A Very Sound Sleeper

This is a funny story about Austin. One night while we were on the Pioneer Trek, Spencer and I woke up in the middle of the night to a loud sound "thunk" sound. We both sat up in the dark wondering what was going on. After the thunk it was completely quiet and so it surprised me when Spencer said, "Austin fell out of bed". Austin had literally fallen from the top bunk bed in our trailer, landed on a bag of dirty clothes to help break the fall and kept on sleeping. He never even woke up. Spencer scooped him off the floor and put him back in bed and both of us were just dumbfounded that #1: He fell; and #2: He never woke up. Thank goodness that dirty pile of clothes were there to soften the landing! Normally Cameron sleeps on the bottom bunk and Austin gets the top one, but with Caylin sleeping in the trailer too, both boys had to share the top. Cameron fell asleep first and got Austin's favorite spot in the back corner and I think Austin just got a little too close to the edge that night. I consider ourselves lucky that this didn't result in a serious injury. The next morning we asked Austin about it and he had no idea what we were talking about! How funny.

The Pioneer Trek

A couple of weeks ago the youth in our church had the opportunity to experience a little bit of what the Pioneers had to endure when crossing the plains in search of religious freedom. 250 people (youth & leaders) were grouped together to make a total of 18 families. Spencer and I were called to assist in the cooking for these people the entire week. We were fortunate enough to be allowed to bring our trailer and our boys. Another life saver was the fact that we were able to bring Caylin with us since her entire family took part in the trek, and she helped us greatly with the boys.

Duties required as camp cooks were sometimes hard, but we did alot of playing as well. Each day started out at 5:00 a.m. with the preparation of breakfast and ended around 10:30 p.m. The first day felt that as soon as one meal was done and off to the kids, the next would begin. By the next day we came up with a plan to have most of the prep work done so it gave us a lot more free time. In addition to Spencer's help in cooking the food he was also the designated food deliverer. Three times a day he had to tow the kids' meals up to where the trekkers were stopped and hand them their meals. Each family had a dutch oven and 10 gallon bucket designated just for them. A few times I went with Spencer to deliver the food and I was shocked at how rough and grueling the road was. Anytime we were around the youth we had to wear the appropriate pioneer clothing.

Visiting the trekkers at camp was so much fun to see during the course of the week and talk with them about how it was going. On Thursday evening, the entire crew from base camp was invited to join the trekkers for dinner at Far West where they were camped. That night was probably the most real night in terms of what it really would have been like as a true pioneer family traveling with a large group. By then I noticed that each family was united. They had gotten to know each other well. As I walked around the meadow I could hear one family gathered around in a circle praying for their food. Another family would be singing a song and others laughing. It was a neat experience to see.

During the week we did have time for fun. The gigantic slip 'n' slide created great fun for us. We hit it several times each day. Spencer and Caylin went tubing down the Yakima River, the kids and I went swimming in the pool at the nearby Best Western, thanks to one of our bug fearing leaders in the stake. We went on walks around the lake and the boys caught countless grasshoppers and other bugs. Our kids were so well behaved during the trip and I can't be grateful enough to them for that. I am also so grateful to Caylin for her help in attending to the kids' needs while I was busy getting food to everyone.

This calling was such a great opportunity for me to really get to know a lot of people in the Stake that otherwise I would have not been able to know. It was wonderful having my family there with me and in the latter part of the week other friends as well.

Cameron learning to Swim

Having three kids to watch closely in the swimming pool can be a chore. That is why I have always put Cameron in a life jacket to ease my mind. However, after seeing Bronson jump into the pool without a life jacket and kick his way to the surface I thought we'll lets see what Cameron does. I was blown away when he started swimming underwater to the ladder. He then did it repeatedly. The next time we went to the pool I brought my camera so Spencer could see for himself that Cameron can actually swim for short periods. Seeing this makes me wonder how much I hold my kids back because I think they may not be ready. Like I said, I would not have tried this if it were not for Bronson. I am glad that he enjoys learning to swim, but I am still a little worried because he doesn't show any fear of the water at all! I want a level of fear instilled in him so he respects the danger. This video shows him jumping into the pool and swimming to the ladder.

Training with Mom

One of the best things I do for myself is daily exercise. I feel my best when I get exercise into my day. I used to be a member of a local fitness club, but I have found it easier with kids to just squeeze in a workout video at home early in the morning. When I first started working out at home my boys would always ask me why I exercise. To be healthy. Losing weight is a great motivator in the beginning, but feeling energized, building endurance and being physically fit are the true reasons why I am faithful in sticking with it day after day. So when I started exercising at home I wasn't always alone in my workouts. The boys are so much fun to watch as they try to keep up with the routines. A few months back I bought Turbo Jam, a really fun Cardio Kickboxing DVD and Cameron said, "Mom that's not exercise, that's fighting!". A couple of weeks ago the boys joined in on one of my workouts and Spencer happened to be home and grabbed the camera. I think it's so much fun when they do this with me.

Cameron, the Little Stinker

We are having a problem here lately with Cameron. When he doesn't get what he wants he says something like, "You are not my friend!" or "So and So's Mom is mean!". And today he said that Caylin was mean last night while babysitting and that "She is not his cousin!". She is Austin's cousin, but not his. I feel like I am constantly sitting him down talking to him about this, but he just doesn't get it. Even after numerous visits to time-out, he still doesn't get it. He must know that deep inside I am laughing at him and that is what keeps it going ... although I never show him that.

