Our own bloody horror movie!

Alex and Cammy were having a rare moment of getting along and playing and wrestling. Ok, not that rare, but siblings, you get it. Well, boys being boys, Alex's knee slammed into Cameron's nose pretty hard. NO, the glasses did not break! Can you believe it. But his nose did start bleeding. He's had more bloody noses than Alex and I combined! He starts freaking out. He's hurt, he's scared, he's mad! He's crying, screaming at Alex and spitting blood all over me. I really should have had Alex take a picture, but he was pretty upset too. By the time we get Cammy to the bathroom and Jim cleaning up his nose, I am washing blood off of both arms. I'm in short sleeves and washing them sleeves to fingers. It was gross! Then I had to clean it out of the carpet. This kid makes me do so many things I just don't want to have to deal with!

An hour later Jim and I are in the office. Jim says, "I keep saying that if Alex would knock Cameron good one time maybe Cameron would stop bugging him so much." This is while the two of them are playing nicely in the living room. Cameron got over the "I hate you's." He forgave Alex and told him he was sorry for saying that to him. Then he even yelled after him that he is a great brother. Awww. Another happy ending.

Basement Fun!

David came over the other night and helped Jim clean up and organize the basement. It looks AWESOME! So, now the kids can play down there. The big tub of Legos is down there. The big rule is that they have to be put away before they come up. Alex normally doesn't like to venture downstairs, but for Legos it is a different story. They had a blast last night and got along so well. That is until Cameron had to come to bed and was playing tricks on Alex by turning the lights off on him!

I am hoping to move some of these toys downstairs. We managed to get 2 of Cam's big ones down there. They are just stacked on top of each other in the toy room.

Now if you call and say it's quiet, I can probably say, "He's downstairs."

Fun girls night out!

Andrea took me out tonight. We went to Steamer's for dinner which was really good. Then we went to a jazz, big band, orchestra like Christmas concert. It was awesome. Her husband plays the french horn and was playing. It was beautiful. Had a blast!

Beginning the season

We've started celebrating the joyous season with fun activities. Cameron is making an advent tree on the fridge. Jim is going to have us all send cards to soldiers overseas. I went to an inspiring Christmas celebration for the women at Andressa's church. Monday night Andrea is taking me to a Christmas jazz concert that her husband is playing in. It should be a lot of fun.

Gobble, gobble!!

I hope that everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving. We went to Janelle's this year and had a great time and wonderful food. Kai made the turkey and stuffing. We also had mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cookies and I made a pumpkin cheesecake. Of course we left with full bellies. Not a good football game, though. Dallas was beating Seattle so bad, we just turned off the game. The boys hung out with Kai and watched Kung Fu Panda and played video games, while the adults talked and got things together.

Swim Lessons

Cammy completed his first round of swimming lessons and passed level 1. In 4 1/2 weeks he went from not wanting to go under water to swimming under water. He also started jumping off the diving board tonight with a life vest on. He had to have jumped 15 times. The 1st time he wanted me to catch him, but after that he was on a roll.

Tastes like broccoli

We've all heard the saying that it tastes like chicken. Well, if Cammy doesn't like it, it seems to taste like broccoli. He had a lollipop tonight and had to throw it away, because it tasted like broccoli. He had to take his "poop medicine" (as we call it) and since it's in powder form we had to put it in a drink to dissolve. After going through I don't know how many drinks we finally found that the best was Sunny D. We're out right now. So, we tried kool-aid. At first he said that it tasted better, but as he drank more, guess what. It tasted like broccoli.

Catching up

I haven't blogged in awhile. Just been busy. Cammy's last swim lesson is tomorrow. He's had fun. We'll start up again after the new year. We're still going to be doing the free swims. Why do they call it free swim, it's not free? Shouldn't it be public swim? It's been good exercise for me since I am still doing the Weight Watchers program. I've lost 24lbs and am feeling good.

Alex went out Monday looking for a job down at The Landing. There are a lot of places to apply down there. He took the bus down there and spend the day before going to the library and a long bus ride. Forgot to tell him that you have to catch the bus on the other side of the street to come back. He ended up going to Bellevue and then catching another bus back.

Now we are in November. With the time change I think it threw the boys off. They have been bickering the whole time. They had some time away from each other last night and some today since Alex spent the night at a friends.

Okay, here is the big shocker. My early riser slept till 10:30 this morning! He wasn't feeling well. He's better now, just a tummy ache. Now he's out riding bikes with a kid from down the street.

