. We don't do stuff like that often at all.

For our first anniversary, we went to Chinese. Quite a feat since we were in Ansbach, Germany at the time!! The night we got married, we ordered in Chinese food--which was SO COOL!! We had never eaten 'take out' Chinese before.

Then for our 5th anniversary, we spent the weekend at Shelley's Cottages in Estes Park, CO. I highly recommend it if you get the chance to go. WONDERFUL place! It was quite a feat getting Chad there though, as he was in college, and our next door neighbor and Chad's riding buddy was going riding with some friends...Chad actually asked if he could meet me there later...um...NO!!! We had rented some movies from Blockbuster, and while we were watching them, the people next door started their movies....uhhhh...they came ON OUR TV. Thank heavens they were some Disney movies!! Then we were watching one of theirs, I think 4th of July? and they STOPPED THE MOVIE RIGHT AT THE CLIMAX of the story!! WHAT??? We were taking the aliens DOWN! LOL

On our 11th anniversary Rory was just about 1 year old and Paige was 3, and we took them to a cabin above Divide, CO. We had lots of fun watching snow fall while we all sat in the hot tub!! We also determined that Rory didn't like to sleep anywhere besides his crib....so we put him in the dog crate that was in the cabin, and he slept wonderfully after that!!
For our 15th or so....we are getting old....Piper got us a room at the hotel and we ate at the Pine Tavern, a wonderful little Tavern downtown Bend that was built around a tree. YUMMY food, scones for appetizer bread and just a nice quiet place to eat!

So this year, it was kinda nice to get away, go somewhere different, and relax. We watched glass blowing, and bought a glass float, beach combed, and just watched the ocean from our room. We found 2 "orc finders" (Please watch "The Spiderwick Chronicles") some agates, and Chad found a red heart rock--no lie. We also decided that tidal pools + large wave with tide coming in = not good. But we got a great laugh!!

So thanks Auntie Piper and Michael for watching the kids! It was super fun!

I wouldn't be looking for another update, though Chad did mention returning to Germany for our 20th would be fun....so I'm looking forward to that!

School Report

2009-03-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

Parent/Teacher Conferences were last week. Last Fall, Paige, who is in 2nd grade, scored a 1.3 in reading, meaning she was reading at a 1st grade, 3 month level. WOW!! She reads ALL the time, so we were surprised!! This time though, she scored in her testing a 3.4 consistently!! YEAH! A huge jump and much more like her skills. We were super proud and pleased with her overall report card. She is a wonderful citizen and role model in her class and gets "I"'s (Independent Worker) in all projects. NICE WORK PAIGE!!

Rory is in Kindergarten. He's not so interested in school right now.....he does well in rhyming, and writing stories that belong to a picture. He's been working on his flashcards and he is doing pretty well with that. We think he's just too interested in playing with lots of people rather than learning. Or rather he knows it, just doesn't feel like displaying the behavior! Silly kid!

We were glad to see that they both enjoy school and are getting along with others and being responsible for their actions.

Dr Seuss' Birthday

2009-03-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

Kids were encouraged to dress up as their favorite book character for Dr. Seuss' Birthday March 2nd. My kids heard, dress as your favorite Dr. Seuss character. So Paige created the costumes. I was impressed with hers!! She created it all by herself. Please note the tie. She even put string in the tie to make it 'pop'. She used her "Vote Now" shirt because it was white and black. Isn't she so clever? Rory went as the Blue Fish in "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish". I heard they had a super fun time.

By Popular Request (Cindi)

2009-02-24T20:29:00.001-08:00

Here is "Chad" dancing at the banquet....he's going to totally kill me, but I think it might be worth it!!

The Beach--Pacific City

2009-02-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa took the kids to the beach again. Chad and I had a banquet, again. But they all had fun, while I took pictures of a guy dancing on the dance floor alone, then I text messaged them to everyone I knew and told them it was CHAD!! LMHO!! (Laughing My Hiney Off) It was so funny! Chad was NOT impressed. The best is when Bud text to Chad; "I like to dance too, but usually with a girl!".

Anyhoo--we drove up the next day to spend time there too. Jason and Sierra were there since Grandma and Grandpa took Baby Violet too. Super fun for all!! The kids were loving it!

