December

WOW – I know I always say how time goes by fast, but it did it again to me. It’s already December. I need to be better about this blog – I always feel like I’m playing catch up. I’m not sure if anyone reads it, but here it goes…

The weather has definitely got us believe it is December. Saturday was in the 60’s so it didn’t seem like almost Christmas. Sunday we got snow, and then today I drove to work with the car saying -18 degrees. Way too cold. Weather.com is saying -5 degrees right now and its 11am. That is just “COLD”.

Our Thanksgiving was nice. We had our neighbors – Debbie and Shane over for dinner. The kids really enjoyed the long weekend off of school. Kyler got to go with me this year for the traditional Black Friday shopping trip. He did a good job, but wanted to keep everything I looked at. He kept saying “…but I love it…”. He eventually traded 1 thing in his hand for a piece of gum that he “loved”.

Jake is doing great at wrestling. I took him to Golden this weekend. He got 1 win and 1 pin. He wrestled hard and really does have the basics of wrestling down solid. MaKenna is patiently waiting for wrestling to be over so she can start gymnastics. I told her once Jake was done with Monday night activities, she could do something. She is a really big help to daddy while I’m gone with Jake. Kyler loves to play with MaKenna and tells me that MaKenna is his friend. She is loving it – he will do anything she tells him to do. He hasn’t learned that he shouldn’t always listen to his big sister.

We hope to get our Christmas tree tonight. Things have been so hectic the last couple weeks with just one thing after another. The main problem was – our washer stopped and leaked water all over the floor in the laundry room. So, needless to say, I got my Christmas present early – a new washer and dryer. I’m so ready for a relaxing Christmas vacation. The kids will be off for 2 weeks and HP has decided to close as well. So if I don’t get called into work – I’ll have 2 weeks off (meaning I will do email from home and not have to go to work in the way to cold weather). Maybe I’ll get my Christmas / New Year cards sent…

I’m sure I won’t get around to updating this before Christmas so… We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Wrestling

Jake started wrestling this year. He is really loving it. He's been practicing for a few weeks, and had his 1st "real live" wrestling match on Saturday.

Here in Colorado, they don't seem to have many of the all day long wrestling tournaments. They have meets with 4-5 mat clubs. The clubs all rotate so that each mat clubs competes in a dual with the other clubs. It worked out really well. Jake wrestling 4 times and we were done and headed home after 4 hours (5 hours if you count weigh in).

It sure didn't take long for all the excitement and memories to come back. I loved watching Daniel wrestle - now I get to watch my son wrestle. I was down on the mat - just like always. The only missing was Daddy yelling "tear 'em" like he did before each of Daniel's matches. Jake knows how to do a take down - but then isn't to sure what to do next, so he lets them up... and then takes them down again.

Jake won twice and lost twice. He was smiling the whole time and enjoying it - so I think it was pretty successful. As long as he keeps having a good time and learns something then we're good.

October

October flew by fast. I only write on this while at work - so you can probably tell I've been pretty busy at work. Honestly, I have tried - but never got to it.

The kids finished their 1st quarter of school and got great report cards. "Jake is pleasant and a joy to have in class." I knew Jake's would be good. I was a little nervous about MaKenna's - but had to laugh when I read: "MaKenna is doing better at following directions with out negotiating." Since then I have paid more attention to what she does when she is asked to do something. O My Goodness - she negotiates on everything! Even the simplest thing has to be done with some challenge and resistance - her way!

October was beautiful month. We had mostly nice warm days and cool nights. Halloween this year wasn't cold and snowy - the 1st time since we've lived in Colorado. We took the kids to HP and they got way more candy then they ever needed in about 40 minutes. Kyler asked "can i have this one" for each piece of candy he picked up. Jake and MaKenna would take a piece, say thank you and move on. They got tired of waiting for Kyler.

Kyler was Farmer Jones, MaKenna was a Ballerina, and Jake was a Baseball player. (Since Jake has lost both his front teeth - he should have been a hockey player.)

School Pictures

Back to school always leads to fun things. One of those things is School Pictures. Here they are:

JAKE - 7 Years old


MaKenna - 5 Years old


Kyler - 2 1/2 Years old

Fall is in the air

What a great week. I love this time of year. It is perfect for jeans and sweatshirts in the mornings and evenings and shorts and t-shirts in the afternoons.

I can't believe we're into September already. This kids are doing great at school and we seem to have a routine down. I get to volunteer in Jake's computer class every other Wednesday and in MaKenna's classroom every other Thursday morning.

The kids went to their 1st 4-H meeting Monday night. They are both too young to show an animal, but there are other activities and project for them to do. They will be "Cloverbuds" this year. Next year - since Jake will be 8 years old, he will be able to show an animal. I was thinking a pig (Bacon) or a cow (Hamburgers). We'll see what he wants to do.

