Wren Family

First day of school 2011

2011-09-24T22:10:00.001-07:00

Look at that face! That is pure happiness as he waits for the door to open to room 34 and start kindergarten. He loves it and this week he wrote his first sentence "Look at me" and read a book about apples to us. It is obvious that he loves school and everyone is already his best friend and he is the fastest kid in his class.

Emma started the 3rd grade in an accelerated 3/4/5 grade split and she is struggling a bit given everything last year was super easy for her last year. She doesn't like the homework which there is definitely more of, but I think she gets a sense of satisfaction when she studies for spelling words and only gets 1 or 2 wrong on the test and at the start of the week she got most of them wrong.

Introducing Kami

2011-09-24T22:02:00.001-07:00

The house was super quiet at night after Kylie went to play pain free in heaven and we had talked about a new kitty when Kopa died, so in early July we went to the Humane Society after a couple visit prior and left with this little girl. She was pretty tiny when we got her but her extra large personality! She loves Ally but Ally hates her...with a passion. We thought that would get better but it has been a couple months and Ally is still hoping Kami gets flushed down the toilet I think. But she has definitely brought some happiness back to the family!

Ocean Trip 2011

2011-09-24T21:55:00.001-07:00

The trip to the ocean this year was to honor my grandma Lu and her 90th birthday. As a kid, my dad's side of the family would travel regularly to the ocean but as the family grew we couldn't get everyone there. So, gram's birthday wish was for all of us to meet for a couple days at Cannon Beach and it was a lot of fun. The weather was great, the kids had fun, and it was great to share one of our favorite places on earth with our family. Did I mention the weather was great?!

Hawaii...without the kids!

2011-09-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

The view from our room! Jealous much?

Scott getting ready for his part in the luau.

The turtle that Scott bumped in to under water...and than we found out if you "bump" into turtles its a $10,000 fine so Scott didn't actually bump into it he just thought he did=)

My beautiful friend Lynn and her wonderful children! It was so great to see them!

Scott and I went to Maui to end this summer without the kids and had tremendous time! We met our great friend Lynn and her family for dinner, got a massage, and enjoyed happy hour quite regularly. We began each day by working out after a cup of coffee and than either went snorkeling or just read by the pool. It was great weather, the hotel (the Sheraton) was beautiful and it was great to not have any responsibility and for 5 days not listen to any whining! I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Sun Lakes 2011

2011-07-10T09:31:00.001-07:00

We started our summer with a vacation initially planned around Kylie (it was cheap and they allowed dogs) and we went to Sun Lakes in Eastern Washington. I had gone to Sun Lakes when I was a kid for a couple summers in a row with my mom and family so I had fond memories of this place. While the cabin was super small and full of bugs and spiders, we had a great time. Each day we played put put golf (or pup pup as Owen called it), had ice cream to combat the heat (it was in the 90s both full days we were there), swam in the super cold lake and pool each day, and watch movies. We went to visit the Grand Coulee Dam and Dry Falls to break up the days. Overall, it was a fun trip and while we kept talking about how Kylie would have enjoyed this and that, it was still great!

The last night a wind storm came through the canyon and had gusts of very powerful wind! It was fun to stand in, although it scared the kids a bit. And we found out that that the door didn't actually ever lock...the wind blew it open! Scary!

The kids and daddy at the look out on Dry Falls. It was pretty fun for them and a beautiful geological creation!

Dry Falls

The kids in the ice cold lake.

Grand Coulee Dam!

Paddle boating on the lake, it was hot on the lake and difficult to paddle. We took turns!

Sad Day Times 100!

2011-07-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Scott and I always said after Kopa died that when Kylie died it would be the saddest day ever and guess what...totally worse than that. When a loved one dies that you don't live with, like a grandparent, it is super sad and you remember all the great times you had but you don't have a daily interruption to your routine like when a loved one you live with dies. The same day that I found out that my best friend and partner I team teach with at school had a blood clot (that ended up being a tumor when they had to do open heart surgery 2 weeks later after two stints in the hospital) we found out that Kylie had a type of anemia in which the body attacks it's own red blood cells and that she was very sick. It culminated that week in a blood transfusion from the vet's dog Bullwinkle and nearly 8 drugs twice a day that we had to force down Kylie. While her blood count was better she was not eating and lost 15 pounds over a couple of weeks. We had more meat and food for dogs in the refrigerator than ever before! We than took her back again and the vet said that if she still wasn't eating than it was something bigger like a tumor (and cancer is usually a trigger of this kind of anemia although the ultrasound didn't show anything) and we had two options: get an endoscope from a specialists which may take some time in getting or put her down. We decided with heavy hearts that the most humane thing to do was to put her down and on June 7the in the parking lot of our vet we said good bye to our beloved dog! There is isn't a day that goes by that we aren't reminded of how much we miss her, in fact Ally regularly sleeps next to the basket of Kylie's toys we still have out. We won't get another dog until next summer maybe and our house is a lot quieter without. It's funny, now that she is gone I realize how much she cleaned up the floor and we have to vacuum more regularly now=)

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day we had brunch at our house and invited family over to celebrate and eat good food! I received a lovely necklace, a heart in the kids' birth stone, and lots of love from the kids. The best part of the day was when Owen said "Momma, does Mother's Day mean you are in charge all day?" I replied, "No, it means you are good to momma. And I am in charge every day!" His reply was "Oh". I wish you all a great Mother's Day!

Sad Day!

2011-02-19T13:58:00.001-08:00

Before Kylie, Ally and the kids, we found Kopa. I was house and dog sitting and we took the dog on a walk to Kopachuck state park. We heard the loud obnoxious meowing from the bushes and when we looked it a skinny little kitty about 5 months old can out to greet us. She obviously did not have a home but after taking her home we watched for signs and news that someone was looking for a lost kitty. She became our first child and even though she did things that tried our patience we loved her. Scott and Kopa had a very special relationship and she loved him very much. Most people never got to see her and we knew she was getting sick when she let the kids actually pet her without freaking out.

This is a picture of Kopa and Kylie about 2 hours before she finally went to kitty heaven. Kylie knew something wasn't quite right and went to lay with her pal. It was quite sweet. Kopa couldn't move very well but Kylie's paw in her face didn't last long.

This was about a week before she passed. She was snuggling with Scott and allowed the kids to come over and pet her. I think they were able to pet her more in the 2 1/2 weeks before she died then they were during the time they knew her. We have her buried in our back yard so we can visit her when we want to!

Too Funny!

2011-02-19T13:56:00.001-08:00

This is one for the girlfriend!!! This was how we found him after riding his scooter!

Basketball

2011-02-19T13:51:00.000-08:00

Emma's first run at basketball has been a great learning experience. As you can see from the picture, Scott is the coach but not by choice as there wasn't anyone stepping up to coach the team. We are a pretty scrappy team and the kids have a lot of fun playing, which is obvious as most of them smile the entire game. We have lost one game so far but have played all really well! Emma is doing great and seems to be having fun (although I don't think it's her passion =))

Scooters from Santa

2011-01-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

Santa brought the kids scooters this year. Owen's was stolen off our front porch last fall and, while Emma has a bike with no training wheels she doesn't have the strength or the balance to hold it up, so she got a scooter also. She loves this scooter and while she fell a couple times she loved racing Owen and so did he; he's quite quick with his.

