The King's Kaleidoscope

2 Days

2011-12-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

I am the last one in our family to get the flu! We will all be healthy for our trip to CA tomorrow night. Our house may be a pig sty cause I have no energy to clean (Sorry Foxes), but we will be leaving on time no matter what. I can't wait to be with family and feeling warm. It might even be worth the 12 hour drive.

WW1

2011-11-20T09:14:00.001-08:00

Click on the picture and it will take you to the album of our most amazing
WW1 day. In the fields the soldiers are running from real Roman Candles
being fired at them, and the hankies to protect them from the poisonous gas.
Hilarious! We finished up with some trench cake. We have a great thing going.
Thanks Shumways.

Grants Pass Soccer Jamboree

2011-11-05T22:17:00.001-07:00

November 2011

I know you're jealous. Everybody wants to spend their Saturday in the 40 degree pouring rain. We did, and look how much fun we had! Way to go Jaden, We love watching you get down and dirty.

October 2011

2011-10-31T09:25:00.001-07:00

Time Travel to 1863

2011-05-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

We spent an action packed day in Eugene on Saturday attending the Civil War. The one between the North and South, not the Ducks and the Beavers.

Jaden was enlisted to dig trenches and chop wood, two of his favorite things.

During the actual battle they fired the cannons and had charges spread out on the battle field so the ground would actually explode. It was very awesome.

Soldiers eating the daily rations of salted fat back and hard tack. Luckily we packed our own picnic.

The advance continues over the bodies of the dead. The actual reenactment was a good 45 min. long and was amazing. Horses, cannons, retreats, advances, buglers, you name it, they had it.

Weekend in Portland

2011-04-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, we were in a restaurant.

There's gold in them there hills!

2011-03-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

or cow pasture as the case may be. They made a haul. Enough gold spray painted beans and rice to make dinner for five.

"Chicks" love him

Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to Texas we go...

2011-03-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow Jeremy and I are leaving to visit Dallas for 3 days. Yeah!

Today Ella came home from school sobbing that her ear hurt. I was very grateful that it started today so we could get her in and get some medicine. Crisis diverted!

Until 7 when I tucked Kyla in and realized she has a fever! I hope Advil is a miracle drug.

Hopefully she's not clairvoyant

2011-01-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we're driving in the car and Kyla tells me she's going to name her baby John Jacob King. I said no you're not. You're baby will have a different last name.
She told me, "I know, I'm just practicing how it will sound if I ACCIDENTALLY have a baby before I'm married."
No accidents, please.

When your dead...

2011-01-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

I was using the new knives I recieved for my birthday to cut a bagel for breakfast. Jaden said, "Hey, I just washed that knife and put it away." I told him I'd wash it when I was done, but thanks for remembering they don't go in the dishwasher and taking care of them. He told me, "That's OK I'm going to take care of them so I can get them when your dead. Their really nice knives." I don't know if I should be worried or not. He really like knives.

Well it's 2 oclock in the morning, baby I just can't...

2011-01-07T00:26:00.000-08:00

Sleep!!!! So much for my plan. I took melatonin at 7 so that I would be ready for bed by 8:30. Worked like a charm, until I had to pee at 10:30 and here we are now. Just counting down the hours till my alarm clock goes off at 5 AM. Audios for now, we'll see if I'm still awake in an hour.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-01-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to remember my 34th birthday. Nobody else has to read this. Last week Jeanine called and said her tooth had broken and that she wanted to use one of her free tickets to come out here and get it fixed. Luckily for me the only time available was the 4th and 5th. Jeremy was a saint. He had already taken the day off, but said if I wanted him to fix her tooth for my birthday he would. What a guy! Even though the 4th was a cold, dreary and totally foggy day her plane only landed 10 min. late. Jeanine and I headed to Ashland to window shop and eat at Pasta Piazzi, while Jeremy had a game night at his office. Jeanine bought me a fantastic puzzle piece charm that read, "I am grateful". My wonderful magnetic coat shoplifted another one that read, "I am fierce". (My fierce self returned the stolen one). Jeanine was wearing her southern California coat under my long white trench because it was a whopping 24 degrees outside. Dinner was fantastic. This morning I woke up to my favorite breakfast , Pecan encrusted croissant french toast, reserved only for my birthday and mother's day. I received a beautiful birthday shirt, some amazing kitchen knives, and awesome dish towels. While Jeremy was fixing Jeanine I went to the gym. Afterwards Jeanine and I went shopping for some new cereal bowls (I was down to four, and with five in the family that's a problem). Came home and Jeremy had prepared my favorite almond cake topped with berries, which we ate at three so Jeanine could have some before her plane left. All this was interspersed with phone calls from friends and family. After dropping Jeanine off we went to dinner at Olive garden where Jaden gave me his Andes mint, because he knows there my favorite. LOVE HIM SO MUCH! Came home to a roaring fire and warm house. What a great way to get older. I don't know how Jeremy does it all, especially on 4 hours sleep. He always goes out of his way to make my birthday's amazing. Thanks.

Swim Free!

2010-12-31T14:02:00.000-08:00

In November we became the proud parents of 250 salmon. We have watched them grow, and some of them die. Today we released our surviving babies into the Rogue River at Touvelle park. It was a blast watching them hatch from their tiny pink eggs (I missed it because I was in Georgia, but I got minute by minute calls from the kids telling me all about it). I let Jeremy pull the few dead from the filter, because that is gross. I was very nervous because our once active fish have taken to lying in a pile at the bottom of the tank the last few days. I knew they were dying! Jeremy reassured me, telling me that when it is 25 degrees outside that's what fish do. Most of them seem to revive when we set them free. I guess the river was warmer then our garage. We will miss you baby salmon, live long and prosper.

Mission Completed!

2010-12-30T14:59:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the year our family signed a pledge to read the Book of Mormon this year. Considering we have never been good at family scripture study Jeremy and I decided we needed a goal and a visual reminder of how we were doing. We printed this chart off the Internet and began our adventure. I was amazed. The kids rarely complained and were pretty good about following along. It was fun seeing how well Jaden and Kyla can read and having them take regular turns reading out loud. Ella was great at repeating the words for her turn. I am grateful for the spirit we felt in our home as we undertook this challenge. I think doing this in the year Kyla got baptized made it that much sweeter for her. The scriptures her Grandparents gave her have already been well used. We often would have to stop so she could underline something she thought was important. We didn't read every day, so sometimes we had to play catch-up. We finished on December 26th sitting in our trailer in Grandma and Grandpa King's driveway. We cheered! Tonight we are starting our new challenge, The New Testament. Bring it On.

2010-12-20T22:39:00.000-08:00

Watching the Lunar Eclipse! Jeremy and Jaden are watching "Who Framed Roger Rabbit? " in between viewings.

Help Me

2010-12-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

Baking Cookies for a Christmas cookie swap. Any ideas on what I should make? What are your favorite Christmas goody recipes?

Bye-Bye :(

2010-11-30T11:29:00.001-08:00

The last of my family has just left for the airport, after a fantastic ten day vacation together. I was amazed at how well everyone got along. We love each other, but something is bound to explode when there are 14 people living in such a small space for so long. I kept waiting for the fight, but thankfully it never happened.

We filled every second of the trip. Ballet recitals, cooking, runs in the snow, family pictures, dental work, baptism, re-enacting the battle of Bunker Hill with marshmallow guns, movies, Rumicube, hot tubing and Qualf by the fire.

Thank you everyone for making the long trip in the freezing cold, we love you and are already missing you. Good thing I have all the laundry to keep me company.

2010-10-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

2 days left till Jaden swims the mile for the first time. I am so excited, he is so nervous.

I'm an Indian Outlaw...

2010-10-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

The Indian braves were doing speeches on settlers who had been taken captives by Indians.

