Here Fishy Fishy

Last year we went to a fishing derby and had such a great time that when I saw it come around again I immediately signed up. I'm thinking it may turn into an annual event as long as they keep having them. It cost $10 per child and they get a tshirt, fishing pole to keep, bait, a max of 2 fish if they catch them, & this year a nylon bag.

The day was a bit less than ideal as it was sprinkling and gloomy out. We put on our hoodies and decided to brave the elements anyway. It takes a lot more than a little rain to keep this crew down. I mean really we live in WA and we'd never get to do anything if we were afraid of getting wet.

We were there plenty early for our 9am time slot. This year the choice of poles was blue or red. It took a bit of discussion but we finally got the kids to get one of each. Both originally wanted blue but Meg later changed her mind to red. We now have 4 poles from the derby's and a few we already had. We are gathering a nice little collection.

As we headed down to the lake stocked with 1500 fish we decided to pick a different spot from last year. We went a bit further down so it wouldn't be so crowded and Jeff was sure we'd do well. So early in the morning we just felt like we couldn't possible go wrong.

The men casted out for the kids and the kids then came up to take the poles and our fishing began. We started with a little different bait then normal and found no success. We quickly changed to the power bait, little pink marshmallow things, and began to get our first nibbles. I think Meg hooked one and upon reeling it in lost it. Andrew was next to get a nibble and lost that one as well. We slowly started to get a bit worried when Meg finally hooked her first fish and kept it.

Megan was so into reeling it in. It was a hoot to watch her concentration and happiness. Slowly we started to hear people catch fish mostly at the beginning end where we were last year. The next thing we knew the time was up!! Megan only caught the 1 fish while poor Andrew didn't catch anything. He was super sad as we waited for Megan to get her 1 and only catch cleaned. It's tough to see your kids so unhappy and struggle with these types of things in life.

We had planned to go to the movies afterwards and had been keeping it a surprise. Even that idea didn't bring a smile to Andrew as we were in route in the car. We went to our oh so favorite $5 theater with electric recliners to see the new Pirates movie. By the end of the movie we had our good ol' Andrew back and life was back to normal.

It was a fun outing all the same. You can't have everything go perfect and it was a good lesson for the kids. Sometimes you don't always get everything you want. Our city is having a derby next weekend pretty close to us. This one is only $3 but you have to bring all your own stuff. I'm thinking we might want to hit it up so the kids can get their fill. I don't think there is any time limit to that one so we can spend as little or a lot of time depending on how we feel. It also says you might be able to win special prizes. It is worth thinking about. I know my kids LOVE to go fishing so I'm sure we'll be hitting it up. It is fun to do these types of things with the kids and I'm sure they'll remember them as they get older.

Kindergarten Circus

Andrew's mainstream kinder class put on a circus performance for this year. It was super cute and very well done. The teachers were dresses as ring masters and the kids had on matching color shirts depending on their act.

They came in the gym in pairs and got all set up on the stage to sing a few songs. Andrew did such a good job following directions and participating. He was dang cute!!

They had a ring set up in the middle of the floor and the color groups would come out and perform their act. They had jugglers, tight rope walkers, muscle men, ribbon dancers, plate spinners, and gymnasts. They were all glowing when it was their turn in the ring.

Andrew was in the muscle men group and boy was he showing his strength. they all came up and picked up a "500" pound weight and raised it above their heads several times. The PE teacher was coaching them to grunt and be strong. Way too cute!!

They even had a number where family got to come in the ring and dance with their kids. The floor was packed as I worked my way to Andrew. He was patiently waiting for me and showed me how to hop to the music. I loved getting to go and was really proud of my little guy. I loved how creative the performance was and how well all the kids did. We've come a long way with Andrew and it really shows.

So I had been super excited to go to this circus and even made sure the night before I had my camera all charged and ready to go. Imagine my surprise as I'm taking pictures the camera tells me that my internal memory is full. That can't be I should have and sd card in. I flipped open the compartment and sure enough someone, who will remain a mystery, took out the card and all I could get was what the internal memory would hold. Hence only one very short video clip.

B-I-N-G-O

The kids school had a PTA fundraising event of Bingo. We thought it would be fun for the kids and help out the school so we decided to hit it up. With a few reusable cards each we started our fun bingo night. When the first winner called out bingo, Andrew got a bit sad and tears started to form since he didn't win. It was a good lesson for him to be patient. We were hoping that our night wasn't going to take a turn and the kids not have fun.

We played for about an hour and several games went by. We were one hot family winning 2 bingos and one of the final blackout grand prizes. Andrew won first and he picked the green hat as his prize. I won next and gave my card to Megan. She went up to the prize table and came back with the red hat, which I thought was an interesting pick for her. Then the grand prize was full of books and other misc stuff. We were the big winners and had a great time. It was nice to do something as a family and have a good time doing it.

