Christmas Day

Christmas morning!!! Seriously, can any other day really compete with Christmas morning when you're a kid!??? These kids almost look intoxicated, they're so happy! This year, however, the kids woke up in Grandma & Grandpa's house and they were relieved to know that Santa did in fact get the memo. They all made out like bandits, like always. A highlight for Austin this year is his new snowboard. He was pretty excited to get it and strap himself inside. He has already had his first "daddy taught lesson" up at Mt. Hood and did awesome. I think he'll be picking it up really quickly. Grandpa was kind to fix us a big, wonderful breakfast before we trekked back home for the remainder of the day.

Every Christmas we try to uphold the family tradition of shooting clay birds with our shot guns. This year was no exception. The Ridgeway's invited us out to their property for this event and we had such a great time. Both Kyle and Justine were able to take leave from the military and spend Christmas at home. It was great to see them! Later that evening we headed over to Jeff & Marie's for dinner. Marie has taken on the tradition of hosting Christmas dinner at their house, which makes us all happy because she is such a great cook!

Not all gifts were opened in the morning. Spencer and I had a present waiting for the kids at home. We got them a 26 gallon fish aquarium for their room. It's really a neat tank and we got lots of fun accessories, including a large, bubble-blowing dragon. Unfortunately, we lost about 7 fish in the beginning while the tank was trying to get established, but now we are going strong. Fish tanks are so soothing and eye catching, we all love it. The boys fall asleep to watching the fish eat every night.

Christmas Eve

Geez, I am having to resort to my pictures to spark all the memories from this past Christmas. To me it feels like the holiday season was 6 months ago. Time sure has a way of flying by rather quickly. Lets see ... Christmas Eve this year was a little different from normal. We still held the traditional bowling and lunch at Burgerville with friends, but then afterwards we packed everyone and everything up and headed north to my Mom's for the night. Many years ago Spencer and I established that we were not going to venture away from home during Christmas. This year we ate our words. I had a long aching desire to spend Christmas Eve with my parents up north and Spencer was kind enough to oblige. Christmas Eve dinner was held at my sister, Robin's house. She made Mandarin Chicken (a Reed family tradition). It was yummy. She had quite the turnout too. A lot of her husband's family, who I had never met, were there. So at first it was a little awkward, but kids have a way of breaking the ice and soon we all felt at home with each other. After dinner we all sat in a circle around her family room and did a gift exchange. The boys got new Jammie's, which they didn't waste anytime getting changed into. Once back at Grandma's house, they each got to open a gift from Grandma & Grandpa. I thought that the excitement of the night would be enough to keep them up all night, but it didn't. We all slept well.

Mom Play Time

For the first few months of the school year Sherene and I had a standing play date every Wednesday afternoon. Kid free. Sherene had an arrangement with her friend where they did a trade every week. Sherene and I were talking one day about all of the things we'd like to do and that's how the idea popped into her head to ask Brandi if she'd be willing to watch my two kids as well. Brandi was totally on board. That gave us 2 hours a week to go play. We had all kinds of fun. We hit every little shop in town that we've always driven by but have never had the time to go in and check out. We did the same thing in the next town over. We ate lunch at different restaurants. We did some grocery shopping without the hassle of kids. And probably the most fun outing was going to the driving range at the golf course. Those were good times! I was sad to see them end, but Brandi no longer needed to do the trade. It's amazing how just a couple of hours a week of Mom/Friend time can really make a difference.

Looking forward to ...

I am so looking forward to the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this week!!! I can't wait! Ever so slowly I have become a huge fan of the series, almost a tad bit obsessive at times. The books and movies are soooo good and if I had enough money to just throw away I would fly my family to Orlando and visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It just sounds like so much fun. At any rate it's always nice to have something to look forward to and this week it'll be Harry Potter. Yippee!!