First they prepared their trusty steeds for battle by painting them with signs of protection and symbols of honorable deeds done, then they prepared themselves by applying war paint to their faces. They stealthily dashed to the England's homestead where they tied up their captive. After ransacking the house and gathering ingredients for skeleton cupcakes, they shot a "burning" arrow at the house and ran for home. All in all it was a successful raid.

Way To Go Rainbow Stars!

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

Can a team name get any better then that? I submit that it cannot. Ella played in her first kindersoccer game on Sat. at Jefferson Elementary. Besides arriving late, because I did not check where Jefferson Elementary is before we left the house, and realizing it was on the other side of town.

We had a fantastic time. We came and we screamed (really loud)! And loved supporting Elle in her new endeavor.

After she stopped folding her arms reverently while she played she kicked it in to high gear. I see big fun in her future. We are very grateful for a fantastic coach who is so good with the girls and very positive with them, (Which we all know can be a saintly attribute of a kindersoccer coach)

And finally the news you've been waiting for. Ella's got a goal at her first game! Hip Hip Hip Hooray And to think that she was worried about the girls knocking her over on the field. It takes more then 30 lbs. to bring my baby down. She's a proud Amazon!

Watch Out Second Grade...

2010-09-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

So Glad That School is in Session!

2010-09-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Ella's first day of Kindergarten. At the time she was in

Mrs.Capsey's class with Alana, but on Monday she was moved to

Mrs. Gressett's with Whitney West. She is having a great time.

Jaden is dissecting a cow eyeball.

Wendy is trying to be one with the cow.

This is how wide the Mayflower was.

Brian Regan!

2010-08-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! Jeremy just called and said he got us tickets to the sold out show tonight. Apparently they opened up some seats reserved for the handicapped. I really need a good laugh.

The Winston Highland Games

2010-08-21T20:21:00.001-07:00

I have been waiting for this day for months. My friend Janelle is the MC for the games every year. She is very into her Scottish heritage. She has been to Scotland and bought her official clan tartan. This is serious stuff to her which makes it very exciting when she describes it. I thought it would be a great addition to Jaden's schooling.
Today we drove up to Winston so the kids could participate in the kids competition. After a little bit of cajoling they were glad we made them enter. The events included the stone throw, sheaf toss, caber toss, weight for distance, and the farmer's walk. It was so fun to see the kids trying new things. Ella was not old enough to compete so she spent the day climbing trees, getting her hair french braided, and cheering for Jaden and Kyla. I didn't get a picture of it because I was so busy screaming, but one of my favorite moments of the afternoon was Kyla doing the stone throw. The other kids her age had scratched because the stone was to heavy. Kyla struggled for a few moments to pick up a 35 pound stone, I thought she was going to give up. At the last second she gets it about six inches in the air and hucks it across the line. It went about 5 in. I was so proud of her for not quitting! The caber toss was another neat event to watch. The kids pick up these giant logs and have to toss them so they flip end over end and hit the ground upright before they fall. It was a blast watching them practice. I think it made them feel powerful.
After attending the games I can understand why Janelle loves them so much. Thanks for sharing this great experience with us. The kids wanted to rush home and find out if we had any Scottish ancestors. The closest we could find is Irish. We'll have to keep looking.
I'll have to get some big logs for the backyard so we can practice for next year.

Janelle of Clan MacDougall, Ella, and Kyla

Level 4 of the sheaf toss

60 lbs. Farmers carry

Kyla's first attempt. She got better, I promise.

Maiden Voyage

2010-08-21T20:12:00.001-07:00

Friends don't get better then this!

Friday we went on our maiden voyage in the raft. We spent a wonderful day with our friends the England's on the upper Rogue. We had the river to ourselves which made it a great day for Ella and Alana to get their sea legs. Ella finally got brave enough to let me help her in the water. By the end she was sitting on the front of the raft riding the "rapids". The boys got bored with no one to water fight with so they decided to start throwing each other in. I am so excited for our future journeys.

PS. We'd love to have company.

The Knights of the Medford 2nd Ward!

2010-08-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

My primary class this year signed a code of honor that they wrote outlining their responsibilities and rights in our classroom. Each sunday that they fufilled their responsibility they got a stamp from the King (me!). Last week they earned their twentieth stamp and got a party at my house. They choose "Minute To Win It" games and pizza. We had a blast! The only thing that could have gone better is if it hadn't been so darn hot outside, and some of my fantastic class hadn't missed it due to vacations. My camera battery went dead in the middle so you only get to see the beginning and end.

Big Bad Vodoo Daddies

2010-07-30T15:11:00.001-07:00

I had a fantastic time Thursday with the great women Jeremy works with. Janell, Lori, and I went to the Brit to see the Big Bad VoDoo Daddies. We had a great time. We took a picnic and ate on the lawn while waiting for the show to start. It was fun spending time with these amazing women and getting to know them better. I didn't know anything about the band, but I ended up really enjoying the music. It was a big band, swing, jazz combo that was fantastic. I didn't end up seeing much of the actual show, but I had a much more entertaining view of the concert. The two men in front of me were clearly intoxicated, but they acted out the entire show for me. They used their beer bottles as instruments and danced the night away. At one point the gentleman on the left fell over and couldn't get up for about 10 min. His friend was so far gone he didn't even notice. When he finally got back in his chair he wouldn't talk to his friend... that is until the music touched his soul and they were fist bumping and dancing again. As you can see from the video at the end I had a tush shaking good time. Sorry it's sideways. I was trying to be discreet and that was the best way for me to shoot it.

When it rains, it poors!

2010-07-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

What a month we've been having. It ended just as well as it started. On Thursday morning at 7 am sharp our alarm went off like it does every morning. Jeremy hops out of bed to turn it off, when all of the sudden I hear ," OH MY GOSH, I think we're flooding!". He opens the bathroom door and I hear a waterfall. I jump up and immediately feel the drenched carpet under my feet. Squishy, soaking,and nasty. Jeremy turns the water off under the bathroom sink. I immediately run to the garage and grab our tiny carpet shampooer and start extracting the water. Jeremy throws on some clothes and runs to his office to grab his rug doctor. I get the kids up. Kyla starts mopping the bathroom and Jaden starts lugging the food storage out from under our bed. Ella is picking all the odds and ends off the floor. It was a mess, but it was also kind of fun having a project that we were all working on together. No one was angry or fighting, just concentrating on the job at hand. Jeremy had to leave to see a patient so the kids all took turns running the extractor. Jeremy took the rest of the day off and came home to help rip out the carpet and pad and move all the furniture to other rooms. Our friend Josh came over who works for RBS and brought his fans and giant dehydrator for the bedroom and hallway. He measured the moisture up the walls and said it had wicked 6 in. up the drywall. Luckily he believes that it will dry in a couple of days and we won't have to do any drywall work. Meanwhile all our furniture is divied up in the kids room and we are sleeping in the living room. I am so glad that through this all everyone had such a positive attitude and was so willing to help. It could have been a disaster, but instead turned into an adventure.

Sorry, the pictures are backwards. I'm to lazy to fix it.

Shakespeare Festival

2010-07-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

On Wed. night we went to our first ever Shakespeare festival play. I know that we have been here six years, but I had a hard time paying so much money for one night. I finally figured out how to find a deal. We had a picnic in Lithia Park with the Shumway's, then went to see "She Loves Me". We all had a great time. It was a musical, but Jeremy still enjoyed himself. I gave the kids a nap and they were able to stay awake and enjoy the show till the very end. We can't wait to go again.