Middle of the Night Wake-up

This story is a continuation of what happened during the night after getting home from the firework show. As you know fireworks in the summer start late just after the sun goes down, around 10:00 p.m. So by the time we arrived home we were pushing 11:00 p.m. and all of our boys were dead asleep. After peeling them from their car seats and getting them into the house and into their beds we too went straight to bed. At 2:15 a.m. I heard a strange sound that sounded really close. The sound is hard to describe; somewhere between snoring and growling, I've never heard anything like it before. I said, "Spencer do you hear that noise?" He said "Yeah", and so I sat up to listen more intently. As I sat up I looked down the hall and in the light of the moon I saw something sitting right in the doorway to our room, it was two stray cats! We do not have cats and so I yelled, "Spencer, there are two cats in our room!" He got up quickly, ushered them out, and then I heard the garage door shut. Apparently in our efforts to get the kids out of the car and in to bed we not only forgot to shut the garage door, but the door leading into our house as well. Nice! I asked Spencer if everything appeared to still be intact in our garage and luckily it was.

Our Fourth of July

Having the Fourth of July on a Friday was perfect since that gave us a three day weekend together as a family. Earlier in the day we had some errands to run and along the way we stopped at one of the nicer parks in our county so the kids could play. It was Andrew's first time in a baby swing and he would smile as soon as he swung towards us and then would tense up when he pulled away. He never cried but I could see that he had a death grip on the chain he clung to.

For dinner we met at Spencer's parents house for a BBQ. The food was delicious and we provided the dessert afterwards. I couldn't help but buy the large Costco cupcakes. They were so patriotic looking in the box displaying the American flag that I had to buy them. After we ate the girls pulled out a few fireworks that they had bought earlier and started to light them off. Cameron, who last year was deathly afraid of fireworks, started to freak out. He cried frantically and so I went over to pick him up and calm him down. As I was comforting him I thought to myself, what in the world, and pulled him away to find that he had in fact had the pee scared right out from him. At that point I said it was time to go home.

Before we left to go down to the river for the firework show I asked Jeff to bring along some ear plugs that we could place in Cameron's ears. The area we sat in to watch fireworks was fun. Right next to family and friends. We were close enough to hear the live concert, but yet far enough away so that we could still carry on our own conversations without too much noise. The firework show this year was weak, to say the least. Usually the fireworks are a lot better to watch, but it was not the best at all this year. It took us a long while to get home and when we did our kids were already knocked out and asleep. The next day we all slept in and had one relaxing day.

Always Good at Surprises

This last Thursday Spencer and I had plans to go out just the two of us down to the river for a concert. As time was approaching for us to leave he said that he had a surprise for me, but I'd have to wait and see. As we were getting ready to leave the house I heard Spencer on the phone with someone saying, "I'll call you when we hit 405". I was surprised, I knew 405 was in Portland, but I had no idea where he was taking me. After we drove into Portland he started heading up Burnside towards NW 23rd. I thought I was so smart and had figured out where he was taking me. I said to him, "you're taking me to a Beavers game!" He said, "No, but close". I said, "isn't PGE Park near us?". He said, "Yes, but there are two sports teams that play at PGE Park, Baseball and Soccer." I said, "You're taking me to a soccer game!?" He said, "not just any soccer game, the Timbers are playing a professional club team from Mexico". Awesome! I know how much the Mexicans love soccer so I was really excited. I then asked who we were meeting at the game and it turned out to be Brandon and Eileen, his cousins who are a blast.

Going to PGE Park was great especially since it was my first time there. I have never been to a professional soccer game before either so I knew it was going to be a fun experience. Immediately upon entering the gates into the park I knew how serious the Mexicans were about rooting for their team and country. They were all there decked out in jerseys and the teams flag. For the first half of the game we sat in the "Rowdy" section of the Timbers fans. Yeah, I could only handle that for so long before we moved to a better section and enjoyed the rest of the game sitting in our seats. Spencer and I both agreed that we had to bring Austin with us next time, because I know he would have a blast. The game was fun, the Timbers lost badly, but it was just so much fun to be there.

After the game Spencer and I headed to PF Changs in Portland and got a table outside. We ordered some lettuce wraps and a dessert, the Banana Spring Rolls to share. It was so much fun sitting there talking and people watching. Thank you Spencer for always being so good at bringing fun and excitement to our lives. This was a very fun and memorable date!

Here's Proof

Here is proof that my boys really can play nicely together. It was so pleasant when I looked out the back door and found Austin and Cameron sitting together, quietly drawing in their books. This went on for a while and it was refreshing. The boys are at that age where Cameron wants everything Austin has and Austin likes to provoke Cameron some times. It gets old and annoying real quick.

Austin turned 6!

Today is Austin's birthday. Man, I can't believe he is 6 years old. He is growing up so fast! This morning we started a new tradition where we take the birthday boy out for breakfast. I am all about traditions and love the idea of having a birthday breakfast date. Austin also chose to go bowling and invited a couple of friends to go. They had a great time. We then came back home and played in the backyard for a while. This evening after the boys showered and got ready for bed we all snuggled on the couch for a movie, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and watched it together. It's days like this that I love. I love spending time with my family.
Austin - You are such a wonderful son. You are thoughtful, respectful, kind, affectionate and smart. I appreciate you so much. You always joke with me that you are special because you were born first. You are special! This family would not be the same without you. You are a great example to your brothers and to me. I love you so much. Happy Birthday Son!