Kylie the Wonder Dog!

2011-01-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

Even though she is almost 10, has an arthritic hip and a titanium hip she is quite the playful do still. She loves this toy, which Santa brought and shortly after this great display of athleticism she was so mad at the Piggy she ripped out his insides! It is fun to watch her play since we had to go through so much to get her back to where she is now.

Brownies!

2011-01-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

This is Emma's Brownie troop. It is our first year with the Girl Scouts and it is making life a little crazy but Emma is enjoying it. She is working hard right now trying to sell cookies for her troop so that they can do something fun like horse back riding camp or Great Wolf Lodge at the end of the year. She made cookies, seen below, and was very proud of them (I wished we had made a couple extra because they were quite tasty!).

This picture was taken at the Cookie Rally which they nicely scheduled for a Friday even so everyone was on their A game and not snotty or anything...can you sense my sarcasm? They learned a lot about the cookies and had fun making crafts so I guess it was worth it!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T19:25:00.001-08:00

While we didn't actually bring in the New Year, we celebrated the end of a crazy year the way we do every New Year's Eve. We each picked an appetizer and watched a the last Shrek, which was really fun and we went an did poppers outside around 8. It's an early night but a fun tradition and it keeps us safe from all those crazy drivers! We wish you all a very great New Year with lots of safe and fun adventures!

Christmas Crazy!

2011-01-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

As always the holiday season is fun yet stressful and exhausting! We started with my mom's family celebration on the 19th, my dad's family on the 24th, our celebration in the morning on the 25th and the Wren family in the afternoon on the 25th, and dinner at my mom's on the 26th. So, very crazy and we spent the last week just recuperating. Scott had most of the time off so it was nice to just hang out as a family! We wish you all had a great holiday season as well!

We went to Zoo lights this year and while it was very cold and Emma was sad that she couldn't actually see the animals, it was nice. We beat the crowd and then went to dinner at the Ram.

This is how Scott spent most of the holiday; with two kids attached to him.

The kids opening gifts on Christmas morning. Notice Kylie in the background sniffing out her stocking. Santa brought her some bones and the kids scooters. It was a nice day.

On my mom's side of the family, it is tradition to have the kids read the Christmas story and this year it was Zachary and Emma. You can see the kids played hard before this picture was taken as Owen already has his shirt off! Emma did a great job reading as is to be expected!

Hooray for the first snow!

2010-11-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

The kids enjoyed the first snow of the season by making snow angles and having a snow ball fight. They haven't mastered the concept of not throwing in a person's face, so there were some tears but overall it was a lot of fun.

Border Clash

2010-11-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

My best friend Jean is the Cross Country Coach at our school and two of her athletes, Meron and Jasmine, were invited to run in the Border Clash (WA vs OR) in Beaverton. It is quite cool to be invited as it means that you are one of 70 or so top runners in your state. So that fact that two were selected from our school was really cool. Jean and I went down the night before and spent time in Portland shopping and eating. It was fun, even though it was a little cold! The kids did really well. Meron got 14th and Jasmine got 32nd and both were very excited. Nike treated them to dinner, speakers, a tour of the headquarters, it was a great experience for them.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

This year Emma was Tiana from the Princess and the Frog and Owen was Ben from a cartoon called Ben 10 Alien Force, Scott was Caesar and I was Cleopatra. As always, we went to a billion parties and had our own. We had a nice crowd and after passing out some candy (which seems to be almost as exciting as trick-or-treating!), we went out and hit the neighborhood. There was a lot of people out and the kids came back with a lot of candy. Scott and I had fun dressing up also.

The doctors are in!

2010-08-16T22:05:00.001-07:00

We went to Michael's today and picked up these great doctor mask and cap for only $0.30! So, once daddy got home tonight they had to try them out and check him to diagnose his illnesses which took a long time. Owen commented that he actually wasn't a doctor yet but one in training...just for clarification!

Toothless

2010-08-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

To hopefully avoid some orthodontic work later on, it was recommended that Emma have her canines pulled. They were quite large and difficult to get out but she was a trooper and she earned a gift afterward. She wasn't really bothered by what she looked like, however she did look in the mirror and say that she looked like a beaver! Hopefully, this will save us some money down the line!

10th Anniversary

2010-08-08T16:34:00.001-07:00

We celebrated our 10th anniversary up in Seattle. We dropped the kids off at my dad's on the way to a shopping and kid-free day in downtown Seattle. It was a rainy day but overall we didn't get too wet and had a lot of fun. We got a lot of fun goodies and enjoyed just spending time with each other. We found ourselves a couple times just sitting quietly and enjoying the fact that we didn't have to tell Owen no or stop the kids from fighting!

We ended with a wonderful dinner at Anthony's at Pier 66. We had a beautiful view even though it was rainy and they gave us a super yummy dessert (warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream on top!)

Before and...

After!

The babies were out!

2010-08-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

Having a membership to the zoo allows us to visit anytime we want. We sometimes go to just play or to merely look at an animal we have been talking about. It is a great learning experience. Well, a while back to zoo acquired two clouded leopards and we have had fun visiting them; they are sooo cute. Then about 8 weeks ago the Sumatran tiger had two cubs and they are finally ready to see all their visitors. With Owen on my shoulders proclaiming quite loudly that they were soooo adorable I snapped these shots and a couple others. The babies are very cute, Owen had it right!!

Buddies

2010-08-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

How cute is this? They didn't want out, but it may have been a little cooler at the door and clearly a lot more interesting to watch what was happening outside than inside.

Summer Time is Flying By!!

2010-07-29T21:15:00.001-07:00

My genius idea to paint rocks. There all over the yard, we can get out doors, we can paint! Fun, right? Well, until you see a bug or mess up your paint job or drop a rock on some one's toe.

One field trip this summer was to Kid Quest at Factoria Mall. We had never been before but had a great time. Owen played with this scarf shooter most of the time we were there. They had a tree house and an 18 wheeler to climb on. Fun times!

Our friends, Katelyn and Kamryn, from Idaho came by to play and visit. It was great to see them!

On the komodo dragon at Woodland Park Zoo.

Owen giving a high 5 to the orangutan!

2010-07-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

We had a slow start to our summer field trips due to vacations and camps, but today we went to Northwest Trek. It was a cold and cloudy day which was perfect for Trek. The animals usually are more visible when it isn't so hot and we saw every animal the park had to offer! There was one, the lynx, that we saw sleeping in the back corner (which really could have just been a rug) but everything else was either close to the front of the enclosure or walking around. The kids even had an opportunity to do some crafts. They made beaver masks and Emma made a flower head band. It was a very fun trip and the traffic wasn't too bad either. Here are some of our pictures.

2010-07-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun!

2010-07-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

At the Freedom Fair Owen got this great pirate hat and sword. He pretty much hasn't stopped wearing either and thanks to the heat, he was also wearing this lovely outfit! Most of you know that Owen talks A LOT, however he has the great ability of making up words or misusing them. For example, at Disneyland Indiana Jones was Jiminy Jones and he says exciting instead of excited. So he says a lot that he is so exciting to wear these pirates accessories.