That's the update. I'll try and keep up a little more.

Halloween

We went to the Broska's for our annual Halloween event. Okay, it's not really an event. Usually Jim and Bryan take the kids out while Ann and I hand out the candy. Jim wasn't feeling well, so Bryan got all the kids this year. I was not buying costumes this year, so we were going to create something. As luck would have it, while I was in the basement I found the costumes from a couple of years ago. Alex was a Bionicle and Cam a pirate. They had loads of candy. I guess the funny moment was a lady giving out plastic spoons.

In the groove.

We finished a big week. Cammy had his 2 swim lessons. After the 2nd Jim and he stayed for open swim. He said that Cammy spent more time under the water than over. The fear has been removed. And on a Cammy note we finished a great week of homeschool. We managed to do every subject everyday. He took his spelling test today and got them all right. He's also doing basketball and art. He's enjoying it all. He has so much energy the sports are good for him. That and with the days getting shorter it'll make up for less time outside.

Alex was able to go to science today. His teacher had surgery and was recovering. Yesterday was his library day. He loves it. he spends 3 hours there every Thursday. He started an elective course this week. He's studying Consumer Math. Being 16, I thought that it was important subject to study.

Sassy the cat has pretty much moved in. Okay, not inside. Especially with a leather couch. But she wanders in when we bring in the groceries. Cameron made a bed for her and she gets food and water. (Thanks Julie for the big bag of cat food!) She's always here and loves us all. She is amazing with Cameron. So, tolerant. Cameron is getting better with her.

Well, tonight we are all headed to the pool. It's nice and cheap fun and exercise.

Swim Lessons

Cammy started swim lessons last night. He did really well. The power went out in the middle of them and he was a little anxious and then got over it. They were bobbing under water. That's progress for him, because he hates going under. There are only 2 in his class so that'll be great for more attention.

Alex's 16th Birthday!

The party that didn't end! Kai and Josh spent the night and ate pizza & brownies and played video games all night. Literally! I went to bed at 1 am. Jim and Cammy were out in the camper. The boys crashed at 5 in the morning. Then by 9:30 they were up and at it again! The three of them had a blast together. They were laughing all night. I went to bed with my iPod plugged into my ears! Then Kai headed home and I took Josh and Alex to Josh's house. They stayed by themselves that night. Then he stayed an extra night and before he came home last night they also went to see a movie. They took him to see City of Ember. He had a great birthday and I'm sure is looking forward to going to Target to spend his gift cards.

It's been awhile

Things have really got moving around here and I've put off the blog. So, here is an update since Cammy's birthday.

Jim's good. The kids have really been enjoying the Bible stories he reads after dinner. Okay, we all do. I like to hear the story and then read it in the Bible.

Speaking of Bibles the sermon Sunday was on the book of Ruth. I love that book. It's a beautiful story.

Alex is on the countdown to his 16th birthday. He's really excited. I am too in a way. It's a special year. Things start changing and it's a real growing period. I'm looking forward to going along with him on this journey. He's taking science at the co-op and enjoying it. Wednesday he is going to the community center for a teen summit and they will have seminars and lunch there. He likes his library at the Renton library. He goes every Thursday. Sometimes there is a teen advisory board meeting, sometimes they have their teen game day. Most of the time he just loves to go and read. He also enjoys playing soccer again.

Cameron is the super busy one. Which is probably not surprising. He thrives by going, going, going. He's still doing group therapy on Mondays. Tuesdays he is now doing basketball through the community center. Wednesdays he takes an art class with 4 other homeschool boys his age. Friday he has a class at co-op, too. He's playing soccer with Alex, too, on Saturdays. He's also going to be starting swimming lessons on Mondays and Tuesdays. That was gift from Janelle for his birthday.

Now me...I'm great. I weighed myself today and in 3 weeks I have lost 14lbs. YAY! I don't see it with my eyes, but I can tell with how my clothes fit. Sometimes it is hard watching my points and others not so bad. My goal is to just not give up. My body is a temple of the Lord and I need to treat it as such! I'm also doing a lot of homeschool work with the boys. I'm a lot more involved with both of them this year. We're using new curriculums for Alex and they are very good, but require a little more from me, which is fine. I am a homeschool mom after all! ;) Cameron's a matter of remembering that I am the parent and he is the child and keeping my patience. He gets better the more it is a routine.