King Family Dental Rafts the Rogue

2010-07-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

So one river adventure in a weekend was not enough for us, so on Sat. we lathered on the sun screen and went rafting with Jeremy's office staff and their families. What an adventure! 19 of us piled into three rafts and set off down the Rogue. No river rafting trip would be complete without an arsenal of squirt guns and 10 year old boys. I think they spent more time out of the raft then in. We practiced with the girls using their hat brims to block the spray in their eyes. You will notice in the photos they look like secret service agents. Kyla really got into the spirit of the adventure, but Ella spent more time huddling in the back of the raft and yelling for the raft hopping boys to get off of her. Overall a great time was had by all. We are very grateful to have such wonderful people to work and play with. What a blessing!

I have to admit though that I was very sore last night from all the rowing and firing of the water cannon. What a workout, much more fun then running 7 miles though.

Hellgate Jet Boats

2010-07-25T19:46:00.001-07:00

What a weekend! On Friday we were able to go to Grants Pass with Jeremy's parents and ride the Hellgate Jet boats. The weather could not have been better. Sunny and hot and perfect for getting wet. The ride down was a nice sight seeing adventure. We saw many osprey and their nests, a couple deer, and two bald eagles. We had a fantastic lunch of BBQ chicken and cornbread. We sped home doing a variety of spins and fast breaking which left everyone soaked and smiling by the time we returned to dock. It was so nice to spend some time in the sun, although I do have a very lopsided sunburn on the right side of neck. I'll have to go again and sit on the other side of the boat to even it out.

Jaden finally shaves his head!

2010-07-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

I have been begging Jaden to let me cut his hair short for forever. He is so picky about his hair and it grows so fast I can never keep up with it. On Tuesday night he came home from a friends and said as he walked in the door, "Just do it mom, shave my head before I change my mind."

I immediately got a chair and some clippers and we went to the back porch. The last time I cut Jaden's hair I think he was three. The result were the same. What a handsome boy I have. I promise he does not have a big bald spot in front. That's just the light reflecting from the back porch. He does however have a line on the back of his head where he jerked while Jeremy was trying to shape his neckline.

The Wonderful World of Girl's Camp!

2010-07-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Truly my favorite week of the summer.

Girl's Trip to New Mexico

2010-07-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

OK. I know I'm a month (and a half) behind, but who's counting. Here are some picts from Farmington, NM. We had a fantastic vacation. Thanks Mom and Dad. We had a great time at the Abuquerque Zoo before we headed up to mom and dad's house for a couple weeks. Spent the rest of the time swimming in the pool, stargazing and jet skiing at Navajo Lake. Also threw in a couple of birthday celebrations (One ending in five people puking for two days, but that's another story). Couldn't ask for anything else, except maybe no puking.

What happens while momma's sleeping and Aunt Lissa is babysitting!

"Make him stop Mom!"

Too bad we live so far apart. The cousins have a blast together.

Ella meeting her newest cousin Lincoln for the first time.

GG and baby Lincoln.

Kyla and the Peacock gatekeeper

Fun at the zoo

Round two

2010-06-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

You can probably tell that these pictures are in no particular order, but I tried to put him getting his actual belt at the end so it wouldn't be so confusing. So after the morning session Jaden had a two hour break, which he spent practicing his forms. We all went to watch the afternoon session which was their time to show off their mad ninja skills. It started with a review of all their forms from purple belt on, then progressed to some sweet moves with the staff and scythes. After that it was time to suit up. Sparring time. It was a mad house. I don't know if the picture I put up is even Jaden. They sparred student on student, student on teacher, student on two teachers, and most of these were all going on at the same time on the same floor. I felt like I was on the edge of a massive battlefield. After all the adrenaline it was time to break the boards. I really should of taken a picture of the pile of boards Jaden came home with. Let's just say we won't run out of firewood anytime soon. ( I'm not an unsentimental mom, there is just no way we can keep it all in his room). I believe they broke boards five different ways, kicks, running kicks, with an elbow, and a palm, and some other cool ways I can't remember right now. After the board breaking the candidates each got up and read one of the 6 essays they had written for the occasion. Jaden read his essay on "How Martial Arts has Changed My Life" He did a fantastic job. Eye contact and everything. After he sat down is when things got interesting. They have the students kneel to prepare to receive their belts. I look over and Jaden looks like he is about to cry. Jeremy tells me maybe it's just an emotional moment for him. I wasn't buying that. He's holding it in, but it's getting worse whatever it is. He makes it through his turn and the rest of the belts being awarded. He's shaking and biting his lip and his eyes are watering. Jeremy went let me go on the floor to see what is wrong. When the final applause starts, I'm across the floor running. His instructors meet me there and are loosening up his belt. He tells me he just feels weird, by the time I get his bag into the house he's throwing up in the hall. That continues for three hours (luckily he made it to the restroom after that). Dehydration shows it's ugly face. Finally we get enough liquids in him and he is able to function enough to celebrate at Roadhouse Grill with us. It was an amazing day. I am so proud of Jaden and what he has been able to accomplish. The sky is really the limit for this amazing young man. I am so glad I get to be here to watch his future unfold.

There was tension in the air...

2010-06-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

On that dark morning two weeks ago. Jaden and I woke up at 5 am to get him ready for the hardest challenge he has undertaken in his short life. The physical endurance portion of his black belt test. I have no photographic evidence at this time because parents were not allowed at this grueling 4 hour test, probably because I would have beat them up for working my baby so hard. Jaden had been nervous for months to the point of making himself sick over this portion of the test, but he also had spent a lot of time preparing on his own, so I knew they couldn't throw anything at him that he could not handle. I was actually excited for him to have proof of what he was actually capable of. He did not disappoint. Jaden showed up at ABK four hours later all smiles. They ran approximately 10 miles total, carried rocks, 1000 pus-ups, leg throws, and sit-ups. They ran stairs, did frog jumps, and multiple forms. Needless to say he was exhausted. The mantra was one more, and he succeeded. We are all so proud of him and not one of us had any doubt that he could accomplish this.

Welcome Jaxson Austin King

2010-06-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had the honor of meeting our new nephew/cousin Jaxson. He is adorable. This first picture may confuse you but he is a boy. His big sister was adamant that he share her blanket while he was napping. How sweet is that. I just love that new baby smell. Thanks so much guys for sharing your new treasure with us. The only problem is that my babies keep on saying, "Look how cute he is mom, don't you want one of those?" ...

Hip Hip Horray!

2010-04-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! I just found out that the Logo's charter school passed at the School board meeting last night. A unanimous 7-0 vote. I am so excited for next year. Did I mention I'm excited?
http://www.logoscharter.com/

2010-04-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

Check out my bookshelves on Goodreads - where you can see what your friends are reading.

http://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i=LTM2MDM1NDc3OTQ6MzYy

March

2010-04-06T08:46:00.001-07:00

Happy 100th Birthday Boy Scouts!

2010-02-28T17:02:00.000-08:00

This year for the Blue and Gold Banquet Jaden and Jeremy had to design a cake to represent the 100th birthday of the Boy Scouts. So with a little help from mom and Family Fun magazine they came up with this...

The story line is a old man and a young scout hiking together to show the generations of men and boys that the Boy Scout program has helped to mold. We are so grateful to Sis. Crow for teaching Jaden to mold people out of clay (not only teaching but also making the young scout). He has loved learning art from her and is so excited when she comes every week.

Jaden received the "Coolest Cake" award for the evening, and when everyone was done eating he did this with the leftovers...

Can you tell that I was not able to attend this event? This moment would of never happened had I been there. It's probably better I wasn't, I think this was his favorite part of the evening. I would have hated to take it away from him. Happy Birthday Boy Scouts!

What have we done!

2010-02-27T20:50:00.001-08:00

This weekend has seen many blunders and bloopers in the King family household.

The first, I was sitting at the computer when I hear what sounds like a barrel of marbles being spilled on the other side of the wall which is my closet. I go to investigate and find everything as it should be. I yell, "Jeremy are you in here? What was that noise?" I hear the bathroom door screech open and Jeremy's voice, "I knew I was strong, but I just picked it up and it went poof" I open the bathroom door the rest of the way to find this...