Kyler

In all the commotion of the other kids going back to school, we changed Kyler to a new daycare. We moved him to a center in Windsor. The Windsor center is in our school district, which will help out when Jake and MaKenna are out of school. We also convinced Stacie to move Taylor, so Kyler has a friend in his class. The new center has a 2 1/2 year old class. So Kyler is with the older 2's and younger 3's.

Kyler is really enjoying it and loves the new slide. Since Steve comes home early to be with the other kids when they get off the bus, he takes Kyler to daycare and picks him up. Kyler thinks he is something because he gets to ride in the Jeep or Truck a lot. He also gets to go to the bus stop and wait for "Jake and Kenna".

1st day of school

Well, school has started We are wrapping up the 2nd week. The kids ride the bus to and from school each day. Steve goes to work early, so he can be home when they get off the bus.

Jake is loving 2nd grade. It didn't take him any time to get back in the swing of things. He has a couple friends from last year in his class. He has become friends with one the little boy across the road - they ride the bus together.

MaKenna is in the All Day Kindergarten class. She was so excited about starting school. There were parents and kids crying the 1st day and then there was MaKenna... she had the biggest grin on her face. She was waving and saying "Bye Mom, you can go to work now...

Birthday Pictures...

I'm not clever enough to figure out how to make the slide shows, so this is the easiest way for me to post pictures from this summer.

Jake had his 7th birthday cake camping...


MaKenna wanted pink sprinkles on her 5th birthday cake...

Summer Update

Wow, it's been quite a long time since I've written anything. I'll try to give a quick update of what has been going on.


JUNE
We had a great trip to Oregon the beginning of June. We had some issues getting there, but we finally made it. We had hoped to make Alyssa's graduation, but got held up in Winnemucca. We made it in time for her Graduation BBQ though.


After our stop in Grants Pass, we headed to Myrtle Point to visit with Great Grandpa. It so awesome to have Daniel, Laurie, Emme, Calvin, Joleane, Logan, Taylor, Nana and Papa there too. Jake and MaKenna had a blast camping in the back yard with Nana, Papa, Emme and Calvin.


We got the chance to take the kids to Sunset Beach and walked way out on the rocks looking at Tide Pools. The kids really enjoyed it.


We made it back to Colorado and the grindstone without any issues.


JULY
We had a good 4th of July. We went camping at Old Roach. Old Roach is an old Railroad Tie camp. We found the Dam and the Log Flume while we were there. It is a great place to camp - there are remnants of a fireplace, open area for the kids to play, trails to ride on and close fishing. Each of the kids were able to catch a small fish.


AUGUST
The beginning of August we went on another camping trip with neighbors and friends. We've gone to Aqua Fria the last couple years, and we all have a great time. This year was also fun, but Kyler was sick, it rained most of the time, and Jake got hit in the head with a golf club. Saturday is always the big ride to the lake - Steve took Jake and MaKenna. Kyler wasn't feeling the best and I wasn't about to go on the trail again, so I stayed with Kyler in the trailer.


The Aqua Fria trip was the start of the summer wind down. After we got back from the camping trip, the kids had to focus on getting their school routine going, and "Texas Grandpa" went home.

No More School, No More Books...

NOTE: I found a post from 5/27/008 that didn't get published.

WOW - Where did the time go? Jake is done with 1st grade. The last day was memorable to say the least. He spent Thursday in the bathrooms and hallways waiting for the tornado and storm warnings to pass. He was upset that he didn't get to have his beach party and say goodbye to his friends - "a little hail and wind were no big deal..." It must be so wonderful to be a kid and be so worry free!

He had a great year regardless of how it ended. They are having a ice cream social Friday at the school so the kids can come back and get their things out of the classrooms and say goodbyes.


We had a pretty mellow weekend. Instead of going camping, we just brought the trailer home and cleaned it. I took drinks and helped the Relief Society make sandwiches lunches for the volunteers who were out and about helping clean up Windsor. On Monday the ward continued the tradition of a pancake breakfast in Windsor at Park. I took stuff down, but didn't stay to long - it was early and cold! I will say how nice it was to help out, even though it was in small ways. I'm so grateful for the safety my family and home was kept in. I can't imagine what folks are going through.

Tornado... We are all OK

Today is crazy - I can't really concentrate. I just wanted to post a little about the Tornado that came through yesterday. Here is what the news says (I will post our story another time):

The powerful tornadoes touched down at least six times in Colorado and once in Laramie, Wyoming between 11:25 a.m. and 1:35 p.m. The National Weather Service says it went through the towns of Windsor, Platteville, Gilcrest, Milliken and also through western Greeley. The storm brought heavy hail with winds up to 165 miles an hour. The largest of the tornadoes extended at one point to about a mile wide, cutting a path 35 miles long. It left 60,000 people without power at one point and forced evacuations.