There is our update. I'll update again after the birthday party on Friday night.

Cameron's 8th Birthday!

Cammy had a great birthday. We went to Hazen pool with a bunch of his friends. Some funny stories about that. Let me just say that I will not be catching Cameron off the diving board again. Afterwards we headed to Dairy Queen. I LOVE the Strawberry Cheesequake Blizzard. Okay, I just love cheesecake. Anyway, I had a migraine all day until 30 minutes before the party. God blessed me with the timing. There is no way I could have handled that with a headache. Cameron got lots of presents and gift cards. Saturday I took him to Target and he went shopping. He bought a bunch of noisy trucks and cars and a chainsaw. Yes, the chainsaw makes noise, too. And now we have an 8 year old again. When Alex was this age Cameron was just placed with us. So much has happened since then. Just click here for the birthday pics.

Zoo Day

Cameron, April and I headed off to the zoo today. It was supposed to be raining, but we only had a few sprinkles. Not even enough to bring out the umbrellas. We had a great time and were lucky enough to see the big cats and hear the lion roar. I think the most beautiful would be a tie between the giraffe and the tiger. Cameron loved all the animals and had a blast. He really loved the squirrels. Go figure. Like we don't see enough in our back yard! He didn't have a favorite. He just loved seeing more and more animals. He was so good while we were there, too. And I even got 3 1/2 hours walking in. My feet didn't hurt too bad till the end.

Lost tooth

We didn't think this tooth was ever coming out. It's his 3rd lost tooth. Just in time for 8th birthday pics. I took an idea from a friend, (thanks Andressa!) and tied a piece of floss around it. I had him yanking on it and i finally popped out.

Sassy

Cammy finally got one of the stray cats in our neighborhood to allow him to pet it. Well, it seems that we have adopted him. He's not allowed in the house. Jim was like, "oh great!" Totally complaining about it. Then he asked if I was going to feed it. I told him no and he said I should. Then a little later he made a cat toy for her. Yeah, Mr. Anti-cat! Cameron is absolutely thrilled. He could barely go off with Gerry for therapy. Homeschool focus was tough. I did let him have breaks to play with her.

Birthdays

We have the party themes set. Cameron is having a pool party and Alex is having a sleepover game night. They should both be fun. Of course, Cameron is jealous of Alex, but that seems to be the norm lately. He's jealous of everyone and thinks people should be jealous of him when he does stuff. Where does this thinking come from?

As they turn 8 and 16 many memories come to mind. Alex was Cammy's age when he was placed with us. So much has happened in the past 8 years with both of them. I've watched Alex grow (taller than me) physically and mature so much mentally. He's looking forward to his birthday so he can look for a job. Cameron, well...he's come through so much. They are both my miracle boys, but Cameron truly has had to fight for his life. It's hard to believe the kid who doesn't stop was ever so sick. Can you imagine him on oxygen now? He'd have the tube all over the place making barriers!

Birthdays are always so nostalgic. It's great to look back at all the blessings God has granted us with these two boys. Of course, God has quite a sense of humor, too!

Weight Watchers

Okay, so I am starting it again. I did it a couple of years ago and then one thing after another just slipped away. I have a dear friend who has lost 20lbs and looks AWESOME! Seeing as she did it on WW, I was inspired. It's day 2 and so far so good. It's mentally challenging, but I'm hanging in there. I know I can do this. It's just going to take work. When I struggle I need to turn to the Lord. I can gain strength from Him.

Ocean Shores

We had a great trip to the ocean this past weekend. We arrived around 4 or so and parked the camper and headed out to the beach. It was low tide and I can't believe how far the water was. We got a few good shots on the camera and decided to head back to camp, set up and start a fire, while we waited for our friends to arrive. We had a great evening, great fire and fun together.

Saturday came and was very windy and misty. We figured that the sun would burn off the fog at any moment. Not exactly sure how long we were waiting, but it just didn't happen. We still had fun. We went down to the beach with the horses. The kids had a blast playing. Alex and Cameron rode the horses. Alex has decided that he's not really into them. Cameron was thrilled he got to ride without anyone holding the rope.

I didn't get many pictures. Some are on Andressa's camera, but I did upload the ones I had here. What you will notice is that our visibility was about 500 ft. Sunday we woke up to a beautiful sunny and warm day. We should have headed down to the beach, but decided to head home instead. We had a good trip.

A big weekend

Alex had his first meeting at the library today. He is on the teen advisory board there. He is really excited about it. Turns out that there were 4 boys including him.