Jeremy kneeling on the floor surrounded by thousands of pieces of glass that were still snap, crackle, popping. As he was moving the shower door his supper human strength crushed it into dust. Needless to say after a morning of showers involving sliding the one remaining door back and forth to which ever side was getting more water, I went out and bought a shower curtain so we can remain clean without soaking the whole bathroom till we figure out a more permant solution.

Blooper number 2.

I have a beautiful dog who we all adore. She is perfect in every way, except for her constant shedding.

I had many resources, including the groomer that told me if i shaved her to about a 1/4 to 1/2 in. It would decrease the amount of hair she loose in my house! Yeah. I thought that was a great plan and wondered why no one had told me this before. It would have been very useful for the last three years I have been complaining of this hairy problem. So today was the big day. We took her into the groomer at 8 am. Imagine my suprise when I picked up my...

Inverted skunk with my dogs head. I did not know that my dog was white under all that black fur. You should have seen my families reactions. Jaden just covered his mouth and said, "What have you done? Poor Mya" Jeremy walked in the house and said, "Mya, you look ridiculous!" It was slightly embarrasing taking her to the park but we are looking into getting her a coat, or maybe a can of black spraypaint.

The Bubonic Plague

2010-02-26T13:04:00.001-08:00

Don't you love the cream puff pustules:)

and the cutest flea bearing rat ever.

A Night in the Dark Ages!

2010-02-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

This was the culmination of what we've been doing for home school so far this year. We have been learning about the Dark Ages and are slowly moving into the Renaissance. Recently we have covered Monks, Vikings, Charlamagne, Richard the Lionheart, the Crusades, King Arthur and the round table and Genghis Khan to name a few. Jealous? In preparation for this event the children made shields and swords, baked knights in armour in the middle eastern sun, built castles, carved viking long ships, made ink out of boiled walnuts (you should've seen the maggots squirm)

Jaden loves making meatloaf

to create this porker.

Merlin the wizard creating
homemade ale (root beer)

Queen Lissa announcing the guests

The ladies in waiting displaying their trenchers.

Lady Clara exclaiming over the

delightful fish with it's head on

Jaden thoroughly enjoying

the blood pudding

St. Shumway riding to save

the damsel in distress...

from the hungry dragon

threatening to eat the Princess.

When peasants attack (I think the shield

could be used more effectively, just my opinion)

The Grand Finale! The poor knight did not

make it inside hte castle before the battle

began.

The Polar Express in Durango CO.

2010-01-24T21:21:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Grandma and Grandpa got us tickets on the Polar Express. We had a ball. Santa Clause even got on the train. We all loved it, but none more so then Beckham, He was in awe. Thanks for the memories Gand G.

Memories

2010-01-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

Jeremy found some old memory cards in a drawer. Imagine our joy when they held such wonderful treasures. When Jaden watched them I said remember that little girl, and he said, "Ya she was the one I wanted to marry, but then she got bigger"

Cox-provost Wedding 12:01 am Jan 1, 2010

2010-01-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

We were so blessed to be able to welcome in the New Year with our friends Gary and Lynn. Gary and Lynn got married in Heber, Utah at 12:01 am on New Years morning. It was a beautiful ceremony, when else do fireworks explode after you say, "I do". We are so happy for them and can't wait to see what joys await them in the years to come. We are especially excited for next year when they are coming back to Medford to be sealed in the temple. I can't wait! If Lynn had to leave us I am sure glad she moved somewhere we can come visit. Next time we're there lets hope there's not a blizzard.

Skiing at Purgatory on Christmas Vacation

2010-01-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

The best suprise ever!

2010-01-03T19:07:00.001-08:00

We have just gotten back from a fantastic Christmas vacation. I will post more about that later, lots of fun pictures. But imagine my suprise when I opened my door after a 14 hour drive starting at 1 am, to discover this...

No more dirty stained carpet! For my birthday my husband had hardwood floors put in the family room and living room when I was gone. I had no idea, which is rare because Jeremy is horrible at keeping secrets. I am so thankful for Adam and his father-in-law for moving all the furniture and helping Jeremy with his plan.

Happy Happy Birthday Ella Dear!

2009-12-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe my baby is 5 years old. It has been 5 years of pure joy. Here are 5 things we love about Ella.

1. That smile! Need I say more.

2. She is genuinely excited about everything we do. She fills our house with happiness everyday.

3. She says the darndest things. " I WILL kiss frogs" Mom: "Who gave you that attitude", "Jesus gave it to me!"

4. She knows what she wants, always. Sometimes it's a pain, but I know in the long run it will serve her well.

5. She loves her Family and is always free with the hugs and kisses.

Please share your favorite memories of Ella.

Why I Love YW...

2009-12-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

So, most of you know that I got released from working with the YW in our ward last week. It has been 4 amazing years. When they told me how long I had been in, I couldn't believe it. The time has flown. So after sobbing for 2 days I have now composed myself and have had time to reflect on all the amazing experiences I have had. But, after 4 years of serving in YW the most amazing experience happened last night. We were sitting down to dinner and Kyla was telling me about a play date she had just gotten home from. She was invited to get in their hot tub and when the girl went to get her a swim suit she only had bikini's. Kyla told her, "I can't wear a bikini" When the girl asked her why she said, "I go to church, my mom works with the young women and they sang a song about being modest. That's why I don't ear a bikini!" That particular roadshow was over two and a half years ago. I am so grateful for those YW who set that example so when my 7 year old needed to make a decision she had those wonderful girls in her head singing, 'If it fits to tight, then it just aint right, try to dress like me, go for modesty."
So now it is off to Primary for me. It has been hinted that I will be teaching the 8 year olds turning 9 next year. I am looking forward to this new experience.

Magic Kingdom

2009-11-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

So the first stop on our vacation was a day at the Magic Kingdom. Besides having to pay double the price to stay the whole day, we had a fantastic time. The weather was cool and there was not a line in sight. If we would have known that before we went in we probably wouldn't have paid the extra. Ella's dream came true when she got to have her picture taken with Mickey Mouse, Jaden on the other hand did not like having to put off Minnie's advances. Ella and Kyla loved staring in Belle's storytime. Kyla plays a mean Misses Potts and Ella got to rescue Belle as Chip. There are pictures of the other children, but I don't have those organized yet. Next on my list of things to do (Not really next, but I'm trying to get it done) It was a fantastic way to start our vacation.

Jaden's first swim meet

2009-10-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the screaming in the video. For all of you who know me this is a common occurrence at sporting events, not just for my son :) It's because I was a swimmer and you learn to yell extra loud so people can hear you under water. I think I am more excited then he is. (No, I'm not!)

Jaden had a great meet this weekend in Ashland. He started the meet off with the 200 freestyle, then swam a 50 backstroke, and finished with the 100 freestyle. He was fantastic. I was really nervous because he had just started learning how to dive and that he would do belly flops on his starts, or that he would lose his goggles, but none of that happened. He didn't even get disqualified on his backstroke turn. (He ended up doing both, he hit his head on the wall, then flipped on to his stomach). I am so proud of him. After he swam the 200 freestyle I turned to Jeremy and told him that I thought I was about to cry, don't worry I was able to keep my emotions under control. He is excited to get back to practice today so he can start working on the breaststroke and butterfly for his next meet on Nov. 7th. And yes, I will be hoarse on Nov.8th.

Happy Birthday Kyla!

2009-10-17T08:51:00.001-07:00

Why we love this girl!

Always happy, she always has a smile on her face. Her joy is contagious.
She is so smart and loves learning new things.
She is fearless when it comes to trying new things. I'll post the iguana pictures later.
She is a fantastic sister. She always plays so well with Ella. They are truly best friends.
She is a beautiful ballet dancer. I am so proud of her for making it in the Nutcracker this year.
She is always willing to lend a helpful hand.
She knows her mind. She is a very strong willed young lady, but she is always willing to compromise to make others happy.

