Trip to Seattle

Mike’s brother Jason, asked if we wanted to spend a weekend in Seattle and stay at one of his friend’s cabin on the shorefront.  How could we pass that up?  Mike’s mom watched our kids.  We left early Friday morning and came back late Sunday night.

Pretty much all we did was eat and relax.  It was heavenly.  The first place we stopped at was a local place to die for, called Dick’s.  Simple menu and great food.  The best part of this place is the tartar sauce.  You can see by the stack of empty containers, how much we really love this sauce.

Mike’s been wanting to stop at this army and navy surplus store and finally got his chance to.  This place has been around since 1917 and has artifacts all the way from World War II.    We actually spent 2 or more hours just looking and trying on clothes.  Mike and I found our Halloween costumes for this year’s party.  Can you guess what we will be?

 

We then spent an hour walking around Pike Place Market.  We saw the performer, Busker King again and grabbed some fresh produce and some seafood to enjoy for the following night’s dinner.  Mike’s highlight of the week was the asian pears.  Juicy!!!

Jason was sweet and bought Cyn some flowers she was drooling over.

That night we met up with more friends of Jason’s and Cyn’s.  We ate a very fancy dinner.   

 

To be continued…

Favorites

Here are two of my most favorite kid books.  We read these long ago when Jaidyn was little and haven’t been able to find either at the library.  So I ordered them off Amazon the other day.

Balloonia by Audrey Wood is why our family has made it a tradition to let our birthday balloons go high in the sky.

And if you want a few answers to why fairies need teeth, check out Tooth Fairy by Audrey Wood.

This author has written the cutest books!  I now own several others. 

Hello

Halloween! 

We pulled out all 15 tubs of Halloween stuff, last weekend.  Our house is creepy and all ready for Halloween.  I also purchased all the kids costumes.  Can you tell just how much I love this holiday? 

Isaac is going to be a cowboy, Dagen a flapper, and Jaidyn a mermaid. 

(Pictures coming soon!)

Here is Kallie all done up in what she’s gonna be this year.

Sooo looking forward to our traditional mall trip for pictures and a treat.!

Embarrassed

When the kids get home, they know they first need to wash hands, empty their backpacks out, place their papers in a neat pile on the kitchen counter for me to see, then change out of their uniforms. 

As I was emptying out their lunch boxes, I came upon the note I put in Jaidyn’s lunch. 

“Jaidyn, did you like the kiss I sent you in your lunch today?”

(turning bright red) “Yea….  Well, noooo.”

“What!  Why not?”

“It’s just… I was so embarrassed!  All the kids saw me pull it out and they all gave me a look.  Like… okayyy?  And they giggled.  Even Keaton was sitting next to me and giggled.”

(laughing) “Jaidyn, I put that in there to let you know I love you.” 

“I know.  But don’t kiss the paper next time.  People thought that was weird.”

(hmmm. yeah, she’s right) “Ok.  You should’ve just looked at them and said, “What.  So my mom loves me.  Whats the problem?  Where’s a note from your mom?  Doesn’t your mom love you?”

“That wouldn’t be nice, Mommy.  You know that.  I wouldn’t say that.”

(hmmm.  yeah, she’s right again) 

“Well, yeah, that wouldn’t be nice, huh.  Ok.  Well next time, just say, “What.  So my mom loves me.”  and then they can’t say anything back to you if you are confident and don’t act all embarrassed by it.  They won’t tease you if they see you aren’t bugged by it.”

“Yeah.”

“How ‘bout tomorrow I kiss an index card like 10 times and put it in your lunch to show you I really, REALLY love you.”

“Nooo.  You can’t Mommy.  Promise.  Promise you won’t.”

“Ok, ok.  I was just kidding.”

Wards Split,

New Ward Made

So we are now in a new ward.  There have been rumors forever that our ward was going to split.  Mike and I would literally get to church 20 sometimes 30 minutes early and still not get comfy seats.  We’d have to sit on the hard metal chairs in the gym where my kids tend to act a little roudier.  I don’t know why they behave better in the chapel.  Maybe because they are in a more confined space?  Anyway.  Come to find out, our ward split and the Thunderbird ward split and a third ward was created taking some from our ward and Thunderbird’s. 

Exciting, I know. 

So we are now in the Sonoran Mountain Ward and everyone starts fresh with a new calling.  I’m so sad to be done with activity days.  Loved every minute of it. 

Mike was called as Elders Quorum President.

Exciting, I know. 

And our first Sunday in, I was asked to help in the nursery, since nothing was really structured yet with everyone still getting new callings.

And in comes Brother Hansen, asking if he could talk with me for a sec. 

…I have a new calling.  Probably, in my opinion, the hardest calling yet.  I am nervous, worried, nervous, and worried.

…And I’ll let you know what it is as soon as I am set apart.

Ricks BFF Night

Shelley has moved to scorching hot Arizona! 

We had a girls night.  We met up at Cafe Rio then saw Eat, Pray, Love at the movies.

The only thing missing? 

Jen Diggity.  Will you be moving here someday too?   

We had so much fun, reminiscing and laughing about the dumb guys we dated and fun times in college. 

We’ve got to do this WAY more often. 

Mike?  Whatchu think?

 

“We’re Not Babies.” 

“We’re Big Kids!”

Those were the words I heard several times during preschool when I’d say, “Ok, babies.  Let’s go sit in our spots.”

Why do kids want to grow up so fast? 

Jaidyn is probably the only kid in the world that wants to freeze time.  She is always saying how precious Dagen is and how she doesn’t want her to get any bigger and wishes we could all stay the same age and not grow old.  She says she doesn’t want to see her Mommy and Daddy grow old.  I tell her she HAS to grow old, ‘cause if she would stay 9 forever, she’d never be a mommy and that’s something you have to experience in life.  And if I’d stay 32 forever, I’d never see my grandbabies.  I told her life is great now, but there’s so much more in store for her.  She will someday meet a wonderful man who will treat her like a queen.  I told her to find someone like her Daddy.  Someone who will love her always and forever and who will take her to the temple to be married for eternity.  ‘Cause life isn’t just about now, but about forever after.  I told her someday she will have precious babies who she will adore and who I will adore and would do anything for.  I told her someday she’ll be an aunt to Isaac’s babies and Kallie’s babies, and Dagen’s babies. 

Aunt Jaidyn. 

She giggled at that one. 

Where’s Your

Head?

My Dad would always say, “Where’s your head?” to us kids.  “If your head wasn’t connected to your body, you’d forget that too!”  And so, I found myself throwing the same familiar line at Jaidyn.

Jaidyn is a very very responsible child.  But by the 2nd week of school already, Jaidyn managed to forget her homework one day, left her planner at school 2 separate days, left her lunch box at school and once at home.

Everyday she’d be in tears over something that she had forgotten.  If anyone knows Jaidyn, you’d know she is very hard on herself.  She is just devastated in situations like this where she is helpless and has to face the disappointment and wrath from her teacher or her mommy.

So I’ve tried to patiently bail her out of the situations by driving to a friends house to copy the homework material so she could turn it in on time, taken her lunch that was left on the kitchen counter to school, prepared her lunch in a paper bag when she’s left her lunch box at school, and then each time have talked with her about how responsible she usually is and how we can work this out and tomorrow will be a brand new day with no mistakes.  So since this note, she has not had any “devastating situations.”

 

(The teachers tell the kids to make sure to always have their planners signed by a parent and turned in with their homework everyday.)