Tomorrow morning the kids and I are off to co-op. It's the first day and they are each taking a class.

After that we are headed out to Ocean Shores! Another camping vacation at the beach! This time with our friends the Grosso's. They are bring their horses so the kids are looking forward to riding on the beach. This is going to be the last nice relaxing weekend before the schedule starts filling up. We are supposed to have gorgeous weather while we are there, too. I'll put up a report and pics once we get back. Right now Cameron is asking me to put Devo and POD on his ipod. He's been listening to too much music with daddy.

Back into things...

This week we get back into some of our routine. We went to church this morning and really enjoyed it. Cameron had a good time and his teacher made sure to tell me a special thing he did during class. Tomorrow Andressa and I are going to our first homeschool meeting of the year. Then Friday we start co-op.

The best thing is that Friday we head out camping again! Ocean Shores!! I love camping with the camper. I'm already planning the next trip!

Venting out my bad day...

It started with a headache as the alarm went off. I decided to opt out of our routine and sleep in a little. Big mistake! Cameron did a great art project with all my post it flags and water in a Sprite bottle. Now if he had done this with permission it would have been great. I may have even helped him cut up colored paper, but no he had to use up all my flags which I use a lot.

Next came Bible time. Wow can that kid argue and whine! "It's too hard," "I don't want to do this," "Why do I have to do this," "Can I do it later?" I think about 20 minutes later when he realized that he wasn't getting out of school work he finally gave in. Then homeschool went much smoother. Almost even fun! Of course, at this point all privileges had been taken away so I didn't get to throw him outside! Oh, that's another story. The night before, Cameron is only supposed to ride up and down the sidewalk or alley. He decided to cross the street and ride up and down next to the train tracks!

Okay, my day continues by getting a piece of mail that while it was no big deal, just seemed to bring up some bad feelings of things in the past.

Alex being so sweet offers to give me a break and watch Cameron. That would have been awesome if they weren't bickering like cats and dogs!

I tried to sync my Centro and Palm Desktop froze on my computer. I searched the boards, uninstalled it, reinstalled it a dozen times. No fix! More frustration!

Jim came home from a bad day, but was chilling at home. He was watching the Republican Convention on the computer. I decided to finally take that "me time." I go to watch a streaming movie, but with both of us trying to stream, my movie wouldn't start for an hour and a half.

I gave up and watched a movie in the living room with Alex and Cameron (half the time.) It was a good movie. I recommend it. We watched "Amazing Grace." It's not something I would have normally picked out, except that it was based on a true story with such great biblical principles.

I try one last time before bed to fix my Palm issue on the computer to no avail! Off to bed, but can I sleep? No, I'm tossing and turning about that stupid Palm program. Up I get, search more through Google, try a few things and FINALLY fixed it.

Off to bed for a good night's sleep! Today is a new day and I did NOT sleep in!

Cannon Beach!

WOW! What a vacation. The forecast was rain everyday. It rained one night while we were sleeping! You have to check out the pics on the Picasa site. We were planning a Monday-Thursday trip, but were having so much fun we stayed an extra day. It was our voyage trip in the camper. Minus one flood we had no problems. Okay, we had the light that didn't want to go off.

Jim and Cammy spend most of the time at the beach. My feet still aren't that great so my beach visits were limited. I just enjoyed some quiet relaxing time away from it all. Alex was with me and did a lot of reading, but wished he had brought better books for the long stay. We cooked in the camper and over the fire. Jim wasn't thrilled with fires this trip. The wood was damp, so it was a lot of work. We had a couple of good fires, though. Cameron loved riding his scooter all through the park.

We had fun with the bunnies and the horses. We have a lot of pictures of them. Cameron named the small white one Snowball. It was nice spending time together and relaxing.

12 hours and counting!

Curtains are made and hung. Carpet is cut and laid down. Lights are hooked up. Packing time has arrived and we are doing the finishing touches. Come morning we load up and go. It's been hit or miss working today with all the rain we're having. It's not even a drizzle, it's a good steady rain. Any other time I would love it. Cameron has been helping and I got a great picture of him using the sander. Alex comes and checks our progress, so I am keeping him busy in the house.

Cannon Beach...here we come!

Making Progress

Looks like 60's and rain is what we are headed to in Cannon Beach. But the cool thing is... WE'RE IN A CAMPER! If it rains too much we'll still be able to cook and sit around, play games. I'm bringing the laptop as last resort for a movie if it rains too much. After all it will be 4 days.