Happy Mommies

This years Mother's Day weekend has started off with a bang. My kids have brought me goodies that they have made for me at school. In addition Andrew's special education class put on an awesome Mother's Day concert that I attended.

I am finding myself at a loss for words to describe how much I love my children. They are my pride and joy. As they grow older and their personalities begin to show I find it so much fun to explore life with them. Their views on things are interesting and I see how they grow during tough teaching moments.

Both of my children were brimming over with excitement to give me their gifts. Megan hand decorated a box that contained a chocolate cupcake and a personal homemade card. Andrew gave me a potted plant with a picture of him stuck in and a card as well. They were really glowing to see my reaction to their hard work.

Andrew's Mother's Day concert just touched my heart. They performed 3 songs and played the marimbas. It was so awesome to see him getting into his performance and having so much fun. After they invited us the to support center for cookies and a gift of flowers. He was equally excited to have me in his class and to show me what he had for me.

It was so special to be among those little spirits. I feel so blessed at all that Andrew has taught me as his Mother. It has been an interesting journey that has taught me so much and I feel truly honored to have the experience.

I have no idea what the rest of the weekend has in store, but my cup is already overflowing. Thank you to all the women in my life that have Mothered me with their advice, friendship, and listening ear. There is truly nothing like the influence of a Mother.

We all scream for ice cream

Megan & Andrew's primary earned an ice cream social for bringing their scriptures to church. They had this cute little board that was shaped like an ice cream cone with 3 scoops of ice cream. If you had your scriptures you got to place a dot sticker on the ice cream part. Once all the white was covered the kids earned their reward.

Both of my kids were super excited to go yesterday after school. Once they got off the bus we quickly got ourselves together and headed out. There were kids everywhere and all were enjoying their treat. They had the traditional chocolate and vanilla with a variety of toppings. By the time we got up to getting ours there was only vanilla left. My kids were a little sad about that but took the vanilla and got all their favorite toppings.

There wasn't very much room as they were all packed in but they did have fun. They got to play a little pirate type candy land game at the end. As they landed on different squares there was a church related question, song, or pictures to answer. Once at the end they got to the treasure where they learned the next reward is going to be a pizza party. I love the incentive for them to make sure to bring their scriptures. I know it really has an effect on Megan and we are working on Andrew. I think after the ice cream he might start to be interested. It was good times and I'm glad that we were able to go.

Playing Peek-A-Boo with the Sun

We've had on and off weather lately. One minute the sun is out and we are ready to play and the next the clouds roll in and it rains. During one of the sunny moments we took full advantage and had fun outside for once.

There is the walking path a quick car ride from our house that I've been dying to explore. It makes me a little nervous to go out by myself as it is a bit secluded. I waited for a sunny day and one where Jeff could join us.

We geared up and headed out for some fun. We took the path which was around a mile or maybe more. The kids thought it would never end but I thought it was all very beautiful. I loved our little hike and the best part for the kids was that it ended at a play park.

It was a nice reward at the end and they just enjoyed playing and loving it. There was a family there that had a ferret which was fun and interesting. Once people started to notice they packed up and left. I guess they didn't like all the attention. The next cool thing was someone showed up with one of those bubble things that you fit a person inside and roll around. It was for toddlers but still cool to see.

We spent a whole afternoon just enjoying being together as a family and loving the outdoors. I cherish those types of moments and I know we all had a great time. I can't wait for the sun to decide to stay with us so we can have lots more of those moments.

TOFW

I got an awesome opportunity to attend Time out for women in Seattle this past weekend. I really had a great time and think I was in need of the break. We stayed at Tammy's house so that we were closer to the venue and that was equally as fun.

We arrived Friday during the day. Tammy treated us to homemade scones and great company. Once stuffed we headed out to our first taste of the event and none of us could wait. We got to hear the music of Michael McLean, and talks by Mariama Kallon and John Bytheway. It was a great opener to a full weekend. The whole event was "choose to become." It was a little sample of the big day on Saturday. We ended up going back to Tammy's and talking till around almost 2am. Tammy finally gave up and headed to bed. MarGene and I got all settled with the lights off but ended up continuing to talk. Before we knew it the clock showed 5:30am. I'm not sure what we were thinking but really enjoyed our chat. We only got about an hour of sleep.

Saturday was packed with tons of uplifting things. I can't even tell you what exactly I loved the most as it was all wonderful. We got to hear music from Mercy River, a trio of moms that sounded so pretty. I had to get their cd and have already played some of the music for my family. We heard talks from DeAnne Flynn, S. Michael Wilcox, Merrilee Boyack, Dean Hughes, and Emily Freeman. I loved each of those talks for different reason and have a set of notes on each one. I'm still marinating in all that was said and hope to apply some of it to my life. I would really like to figure out in my own life to become me. It has given me a bit of a different outlook on things already and I know it had an impact. I am very appreciative for the opportunity and can't wait to see what comes out of it.