We are so grateful to have Kyla as a part of our family. She always brings a smile to our faces. We love you and hope you have an amazing birthday!

Please feel free to leave any memories you have of Kyla.

Preview to Vacation Pictures

2009-10-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

OK we do not have access to all our photos at this time. We kept filling up our cards so we would download them onto my father in laws laptop. We are waiting to get a disk with all the photos on it. Here are some gems that made it home with us. I just couldn't wait to post them! Enjoy.

Here we are at an Iguana Farm on Roatan. Lucky for us it's feeding time.

Look at those Iguanas eat.

Oops, One got to close! But don't worry Ella stayed calm and collected.

We parted as friends. Ella's bravery even encouraged Grandma to give it a try.

Way to go Ladies.

OK, One more gem just to wet your taste buds. This is us at Finding Nemo is Epcot. Check out Ella's full facial smile. It looks painful doesn't it? The funny thing is we have multiple shots of the same smile. She really gets into it, no doing things halfway for her.

Stay tuned for details on the whole 13 day long adventure. It was an amazing vacation and I am so glad we will have these memories to share for a lifetime.

Happy Birthday Jaden!

2009-10-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

10 Things I LOVE about this boy!

He loves his family. He is always an amazing example to his sisters and is so good at showing them how much he cares.
He has a more cautious nature like his mother, but never lets his fears stop him from trying new things.
He works hard at everything he does and is so responsible.
He is self motivated. I never have to wake him up in the morning. He is up and dressed and ready to go.
He has an amazing mind. He asks such thoughtful questions I sometimes forget how old he is.
He loves to cook! He makes mean pancakes. Of course my favorite is when he brings me breakfast in bed for no reason.
His enthusiasm for scouting. He loves all things outdoors.
He is great at setting goals. He has almost got his black belt.
He loves to snowboard and is so excited for this winter!
He is going to be scuba certified and we will get to go on so many adventures together.

We love you Jaden and can't imagine not having you as a part of our family. Thank you for everything you do. Have a happy, happy birthday!

Feel free to share your favorite memories of Jaden. I'm sure he would love to read them.

All Grown Up!

2009-08-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

I can not believe that my baby is growing up. She just lost her first tooth at 4 1/2. That seems a little early to me. Do you remember when your children lost their first teeth? Please comment and let me know. I m nervous because Jeremy keeps telling me that the age they start loosing their teeth has a strong indication of when they will begin puberty. I want to put that off as long as possible.

When it rains in Hell...

2009-08-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

We have had a heat wave, baby! Week when it's been reaching 107-110. So imagine our suprise when we went to find hail the size of marbles falling from the sky.

New Haircut

2009-07-27T14:50:00.001-07:00

I am in the process of growing out my hair, so to begin I had the best hairdresser ever, Jet, trim my hair so that it is all one length now and will grow out evenly. She is a magician, she can make even an awkward time look good.

What I did last week!

2009-07-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

I just got home from one of my favorite weeks of the summer. That's right last week was Girls Camp. I have to say we have it pretty cush at Camp Esther-Applegate. We have cabins, flush toilets, showers, and mess hall complete with cooks. Life doesn't get any better. This years theme was "Back to Basics" hence the military vibe. We are also on the shore of Lake of the Woods which allowed for some fantastic 5:30 am swims across the lake and back. Perfect for triathlon training. This year I even put my head in the water the entire time. I didn't open my eyes, but baby steps right! I am so grateful to the wonderful women who woke up to canoe with me. I couldn't have done it without you.

No need for words!

Nose bleed Clara. As you can see she was fine.

It just seemed to effect her fashion sense.

Chubby Bunny

Expert beach towel volley ball player!

pass the life saver anyone?

Looks pretty one-sided. Margie never

learned squirt gun etiquette. Too

bad for Trina.

Aren't they beautiful? You'd never tell they were in the

middle of a 6 mile hike.

The girls on the 2nd year hike
unfurling the virtue banner

Not shown are the pictures of me with over 60 mosquito bites. The one drawback to camp this year. Oh well, a few bug bites won't keep me from having the time of my life. Thanks for the great times ladies!

Lake Siskiyou 4th of July continued

2009-07-12T21:22:00.001-07:00

What a view.

Sisters!

I love this picture. Ella and Troy both

having a hard time because they don't

want to get bounced off.

Camping 4th of July weekend @ the Crags

2009-07-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Harbor

2009-07-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Our Week in LA

2009-06-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

We are having a blast! I survived the 11 hour drive by myself and we made it to San Pedro in one piece. The kids were fantastic. Jaden was my co pilot and did a great job passing out snacks and keeping the rest of the troops happy. Kyla and Ella did not fight the whole way here. Kyla would use her camera to make movies of Ella playing with the my little ponies. She would direct and yell directions to the cast and crew. Jaden and I spent our time listening to The City of Ember on CD. We are almost through, so don't tell me how it ends. We got here a day before my mom so were able to pull off the surprise. After that all we have been doing is playing. On Monday we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific. The kids loved touching the giant sting rays and watching the scuba divers feed the sharks and other fish. Their favorite part was probably playing at the water play ground where Jaden preceded to get totally soaked. It didn't matter to him that he was wearing jeans and we weren't going straight home. Oh well, he didn't complain the rest of the day so how can I.

On Tuesday we spent the day at Magic Mountain. The weather was perfect, sunny but not to hot. Kyla and Ella both went on there first big roller coaster, The Goliath! They both said they loved it, but neither of them wanted to go again.

On Wednesday we went a little more low key. We went to the distribution center and took the kids to see the LA temple. Later we met Nate and a great little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant for lunch. We were going to go to the markets downtown but I guess there was a huge Lakers parade going on so we decided to skip the madness. On Wed night Jeanine took my mom and I to an awesome spa for the evening. We all took advantage of the hot tub, steam rooms, and sauna, then my mom got a massage while Jeanine and I got pedicures. It was so relaxing and fun. Thanks Jeanine!
Today we are going to spend the day at Hurricane Harbor. I will remember to take my camera and get some pictures. These are all from Jeanine's camera because I have been to lazy to dig through my suitcase and find mine. We miss you all and are looking forward to coming home tomorrow, but vacation has been a blast.

Welcome Spencer!!!

2009-05-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

My friend Kathy just had a beautiful baby yesterday morning. I am so excited for you. He is absolutely adorable.

(Not a yell, just a yawn)

Ragnar Weekend!!!

2009-05-12T15:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to regale you all with tales of my adventure in LA. But happy day you do not have to wait any longer. This is not where my adventure started. That was on the taxi ride from the LA airport to my sisters new home in San Pedro. Considering the only other taxi ride I have ever taken was on my honeymoon, I feel like it went pretty well. Having Cathy and Tom along made it much easier and eased my anxiety. Our cab driver was from Armenia and spent the 1/2 hour trip telling us about all the famous people who were Armenian. That was fun for me considering my sister served her mission in Armenia and I was able to learn a little about the culture she had served in. This is where are 22 hours of fun started. Jeanine was our runner #1 and had her game face on. That was until 8 min before the start of the race she goes to the bathroom and drops her ipod in the poopy toilet. As horrible as that sounds it didn't suprise me at all. Things like that have a way of happening to Jeanine.

(re-enactment pose)

Our fearless team captain (Nate) smiling for the camera.

Cathy and Patricia getting their pre race groove on.

The girls of van 1 (Jeanine, Lissa, Cathy, and Patricia) Poor Nate had to spend 22 hours with us. On the upside though I am sure our van smelled alot better then van 2.
Tom standing with decked out van 2. Nate's company Clark Construction sponsored our team. 9 out of the 12 runners were employees. Cathy is enjoying a well earned piece of chocolate cake and our dinner stop around 9 pm.

