He was a very great man

In October our family was sadden to say goodbye to Jeff's Grandfather, Lou.  He had been suffering from dementia for several years and it was hard to see him in that state.  I'd rather keep my memories of what a great man he really was.

I can remember meeting him for the first time in CA. Laurie and I were the best of friends and I spent most of my time at her house.  I was over hanging out with Laurie when he asked me to have a chat in the other room.  I can say without a doubt how wonderful our talk was.  He had such a gentle spirit about him and I enjoyed every minute.  I really felt he was listening to every word I said and he really cared for me.  I'm not going to go into details but that first talk with him left a lasting impression on me.  I know he was a really great man.

                      The funeral services were so special as to include personal touches.  I loved hearing about his war experiences and since have gotten a copy of his stores from MarGene.  I plan to share them with my kids for family home evenings and make sure they know the sacrifices of our relatives.  I want to make sure this next generation doesn't forget the past especially those in our own family.  I am honored to have know him and been a part of his family.

Although it is difficult to say goodbye, I know he is in a better place.  I know he has been reunited with his wife as well as other loved ones.  I look forward to seeing him again and others someday.  He left a wonderful legacy behind with his children and those he came in contact with.  I hope I can learn from his example and keep it in my heart always.

Bobcat

Andrew has officially become a cub scout.  He has been going for a few months now to the weekly activities and we are slowly learning how it all works.  There has been a little bit of a learning curve for me as this is all new.  We are hanging in there so far and feel like we are doing pretty good.  Too bad they don't have a parent orientation but we'll be okay.

 Andrew has enjoyed every minute of the scouting experience.  He wasn't too sure he'd like it.  He did watch Megan go to the Church Activity days twice a month and was always sad he couldn't go.  This gives him his own thing and that made him super happy.  In addition to getting his own activity weekly he also has a ton of fun.  It has just been great for him.

 We had a pack meeting this past Tuesday and he was a mummy in the wolf/bear skit.  His job was to try and scare the cub scout.  He was moaning and grunting as the mummy and did a great job.  He loved getting to be a mummy.

 The pack and family also got to play human foosball.  Andrew just wanted to hit the balloon.  He didn't want to stay in his line but wanted in the action.  All the kids had great fun and enjoyed that game.  It was orange headbands against white no bands.  Andrew was orange and lost.  He didn't even care since he got to take home a balloon in the end.

 Andrew won the monthly raffle.  He got a cub scout tie tack.  If you come to the meeting in the full uniform and have your book you get a ticket for the monthly raffle.  We always try and make sure he has everything he needs to get in the raffle.  This was his first win and he was so proud of himself.

 Andrew also got his very first patch.  He earned his bobcat.  He is excited to work with Daddy to get that put on his uniform.  The Mom's even got a special neck ribbon to hold all their Mother's pins.  I got my first one that night and felt just as special as Andrew.

We are really loving the scouting program.  It's been so good for him so far and I'm excited to see him grow because of it.  He reminds me each week when scouting is coming up and gets sad if it gets cancelled.  I love to see my kids get excited about something so good for them.  Andrew's next event is the space derby.  We've got our kit and ready to build it.  We should have fun in the process and it's something we get to work on together which is neat.  Great program and I'm glad Andrew gets to be apart of it.

Happy Halloween 2012

Happy Halloween for 2012.  This year the kids got new costumes and it was an interesting process to say the least.  We were able to get something together that both kids were happy with so it's all good.  I've got picky kids when it comes to dress up. They know what they like and don't.  Not just any old thing works anymore.

 Megan likes to be the girly stuff and it is harder than you think to get a costume that fits her.  She has such a tall body I'm thinking I need to get into the small adult section for next year.  This year she was happy to be a ladybug.  She loved that it had wings which pretty much sold her on the idea.  She isn't really into princess stuff anymore and she's already been a fairy a few times so we are starting to get to the end of the line with ideas.  If it isn't cute she isn't interested.  We spend a lot of time in the costume section for her every year.  She has my decision making skills, poor girl.