Cameron's Award Ceremony

This past Wednesday was the SCORE award ceremony Cameron was invited to attend. It lasted almost 2 hours and was a really nice event. The high school offers a Catering Class and the students prepared a very good breakfast for us to enjoy; Egg & potato casserole, sausages, cinnamon rolls, fruit cups and juice. While we were eating the school superintendent spent a little time talking about the meaning of the SCORE award. We then had a guest speaker, retired Portland Trailblazer, Jerome Kersey. He shared a little about his journey to the NBA and encouraged the kids to get involved and make a difference. He then presented each student with a medal that was engraved with their name. It was so neat to sit back and watch my little boy be honored, thinking the whole time "whose child is that?"!

Andrew turns 3

Andrew today is your third birthday!

It seems like just a few months ago you were a little toddler running around in diapers not really being able to express all the things you wanted. Today you seem like a little man to me. You are smart & confident. You know what you want and will do what ever it takes to get it. You have such a great imagination. You listen to the words we tell you and then you aren't afraid to use the same phrases back to us, "Just one second" and "wait a minute" are just a couple. We absolutely LOVE your evil laugh. I don't know what it is about your laugh, but it makes us crack up every time. And finally, I absolutely love your smile! Your smile is so contagious. You are a very happy little guy. I love you with all of my heart and wish you the best 3rd birthday possible!!

Love, Mom

Halloween Weekend

I really enjoy Halloween and this weekend has been one on-going party. The celebrations began on Friday. I volunteered at Austin's school to help with their Halloween party, I did a little face painting. Thank goodness the kids were only 3 & 4th graders and didn't really care that I have no previous experience with face painting. The kids did have some eerie requests though; one boy asked me to paint a bullet hole on his forehead with blood dripping out of it, however, most just wanted stitches across their face with remnants of blood. Later that afternoon the boys got dressed up and I took them to the local nursing home for their annual event. The weather was beautiful and I was able to get some good pictures of the boys in their costumes. We nicknamed Andrew "Bones" and Cameron played the werewolf part well. Austin chose to be a scary ghost this year so I nicknamed us, the house of horror.

Saturday afternoon I took the kids as well as Taylar & Jordynn to the Children's Fair at the high school. I was really impressed by it! So many vendors were there and most of them had great activities for the kids. Later Saturday evening was the trunk-or-treat in the church parking lot. I like to dress up for Halloween as well so this year I bought a cheap costume from Walmart and walked around as a Vampire. It was great having Spencer join us. He got home from hunting in time to come out with us. He, unfortunately, doesn't quite share the same enthusiasm for dressing up in costume as I do. Oh well.

Seeing as the actual holiday fell on Sunday we opted to not go trick-or-treating this year in the neighborhood and just stay home and pass out candy, and the boys loved it! We also finished our Halloween Harry Potter Movie Marathon that we started on Friday. Happy Halloween everybody!

I am so proud of Cameron!

Today I received a letter in the mail that brought tears to my eyes! It was a letter from the Superintendent at our School District Office and was addressed to Cameron. Inside was a letter that said, "Congratulations! You have been selected for the Superintendent SCORE award. This award is presented four times during the school year. SCORE stands for Students Can Often Reach Excellence.

The November SCORE award honors students who have demonstrated their leadership, citizenship, or service to the school and/or community. Enclosed is your nomination that was submitted by a staff member who describes your wonderful qualities.

The really touching part was reading the nomination form submitted by Cameron's teacher, Mrs. Miller. Here is what it said:

"Cameron is an outstanding kinder. He has excellent citizenship. Cameron chooses to be safe, respectful, and responsible each day in our kindergarten class! Cameron is such an exceptional role model to the other kinder boys in our morning class. I am very proud of Cameron for being an extraordinary citizen at McBride."

As a Mom, how could a letter like that not bring tears to your eyes? I ran upstairs, hugged Cameron, shared the letter and news with him and told him how proud of him I am.

Mr. Independent!

I got it guys...No really, I can get it...

Okay, I give up! Thanks Cameron!

What a day!