On July 5 we went to Green Lake for a picnic to remember my Grandma Mimi who recently passed away. She loved Green Lake and one of the ways to remember her was to help purchase a cherry blossom tree to be planted at Green Lake and we had a picnic and visited the tree. It was nice to see some family we haven't seen in a while, even though it was pretty cold that day and we were dressed for warmer weather. This is a picture of the four daughters!

Taking a rest at the Freedom Fair. Owen doesn't really smile anymore, he uses the opportunity of a picture to make a funny or annoying face. Pictures would be more fun to look at if we all did that, don't you think?

Pictures of Disney!

2010-07-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

So, I always forget that I have to post the writing last if I am doing two posts...sorry. The pictures precede the writing so scroll down!

Aladdin production. Owen cried the whole way there because he didn't want to go to Aladdin and then loved it when we were leaving...

Getting ready for the crazy Pooh ride!

Disneyland actually had summer so we had to get some ice cream to cool down...something I haven't had the opportunity to do here.

Disneyland!

2010-07-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Our second trip to Disney was great! We were in the park for 5 days and in CA for 7. The flights were good (a lot better than when we went last time and Owen didn't want to sit in his seats, much to the dismay of the stewardess). Our days pretty much looked like this: ready by 7:30 and either getting breakfast or into the park for early entry, ride lots of rides and have fun, get lunch outside the park on our way back to the hotel, take a nap, go swimming, eat dinner, and back to the park until 9:30 or 10. The kids loved Thunder Mountain and we did just about every ride in the park except for Dumbo and a couple others we did over and over again last time we went. We went to California Adventure one day and Emma and Scott went on the big, upside down roller coaster California Screamin'. We also got soaked right away on Grizzly Bear River Ride. It was fun but we all felt a little stupid when we got off the ride as an old grandma with oxygen was getting on. We didn't hear about any medical emergencies that day do we think she did well. There are plenty of stories like that but I want to share some pictures of the fun we had. Enjoy!

Sad moment in our lives

2010-07-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

I only write about this because this event has really shaped our lives over the last couple of weeks. On June 10th, my friend and the day care provider for our kids, lost her son suddenly when a drunk driver crashed into her car and killed her son. Nick was due to graduate that same weekend and attend Highline. He was a funny happy boy who struggled quietly most of his short life with Crones disease. So, as a family we definitely morned the lost of this boy as we have known him for the last 7 years. So, if you pray or even if you don't please keep my friend and her family in your thoughts as they struggle day by day to survive this life changing event. And honor Nick's life by NOT driving drunk or buzzed.

This is the second half of the 3 minutes!

2010-05-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day one of the fun parts of the day was to have a picnic at Owen Beach by Point Defiance. The kids threw rocks in the water (and I include Scott in that) and Kylie swam like she was a puppy (and she paid for that later in the evening with sore hips) and I relaxed. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun.

So cute!

Scott and I volunteered to chaperone a field trip for Emma's class to Woodland Park Zoo and it was a great sunny day. We have fun playing with the kids and helping the girls do research on the animals of their choice (Emma chose a grey wolf and now is doing a project on it). The silverback was one of my favorites as he was very animated.

3 months in 3 minutes!

2010-05-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

The first weekend was beautiful and the second was crazy rainy.

Emma did track for the first time this year and did well, although I don't think this sport will be the one she excells at. She did softball throw, long jump, and 50 yard dash. We celebrated crossing the finish line and finishing her events. The long jump was more like a princess leap and the all the girls were smiling and laughing as they crossed the finish line. I don't know about you, but I don't smile and laugh like that when I run!

Emma earned a superior on her project which was actually better than some of the 5th graders for whom this is a requirement. She did awesome and we are so proud of her. This project doesn't quite fit into my keepsake box!

Easter and decorating eggs. We only cracked one this year! And didn't leave stains on the table! I think we are getting older!

Science Project!

2010-03-29T17:33:00.001-07:00

So, on top of swimming, track, watercolor, and just being a 1st grader, Emma decided that she wanted to be a part of the Brigadoon Science Fair. Thankfully, it isn't a requirement for her grade, because we haven't been very good at getting things together. We picked a fairly easy project that doesn't require a lot of time and money to complete. She is working on solar energy absorption. We have three bottles, she painted one white, the other black and left one plain. When it isn't thundering and lightening outside we will fill the bottles with water and take the temp of the water. Then we will let the bottles stay outside for a while and once we bring them in we will take their temp and see if her hypothesis is correct. Her hypothesis is that the temp of the water in the black bottle will be hotter than the others. She came to this because she remembers getting hotter in the summer when she wore black. Cool, huh!

This is Emma writing her information into her journal.

Painting the bottles.

Owen Tranforms into a 4 year old!

2010-03-29T17:25:00.001-07:00

Owen's theme was Transforms and while he has literally transformed into a 4-year old, he doesn't always act it! He enjoys being the center of attention so of course he enjoyed his birthday. He asked almost every night after Emma had hers if his was the next day. He got this great hat which he randomly wears around the house but this look on his face was the treat for all of us!
His new love is something called Ben 10 alien force. His buddy Philip plays with them at daycare and that was what Owen wanted. He got like 5! Thankfully, there were no duplicates! He can build "mega guys" with all the pieces and they are simple enough for him to put together himself following the directions. This was Swampfire which he received from his sister.

For $46 we got this "transformer" cake, although I don't think it was worth it. While the cake itself was tasty, the graphics weren't so great. Owen loved it however and that is probably all that matters.

This is our very own transformer cat! She apparently thought she was part of the decoration!

Emma's 7!

2010-03-29T17:14:00.001-07:00

Okay...okay. So, it's been a long time since I have posted and a couple things have happened. Like 500 birthdays, lots of activities, and plenty of work. We, as usual, had a kids party at the Family Fun Center with the kids' friends and then each child got to have a themed party with family. Emma chose Princess and the Frog as her theme and while no one did cakes in that theme, probably because it was so new, Fred Meyer took a plate and created a fabulous cake we all loved! And it tasted good also! Emma enjoyed her birthday and was fortunate to receive many gifts, like clothes, a Diji video game player, zhu zhu pets, and lots of others. Owen wanted to help with the unwrapping and even though Em didn't allow him to help he wrapped himself in this bag and got just as much joy unwrapping himself as he would one of her gifts.

The zhu zhu pets started getting opened. She practically got an entire village!

This present was from her American Doll Felicity. Since Emma is such a good painter, Felicity thought it would be cool if she also had a watercolor set!

So, I forgot to rotate the picture but since it took 4 months just to post this, I am not changing it! Turn your heads!

Happy Birthday Dr. King

2010-01-18T18:50:00.001-08:00

After talking about Dr. King, what he did, and why his life's work and that of others during that time period impacts us today, we sang happy birthday and ate a piece of cake in his name. We didn't get out and celebrate with a march or public celebration like others but we want our children to remember these days not just as days off from school but as a chance to celebrate the amazing accomplishments of people from the past. I don't know where she got it but Emma wrote down a quote that says, "Every girl has the strength to do something amazing. Anything is possible as long as you stay true to yourself and never give up on your dreams!" If she can just remember that and use Dr. King as an example I know she is destined for greatness and what a treat for us, we get to cheer her on!