 Andrew of course is definitely a boy.  He isn't into the whole hero type costumes he wants them scary or gross.  The more he can push that envelope the happier he is.  This year he was a werewolf which he LOVED.  We did end up scaring a few toddlers at trunk or treat which made me feel bad.  I eventually talked him into taking the mask off.  Next year he has already told me he wants to be something with a weapon.  Have mercy...

 We hit up trunk or treat which is always a big hit.  This year as the primary secretary I was there to set up and clean up.  We had so many donuts the kids got their fill and topped off with hot chocolate who could ask for more?  We also had to move it inside as living in WA it was raining out.  It was kind of nice to socialize indoors for a change.  I'm told next year we may end up getting bigger and better for an activity if we are still in primary.

 The kids did a few laps around the church building and scored on candy.  There was a nice crowd.  They loved playing with their friends and showing off their costumes.  It was interesting as always to see what people dressed their kids as.

 We also got a fun package from Granny Annie.  We got a spooky village to decorate.  Oh boy were my kids super excited and asked constantly to get to decorating.  We had to find time to squeeze it in but we made it work.  The kids got a little frustrated as they houses weren't exactly sticking together very well.  They would put on the frosting then sit for a few minutes.  Just when they thought it was good to decorate it would fall apart.  We had to scrap the village idea and go with just decorating.  They were still really happy to get messy and creative.

 We opted not to go out door to door this year.  It had rained on and off most of the day.  The kids were on the fence about it.  I think Megan would have gone if we were all into it but we just decided to stay in.  No one came to our door as usual so it was a quiet Halloween night for us.  We order pizza in and just hung out as a family.

I'm thinking next year we'll have to hit up the door to door.  Both kids are getting to the age that trunk or treating isn't cutting it anymore.  They want that full Halloween experience of knocking on doors and seeing what weird stuff they can get.  Let's hope it will be dry next year.

1st Day of School

First day of school has come and gone. Megan started Fifth grade and is the top dog at the school. It only goes to grade 5 so she feels special this year. She can't wait for all the fun things that 5th graders get to do. Andrew started main stream 2nd grade and was super hyper for the first day.

So far Megan loves this year. She loves her teacher and classmates. We haven't had any drama and she is doing great. She is even a helper after school with getting the little kids to their parents or bus. Andrew started off a little rough. He had a laid back teacher last year and this one is a bit more strict. She was having a difficult time with him. We started a behavior sheet again this year. Each day they give him stars for how he acts and it has to be reported to me for signing. We reward him as he gets mostly all stars. Since we started this he has done great and we are back on track. I was a bit concerned but we seem to be doing well. I'll learn more at parent teacher conference in October.

The kids are settling in very nicely so far this year. We've made a few adjustments and things are beginning to look great. I'm excited for the progress we'll make and to see how the kids grow. It always amazes me how much they change from year to year. I hope this year will be awesome.

Our last summer hike @ Denny Creek

We had our final hike to the slippery slab @ Denny creek. This one was over an hours drive one way but the kids were so pumped they didn't even care. It also helped that we carpooled so I had a full car of kids who played with each other. It made the time fly on the way up.

Once we pulled in and the car parked it was a mad rush out of the vehicle. They all couldn't wait for the adults to get loaded with stuff to get going. They immediately started to explore the surrounding area while they waited. We did find we had to relocate the car but once we were settle the fun got going.

This time I decide to have each of my kids carry a cinch bag with a towel and their water shoes. Nothing heavy but I had lunches and other stuff and I couldn't get it all to fit so I had to have a little help. In hind sight I probably would have done that a little differently. My kids seem to get tired out quickly and with that extra bag it gave them one more thing to make it difficult.

Andrew had the hardest time. I'd say about half way up he was in the back and dragging. It was a tough little hike even for us adults. I think we were all sweating and had to take breaks along the way. I loved every minute of the hike it was great exercise. My kids just seem to hate walking lately and thus began a bit of the whining.

Megan was a trooper and did really well. She got stuck carrying more than just her bag at one point. Another boy handed off his huge backpack to her. She was loaded down and we had to make a change. Everyone had to carry their own and that was the way it had to be. After that she seemed to enjoy herself.