This morning while I was taking a shower Andrew came into my bathroom, crying, saying he was bleeding. Sure enough somehow he sliced his finger and my mind started racing wondering what instrument I would find when I went downstairs. So I bandage him up, wiping away the conditioner that started running down my face, and forced him to stay in my bathroom until I could rinse completely off. Once we started descending down the stairs I saw lying at the bottom landing my large Pampered Chef knife, out of case. Seeing it lying there on the floor made me count my lucky stars that all he got was a little slice and didn't lose his entire finger. I have yet to find a sharper knife! Why Andrew sought out this knife is beyond me, but apparently he is too smart for my "kid proof" drawers now. I'm just glad he's okay.

A couple of hours later Cameron's bus came by to drop him off after kindergarten. The bus driver hands me a large garbage bag and starts to tell me how Cameron got thrown up on today by another classmate during school. I take a good look at Cameron and notice that he is wearing new pants and a sweater. He said his teacher has some extras in her class and that his clothes and backpack are in the bag. Let me tell you, I was scared to death to open the garbage bag because I didn't know what I was going to find! Luckily, the school was kind enough to wash off any gross stuff, but the smell was less than pleasant.

A few hours later, I returned from a lunch date and found a message on my answering machine from Austin's school. Seriously, the health room was calling! Apparently, Austin threw up at school and needed to come home. I swear the health room has got to be on a first name basis with Austin. After his bee sting incident, losing 2 teeth during school, a couple of minor injuries during recess and now this. I don't think my day could have had any more surprises waiting for me. Despite all the drama, it was actually a really great day!

PUD Spaghetti Dinner

Last night we attended the annual PUD spaghetti feed at the fairgrounds. We don't usually think to go, but we always really enjoy ourselves when we do. Cameron entered their coloring contest and won 2nd place for the kindergartners. He won $5 cash and was pretty excited about that. I love this event. The PUD hires caricaturists and although it takes forever waiting in line to get your kids drawn, it is well worth it! They always turn out so adorable. It's definitely a great family event.

Young Women Camping Retreat

Back in June we took the Young Women on an overnight camp out to Fort Stevens State Park. Tent camping at the coast anytime during the year is risky, but it worked out great for us. No rain, not even drizzle, until literally the minute before we had planned to pack up and leave. Our Ward has such a great group of Young Women and I feel so lucky to be in among them.

Our journey began late Friday afternoon when we all met up and started our way for the beach. Once we got there we set up camp and then drove to Seaside for dinner. We ate at Bar Harbor Pizza and then found a candy shop on the promenade before we left. When we got back we had our Standards Night presentation and some great questions were asked by the girls.

Bedtime was perhaps the most exciting. We had a practical joke played on us by a handful of young men from the Seaside Ward. After a humorous, yet scary display of seeing someone "perched" outside of our tent, our tent collapsed on us at 1:30 a.m. and the guys ran off. No one could sleep after that.

In the morning after breakfast we broke up into groups. The walkers and the cyclists. The walkers went to the beach to play for the day, while the cyclists rode to a bunch of the tourist sites around. After a few hours we all met back up for lunch and then headed home. It was a really fun time with such great company. I got a kick out of the car ride home though because the girls crashed and were drooling and sprawling out all over each other. Good times.

New Beginnings

This has been an exciting back to school year for us as Cameron has now reached the dear ol' age of Kindergarten! He shares such enthusiasm for going to a big kids school, it's adorable to watch. Austin on the other hand has now switched schools and has headed into his 3rd grade year. In our neck of the woods our school district does things a little differently than others. We don't have the typical "neighborhood schools" that house K-6. What we have are 3 elementary schools and each school is dedicated to certain grade levels; K-2, 3-5, and a whole school for the 6th graders. It's kinda weird, but it seems to work. Unfortunately this means that Austin & Cameron will always be at separate schools from each other. The good news is, both have landed awesome teachers this year and I am excited to see the growth that each one of them makes.

A Stinging Mess

Last night Austin had the unfortunate experience of being stung by bees, not just once or twice, but 7 times! It happened at the Cub Scout Pack meeting in the back of the church. Of course he wandered into the wooded area, where the boys have been cautioned to stay away from, but they are boys and unfortunately, sometimes, they have to learn the hard way. Grayson was also victim to the yellow jackets and came away with 3 of his own. Poor guys! Thank goodness we had so many well prepared Scout leaders there to help us remedy the situation.