2010-01-18T18:43:00.000-08:00

I had a great lunch with my dad, Sally and Bonnie at Artisanal Table in Bellevue. I was really fun and great food and company! I can't remember the last time I was with just my sister and parents. Funny story, I went into Nieman Marcus before meeting them for lunch, just to kill some time, and picked up a $1,500 purse (it was on sale) and the clerk looked at me, gave a fake smile and walked away! Apparently, I didn't look like a buyer!

New baby!

2010-01-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

I am a proud auntie again! My best friend Shawn entered the crazy life of two kids on Dec 2nd and I was sick so this was my first chance to really snuggle baby Jacob. He was itty bitty at 6 lbs 13 oz. She told me the day I visited that he was 9 lbs (Owen was 8 lbs 13 oz at birth!). He is a good baby although lately a little colicky and her older son Luke is throwing tantrums. The life of a family of four! I don't know how my aunt Karen did it with 5!

Emma's lost a couple of teeth!

2010-01-18T18:36:00.001-08:00

Emma has lost both front teeth now and looks just like Owen! She is very proud of her new lisp!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

We ended the 2009 with kid friendly appetizers and noise makers. It was wet out so the paper didn't go very far but we bought a big costco sized pack so we will have some for next year!

Happy New Year! No, they haven't been drinking...

Christmas #5

2010-01-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

Our last Christmas was with the Wren's and we had fun playing Christmas charades and eating lots of great food. It was a nice way to end the craziness of the holidays and we received a lot of great gifts!

Christmas #4: Santa Came to Our House!

2010-01-18T18:17:00.000-08:00

Santa came to our house with a bag full! He wrapped Emma's presents in princess paper and Owen's in Star Wars paper so they knew which presents were theirs. They got all sorts of goods and when they were done opening we were able to have a brunch of our own and enjoy the morning. This was the first time that we didn't have to be some where by 10 and we really enjoyed the morning. The kids even napped! After nap we went to my mom's house for Christmas dinner with her.
Emma opening her Moxie girl.

Owen got a lot of play mobile and loves it all! He plays with this boat in the bath all the time. Hopefully, the little pieces don't go down the drain!

Couple of happy kids!

Even Kylie got a toy. With her new hip she is more playful and she actually brings toys to us to have us play. She pulls really hard and loves to play! Much different than the Kylie of last year!

Christmas Party #2

2010-01-18T18:06:00.001-08:00

This was actually Christmas Party #2 and 3. We started the day at my dad's and had a great brunch. It was very low key, the kids got to play and we relaxed. Then we traveled to my uncle Mac's and had the traditional Campbell Christmas. Emma had fun playing with Carly and Abi whom she doesn't get to see very often and we ate lots of great food.

Owen had a really hard time waiting for the green light to open presents. He got a little spoiled and cranky towards the end of Christmas and still asks me to take pictures with my camera on my phone to send to Santa!

We get at least 15 minutes of quiet time with this! Thanks Papa and Nana! It's more like a present for Mom and Dad!

Emma also got a lot of great kids and played with just about everything that night at home and the next day!

Can we eat it?

2009-12-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

We spent part of the morning decorating this fabulous gingerbread house. I debated whether or not to buy two totally separate houses to avoid the fighting but thankfully there was pretty much equal amounts. I gave each kid a piece of the roof and a person to decorate. They used most of the candy on the roof so the rest of the house is a little bare but overall, not a shabby house! Owen was a little sad in the picture as he had just hit his knee after running around the house. What do you know? We learned a lesson about running in the house AND built a gingerbread house all in one day!

Promise, not staged and they aren't fighting. I will treasure this picture for a long time!

Of course...Emma had to taste the goodies...maybe that's why the house is so bare???

Christmas Party #1

2009-12-21T16:25:00.001-08:00

We celebrated with the very large Lawler clan at the University Place City Hall. Yep, our family is so big we have to rent a hall. It worked out rather perfect. There was an area for the kids to run around in and not get hurt or knock over the food, a long table to set the food up, tables for everyone to sit at, and lots of room to walk around and visit with family we haven't seen in a while. It was a lovely night. My cousin Jenny made this fabulous cape for Owen which I am sure will become a dress up favorite and the kids got a lot of wonderful presents from the family. One down and three to go!

It was so hot and Owen was running around so much that we took off his shirt. Merry Christmas! The sweat in his armpits collected little pieces of the black sweater and it looked like he had armpit hair, very funny!!

My cousin Rachel has a cast on her foot and uses this lovely contraption to get around...that is, until the kids found it!

Santa Train at Mineral

2009-12-12T19:35:00.001-08:00

Today we took a train ride to visit Santa. It was a present from Mom and Dad Wren last year but we had all that snow and had to reschedule it for this year. The kids have never been on a big train before and were very excited. We left a little early and arrived about 45 minutes before boarding and the train was a little delayed. So, waiting for the train in the cold the kids threw rocks and used a stick to try and break ice that had formed over puddles. It was like 18 degrees and we were very cold.

The ride was a little slow so the kids, and I include Scott in that term, made faces and played silly games.

One great surprise for me was that both the kids sat on Santa's lap and I think decided that he isn't all the bad. Owen asked for cars and magically Santa had some cars to give him, Emma asked for Webkinz clothes but I don't think Santa knew what that meant because he gave her a card trick game instead. Oh well, maybe next year he'll get it right!

Tree Hunting

2009-12-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

Every year we go to the Snowshoe Tree Farm in Orting for our tree huntin' experience. This year we went on a cold and blustery day, hunted down the perfect tree (although it was hard to find as they had slim pickings), and Daddy cut it down. Owen complained the entire time about the cold, Emma ran off and hide causing lots of worry for me, and Scott's shoulder hurt when cutting down the tree. It was a tremendous experience!

Windy Fun!

2009-11-23T17:12:00.000-08:00

We had the great opportunity to head to Ocean Shores this weekend and spent some time with Grammie and Grandpa at a timeshare they were staying in. It was VERY windy and rainy and at one point it was so windy that the wind we like little bullets on our skin and it HURT! We say a bald eagle take a duck for dinner, played a little on the beach, swam in the pool (although we forgot our towels. I shared Emma's and Scott had to share Owen little hulk towel=)), played games and ate great food. It was a fun relaxing weekend and even though we didn't sleep well, it was fun to get away!

Here are some pics!

It was windy...

This was a puddle we happened across, how cool!

Halloween Fun!!

2009-11-23T17:04:00.001-08:00

As usual we had our Halloween party for the kids at daycare and a few we spend a lot of time with at the Centre. All-in-all, we had around 13 kids and roughly that number of parents. We had a lot of princess, a tide box, a diva, some ninja turtles, and much more. As always, it was a blast and the kids got a lot of candy and worn out.

I am not sure why but this year I decided to make Emma's costume and for some delusional reason I thought Ariel would be cake. I mean...it's like following a recipe right? Okay, so it's not even close but with the help of my mother and about 16 hours of work we pulled it off. She loved it and wore it 4 days in a row. Needless to say, it is rather worn but she really enjoyed it and I got a new sewing machine out of it. Bonus for us all!!

Scott working his magic. He went simple this year so as to save his back (and some time).

Big boy bed!

2009-10-18T14:00:00.001-07:00

Due to the constraints of a small toddler bed on a growing boy, we bit the bullet and got Owen his big boy bed this weekend. We start with just the mattresses on the floor to get them used to being up off the ground. He decided on Wolverine for this bedding which is totally against the sports theme we have going on in his room, but oh well, he likes it.

