My Desktop

Here is a screen print of my desktop. I do NOT like autohide on the taskbar. I feel like it's being a difficult child when it disappears like that so you will always see the taskbar on my computer!

25 Random Things...

I've been wanting to do this for a few days now, but just never seem to have the time. Here goes:

1. I feel so lucky to have such a great family! I have three kids that are the cutest kids on the planet and a wonderful husband who is still my best friend after 20 years of marriage.
2. I've lived in eight different states throughout my life and I've found that the one I live in now is my favorite:)
3. I have two older sisters and a twin brother. One sister and my brother still live close to where we grew up. The other sister has temporarily moved to Singapore. We're still pretty close for having been separated for so long.
4. I love hiking, camping, and playing on the beach with my family. That might be one reason I love this state since there is plenty of opportunity for all three of those activities.
5. I am so busy that I don't even have a moment to breathe without three kids asking me why I'm doing it.
6. My kids are growing up way too fast! It seems like just yesterday that I found out I was having my first (which was 11 years ago next month!), and I can remember my preemies being so little and vulnerable that I was scared to touch them! Now they are the tallest in their respective classes.
7. Because I am so very busy, I don't have much time for ME!
8. I love taking pictures of my family, the scenery, and just anything in general. I don't generally do much with the pictures, but I still love taking them.
9. I miss my mom! I keep thinking that I need to tell her something and then I remember she's gone and I'm crushed.
10. I miss my big sister being here in the states. I know I can still talk to her but it's just not the same as being able to reach her in at least the neighborhood of the same time zone.
11. I love writing on this blog, but like many other things in my life, I don't have much time for it.
12. My family and I just started having a Wii Family Game Night every Friday night and we LOVE it! The kids wait with much anticipation for Friday nights and they are on their best behavior at school so they can participate.
13. Now that the kids are a little older and more self sufficient, my husband and I are trying to figure out a way to make more time for us. We're trying to plan a trip away, we have date night once a week at home and less frequently out, and we're just trying to make more time for each other every day.
14. My day begins with a bang at 6am every morning, and I don't stop running until 11pm at night. Does everyone else have such busy days?
15. I make lists every day of what needs to be done and promptly lose them.
16. My son is much smarter than me. That scares me!
17. I have a difficult time disrupting the routine of our house, which means that the kids don't have as many playdates or sleepovers as they would like.
18. My best friends still all go to the kids' old school. Most days I feel very alone at the school the kids go to now. I know it's the best school for them but I'm not sure it's the best school for me:(
19. I love that my kids are involved in Scouting. The girls are really making lots of new friends since they started in Brownies this year, and Nate enjoys being a part of the Cub Scout group. The activities they get to do are amazing!
20. I love to read, but like many other activities on this list I don't have much time for it.
21. My house is constantly in a state of disarray as we prepare for a new home improvement project. I'm looking forward to the day that we can say IT'S DONE! We are making progress, but still not quite there...
22. I love being home with the kids and being able to participate in fun activities, vacations, and moments with them.
23. I'm starting to lose momentum! This is harder than it looks.
24. The amount of laundry my family creates is amazing. I could do a load a laundry a day all week and still not get it all done.
25. I love being able to share these random things with my friends and family.

I hope this works. I spent way too much time on this activity. Now I'm late!!!

A day in the life of our family...

John came down with a virus this weekend and was miserable all day Sunday and today. We finally got him to the doctor (you know guys and doctors!) and found out that he has strep throat. Since Nicole had also been complaining of a sore throat John took her into her doctor and found out that she has it too. The other kids seem to be doing okay with the exception of both of them having colds. John kept Nicole home and occupied while I ferried the other two kids around the town.

Nate had his first orchestra concert tonight! He played the bass guitar with gusto! He enjoyed dressing up, helping to set up the orchestra chairs, and moving people around until HE was satisfied with the arrangement. Sounds like Nate, doesn't it? He was able to really focus on his guitar and play along with his peers which is a great step in the right direction. He even made it out to the van after it was all over with almost no resistance. What a great night!

Does life ever slow down???

This has been such a busy week again! Last weekend the girls tried to have a tea party with a friend at our local tea house, only to find out that it had been booked for a private party (they could have told me when I called!). We ended up taking them out to Olive Garden, which wasn't quite the same but still fun. Nate worked on his Pinewood Derby car while we were out with the girls and then I came home and picked him up to go to the park because it was a gorgeous (very cold!) day.

On Monday, Nate went to a friend's house for a play date, and I took the girls to the beach to meet their best friend. Tuesday was a day for me - I went out to breakfast with my MIL, left the van for an oil change, returned a few things, then returned to pick the van up. Wednesday was a full day too - I went out to lunch with a friend which took up most of the day. Today was my day to go to the dentist (yuck!) and more returns in frigid weather.

Our nightly activities included Speech Therapy, Brownies, Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, tonight is Bingo night, and tomorrow, well who really knows??? It's an exciting life I lead I'll tell you. I don't know how parents who both work actually get anything done!

Wii Family Game Night!

We decided after such a long, intense week that we would eat dinner and then play the Wii as a family. We had so much fun! We pretty much stuck to Mario Kart and all of the variations in the game. The kids kept running into us and laughing so much they had tears in their eyes. We enjoyed just hanging out and encouraging the players on throughout the game. I have pictures of the games but it's difficult to see how much everyone is enjoying themselves.

We currently have Mario Kart, Mario Galaxy, Cars, Kung Fu Panda (not sure about that one as it's really violent), Monster Truck, Wii Play, Wii Sports, and Animal Crossings City Folk. The kids' favorite games so far are Wii Play, Animal Crossings, and Mario Kart. Everyone keeps telling us to rent games but we haven't yet.

This has started out to be an awesome weekend!

Scout Mania...

This month is going to be busy, busy, busy! First, we had the Cub Scout recycling to complete last weekend. We picked up several loads of Christmas trees and delivered them to an elementary school where they were sent through the chipper and used for flower beds at Mukilteo schools. Nate and John had a pow-wow with another dad and his boys to design, cut, and paint their pinewood derby cars last Sunday. They all turned out great! Next weekend they will finetune the design, paint job, and weights in preparation for the Pinewood Derby on January 21, 2009.

In the midst of this busy week, we also started the yearly fundraising for the Girl Scouts. The girls each have to sell 150 boxes, but they are already well on their way! They are having loads of fun! I have to say that their fundraiser is a much easier sell than the Cub Scout popcorn was. Could it be the drastic difference in price, the national reputation for the Girl Scout program, or just how darn cute the girls look? I guess it's probably a combination of all three...

On a sad note, Amanda's best friend just moved away to another school in this area. They were best buddies and had so much in common! They both had long dark hair, big eyes, and a love for horses. They could practically finish each other's sentences. Everyone thought they were sisters when they were together. We're going to try really hard to stay in touch and keep them interacting with each other. They live very close so that makes it easier...

We're singing in the rain now...

The snow has all finally melted, just in time for the rains to begin. It has warmed up to a balmy 50 degrees now and it feels wonderful outside. Now if we could just get the rains and wind to stop it would be perfect! There are rivers, streets, and highways flooding all over the place. The rain is coming down in sheets, causing trees to topple and roofs to cave in. This extreme weather has to stop sometime, right? Wish us luck as we try to navigate through another mess...