Regarding the camper...We have the battery in and working. Jim put up the new paneling at the dinette. I recovered one of the cushions and that area is almost done. the blinds just have to be rehung. I need to make one more curtain for the door. I lined some drawers. Now I have to plan out where things are going to go. I bought some cute "vintage" cups for hot cocoa. Vintage, hmm. Let's just say the brown they are goes with that 70's green fabric on the cushions!

Things are really piling up here. There is so much camping stuff in the house it's crazy. I put the cushions in tonight so that I could pick up all the little pieces of broken crayons and those plastic beads you iron. Ugh! I remember last time I said I would never buy those again. They are good for Cammy's vision therapy though. Especially when he wears his patch.

Alex is really getting into World History. We are using the Bob Jones curriculum for that subject and he is just fascinated with it. He loves that it relates history with biblical history. Friday he is off to the library for a teen anime thing. He's looking forward to it. It's part of the library's teen summer reading program.

Getting ready.

Jim has been busy, busy, busy getting the camper ready. He has done a lot of work on it and cleaned it up. I've made some pillows, curtains and recovered a cushion. Jim and Cammy washed it the other day and now it is raining. That's how it goes. The camper is pretty much our focus right now. Not much else. We leave in one week. YAY!

Countdown to Cannon Beach!

We are just under 2 weeks till camping time! We are in "get the camper ready" mode. We got a mattress for the top and curtains for the kitchen pass through and a shower curtain for the bathroom. Wow! Sounds like we have a huge camper! It's an 11 ft. cab-over camper from 1973 (I was 1) and we can't wait to use it! We still have a bit to do on it, but nothing too major. Mostly clean up, rinsing the tanks, a little maintenance and getting the battery for it.

Blue Angels

******

We had a great time watching the Blue Angels this year. Jim went all 4 days alternating kids. The Friday show the four of us went onto the I-90 bridge. Cameron loved laying in the middle of the highway. We had a great view and Jim got some good video each day from different vantage points. His goal is to watch them from the water next year. Hmmm. We'll see!

Summer Reading

With summer comes the summer reading programs at the libraries. Cameron has read almost 500 minutes already. Being read to also counts. Alex through in 60 minutes on the porch yesterday reading Bionicles to him on the front porch. They had a good time, although I think part of the agenda was to wait on the front porch till Kai came over with his Wii! 8)

Whoa Nelly!

We've been watching Little House on the Prairie starting with season 1. We all love it. Especially the kids. So, for those of you who remember the show, you'll love this... Jim has had Cameron saying "Whoa Nelly!" during baseball. Well, at practice today a kid hits the ball and Cammy yells out, "Whoa Nelly Oleson!"

Another Beautiful and Hot Summer Day!

Cameron's pool is warming up in the back and Jim is contemplating jumping in himself. (I'll post pictures if he does!) Cameron's been riding his bike up and down the alley. Jim, Cameron, and David were outside washing the cars and trucks. Alex got a new PS2 game and is busy playing in the air conditioning. It's 83° right now. Strawberries were on sale, so we're having the perfect summer dessert. Pound cake, with sliced strawberries and cool whip! YUMMY! It's just a great summer day!

Go Yankees!

Today was Cameron's first baseball game! Cameron hit good and caught a good grounder and tossed it to 1st base. He did great. This is coach pitch and a fun group through the community center. Everyone bats until they hit the ball. Even if they are out they stay on base and everyone moves one base each bat. It's not competitive at all. They were all great out there. Cammy and his friend Garrett are on the same team and both looked sharp in their Yankees shirts and hats.

Mustang Melanie!

Abba now sings "Driving Queen." Prince sings "Little Green Mustang." Wow! What a weekend! Jim completely surprised me for my birthday. He had bought me The Message Bible on CD's which I had been wanting. I thought that was it. Then Saturday morning he gave me the keys to the green mustang convertible he rented me for the weekend! AWESOME!!! The kids loved it, too. I drove all over the place and just had "Fun, Fun, Fun till Jim took my mustang away!"

Jim did good! This was my best birthday ever. I've had fun with my friends and family. I've laughed all week and just enjoyed everything about my birthday. God blesses us with so much more than we deserve, and I see that in Jim every day! He is the best husband in the world. And yes, I would say that even if he didn't get me that AWESOME GREEN MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE! Click HERE and check out more pics!