Update Time!

2009-10-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

I have had a hard time keeping up with the blog since school started so this will be a quick update of all the fun we have been having. I will do my best to keep up with it regularly so that you all know we are alive! Life is very busy. Emma is loving first grade and doing very well. She is also progressing in swimming and loving watercolor. Her current project is a horse. Owen has started Sunday School and while Scott and I have been worried for his teacher's sake, she reports he is doing well and a great participator in song time (he sings all the time now!)

We had fun at the Puyallup Fair riding the rides and clowning around!!

We went to Salmon Days with Papa, Nana and Aunt Bonnie and enjoyed the salmon, toys, and ice cream with chocolate as Owen is demonstrating in the picture.

My partner in crime at school, Jean, and I won a state wide award for our program the Academic Success Academy that we started last year to get seniors who are so far behind in credits to graduation on time. We figured out that we monitor over 560 semesters worth of credit retrieval in addition to teaching two senior level classes. No wonder we are tired! We won the award from the WSASCD (look it up it takes to long to write out) and were honored at a great luncheon to which we were able to invite our spouses. It is important to note that it is a STATE WIDE organization!!! Cool huh!

First Day of First Grade!

2009-09-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

We can hardly believe that our little girl is in first grade and attending school all day long now. We talked a lot about the first day of school and being in first grade and she was very excited. Owen also wanted to know where he was going to preschool (he gets lessons from Mary at daycare). Her goal right now is to be the first girl to get Tiger Club which is given to students who demonstrate positive behaviors. So, Emma has decided she will be the best person she can. Good goal, huh?

Next to her is William a boy she hadn't met before. Her favorite boy, Tristen, moved so who knows, maybe William will be the new boy in her life...although chasing the boys is still the main activity at school recess.

Becca and Morgan (the girls in the middle) started 2nd grade.

Because we value education so much and want our children to as well, we make it a priority to have a celebratory dinner on the first day of school and talk about all the wonderful things our children have experienced. We went to Red Robin again this year and celebrated with a hot fudge sundae after dinner.

I am afraid for his teachers...

Emma the Artist!

2009-09-07T13:16:00.001-07:00

We have known for years that our Emma was a talented girl, so we decided to put her into a watercolor class at the Centre (actually the only art class offered nearby for kids her age...weird huh?). Anyway, she loves it and she has produced a tremendous portfolio of beautiful materpieces. Here are a few to enjoy...

Remlinger Farms

2009-08-26T20:15:00.001-07:00

With the sun shining and great company we head out to Remlinger Farm in Carnation today for animals, trains, and rides. It was a great way to end our summer field trips with Papa and Nana and while the kids didn't have naps they were generally enjoyable today...and that can't be said about every day without a nap!

A New Hip for an Old Dog

2009-08-26T20:10:00.001-07:00

After watching our beloved dog suffer with a sore hip and paying the high price of medication we bit the bullet (and boy was it big) and got her a new titanium hip. She will have to be pretty quite, no running or jumping, for 12 weeks but as she lays at my feet right now she is laying on the new hip so we have to assume the pain has decreased considerably. Sadly though, her leg looked like a chicken leg when it was shaved...she was a little embarrassed!

Snoqualmie Falls

2009-08-26T20:03:00.001-07:00

The kids have never been to the Falls and I don't think have ever really seen a waterfall so this was really fun to see their reaction to it. We hiked down and reminded Owen he would not be carried...ever...because his legs conveniently get tired when yours are. The kids threw rocks in the water at the bottom and then we had lunch at a nearby restaurant. I don't remember loving just throwing rocks in water like my kids do but every chance they get, they throw rocks. And generally miss each other which is nice.

Tooth #2 is Gone!

2009-08-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

Emma lost tooth #2. It was quite loose and Scott couldn't get it with his bare hands (and Emma was a little nervous it would hurt). So, after sleeping on it a while Emma came down stairs and decided she wanted daddy to pull it out. So, with the help of a dry wash cloth the tooth came out, no problem!

Cougar Mountain Zoo

2009-08-26T19:49:00.001-07:00

Cougar Mountain Zoo, for those that don't know, is a little zoo in Issaquah that focuses on conservation of a few animals. It is definitely not your Woodland Park Zoo type of zoo. This year they had two playful tiger cubs on display. They were very playful and fun to watch.

Emma is getting a bear hug!

We got to feed a couple of the animals. The llama with the white face had the funkiest teeth, another looked like he had a wig on, and the deer was the most normal looking of the bunch. Quite the trio!

These two beautiful kitty cats were new tiger cubs two years ago when we went to the zoo last. They are huge now and the orange one loved the color of Owen's shirt and couldn't keep it's eyes off of him. It had to be his shirt because Owen doesn't have any meat on his bones so I am sure the tiger wasn't thinking dinner.

Power Ranger

2009-08-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

Little boys need dress up also, especially when their daddy's don't think it is very funny to dress up in princess clothes, so I got this costume for Owen and he loves it. I think he played dress up everyday for a week after I got it. Look at those muscles!

Cannon Beach

2009-08-11T18:46:00.001-07:00

Haystack rock in all it's beauty. I am always amazed at the beauty this "rock" can exhibit. Every year I take the same picture and what I love about this one is the reflection of the rock on the beach.

The tide was way out and we saw a lot of sea star wishing it would come back in quickly.

One of the favorite activities on the beach, jumping waves and running away from incoming waves.

Little Frisbee action.

The weather wasn't perfect and it allowed for perfect kite playing. We bought super cheap $1 kites and they didn't fly so well. I think we need to put a little more money into them next time we go.

Hazy day at the beach.

Ahhhh...

Another reason why we aren't really sure about Owen's mental status, he wanted to wear the stickers instead of putting them in the workbook he had.

Even Kylie girl had a fun time. Her hip was hurting quite a bit but she was a trooper!

Another visit to Point Defiance Zoo

2009-08-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

The merry-go-round is a kid favorite. We have a membership so we visit often and this is usually how we end our visit to the zoo. This was after the kid zone of running and playing so they red faces.

Each time we go the kids try to become a part of the show and since we visit so often they know every part and when to start raising their hands to try to be picked. Emma hit the Jackpot this time and got to be a part of the show and get up close view of the beaver. She did a good job and was very serious. She had a difficult time with the helmet though.

Another favorite, feeding the budgies!

Owen loves to stick his "gentle finger" into the exploration tank. He is very good about touching nicely and enjoyed showing Papa what he found.

Seattle Children's Museum

2009-07-30T09:07:00.001-07:00

In an attempt to get away from the 101 degree forecast (which actually ended up being 103) we went inside to the Children's Museum. It was a blast. The kids actually played on their own most of the time and wanted to. It seems like in past adventures they need help or want us to play with them. This time they played a lot on their own. What a treat for us all!! This is the kids building a house and you can tell my the look on Emma's face they had a little conflict during the construction of this creation.
This was one of Owen's favorites since he is totally in to motorcycles. He kept going back to his motorcycle and zooming around.