So this morning I lathered Austin up with Hydrocortisone cream and sent him to school with a note to call if he had any issues. One hour later the Vice Principal called and said Austin was itching like crazy and needed me. I pulled him out for the day and have been pumping down Benadryl every 4 hours and rubbing him with cream. Sadly, the affected areas don't look any better at all.

Live and Learn

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one out there who feels like they are always playing catch up??? And why, when I know how hard it is to catch up, do I let myself fall behind??? This is me!

This past year I have had a really hard time with balance in my life. Then of course there's something monumental about a lack of balance in one's life that leads to a lot of unnecessary stress, and I have definitely felt on overload. Back in the beginning of August I made the decision to leave my part time job and put family first. Not only is it gratifying to be home in the evening with my family, but it's amazing how much time I feel that I have now. So there's no excuses now why I should always feel behind.

It recently hit me how much I miss scrapbooking and blogging. Blogging to preserve my thoughts, and scrapbooking to showcase our family pictures. I am disappointed that I have let so much time pass in doing something I love so much to do, but hopefully lessons learned means wisdom from making the same mistakes again. Hopefully!

Road Trip to Utah

I love a reason to travel and so when I found out Ryan was getting married in Utah, all I could think about was, Road Trip!!  Spencer was not able to take off more than a couple of days so I opted to drive with the kids early so we could spend some time with my parents in Utah.  I invited Caylin & Megan to go with us to which they were very excited.  The first day we drove as far as Meridian, ID and spent the night with our friends, the Cluff's.  It was so much fun to see them and their two little girls they have had since moving away.  The following day, Sunday, we arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.

Each day we spent in Utah was a blast!  We went to a kids waterpark called, Cowabunga Bay.  After leaving the waterpark we had to track down my absolute favorite ice cream joint in the world called, Iceberg.  I think the girls were pleasantly surprised when they got to experience Iceberg shakes.  Other activities include; spending time with my sister, Brittany; a visit to Wheeler Farm; a family BBQ; swimming at the community rec center; movie nights; a picnic in the Canyon; and of course all of the fun events involving Ryan's wedding.  As much fun as all of these activities were, I must say that two of the highlights of the trip include; Spending time with my brother Cory who happened to coincide his visit with mine; and going on a special daddy-daughter date.  My Dad and I went through a live session in the Salt Lake Temple together, a first for me.  That was a special thing to do with just him.  Spencer flew into SLC on Thursday afternoon and then he drove us home on Sunday.  This road trip was so much fun, I really was bummed when it ended! 

Ryan & Ashlynn's Wedding

When Ryan and Ashlynn announced that they were getting married I don't think there was a person around who wasn't thrilled!  Ryan has always been a man of good character, who knows how to make excellent decisions, and I am so grateful for the example he has been for my boys.  His wedding was going to be an exciting event.  Ryan and Ashlynn decided to get married in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in South Jordan, Utah.  My Dad lives in West Jordan so the location couldn't have been more perfect.  The ceremony itself was wonderful.  What a neat experience it is to be so far from home yet surrounded by the people you love.  That is a Temple sealing for ya!  The reception was held later that evening in a beautiful reception hall in Gardner's Village.  Everything was done with class and the newlyweds couldn't have looked happier. 

Cameron showing off his one arm push-ups in front of the ladies.



Austin's Baptism

Turning 8 in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a big deal.  We believe that at 8 years old a child is very capable of making wise choices and is therefore responsible for their actions.  They are also old enough to understand what it means to be baptized and who Jesus Christ is.  When a child turns this magical age they have the choice to be baptized and confirmed a member of the church.  We are so proud of Austin who chose to be baptized and take upon him the name of Jesus Christ and always follow him!  This was a very special day and I hope he will always remember it.  Two talks were given at his baptism.  Ryan spoke on baptism itself, and Grandma Waite spoke about the Holy Ghost.  Grandma Waite gave Austin a compass as a reminder that when we have the companionship of the Holy Ghost we will never veer off course, or get lost.  To this day he keeps the compass in his scriptures.  Austin was baptized and confirmed by his Father.