Well I can tell you that there was no sleep to be had during the night. We tried to catch some z's in the van, on the grass, on the beach. Jeanine even tried to sleep in the parking lot right outside our van door until someone opened it trying to find her and almost stepped on her. It was one of those night were I was just praying for morning to come. I was so tired and uncomfortable. I think Nate was the only who actually fell asleep for more then an hour. My favorite part of the evening came at about 3 am. Jeanine and I were sitting in the fromt of the van looking at our leg maps because we couldn't sleep. I told her that i was going to be running by the LA river and she laughed at me.

"It's not a river" she said, "It's just filled with sludge"

"We'll if I don't come back soon, come look for me. I probably fell asleep and fell in."

Jeanine starts the maniacal laughter and says, "and the homeless people will eat you!" She just keeps repeating herself and laughing. It freaked me out slightly. But what else do you say at 3 am. Then she got out of the car and turned the radio full blast and danced in the parking lot to warm herself up for her 4 am run. Got to love her!

Cathy and Patricia enjoying a swim in the ocean to celebrate being done with their legs.

The finish line! 22 hours after we started we crossed the finish line as a team.

ODA conference

2009-04-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

We'll we didn't actually go to the ODA conference, but Jeremy did. Me and the kids just played in Portland all weekend. We went to OMSI and to the zoo and ate at lots of fun places. Since this is kind of a perk trip for Jeremy's staff we stayed at the Embassy Suites and were spoiled. I had a made to order, cooked before my eyes omelet every morning for breakfast. The kids loved the waterfall in the lobby. Jaden said, "Does dad stay places like this every time he travels? Not Fair!" I'm sure Jeremy wishes all his accommodations were this nice. The highlight of my trip was seeing my friend Rachel. We have been friends since we were 12. We went to The Cheesecake Factory, it was great to catch up since we only see each other about once a year.

Home school Month 1

2009-04-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

We have officially been home schooling Jaden for one month! We love it. We are having so much fun and I am loving getting to spend so much time with him, plus I like knowing about everything he is learning. I have learned a lot too, so hopefully this will keep my brain from getting rusty. Her are some photos from our first month. It has really been a lot easier then I expected. It could be because in Math we are doing a lot of review for him because I wasn't exactally sure where he ended in school, but oh well. History is our favorite subject I think. We have learned about Alexander the Great, and now we are learning about the Romans.

Pharo's lighthouse in Alexandria, one of the 7 wonders of the world. I love this project because I didn't have all the supplies to finish it so I told him to just do the best he could. I thought he would just jerry rigg it, but he went around the house and collected supplies and did a great job finishing it on his own. I was impressed with his ingenuity.

January picks and March updates!

2009-03-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

I am so far behind on this thing. I am so sorry to those of you check frequently and find nothing new here. I just have lacked the motivation to put pictures from my camera on to the computer. As you probably know we have been working on remodeling our kitchen. We have gotten a lot done. The new cabinets are in, the counters, sink, and dishwasher are all in. We finished the floor and on Mon my new stove got installed so we are up and running now. We still need to do things like change the lighting and change the trim around the windows to match the new cabinets but I am just happy we aren't eating out anymore ( I love eating out, but every meal was ridiculous).

3-D Ella watching Coraline

Scout snowcapades was a blast.

Jaden and Kyla both loved the sledding and the friends.

Jaden breaking a board before he got his brown belt in January. I don't know if I posted about it before.

Suprise!! (Delayed considering this event took place a month and a half ago)

2009-02-24T16:37:00.000-08:00

This is my father in laws reaction to his 60th birthday surprise. My sister in law, Jennifer, flew in from Indiana. It was killing the Grand kids to wait for him. I think he spent 10 min outside talking on the phone before he came in. I was proud of the kids though, they kept quite when it counted.

Jennifer with her little brother.

Kristen waiting for family pictures
Cousins!!!

Grandpa and Rachel

We started with Grandpa and we'll end with Grandpa. I know he'll love this picture.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

2009-02-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the pediatrician and it is official, Ella has Asthma. Yeah! This is so great. I am just going to turn one room of our house into a giant nebulizer tent and drug them all at once. I am so excited.

Not so Unique

2009-01-29T08:56:00.000-08:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
9
people with my name in the U.S.A.

http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?

Like Mother Like Daughter!

2009-01-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

Today I had a moment! I had just finished teaching YM/YW and had ran to the bathroom to wipe the sweat from my forehead before I ran to the primary room to help Ella with her first ever primary talk. I had a handful of toilet paper in my hand and was quickly wiping the drops off my face when I saw it. It wasn't me in the mirror, it was my mother. It was like I was standing to the side watching my mom in the mirror. I couldn't believe it. It was exactly the same even down to the handful of toilet paper in my hand. Wow! It's amazing what birthdays make you think about. Luckily I wasn't upset. If I have to look like someone then I am definitely glad it is my mother. She is an amazing beautiful women. Maybe someday I can even be as wonderful as her. Love you Mom!

Happy Birthday Ella!

2008-12-14T15:15:00.000-08:00

Today my littlest angel turns four. I can't believe how fast the time has gone.
1. She can laugh. She even has an evil laugh that she will do that cracks me up. "Moo, ha, ha"
2. She knows what she wants and no amount of prodding can get her to change her mind. A little annoying now, but I know it will be a huge blessing when she gets older.
3. She loves her family. Her favorite thing is to cheer for her brother and sister.
4. One word ATTITUDE. She has it in abundance. If you ask her where it comes from she'll tell you, "Jesus gave it to me!"

We love you Ella! You make our life full of fun and joy. Thank you. Have a Happy Happy Birthday!

Christmas Ballerinas!!!!

2008-12-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

Finally got Ella on here as well. Enjoy!!

Finally something new to write about.

2008-12-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

You'd think from all the blogging that I've done lately the only thing happening in our life is my son's mouth raining teeth. We actually have very busy lives full of fun and exciting things, but it is so fun and exciting and busy that I am very bad at taking pictures, or finding the time to sit and put them all on here. The girls do not have swim lessons this month so that had freed up my Wed afternoon a little, so here is what happened yesterday afternoon.
The girls had their first winter recital of the week at Waterford Retirement center yesterday. They both did a great job. I know Kyla is wearing the same dress as last time but she is dancing to 'O Holy Night" for Christmas. It is beautiful. Ella's class is dancing to "We are Santa's Elves" from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Ella actually did the dance. The teacher put her in the front row and she did amazing. Kyla also did great. At one point in the dance they front row and the back row had to switch places and then switch back. The little girl standing next to Kyla moved back but forgot to move forward. Kyla spent the second half of the dance scowling and trying to motion her to move up, but she didn't miss a step. It cracked me up. She has to control every situation, sounds like someone else I know! I reminded her it's more important to smile and just keep dancing, then to scowl and point. We'll see Saturday if she listened to anything I said.

I'm getting bored with this topic.

2008-12-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

I do not want to write one more thing about Jaden's teeth, but I have to write it for posterity's sake. He lost 2 more teeth last week. Jeremy says that there is one more tooth is his mouth that he can loose. I think we should just pull it and be done with this whole mess.

This is ridiculous!

2008-11-15T12:29:00.001-08:00

Jaden lost another tooth last night. This is it! The Tooth Fairy is going to retire. I am sure she is broke.

Not Again!

2008-11-12T15:33:00.001-08:00

Jaden lost another tooth today. He's getting dentures next week :)

Trina Does it Again!

2008-11-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

Tooth Fairy Update!

2008-11-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

#4 was lost yesterday after church. We are going to have to get him dentures if this trend doesn't slow down. He'll only have his front teeth left.