Once we reached the slippery slab it was like a pot of gold for those kids. All that hard work and life was wonderful. They loved being in the water and just soaking it all in. They did stop every once in a while to nibble on their lunch but for the most part all they wanted to do was play.

We finally made it to a waterfall and my kids were in heaven. It was the one thing they really wanted to see of all things from any of the hikes. We all got nice and dirty and just had a great time exploring. We did have a few falls and scrapes but after a few tears and resting the kids all bounced right back up. We did have three boys which when you have a set of three someone always gets left out. All in all though I think everyone had a great time. We could have stayed for a long while but we were with a group and did have to pack it in eventually.

Our exit was a bit scattered and rushed for my taste. My kids were still playing when I got the call we're leaving. I had stuff every where and had to make a mad scramble to get us packed. My kids were still in water shoes as we began our hike back. I eventually had to just stop and separate so I could get myself and the kids put back together. That little break helped a ton and my kids felt much better after we were organized. We had a great time and really want to take Jeff back sometime. We'd have a blast exploring with him. It was an awesome hike and a great way to end our summer hiking expeditions.

Eight is Great, again

Andrew finally turned 8 and he couldn't be more excited. He had his special day all planned out and knew exactly what he wanted. We did help add a few suggestions and of course we celebrated over several days as is the norm for us.

First on his birthday list was golfing with Dad. Jeff and Ken go golfing around 6am during the summer while the weather is nice so taking Andrew was simple enough. Andrew was so excited to get to go he was up at 3am and ready to go. We had to tell him to get back to bed for 3 more hours. He went to his room but I don't think he slept. Jeff said he had some good shots and had a lot of fun with the big boys.

Next up was roller skating. This is his new favorite thing to do. He hated it at first but has grown to LOVE to skate. Every chance he gets he asks to go out skating. We invited Grandma and Papa along. Grandma thought she'd skate with us but found that her balance has changed. She only made it one lap around with Jeff's help and turned in the skates. We still enjoyed having her and Papa there to keep us company.

Andrew took frequent trips to get water and decided to let other people around know that it was his birthday. He was pretty cute but he even interrupted a paid birthday party for someone else to let them know it was his special day too. Andrew got nice and sweaty and enjoyed skating it up.

We let him open his presents later after dinner out. My Dad sent a birthday box that included a fishing vest from 4 generations. I loved the sentimental part of it and Andrew thought it was cool too. He got stocked with toys and got everything he ever wanted.

We ended his actual birth day with cake of course. We thought about making one but all he really wanted was to go pick one out at the store. We showed him several options and he settle on a chocolate chocolate cake from costco. They had regular sheet cakes but he said those were too kiddie looking. He picked the more adult looking cake and loved it.

As an actual birthday party we really don't usually do these for him as he has a summer birthday. It's tough because we can't invite school friends and he only has 2 church friends from his class. We decided to invite those 2 church friends and make it a party at Wild Waves. Andrew was over the moon with this and couldn't wait to have his friends come just for him.

Only one of the boys could come and we decided to go for it. We made it a party day and had a great time. We did both wet water rides and dry regular rides. We packed it all in to our party day. Andrew loved having a friend along. I think it made him feel really special.

Lastly since Andrew turned 8 he was able to get baptised in our church. I'm not sure how he felt about the whole thing. He was soooooo hyper it was hard to tell. Several days before the baptism we met with our Bishop to just interview Andrew and make sure he was ready. The Bishop told us that in the 5 1/2 years of being a Bishop Andrew's was the strangest interview he has ever had. Let's just say we took a wrong turn during our visit when they kids busted out knock knock jokes. It was interesting to say the least. The Bishop gave us the go ahead so it must have been okay.

Andrew had seen Megan get baptised so he knew what to expect. Jeff still tried to prep him and he did great. He was a bit hyper while we waited but once it was over he did just fine. I was really proud and relieved it all went well. Andrew was so cute after giving hugs and just being a whole new boy. Eight is definitely great for him.