Thanks to everyone for making my day so wonderful this year! Through cards, emails, gifts, phone calls, time together, little surprises, big surprises, it all blended into the perfect birthday! I love you all!

Happy 4th of July!

We had a fun evening. We cooked bratwurst and burgers on the grill. Then we packed up and headed to the end of Renton Airport on the water. We sat in the back of the truck and the kids sat in their chairs on the grass. We loved watching the fireworks and there was a guy there that played the National Anthem on his trumpet.

A Day of Homeschool

What a day! It was one of those tough days. Alex is doing his work, and Cameron is trying to get out of his work! I just have to thank Abby for his Webkin. I was getting so frustrated today and decided that there would be no Webkinz, and he turned around so quick! I've decided to give up on math, science and the like for summer. We are going to concentrate on reading and writing. I told him that he needs to read well in 2nd grade so he can read the directions by himself. He really is a good reader, but just doesn't like doing it. Of course at the library today he checked out 9 BMX Plus magazines. I know it's for all the pictures, but maybe he'll read a little of them!

By the way, it was another hot one today. Cameron and April did firework oil pastels today and we hung them up. He did them with his patch on and did very well. She is so good with him. She helps out with the therapies, watching him if I run out, and just being there to play with him, so that I can get other things done. She is a blessing!

HOT, HOT, HOT!

It was ninety something here. Jim put in the air conditioners yesterday and they have saved us today! It was cold sandwiches for dinner. I wasn't about to add heat by cooking! Alex was sleeping under his 3 blankets. I don't know how he does it.

Cameron was out in his pool again today. That and Jim took him to the skate park around 7 this morning. He took some video and I was shocked to see how he rides. I'm not sure I could have watched his stunts. He was going airborne!


As June comes to a close the heat has moved in and summer has truly arrived. Of course the way this year has been, maybe we'll have snow for the 4th of July! 8) We are looking forward to a fun summer and will keep you all updated!

Summertime!

Cameron has started baseball. He is going to VBS this week and having a blast. He has 3 of his friends in his group. Today is WATER DAY! It's also the coldest day this week! Oh well! It won't stop Cameron.

Alex is hanging out with a friend today. He likes to go to the farmer's market on Tuesdays. When my foot is completely healed I will get to go again. He and I like to read on the front porch.

I have to say thanks to Jim's mom for our patio furniture. We are really enjoying it. Cameron always loves to be on the porch, but now I can get Alex out more. Somedays Jim and I will just sit out there and relax.

Next week should be fun with the 4th of July. Also with my birthday which is on the 2nd, no matter how many of my friends think it is on the 3rd! Maybe I should change it.

Bike Day

I got a bike the other day to ride to work and back. My job is only a few blocks away, but the dr. doesn't want me walking on concrete. So, today I rode to and from work. It was the perfect day for it, too. Then after work, Cammy and I went for a ride through the neighborhood. I'm trying to teach him riding with street rules. We really have to work on staying to the right. He's excited about me having a bike to ride with him. He also likes racing me. Now we start our new venture.

Father's Day and more

Jim had a good Father's Day. We went to Azteca and then to the drive in for a double feature. Okay, jim picked the 2 longest movies. We saw Indiana Jones and Prince Caspian. Jim and Cammy slept through the 2nd movie. We still had a great time. We got home around 3am.

On the medical front, (which someone in our family always is) Alex is set to get his crowns in September and they are going to put him under general anesthesia for it. Cameron was on Strattera and it just wasn't doing it for him. Now we are on Adderall XR. Pray for improvement.

Now for the FUN stuff. Abby got the boys Webkins. They are both having a blast with them. It's a great tool for homeschoolling Cameron. He's not aloud to do Webkins till his homeschool is done! Cameron also started baseball yesterday. It's coach pitch and everyone seems really nice.

After baseball practice, Cam and I needed to get some shoes. When we got home Alex had made a surprise viseo for us of his Transformer performing music. It was funny.

Jim finished most of the restaurant. He got a few days off and is finishing up the ceiling now. That and she added another wall for him to do. It's been great seeing him the past few days.

Now it's time to et moving. Lots to do today!

Dedicated to Ann...

I guess I haven't updated my blog in awhile. Lots going on, but not a lot exciting enough to write about. The past week has been really neat. Verna, Jim's mom, came out for a surprise visit. She surprised all the boys. She's here till Thursday morning and we are all enjoying her visit.