Exhausted Tooth Fairy

2008-11-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

The Tooth Fairy is almost bankrupt. Jaden has lost his third tooth this week. Yes, you read this right, three teeth in one week. He lost one on Monday while he was flossing, on Thursday while eating a green tootsie roll, and tonight while we were watching the roadshows the third one fell out. I don't know, there must be something in the water. The funny thing is the first thing he says is , "Now I only have 4 cavities, (3 cavities, 2 cavities!)" That's how we take care of cavities in our house, just take'm out.

All things spooky

2008-10-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

In no particular order here are some things we have done in the last week. Kyla created a masterpiece on a canvas she got for her birthday. Thank you Rachel she loves it. She is turning into quite the little artist. Last week I taught the preschool girls about pumpkins. We ended the week with a trip to the local pumpkin patch. The girls were so proud of themselves for making it through the corn maze.

As you can tell it was a beautiful bright day. The sun was in all of their eyes as I was trying to take their picture. Their pumpkin hall is in the back of the Durango.

While Jeremy is Elk hunting we took our pumpkins to a Family Home Evening at the church to carve them. The kids did a great job. After three days I am still working on my. Thank you Bro. Berger for buying me a battery powered carver. It has helped tons. Maybe I'll even finish it before Halloween.

We went to the Harvest Carnival at the kids school on Sat. They had a great time seeing all their friends and playing the games, and of course eating lots of candy.

Belle and Tinkerbell. Look Ella has Angelina Jolie lips. Ella can carry it off though!

Jaden had his ninth birthday party on Friday night. Thanks to all the friends who came and made it a success. We had a great time. It was a mad Scientist theme and Jeremy went a little overboard with the smoke machine, hence the foggy pictures.

So that's what we've been up to. How about you?

Weekly Review!

2008-10-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Jaden turned 9 Kyla turned 6
Kyla lost her other front tooth
Kyla had her birthday party. Thank you to all the friends

who made it a special day.

Most of you know that Jeremy was in Texas this week for the ADA conference so the majority of these events were solo. Also happening this week while I was alone, rats chewing in the wall at night, birds crashing into the windows that I had to scoop up so the dog didn't eat it, and having to call Lance West to pull out Kyla's dangling tooth because there was still a little tissue connecting it and it made me get the weeby jibbys trying to pull it out, and all three kids had a fever of 103 on three different days. All in all we had a great week. We were able to celebrate in style and keep it together. It went a lot more smoothly then I anticipated. The kids did great in their primary presentation today. Ella really surprised me when she whipped out the sign language in the Baptism song. Jaden and Kyla did great giving their parts. We all miss Jeremy and can't wait to see him tonight.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLA!

2008-10-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Kyla!

1. This little girl was born with smiling eyes. She always has a giggle in her voice and is always making us smile.

2. She loves to help me. She always asks what else she can do when she finishes with a job I've given her.

3. She is a great sister. She shares all her things with Ella.

4. She is smart and loves learning.

5. She loves ballet.

6. She has no problem playing in the mud and catching bugs but she does it in a pink tutu and tiara. How can you not love that?

We love you Kyla. You are an amazing addition to our family. Have a very happy birthday.

Kids say the darndest things

2008-10-14T19:45:00.001-07:00

This week we went to pick up our friends to go somewhere. I tell Jaden to ,"Go grab Nathen." Ella says, "Yeah go grab him, but do it softly we don't want hurt him. That's not nice, right mom?"

Tonight we took Jaden to Outback for his birthday. We are all eating our food when all of the sudden Kyla asks (rather loudly), "The Lord doesn't like double dipping, does he?" What? Who knows where that one came from. We weren't even sharing any plates.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JADEN!

2008-10-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that 9 years ago today I became a mom to the most fabulous young man. I love what my friend Jaque does, so I will now tell you 9 wonderful things about my son. I figure one for each year so I don't go on forever.

1. What a sense of humor! Jaden can make me laugh for hours.

2. He loves his sisters. He goes in every night to kiss them goodnight, if he forgets we have two little girls yelling for Jaden. He has no problem going to watch their ballet practices and always tell them how beautiful they looked.

3. He works hard to achieve his goals. In kindergarten he decided he wanted to be a black belt in karate and now he is only three belts away. Way to go!

4. He motivates himself. He didn't like me telling him to hurry to get ready for school so in kindergarten he set his alarm earlier all by himself and has been up and dressed before I get home from the gym every morning.

5. He has a strong sense of right and wrong. He always stands up for what he knows is right.

6.He never complains when I tell him to do a chore or his homework, he always say's " OK mom" (Sometimes, it's a "can I do it in a little bit?)

7. He gives great hugs.

8. He loves to cook and makes a meal anytime I will let him.

9. He loves to cheer for the Cougars and makes game day a lot more fun!

We love you Jaden. We can't wait to see what other amazing things you have in store for us. Happy Birthday.

This is How a Dentist Does It!

2008-09-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Note to Me!

2008-09-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

This is just one of those journal post so that I remember what my kids are like when they were little. Ella does not make the hard C sound. Everything comes out as a T, so around our house lately we are hearing a whole bunch of , "Go Tougars!". And also, "Can I have a Tookie?" This is very cute and doesn't bother me at all. She laughs when I try to correct her. She repeats after me and it always comes back sounding like a T. She tells me, "Your so silly!"

The Space Needle!

2008-09-08T14:12:00.001-07:00

Jaden's space hat. I wish I had a camera to take a picture of Jeremy laying on his back on the pavement trying to get this picture.
Jaden waiting for our reservations. He decided that it was a good time to learn how to do a handstand. It's a work in progress.

Does that look familiar mom? I think we had that same look on our faces when we ate it!

We had a great vacation. I want to add a special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa King who stayed with the girls. They had a great time. Thank you so much.

Jaden's Weekend Out!

2008-09-08T13:41:00.003-07:00

We drove to Seattle this weekend, for our annual Mom and Dad and Jaden trip. Why Seattle you ask? Well BYU was playing the Huskies and it is closer then driving to Provo. We had a great time and the game was amazing, well at least the end was. After getting up to Seattle on Fri night at about 9:30 we went straight to bed. We had a great night sleep, woke up a 7 on the dot without an alarm clock. We decided to spend the morning at Pike's Market. We got to watch them throw fish and Jaden got some monster dark green pudding chocolate thingy (It was only 9 am, but we were on vacation!) After shopping and walking around for awhile we decided to head on over to the stadium. After our false start, Jeremy put our BYU car flag up in the back window then started the car. He promptly felt hot so he rolled down the window, needless to say I was the one dodging traffic in downtown Seattle trying to retrieve our flag from the middle of the road. But don't worry, mission accomplished and nothing and no one got injured in the rescue attempt. After driving to the stadium and then driving for another hour trying to find some place miles from the stadium to park we were ready to get down to business. I have to admit I wasn't so excited about being the visiting team, we had a long way to walk back to our car if we lost. I was very impressed with the BYU turnout. The game was very exciting for those of you who missed it. Washington made a touchdown with 2 seconds remaining on the clock. All they had to do was make the extra point and the game would go into overtime. Well after the touchdown they got a penalty for excessive celebration which moved them back 15 yards. We were able to block the kick and won the game. It was amazing to be there. The BYU fans went wild. You can tell by the look on Jaden's face. It was fun going to an away game. I think we decided to do every other year at an away game so the we can visit some new places. After the game we went to dinner at the...

The First Day of School!