Something you don't see very often, a man in the kitchen! Owen was cooking up cookies for his mama while she relaxed and read children's books to herself. The other thing you don't see very often is Owen sharing and he did quite well during our entire visit at the museum. Then he promptly fought with his sister in the car on the way home. The ride home was long as there was a big fire on the medium between N and S bound I-5 around 200th. What would normally take around 45 minutes took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Thank goodness for the DVD player in the car and AC!

First visit to the EMP

2009-07-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

This was our first visit to the EMP. They had an exhibit on Jim Hensen and we thought the kids would really enjoy the muppets. I think I forgot that it is still a museum and while there were some things that they enjoyed liked playing with the muppets and the instruments, they got a little bored. I thought it was really interesting. The muppets were cool if you had some history with the show as it showed how a lot of the old favorites were created. It was very cool! The EMP also has a neat scifi section and Owen enjoyed this part for about 5 minutes which was good for him.

We ended our day with lunch and some rides.

First Time Camping!

2009-07-20T12:38:00.001-07:00

Our first time camping with the kids, in fact Scott and I haven't been camping since I was pregnant with Emma (which was pretty lame as I had all day sickness and couldn't really eat like one should while on a camping trip). Anyway, we decided to go to "camping" to a KOA so the kids could experience sleeping in a tent and cooking food on the fire but we had other activities that kept them busy and us sane. They played mini-golf, swam in the pool a lot, played on the playground, and played in the big field in front of the tent. Overall, pretty successful for the first time.Camping cuisine...hot dogs and macaroni. They did well eating outside and didn't really freak out about bugs or anything.Playing at the playground.
Behind our tent was a farm that had beautiful horses. This mare had a colt which looked to have been born recently. They were very fun to watch, but apparently horses are like roosters and make lots of noise when the sun comes up. They don't really have "bedtime" I guess. Needless to say, we were up pretty early each day!

Lunch with Great Grandma Lou

2009-07-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

Since Owen had soccer camp we decided to take Grandma Lou to lunch and visit for a while. Her favorite place to eat is Steamers and it was a beautiful day to play at the park and throw rocks in the water.

Soccer Fun!

2009-07-20T12:21:00.001-07:00

Owen had his first soccer camp and loved it, although like clock work he was tired about 15 minutes before it was over. Thankfully, it was not too hot the entire week and he had a lot of fun.

One fun camp activity was to dress up the coaches like girls. The kids loved it!

Coach Michael was a perfect match for this group of kids. He was extremely patient with them even when some kids, okay Owen, wanted to stomp on bees instead of kick the ball.

Cast Twins!

2009-07-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

Emma had a blue cast and Grammy had a white wrap after surgery for carpal tunnel. Same are and everything...too funny! Emma did get her cast off on July 17th so we can enjoy water outdoors again!

Seattle Aquarium

2009-07-09T12:25:00.001-07:00

We had a nice visit to the aquarium. Owen caught a ride on an Orca and from the look on his face it was a crazy ride. Emma is still afraid of even fake Orcas and won't even look at this picture. Some of the residents.

I thought I would take a picture of this cute octopus!

Owen looks like he is getting eaten by the octopus.

They even let us touch the little creatures. Last year we went to the aquarium Emma's arm was broken also. I think I have this same picture only the cast is a different color!

Field Trip Fun Has Begun!

2009-07-03T14:29:00.001-07:00

We started out our weekly field trips at Northwest Trek as we have done the last couple of years. Our thinking is that as it gets hotter in the summer the animals won't want to come out. Well, this time they were all sleeping, so we say a lot of ears and backs and things that were probably really rugs, but thankfully the kids don't know the difference. Owen is growin'. His hand is almost the size of a black Bear's front paw.

We were lucky enough to see the elk cooling off in the water. I got some great shots and this was one of the best with their reflection off the water. It was quite fun. We saw a lot of animals early on in the tram ride so Owen got bored towards the end when there weren't so many animals to see.

A bunch of juvenile big horn sheep relaxing in the shade of the trees.

Huggin' the moose.

Summer is Here!

2009-06-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

We kicked off the summer with a couple trips to the zoo. We have the year pass so we go to look at different parts whenever we have time. One of their new exhibits is the budgies. You can buy a stick with food on it and if you stand with the stick out a bird will land on it and eat the seed. It is really fun. Emma let the budgies be lazy and just put the stick on the wall. Owen was able to nab himself three. One is on his hand waiting for the others to finish and see if there is more seed. He didn't freak out or anything.

We also visited the Meerkats this time. They are so fun to watch; you can see them over the kids' heads. And yes, Emma broke her arm again. Third time the charm right? We hope anyway.

We also made cheerio necklaces. The kids are demonstrating the proper technique for eating the necklaces. It is a real skill.

Anyone for a slip-n-slide?

2009-06-06T16:13:00.001-07:00

We found a new love...the slip-n-slide. After a couple of demonstrations from Daddy the kids got the hang of it. At the end of the slide is a little pool and Owen would much rather spend his time down there splashing in the water. He's not big on flopping on your stomach and getting water splashed into your face. Emma on the other hand, loves it and would almost rather do this than get in the pool. So much for grass in the back yard this summer...

Sunny day

2009-05-18T20:04:00.001-07:00

We thoroughly enjoyed the sunny weather and we were eating our lunch when I looked over and saw this! I don't know if it was just a cool place to lay or if she thought this was a way to catch a bird but we got a good laugh out of it.

Mother's Day Tea

2009-05-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

Emma's class did a Mother's Day Tea on May 15th and I was lucky enough to be able to attend. I didn't have school that day and had actually planned on going to her class to help out a little, but was able to enjoy the treat. The kids sang songs and said poems they had memorized and then Em gave me this beautiful card with a list of all the things she loves about me. It was great.

Mom and Me at the Zoo

2009-05-18T19:36:00.001-07:00

We spent a fun day May 9th at the Point Defiance Zoo for the Mom and Me at the Zoo event. We have done this for the last 3 or 4 years and the kids really love it. We head out early in the morning to get there at the opening and stay just until lunch. It was a nice day and most of the animals were out, except the tiger...she was sleeping.

Playing Catch up...

2009-05-18T19:01:00.001-07:00

Owen started swimming lessons and while he has a hard time following directions and not throwing water at his classmates, he loves it!!Easter fun!!! Owen demonstrating the proper egg dropping technique under daddy's strict supervision. He only broke 2 eggs...The colorful masterpieces!Emma had her first concert at Brigadoon. It was just the kindergarten classes and she did a fantastic job. She didn't want to smile after every song and made a cute fish face. So, we started making it back at her and got her to smile. She also twisted side to side while singing her songs. Owen loved it and danced to practically every song!Scott went to Las Vegas so I took the kids to Papa and Nana's for breakfast. Since the major rains this winter, the creek outside their house has changed a little so the experts went to inspect it. This picture was taken right before Emma almost fell in!! Big surprise.

Owen Turns 3!

2009-03-28T14:31:00.001-07:00

Owen had a fun birthday. Thankfully, all were healthy and we could enjoy just being together and celebrating. He got a scooter that he loved and does very well on already. He thinks he is better than he really is though, but it is fun to watch him...he's getting sooooo big. Emma got him Pinocchio the movie. You can see by his face he is really excited about it.

Another fun gift is the view finder. He plays with it all the time at daycare and loves looking at the images.