Jim's birthday was yesterday and he turned 41. We had a nice dinner for him with steak, shrimp and of course his favorite, potato salad. We haven't seen much of him, while he's on this current side job. He's painting the inside of a restaurant in Kent.

Cameron's had a couple of trips to the urologist. I won't go into details and embarrass him, but he did get a renal ultrasound and thought it was cool to see his kidneys. He would laugh to make them move around.

Alex is working hard to get reports done. He doesn't have much longer in 9th grade. He's been reading the driving test booklet. I can't believe we are getting close to driving. We'll see when though. A lot needs to happen before he gets a license.

Well Ann, I hope this catches you up some. We still need to get together, have a head size margarita and walk over to JoAnne's!

Sunny and 87°

Just a month and a half after snow and hail, here we are sunny and hot! Jim is spraying the kids with the water hose and we've got the fans blowing in the house. The funny thing is that we are supposed to have highs in the 50's and 60's later this week! Weather, the one thing you can count on is that it is always changing!

On another note, my foot is healing nicely. I'm back in shoes again! It's an adjustment. The good news is that I don't have to go back to the doctor for 6 weeks. I should be all healed up by the end of July. The sad thing is that I needed to pass my crutches on to Alex's friend Kai. Please, keep him in your prayers. He fell and broke his ankle yesterday. He's got a long road of healing ahead of him.

Happy Mom's Day!

I pray that all the mom's had a great day! I took the kids to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream, where I had my favorite...cheesecake ice cream with graham cracker crumbs and cherry pie filling mixed in. YUMMY! Then I took Alex and Cammy to see Speed Racer. It was really good, but could have done without some of the language and a certain gesture done by a child. Anyway, we had a good time and then headed for some Chinese food. I think the 3 of us had a pretty good day. The boys and their MOM!

From My 4 Walls

I am bored out of my mind. I was recovering well. Then I started moving around more and that sent me back a few steps. Friday night I went to the emergency rom and got a shot and more meds. It felt like I had a razor blade slicing the heel of my foot open, and that's not where my incision is. So, here I am still in bed. Other than the bathroom and the e.r., I have not been out of the bed since Wednesday, and now it's Sunday. Okay, wah, wah, wah. That's my pity party!

Now for the brighter side of things. I've got 2 windows right next to my bed, so I am getting some fresh air and sunshine. Jim and the kids have been super helpful. My friends have been so awesome and helpful, too. Cameron's big contribution have been Frazier (stuffed dog) and Pandy (stuffed panda.) They are the medical officers that take care of me. I actually like snuggling up with them.

Thank you for all of your prayers!

Recovering

I am bored out of my mind. I was able to start using the laptop in bed today. Before that I couldn't stay awake that long. I'm still in bed most of the time. The pain is easing up. I still can't put any pressure on that foot for another day. Then I can use it slowly still with the crutches. I have to not try and push it. If I start walking on it too soon then scar tissue could build up. Since I have a history of scar tissue I am being extra cautious.

Jim went back to work today, but has called checking in on me. He and the kids have been great nurses to me. I've got books and magazines from the library stacked up by my bedside. April was sweet and brought me some beautiful pink tulips. That was an extra special treat since I don't get to go to the tulip festival this year.

Here we go again...

Tuesday is my foot surgery. Another surgery in the Earhart house. Combined between us this will make 15! I've got a couple of days off my feet and then crutches for 2-3 weeks. No fun! I thought crutches were cool in high school (weird, I know!) but they just don't fit into my mommy plan. The family is very supportive and up to the challenge of helping out. Cameron has chosen 2 stuffed animals to be my medical officers. Both have been through previous surgeries with the kids. So, Frazier ad Pandy will help take care of me.

Alex is off to spend a couple of nights with his friend and go to a Newsboys concert. He's pretty excited. Cameron is excited to spend some time with daddy. He's really been wanting to work in the basement with daddy. Maybe they'll get to do some of that. I need to have some of these toys moved down so I can get through with my crutches!

More Crazy Spring Weather

Yesterday we had a storm come through. Lightening, thunder and a ton of hail! It was pea sized and coming down so hard it looked like snow. Cameron still had his anxieties, but it was mixed with excitement. He was proud of himself. I couldn't get Alex to go outside for a picture. He was comfy, cozy reading on the couch. So, here is Cammy out in the hail covered ground! Maybe we'll actually get some spring weather here soon!