2008-09-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe that another school year has started. I can't believe my baby is starting third grade. I can't believe he is going to be nine next month. It seems like just yesterday I was changing diapers and pushing him in a stroller, now he's in charge of walking his little sister home from school. I can't believe how time flies. Today it's making me a little sad how fast it's gone. Jaden started school last week. He had a really hard first day. He came home miserable and it broke my heart. He has this problem every year and I don't know how to fix it. I like being able to fix things and this problem is too hard for me, but after a lot of prayers alone and with him he had a great (or at least better) rest of the week. I think he will have a great school year. He seems to have a great teacher and he has great friends. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that Heavenly Father loves my child and is with him or I could never send him away from me.
Miss Kyla started her first day of Kindergarten today even though she's been acting likes she's been in school for the last year. She was so excited. I had to slow her down because she was going to sprint the whole mile to school and Ella and I couldn't keep up. I know that she is going to have a great year. She loves to learn and meet new people and try new things. She is ready for this. Sitting here writing this is making me sad. I was also so excited for her to go to school. I needed a little down time from the constant energy, but the house is really quite without her here. Something is missing. I prayed the whole time we were walking to school that nothing would happen to dampen her enthusiasm or lessen her self confidence. I know she is strong and resilient and smart, but people can still be cruel. Then I have to remind myself she's in Kindergarten not college, how mean can kindergartners really be. It looks like she has a really nice class and great teachers. She will love it. I know I will eventually love the sound of silence.

I love you kiddo's. Have a great year!

Triathalon Weekend!

2008-09-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, the big weekend has come and gone and we survived it! Amber and I had a great time at the Umpqua Ultimate triathlon in Sutherlin Oregon. It was my first experience so we kept it safe with a sprint distance: a half mile swim, 13 mile bike ride and 3.2 mile run. But next year we are definitely going to do the Olympic distance event. It was so fun to have someone to train with, the invite is out there for anyone who wants to join us next year. These are pictures of us in the local park practicing our transitions. I am sure everyone there thought we were crazy running and jumping on bikes just to get off and do it all over again.

We went up the night before so we could partake of the pasta feed. It was delicious and a lot of fun.
Afterwards we took the kids for ice cream in Rice Hill. Now I know what everyone is talking about when they say they have the best ice cream. I don't know if it was good race food, but it was sure yummy. Within 2 min of getting her cone Kyla dropped it on the ground. Luckily my two scoops were so big I had enough to share.
The kids take a late night swim to get all of there energy out after sitting in the car for half the day. Ella almost drown when she ran right to the deep end and jumped in when nobody was there. She did good in swim lessons, but not that good.

Good Morning sleepy heads! Race day wake up call at 5:15. It was nice a rainy outside. What a confidence booster.

Laying out all our transition areas so we had every thing we needed for each leg of the race. We had to lay everything out in plastic bags so it didn't get wet if it started to rain again. Nothing worse then wet running shoes.
This is the start of the Olympic distance swim. Amber and I watched to see what we had coming. I ran into an old friend from high school while I was there. I was amazed that she remembered I was afraid of fish. Still true, but I am happy to report I swam the whole thing with my eyes open. Even happier to report I didn't see one fish, just the feet of the guy in front of me. The water was nice and warm compared to how blustery it was outside.

And we're off. I'd say that there were over 100 people all starting at the same time. Needless to say we definitely got a little jostled. I got out of the crowd pretty quickly, but Amber wasn't quite so lucky and got dunked a couple of times by passing swimmers. On the bike leg it was so windy I felt like I was in the wizard of Oz and my bike was going to be picked up and twirled around.Amber and I both beat our goals. And we both placed in our age groups. Yeah for us!

This is my battle wound. The band the timing chip was on cut my ankle on the run. When they cut it off at the finish line there was blood running down my ankle. Definitely want to remember to fix that before next year. I hope you will all join me next time.

Yosemite National Park

2008-08-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

I finally got the pictures from my sister of our vacation to Yosemite this summer. My camera got lost somewhere in the back of the tent so I didn't have for our excursion. Thanks for letting me borrow yours Niner! We finally saw a bear in the wild. All the years of camping, searching and searching for a bear and we drove around a corner and there they were. A mom and her cub. It was a lot of fun to see. The girls were so excited. You'll notice Jaden is not in any of these pictures. He went with grandma and Grandpa to look at the redwoods. I'll have to get some of their pictures and post them. We had a great time. There was no fire and no smoke and lots of family. A perfect vacation.

Scattergories!

2008-08-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

SCATTERGORIES...it's harder than it looks! Erase my answers, enter yours and send it on to people including the one that sent this to you. Use the 1st letter of your first name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things, nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same first initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.
WHAT IS YOUR NAME?Lissa
4 LETTER WORD: Land
VEHICLE: Landrover
TV SHOW: Little Einstiens
CITY: Las Vegas
BOY NAME: Landon
GIRL NAME: Lauren
OCCUPATION: Lawyer
SOMETHING YOU WEAR: leggings
FOOD: lasagna
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: loofa
REASON FOR BEING LATE: Lost
SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Loser!

Help Me! I need your ideas.

2008-08-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of us are probably having the same problem here. I have a counter full of zucchini. Would everyone please leave their favorite thing to make with zucchini as a comment. I know all of you are fabulous bakers because I've tasted your food. I would love the ideas.

Tagged!

2008-08-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Attached or Single: Permanently attached
Best Friend: Jeremy, Kathy, Rachel, Courtney, Amber, Kathleen ...and so many others. I guessed I am just blessed with great friends
Cake or Pie: All of thee above
Day of Choice: Friday, it's the beginning of our three day weekend!
Essential Item: friends, books
Favorite Color: Green
Greatest Accomplishment: My marriage
Hometown: Salt lake City, UT (born) Most memorable years were in Eugene OR
Indulgences: dutch mints
January or July: January, I hate being hot
Kids: Three (1 boy, 2 girls)
Life is incomplete without: my family, my friends, my church
Marriage Date: May 2, 1998
Number of Siblings: 3 (1 sisters, 2 brothers)
Oranges or Apples: both
Phobias or Fears: fish, birds, animals in the dark, rodents
Quotes: Depends on my mood. Currently "They'll kill you, but do it respectfully!" Costas referring to the beach Volleyball players during the Olympics
Reason to Smile: family ( 3 vastly amusing children)
Season: fall!
Unknown Fact About Me: I talk to much so nothing is unknown, but I hate to shop. Any shopping I do is in and out, I never go to the store just for fun.
Very Favorite Store: Ikea, Costco if I have to pick.
Worst Habit: laziness
Your Favorite Food: Pizza, or anything someone else makes for me.
Zodiac Sign: Capicorn

I tag: Brandy, Jeanine, Amber

Pear Picking

2008-08-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. Time to pick pears at the church orchard. I am really grateful for the opportunity that we have to serve the Lord in this way. It's amazing to think that the pears we harvest here in Medford Oregon are sent all over the world to help people in need. Two years ago we went to the bishops storehouse for a YW activity and saw a can of pears sitting on the shelf. The girls were really impressed when they thought that they could have been the ones to pick those pears. On Sunday Bro. Bennion called us all to spend 12 hours of our time at the orchard this season, so this morning I completed my first hour. It was beautiful and peaceful to be surround by the trees while the sun was rising, plus I had wonderful company. Tommorrow night is the youth picking night so I'll get some hours in then. (I'm really there for crowd control and to keep the pears from flying) Hopefully I'll see all you locals next time I am there.

Countdown!

2008-08-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

There are 12 days till my triathlon. I can't believe it is so close. Hopefully I'll make it there all in one piece. Today alone I have fallen from the house into the garage and scratched my eyeball with a flinging cell phone charger. I am hoping to catch the men's Olympic triathlon online today so I can get some pointers.

The Volcano Park!

2008-08-12T09:03:00.001-07:00

This is our favorite park to play at. This is the Volcano park in Redding. It's just like the little splash parks here, but so much more fun. In the center is a big volcano that "erupts" water every 10 min. The kids (and adults) love it. This time we were able to go with the cousins and we all had a great time.

Kyla found a "wish"

Ella thought that I was taking a still photo of her. Look at my little supermodel pose.