Spring has sprung...

Well, it is definitely spring time in Colorado. The mornings are bright, the afternoons are warm, and the evenings bring storms. Below is a picture of our roof after last Friday afternoon's big storm. We didn't get a bunch of rain and it wasn't like a "storm" you would see in Oregon. It was mostly just wind. We have lost shingles before - several times actually, but nothing like this.

Steve and I are both so ready to go camping. I can’t wait! We went for a drive last Sunday afternoon and went up in the hills to look for some property. I was pretty excited about what we found – trees, views, flat spots for the trailer, trails to ride on, and open fields for the kids to play in. There were a few things that Steve didn’t like, so I guess we’ll keep looking. I think we’ll go for another drive this weekend. Here is a picture of the kids when we were out hiking around looking at property.

Birthdays - Flash and Bunny

Well, last week out of the blue Jake decided that it was his stuffed animal Flash’ birthday. This of course means that we have to have a party. We made what Jake wanted for dinner and got a puppy cake for dessert. The cake doesn’t look like flash, but at least it was a dog. MaKenna couldn’t be left out, so it was Bunny’s birthday. Steve bought pink cupcakes for Bunny. I’d have to say it was quite interesting.


Steve, with Kyler’s help has been working on his dozer putting new brake pads in. Kyler loves to help dad and tinker on stuff. He love tools and equipment just like Steve. We’ll have to see where this leads us… more “toys”, lost tools, or both.

Baseball and Cheerleading

This is Jake’s 2nd week of Baseball. He’s starting to like it (I think). It isn’t really practice with games – it’s more of a clinic or camp on how to play. We’ll see as they start learning more if he likes it. I don’t want to push it if he doesn’t like it – but he won’t like it unless he’s good at it. Jake has learned to ride his bike without training wheels. He’s really good and starting and stopping n the small bike, but his knees go to his chest when he’s riding. The big bike feels better when he pedals, but he can’t stop and start very well.

MaKenna has had two Saturday’s of Cheerleading. She is having a good time. I am trying to find a evening gymnastics class that fits our schedule for her. She needs something that is special for her and not the boys.

Kyler loves going for walks and rides his little bike. His favorite thing to say these days seems to be “I do it – you walk away mom”. He is getting very independent. He tells everyone to “walk away”. I think he hears that a lot at daycare. This week daycare is having a special “Week of the young child” program. Buster the Bus was there yesterday and tomorrow is a special music day. He is having a good time playing outside, painting, and learning lots.

Where did March go?

SPRING BREAK
Well last week was Jake’s Spring Break. I took the week off and had big spring cleaning plans. I wanted to take everything out of the “junk” room and organize what we decided to keep. I think we’ve kept more then I wanted, but it is looking a lot nicer in that room. I made space for the big craft/computer table.

PUPPIES
Saturday 3/22 we picked up the puppies… Jake does pretty well with them, Kyler likes to tell them “NO”, and MaKenna freaks out if they are around her. They actually don’t even have to be around here – if they are out of their kennel she is on the couch, chair, bed, anything higher than the ground and the puppies. Going along with the Dukes of Hazzard theme – we have named them Dipstick and Moonshine. These names are better the Now and Later or Cletus and Enos. MaKenna wanted to name one Princess Pork Chop, but got out voted since they are both boys. Kyler wanted to call them E-I-O and Cow.

EASTER
Our Easter was pretty quiet – Kyler was sick with a virus going around daycare. We did let the kids dye eggs on Saturday. They all used their favorite colors:
Jake used different colors, mostly Blue, MaKenna used pink and purple, and Kyler used Green and Yellow.

Jake's Dinosaur Diorama

Jake had a school assignment - Create a Dinosaur Diorama and write a report... He picked the Ankylasaurus. He wrote his report and build his model out of Legos. He built the dinosaurs, trees, plants, and volcano all by himself. He did an excellent job and even got an award for it (free pizza from Dominos).

Kyler's 1st Haircut

Last week we took Kyler in for his 1st haircut. I have been putting it off since I love his little curls. Steve has been trying to a couple months to get his haircut. He looks like such a big boy now. Every time I look at him I wonder where my "baby" is.

BEFORE...

AFTER...

St Patrick's Day Snow

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The neighbors all got together last night for Corned Beef and Cabbage. I made Irish Soda Bread, wheat bread and a green cake. It was pretty fun. The kids and I made Jell-o Jigglers yesterday - but as normal they didn't turn out. I've never been able to make the Jigglers actually "work".

So much for spring time... We have snow. I know mom will say - O big deal, Klamath has a lot of snow. This is a big deal for us. We don't have enough for Steve to play with his big snow plow, but its enough to cause a sloppy slushy mess. We've been so lucky and the snow has stayed in Denver and the mountains.