Sorry, you have to crank your necks to see this, but the theme of the party was Spider man. While this one didn't turn out as great as Emma's, he enjoyed it. My attempt at red frosting was a mishap; it turned pink. Oh well, Spider man apparently had a feminine side also.

Emma's 6!!

2009-03-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

We had a fun birthday for Emma, although it almost didn't happen. Both kids were really sick the week prior to her birthday and it came down to whether or not Emma woke up with a fever on Saturday. Well, she didn't and we had the party, but she was very tired by the end of it. She got a lot of great presents and she was really genuinely excited about each one. Owen was eager to help also.

Owen trying to get a peak at the toy he will be stealing later and hitting Emma in the head with.

So, I saw this cake in a magazine and thought, huh, I can do that. Well, I didn't have the right sized pans and had to do some creative cutting. It didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped but she liked it and it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

Owen singing his version of "Happy Birthday". He loves that song!!

Birthday girl Emma blowing out her candles. Shortly after this she was done for the night, but she put in a good effort. All-in-all, it was a great day and I am glad we could celebrate her birthday with all her family.

It's a Party!!

2009-03-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

This year we had the kids' party with their friends at the Family Fun center in Tukwilla. It was a blast and all the kids were really great. They played lots and lots. We will definitely be going back soon! This is a picture of Emma's good friend Camille and her little sisters Sophie and Meredith. Oh and Owen.

The cake was yuuummmyy!

Okay, I don't know why it looks like this I didn't have to rotate in the program I was using. Anyway, Fred Meyer did a great job with the cake and the kids were really excited that it had both their names on it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T12:39:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! We decided to have a family Valentine's day. We went to breakfast after dropping Kylie off at the groomers and then played and hiked around Celebration Park. It was a nice sunny day so we didn't get too cold. While the kids were sleeping we decorated the house and surprised them when they woke up. We decorated heart cookies and watched a movie. It was a fun time.

Owen paying close attention to detail.

His masterpieces. Yummy!

Even Kylie got in the spirit.

Flight Museum

2009-02-08T13:42:00.000-08:00

We went to the flight museum in Seattle this weekend and had a fun time. While there was a lot to look at, the kids only lasted about 1 hour. It is wide and open so they could run around and not get into too many people's ways.

This is old man Emma. Emma in a fighter plane.

Lots of planes!

Owen gettin' ready for his flight.

Emma floating around in space, I hope she gets back for dinner!

College bound!

2009-02-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

Two of our students signed letters of intent on Wesdnesday and we are so stinking proud. Jean and I had Andre as a student in 9th and 10th grade, so I think we may have to actually purchase some WSU gear. I asked him why WSU? How crazy are you? He responded, full ride. Too cool! Andre made the right choice, UW baby!! The man in the middle is their coach.

The Tooth Fairy Arrived!

2009-02-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

Emma had a couple of loose teeth on the bottom and one day was eating salad and one almost fell out. That night while sleeping she must have pushed it out as she woke up in the middle of the night and it was resting on her upper teeth, good thing she was sleeping on her back! She put it under her pillow and awoke perplexed. The tooth fairy had not arrived. So, after getting informed that the tooth fairy needed a 24 hour notice we put it in the box to get it ready. Emma was lucky. Apparently, the going rate for the first tooth is $5. The tooth fairy clearly hasn't read the paper about the recession!

Sunny Arizona!

2009-02-08T13:18:00.001-08:00

My friend, Jean, and I flew to Arizona in early January to visit a dear friend Amanda who moved there last summer. She is working at the University of Arizona in Tucson and needed some friend time! The first night we went to a karaoke bar and had a lot of fun. It was the kind of bar where everyone is local and we stood out like sore thumbs. The second night we went to Benny Hana's (I think I spelled that phonetically correct at least) and had a great time drinking sake and reconnecting some more. The third day we hiked around Sabino Canyon and it was beautiful. It was funny though, everyone was wearing winter coats in the 70 degree sunshine. Crazy! We were in shorts so they probably thought we were crazy. Anyway, a great time. Daddy had fun with the kids getting some time of his own.

Christmas Break

2009-01-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

While we were snowed in, we passed the time playing games, doing crafts and dancing. I had a lovely clip of Em dancing but for some reason it wouldn't download. I will have to check into that because it is a fine piece, we're talking Broadway. We had fun playing in the snow and although the snow was too cold to make a good snowman we had a good time being out in it. Probably had something to do with our cabin fever. I did a lot of baking ( a lot compared to what I normally do) and mom had a cookie exchange party so we had a lot of goodies to keep us going. We went to my uncles for Christmas Eve and the kids got a lot of great gifts and it was fun to see everyone. Christmas morning we had to open presents from Santa quickly and then head to the Wrens for brunch. After nap we headed to my moms for dinner. All-in-all, it was a nice Christmas. We had to do all the traveling so next year will be a little different, but it is always nice to be around family. New Year's Eve we had appetizers and watched a movie. We found out that a tooth pick can make anything an appetizer, including chicken nuggets. Overall, it has been a nice break and actually a little relaxing. But tomorrow is school and both Emma and I are ready. We hope you all had a wonderful holiday and wish you the best for the new year.

Emma and Owen enjoying the layer of ice that developed on top if the 6 inches of snow.

We played a little dress up.

Santa was definitely watching. Emma plays with this computer every Sunday we go grocery shopping.

Santa brought Owen some dress up, he loves playing knight.

Santa even came for Kylie. He brought her "crazy monkey face" and she loves him so much she hasn't torn out the squeaker yet.

Snow Day!

2008-12-18T13:45:00.001-08:00

Well, this is what our street looks like at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday afternoon and the snow is still following steadily. So, we have been spending our day playing, watching Cinderella doing crafts (which for Owen means putting as much glue as he can in one spot) and playing dress up.

Aren't they cute?

Family Fun!

2008-12-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

Before I talk about the fun we have been having over the last couple weeks I have to say that Owen knocked out his other front tooth yesterday. When he hit his mouth this summer and shattered the right front tooth, his left incisor (I think) pushed back a bit. Well, that really exposed his left front tooth and he caught it on something when he was falling and it came out. So, apparently things come in twos right? Emma had two broken arms this year and now Owen knocked out two teeth. I am going to write our Christmas letter today, hope I can fit it all on one page!

Today is a snow day and no school for us. It is nice to not have to go to work but this is the third day Emma has missed and we will have to make up these days later. But for now...fun. So, I struggled through what seemed like the easiest recipe for gingerbread cookies. I must have used 6-7 cups of flour just to keep them from sticking to me and the cutting board. But they turned out surprisingly good, so the kids decorated them before nap today and get to chow down after nap. Owen had a lot of the fun with the sprinkles, can you tell which is his? This is a picture of our gingerbread house we made on Sunday. The kids keep asking when we can eat it.

We went and played in the snow a little on Sunday also. Kylie likes the snow but like playing with passing dogs much better. She looks like she is smiling a little in this picture.

Our lovely Christmas tree. I had to reorganize the decorations because the kids put them all on the bottom or in one spot.

This was taken right before we went tree hunting. It was a fun time and it didn't take very long to find out tree for Scott to cut down. Last year we had snow but as you can see in the picture it was a pretty clear day.

Our smart girl!