Spring Snow

Last week was the beginning of spring. Now we're having SNOW! It's really weird. It's not sticking, but it comes down like a blizzard. It started last night and then Jim had some at work today. What's funny is that Monday is the last day to take your snow tires off here in Washington. I have to admit as much as people are kind of annoyed by it being this late, I like it. It puts a little extra spring in my step. Something about snow makes me feel like a little kid!

Happy Easter!

What a wonderful day it is! I spent most of the morning in bed, Jim the afternoon. We're both sick, but it didn't stop our celebrating Christ's Resurrection. Alex and I made the traditional dinner. The kids and I colored eggs. When we sat down to dinner Jim led communion and then I led the Jelly Bean poem describing the colors of the jelly beans and the symbolization of Easter. It was something for Cameron's level of thinking.

Now the dishwasher is running and the kids are watching the Veggie Tales Easter Carol. Jim's in bed. While not the best Easter we've had, it was still great. After all, we're not celebrating for ourselves, we're celebrating for our Savior.

Happy Easter to all!

Part time days are here again!

I loved the extra income that came from working full time, but it was exhausting. Cammy and Alex both didn't get a lot of school work done. Alex really stepped up and helped out a lot. April was a big help, too. She took Cam to the park and went with him to ride his bike. That was good to get him out of the house during the day. Now working 2 hours goes by so fast. Just when i'm getting into something I look and it's 5:00 already.

I'm trying to get back into the routine of things. The kids have lots of appointments. Cam had his neurodevelopmental therapy today. he was all over the place. Judy (his therapist) must be the most patient person in the world. Tomorrow Alex goes for a retainer check. His teeth look so good. The braces really helped a lot. Next week they have dentist appointments. And the list goes on.

This Saturday will be Cameron's last basketball game. He's excited because he gets to be co-captain. Afterwards we are going to the Grosso's to hang out and have lunch. Cameron and Garrett were on the same team. They did really good, too! Alex and Cameron are both back into soccer, too. They love it!

Our 15th Anniversary

We had such a wonderful anniversary. The kids stayed the night with friends and we got a room for the evening. We did some shopping,a movie and had some good food. We have some great friends who sent us off with a basket of goodies...wine, chocolate, strawberries, candles, etc. It was such a sweet surprise. The room had a nice tub with jets and I had such a relaxing bath with candles and wine. It was great just spending some one on one time with Jim. We've been so busy the past few weeks, that it was great just being together. We're ready for the next 15!

It's Tuesday!

Okay, so it doesn't really mean much that it is Tuesday, but I am at work and needed something to do. So, let's blog, yeah! I'll give a little update on the fam.

Jim is in heaven. First we got a cab over camper for the truck for $100. We've got lots of camping trips planned already. Then this weekend for another $100 he got a big flat screen tv, that weighs about 500 lbs. I think it's 2 feet thick! Jim is happy, though. The kids love how big the video games are now.

Alex...he's working hard with school work and quiz team. He's participating in the quiz team drama as well this year. He's excited about that. He's been a big help with Cameron and around the house while I am working. We are blessed with helpful children. He's still into his Lego's and constantly adding to the collection. He needs a Lego room!

Cameron is playing basketball at the church. He loves it. Last week he was a co-captain and was so proud. Not much school work has been going on with my working, but he is still working on his reading. He loves science movies, though. He's always learning by soaking up the world around him.

Me, what can I say? I finished week one of my 4 weeks of full time. It hasn't been bad. I just feel like I have so much to do at home. I've been able to not get too far behind. Everyone has been pitching in.

Praise God for all our blessings and joys!
Praise God for all our sorrows!
Praise God for everyday is a gift!

Valentine's Day

I am truly the luckiest girl in the world. Chinese and chocolate is all I wanted for valentine's day and that is what my love brought me. That and a sweet card. As we sat around the table eating dinner he asks that they each say a reason why they love me. I am so loved!!!! Then we headed to the living room and played Outburst for awhile and had fun laughing away. It was a great evening.

An Awesome Weekend!

What a fun weekend! The quiz team invitational was held at our church this weekend and we hosted a couple of boys from one of the other churches. Everyone had a blast. Alex's team won the novice tournament! He's very proud!

Cameron had his first basketball game! They dominated the other team, but just had a blast. He got a star for best effort. He got one basket. It's such a great program combining sports with sharing the Gospel.

Jim and I are really proud of the boys. They both put forth their best efforts this weekend.