Here are some pics--we were in Pacific City and you can see Haystack Rock.....Great place, AND it snowed that Monday--which made for an interesting trip back home!! I wanted to stop in Lincoln City, however, the road was closed and we had to go a back way to Salem.....interesting.

If you don't know, Paige can't keep her hands off Baby Violet, who has now learned that if Cousin Paige is around, its a "free ride!" She will be a great babysitter and mommy!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-23T20:51:00.001-08:00

I wasn't planning on a dinner, as Chad and I both worked Valentine's, but the kids expected that we would have a dinner, so we did. Grandma Terri and Baby Violet came too....

We didn't get pictures of all of us, just our dinner; Tri-Tip with Gorgonzola, Paris Salad and baked potatoes. YUMMY!

Then I found sleeping boys on the couch. This is after Paige got up and stumbled to bed. Then Rory didn't want to get up, because "the kitten is on his toes and it will be mean to wake her up".

Sad day at the Eck home---for Mom

2009-02-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

Rory has promised me he would say my little boy forever. Then he said he forgot to pray for it...so he's getting bigger.

And getting bigger he is....

Here is a picture of him BEFORE

And a picture of him AFTER

So Sad.....good thing Auntie Piper was here for dinner, it was out lickety-split! And LOTS lets wailing than when Paige's come out!! The neighbors had no idea this time!! LOL

What am I???

2009-02-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

Kayte is......An INTJ

The Scientist

You have a head for ideas - and you are good at improving systems.Logical and strategic, you prefer for everything in your life to be organized.You tend to be a bit skeptical. You're both critical of yourself and of others.

Independent and stubborn, you tend to only befriend those who are a lot like you.

In love, you are always striving to improve your relationship.You have strong ideas of what love should be like.

At work, you excel in figuring out difficult tasks. People think of you as "the brain."You would make an excellent scientist, engineer, or programmer.

How you see yourself: Reasonable, knowledgeable, and competent

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Aloof, controlling, and insensitive

http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourpersonalitytypequiz/

Missionaries

2009-02-02T21:29:00.000-08:00

Paige's "missionaries" Elder Anderson and Elder Larson, both from Utah, taught her the lessons prior to her baptism. She thinks they are pretty cool. They both spoke at her baptism as well. Rory is pretty impressed too. Maybe they can teach him to keep his shirt tucked in? And BTW, these are from my cell phone...so not the best quality.

Shop Vacs....

2009-01-30T13:13:00.000-08:00

I love our shop vac. Not that I use it all that much.....however my dear sweet Paige went to bed complaining of some ailment (as usual). This one was, I feel like I'm going to throw up. Me, being ever so sensitive, because I hear something different every night said, "well, make sure you do it in the bathroom and not on the floor." Good night, I love you.

11PM--sleeping so very soundly on the couch......Chad comes in and says Paige just threw up. Great!! Paige is drinking water in the bathroom, and I go in the bedroom. YUP! Barf in the same place she had thrown up the last few times she's been sick.

Oh how I hate to clean barf from carpet.....I really do, and I'm really thankful they don't get sick very often.

So I start to clean, then think...WE HAVE SHOP VAC. Shop vacs suck up wet stuff......AHA!! So Chad gets the shop vac, and wala--DONE!! SWEET!! The carpet looks pretty good and it came right up in seconds. YES!! I didn't have to touch it!! YAHOO!

I highly recommend shop vacs for any mother out there! LOL

So, I'm at home, with her, looking at lots of laundry, but working, and blogging, but it's a nice little snuggle day. Thank you for laptops too!!

Goal Updates....its been a month!

2009-01-28T21:47:00.000-08:00

So for FHE Monday, we realized that January is coming to a close FAST....so we decided to take flowers to someone. We don't know this someone, all we know is that every Sunday when we drive by the house in summer, the front yard (all garden) is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! We love it, Black-eyed Susans galore....

We bought some flowers, signed a card, then dropped by to give them over. The lady was so super nice, and was pleasantly surprised to see us. She loved the flowers and equated it to "Oprah's Random Acts of Kindness"!! LOL

We all had lots of fun, and we are looking for more ways to be kind in the coming months!

We also have been pretty darn good about our scripture reading, so that is exciting as well. I'm pretty sure we can do it by the end of summer!