2008-11-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

As prove that Emma really loves school she has hit two awesome milestones in the last week. She made ready reader level one which means that she is reading some and able to answer questions, getting most correct. She was fifth in her class to reach this level. And she got Tiger Club which means that she is ready to learn everyday, nice to others, respectful of adults, etc. She was only the third in her class to get this. We are way too proud!!

Party Time!!

2008-11-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

Emma was invited to her first party for a friend that she met at Kindergarten. We went to the Family Fun Center and had a fun time. Owen tagged along also and enjoyed throwing money away on video games he didn't know how to play but liked pushing buttons anyway.

Emma is quite the daredevil. She loves roller coasters, the ferris wheel and the frog hopper. Her friend Karissa next to her laughed but held on to the bar for dear life the entire time.

Can you tell they have been playing hard?

Happy Halloween!!

2008-11-13T19:19:00.001-08:00

We had a fun party. I made green eyeballs and punch and we ate pizza before passing out nearly 300 pieces of candy. Emma and Owen had their friends there to help and both had a lot of fun trick or treating.
Buzzlightyear to the rescue.

Becca, Morgan, Emma (wonder woman or watermelon as Owen calls her), and Philip.

Enough said...

Luke was moonlighting as Superman.

Too fun!!!

Backyardigans are here!

2008-10-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

Last year we decided to take Emma to see Go Diego Go at the Paramount for her Christmas present from us. She absolutely loved it and we had a fun time. There were tons of kids and it was loud and crazy and fun. So this year, we took both Owen and Emma to see the Backyardigans, which are a group of kids who go on adventures in their backyards and their imaginations run wild. It's a very fun show to watch. The kids were awesome and they loved the show, although Scott and I thought the plot was a little boring. The singing was fun and it's the perfect length for wee ones. Owen got crazy before the show even started.

Emma got to wear her pretty princess dress. She even walked the streets of Seattle like a princess, one hand holding up her skirt allowing it to sway side to side. Too funny!

Also, this Friday, Emma got another 9/10 on a spelling test. She is still loving school and read me a book the other day Biscuit Goes to School. She is learning a lot very quickly. What an amazing treat as a parent...and teacher.

Go Eagles!!

2008-10-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

It was our homecoming game on Friday the 24th and the kids and I went to the game. This was the highlight of Emma's night, getting a picture taken with the cheerleaders. If you ask her what her favorite thing is about going to the football game with us it's the cheerleaders. And don't get in her way when they are doing a cheer, she might bite!

Remlinger Farms

2008-10-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

This was Emma and Owen after the long day. I forget I have to put these in opposite order when downloading so you can start from the bottom and get it in chronological order. They were pooped after the long and fun day. Both fell asleep on the way home so we drove extra slow. Both kids road the canoe ride and thankfully Owen didn't try to play in the water.

Another fun ride...I was a little scared though...really!

We went to Remlinger Farms in Carnation for a Day of fun with Papa and Nana. We rode the pumpkin ride. Although it was not mommy's favorite, Owen and Emma enjoyed fighting over the bar that brought the pumpkin up and down and up and down. Fun... We rode the train and while it was not like Disneyland (which was pointed out by everyone) it was fun. It was a very cold day, but we snuggled up in one car and tried to keep each other warm. We fought over who could hold Owen for warmth.

Owen wanted to show his buzzlightyear impersonation...nice, huh? He's practicing for the real thing.

Both kids road ponies...two times. They had a really fun time, however we all got a workout dodging the mounds of horse droppings along the route.

Batman!!!!

2008-10-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

I found these jammies and couldn't resist. The minute he put them on he was instantly transformed into Batman. With his batman sword no less.

Big boy on the potty

2008-10-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

Owen had just gone peepee on the potty and I hadn't had the chance to put pants back on him so he was running around the house, doing the naked butt dance. Doesn't everyone? Anyway, a little while later I looked over at him and he had the "I'm going to poop" look on his face, so I encouraged him to sit on the potty. Well, the reward for pooping on the potty is a Spiderman video, which he can see from the toilet (it's up on the frig). So, he tried and tried to go poop always saying "It's too hard" after every push and grunt. Once Scott got home, he got his dinner and took my place on the "Stool of encouragement" (the pun was not intended) and I washed dishes. After about 10 minutes of sitting on the potty, I told Owen he could get up and get two stickers since he was trying so hard. But he was determined to get the movie so he sat and sat and sat and sat. Meanwhile, Emma decided to start reading, I guess she thought we were all sitting why not right?! We were all crowded into the bathroom for about 30 minutes. Even the dog wanted to come by and chill with the family. Emma read half of the book with minimal help. It was awesome! She was very excited.
Owen passed the time on the potty pulling a string off his sock.
Kylie wasn't sure why we were there, she just really wanted a belly rub.

A Day at the Ballpark

2008-09-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

We had a fun weekend. Saturday we went out to breakfast, played at Celebration Park and then went to the farmer's market in Federal Way for some yummy rhasberry lemonade. Life is good. Today we went to the chruch and Emma started her Sunday school. She gets so excited about learning it doesn't really matter what it is. They were calling names and she nearly jumped out of her seat with excitement when hers was called. Then we went to the Mariner's last game of the season. The kids loved it; how can you not have fun at the ballpark when the sun is shining? Plus, I think Owen thought he was somehow going to be playing baseball not wathcing it. The stadium was cool and my friend Teri got us great seats right behind home plate. Then she brought the kids some hats and a toy, they were so excited. Both wore their hats almost the rest of the game even though they were too big.
This is the view from row 20 behind home plate...nice, huh?

I think I am the only looking at the camera and Owen has his hand in my face. Thanks dude!
We went to the playground area and a former student got us right in. It definitely pays to have connections! They got to play for 15 minutes and the kids loved it. On the way out we picked up some empty calories (cotton candy) and headed back to the car. Back to the hectic workday tomorrow but it always helps to have a fun weekend and take your mind off the crazy things at work.

2008-09-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Every week at school, one kid is the star of the week and Emma will be the star of the week this week. She was very excited about creating this poster and she made it look very colorful. She even wrote most of the answers to the questions (I wrote the lengthy ones). She is still loving school and most days is very good at school. This week she got her first yellow paw because she wrote on the desk ON PURPOSE! But we talked about it and it shouldn't happen again. She also wanted to show off her homework; she did most of the work and when I asked was letters made the th sound she knew right away and promptly spelled the work that. My cousin Jenny, a former kindergarten teacher, said the progress was generally quick and she was right. Emma is really doing great. Owen is sick, actually both are, but he seems to be getting the better of the cold this weekend. School is crazy and totally overwhelming but I am really impressed with the work and dedication all my students have to their work. That wasn't always the case when I was teaching 9th grade. Other than missing the sunshine and putting off the garden work, life is grand!

Husky Fan

2008-09-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

Since I am still learning how to do this, when I looked at the postings about Emma's first day I didn't realized that the text would be last. Sorry. So I am trying something new. Today is the first Husky home game and Owen is ready with his new T-shirt and Husky football. When we got home from Target I asked, "Do you want to put on your Husky shirt?" He replied yes and promptly told me to wait one minute cause he had to get his football first. Then, he was sitting on the couch watching football and having a snack and I said, "You're pretty cute." He said, "You are pretty cute yourself." We had a nice laugh. Funny kid. Go Huskies!!

2008-09-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

2008-09-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

2008-09-06T14:15:00.000-07:00