Ready for Spring

Wow - It's been just about 2 weeks since my last post. I'm obviously spending to much time working while I'm at work. I need to make a reoccurring Outlook Appointment and update the blog each week.

We've been lucky enough to have nice weather the last few weekends. The kids have been able to go outside and burn off some of that extra energy. They love to ride their bikes, play on the play set, and eat lunch outside. I'm ready for spring to be here. The weather changes so much each day, and spring usually means snow for Colorado. I guess what i really mean is that I'm ready for warm weather to get here and stay here.

Kyler is always getting in to dad's tools in the garage and dragging them off somewhere. It reminds me of going to Langlois and getting into Grandpa's stuff. I don't know how many tree trunks and posts were held together with all the nails we hammered in them.

Jake is still doing great in school. His excitement for "homework" has of course faded since the beginning of the year. He is good at math, but hates to do his math fact timings. I hope we'll be done with those soon and on to better things. It's hard to believe that he only has 3 months left.

MaKenna got her progress report from preschool last week. They just mark on a scale of 1-4. One means she hasn't started in that area yet and four means she has mastered the concept. I was surprised that she didn't get a 4 in "cause and effect". She definitely knows what the effects are of what she causes!

It is suppose to be mid 60's this weekend. I hope its not windy and i can send the kids out to play. Steve can "watch" them and I'll be able to get some housework done.

Kyler's 2nd Birthday

I just realized that with everything going on I never posted pictures of Kyler's 2nd birthday. Let me see if i can figure out how to do that...

Back home and to work...

Well I figured I would take a break from cleaning out my inbox and write a bit. I got through most of my email yesterday. After deleted 420+ emails, filing 150+ emails I narrowed it down to about 50 I need to read, scan, or do something with. Yesterday was full of meetings, so I'm feeling pretty productive today.

Jake has a "stay home day" today, so he is out running around town with Steve. Kyler and MaKenna went to daycare today. Everyone is home Monday - 3 "Stay Home Days" in a row! Unfortunately, this won't be a very exciting weekend. It will be a weekend of cleaning house and getting caught up on everything.

It was really nice to get to see everyone last week. Even though it was a sad time, I really enjoyed visiting and getting a chance to catch up on what everyone has been doing. Jake has Spring Break March 22nd - 30th. I'm trying to see if we'll all be able to come visit for a week.

The Daycare Crud

The only drawback to having Kyler and MaKenna out of Daycare for 3 weeks is their germ tolerance dropped. Kyler was back for 4 days and then on day 5 we got a call that he had a fever - 103.2!

That was only the beginning... Kyler loves to share with his brother, so naturally Jake got the crud next. Since I seem to be the one taking care of the sickies - I got it too. Just when I thought It would skip MaKenna and Steve (they are both to stubborn to get sick), MaKenna got it. Apparently she has a sweet side to her. Steve on the other had still hasn't gotten it and proves my theory of him being too mean and stubborn to get sick. Once we get over the lingering coughs I think we'll be ok.

Happy New Year

WOW - Where did the time go. The last post was right after Thanksgiving, and here it is the new year. I'll try to recap the last month (well what I can remember). We have all been out of our normal routine for the last 3 weeks.

Let's start with Jake... He's doing great in school and still really enjoys it. He's Aced all his spelling tests so far. They just had their big Banana Split party for passing the math timing tests. He passed each one on the 1st try. Now with all that bragging we'll see how his teacher thinks he's doing when he gets his 1st report card on Friday. Jake's had the last two weeks off for Christmas break. He goes back tomorrow and is looking forward to it. Jake has been an awesome help with Kyler and enjoys being the helpful big brother.

MaKenna has had a lot of "stay home days". Her and Kyler have been home from daycare for the past 3 weeks. She can be a wonderful helper - when she wants to, and she can be just like her father - when she wants to. She got a new bike for Christmas and loves to play outside and ride it. With all the cold and snow we've gotten the last 3 weeks, she hasn't been able to go outside much and has a lot of bottled up energy. Her favorite thing to do right now is torment her little brother. We are trying to re-direct that energy to something more productive, but haven't found that "something" yet. One would think that her room would be spotless as much time as she spends in there - but that is not the case.

Kyler - wow, where do I start? He has grown up and matured so much the last month. He is talking clearer, doing more himself, using the potty (about 1/4 of the time), and is now sleeping in a "Big Boy" bed. He's almost two and I'm not sure I'm ready for the Terrible Two's. I often wonder where my angel baby went... about that time MaKenna will run by and do something to him - that answers all my questions.

We hope y'alls Christmas and New Year was fun and full of happiness. We were definitely blessed this last year and I really look forward to what exciting things may come in 2008.