Because I said so!

Happy Birthday Brandon

2011-04-17T22:44:00.000-05:00

April 18, 1999....12 years old.

How time flies.....

Adoption Day April 12, 2002

5th Birthday Goofball

Cheese!

Brandon, Mom and Dad

At our wedding....Dave, Autumn and Brandon

And Brandon now....12 years old

Brandon flashbacks.....

2011-04-15T17:04:00.000-05:00

9 Months old

9 months old

1 year picture

1 yr old

2 years old

2 year picture

Nothin' cuter...kinda wish I had a picture

2011-04-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

There is NOTHING cuter than your 3 year old shuffling out of the bathroom, with his pants and underwear around his ankles saying, "mom, I just went poop and there is no toilet paper!".

Then, as I approach, he turns around and shuffles back into the bathroom and bends over with his head on the ground and his butt in the air, pointing right at me. He holds that position until I finish wiping his bottom.

I make him flush and pull up his own pants.

Morning at the park

2011-04-13T13:05:00.000-05:00

The little boys and I had some free time this morning while Brandon was at his testing so we went to the Sports Complex to enjoy the park. It was only 45 degrees though so it got a bit chilly. Logon had to put on Austin's coat that was in the car and Austin had to put his spring coat over his sweatshirt...BUT they had LOTS of fun.

Afterwards we went to L& M Fleet Supply to check out the baby chicks....now only if I could get Dave to let me have some. The meat chicks are only .99 Cents each...of course there ain't much meat on them yet!

Random...

2011-04-13T12:51:00.000-05:00

If you look closely, Austin is trying to "pop a wheelie" on his scooter...

And after spending all winter clearing the snow OFF the driveway, I just wanted to help it melt, so I started shoveling it back ON the driveway. Of course Austin thought he should help push it around a bit.

Pictures from my short escape

2011-04-13T12:46:00.000-05:00

I often forget to take time for myself and then get crabby. (Just ask the kids!) Especially with Dave gone 95% of the time...and not knowing anyone close by that I can dump the kids with very often, it gets ugly around here. SOOOO....last weekend, my mom and John came to town to visit and help out John's dad, Alvin, after he had surgery. It was also Alvin's birthday so we went out for Alvin's birthday lunch and then I ditched the kids and high-tailed it for Duluth with my friend Abby.

We stopped at Outback steakhouse (where I ate too much food) and then headed down to Canal Park where I took these pictures. It was a beautiful day, but a little overcast. Lots of high schoolers showed up at Canal Park to snap pictures in their prom attire. Hopefully none had an unfortunate "run-in" with a seagall before their big night barely got started.

I just liked this one for some reason...the light house at Canal Park

Big boat and little boat out in Lake Superior

The lift bridge that takes you to Park Point

Looking up the hill from Canal park

Hello, My name is Joanna and I am an addict...

2011-04-11T12:44:00.000-05:00

I wonder if there is a 12 step program for this specific addiction? If not yet, probably soon since I know for sure I am NOT the only one ~~enjoying~~ suffering from it. I am addicted to reading blogs. I read blogs about being frugal, I read blogs about other peoples family and children, I read blogs written by single's, married couples rebuilding houses, families of 16 and people that have lost loved ones. Some are happy, some are really sad, some are eye-opening and some give me ideas or perk an interest in something new. Then I say to myself..."now if I could just make that and sell it, or now if I could only write and take pictures how she does it....". Its endless. And its fun. Plus it makes me grateful for what I have at times.

My random list of blogs that I am currently checking in on:

http://erikaskreation.typepad.com/fam_in_a_van/ My cousin Shay and his wife and kids

http://www.soulemama.com/ Cool, artistic hippie family living on a farm with chickens

http://www.kellehampton.com/ Cool photography and kids (1 with special needs)

http://fuglyblog.com/ Horse blog...shines light on equine abuse, slaughterhouses and such

http://simple-green-frugal-co-op.blogspot.com/ Lots of frugal writers about every subject

http://ojibirish.blogspot.com/ Big, blended family and cool photography

http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/ Homeschooling and other stuff...interesting

http://whisperingwriter.blogspot.com/ Just witty and entertaining at times

http://www.mattlogelin.com/ Sad but inspiring....wife died day after giving birth to daughter

There are more...those are just the most frequently visted ones at this time. Some are a little bit new, some are old ones I have been following for a year or longer.

Probably a big fat waste of my time and energy, BUT its enjoyable to me and sometimes I do come away with different ideas for shooting pictures or for making something or cooking a new recipe or just mad as hell. And yes, sometimes I even cry while reading some. My mom says crying is good for us though....its helps keep cancer away.

If you have any blogs you read that you think I might be interested in, please, PLEASE leave me a comment so I can add it to my list.

L.A. Photography

2011-04-07T20:38:00.000-05:00

I occasionally let Logan and Austin take a few pictures with my camera. I know, I know, dangerous. But they are usually pretty good about sharing and giving it back when I ask.

Austin twirling with Logan's bear.

Logan posing.

Logan's bear, Woody, Iron Man and a couple bald babies.

Austin with Logan's bear again. Might be time to pass it down.

Logan taking his own picture.

Not sure who took this one. Thought it was neat.

I said they are usually good at sharing...this picture tells me Logan was upset and wanted the camera NOW!

Finally, something to LIVE for....

2011-04-07T20:19:00.000-05:00

These pictures were actually taken a week or so ago, but LOOK at the lawn without snow!! The driveway WITHOUT snow! Its even better now, even though its tried to snow a few times yet. SPRING! Lots to do and explore in Spring!

Austin says, "Mom, I am soooo strong!"

Logan will wander around all day, finding big sticks and rocks to collect.

And, of course, bringing the bikes out for some trick riding!

What's for Dinner?

2011-04-07T20:10:00.000-05:00

First, we started off with warm chocolate chip cookies. Freshly baked by yours truly.

Then, chewy ramen noodles, cooked fresh by Brandon with a side of microwaved hot dogs.

Careful!! Don't drool on your keyboard.

Now time for more cookies.....

See how Austin attacked his dinner? Not so much.

Just for your information, we had roast beast with mashed potatoes and gravy last night. Tonight was Brandon's turn to cook dinner.

Scenery

2011-03-30T20:24:00.002-05:00

Cactus

2011-03-30T20:18:00.001-05:00

Boys and their dirt...and trucks.

2011-03-24T09:03:00.006-05:00

These pictures were taken in Phoenix, Arizona while Dave was chaining down the truck and forklift we were going to haul back to Grand Forks, North Dakota. Austin was able to get out of the truck to play for a bit in the 86 degrees of Arizona heat. He found a styrofoam cup and had a blast for those 15 or so minutes he got to play in the dirt.

Big truck tires...and a little boy in the background.

Going to show daddy his cup 'o dirt.

The smile, the dirty knees....big trucks and dirt. That is what being a 3 yr old boy is all about.

Finally a short escape......

2011-03-12T15:24:00.002-06:00

Yet, I worry about leaving the kids!!

What is wrong with me?? What parent doesn't dream about leaving the kids (all but 1) and heading off to someplace warm and enjoying some peace and quiet? Geesh! Maybe I think they can't survive or thrive without me. I know Brandon won't have any clean clothes. And I know Autumn will be living off of hot pockets and pizza and ramens. And I know Logan won't have a care in the world unless someone doesn't feed him and get him ice water. 2 ice cubes, of course.

Dave has a load going to Phoenix, Arizona, so Austin and I are climbing in with him and going for the ride. Hopefully that ride gets us back by next Sunday.

Gawd, I sound like I am leaving them all home alone. I am leaving them in very capable hands, just not mine. My mom and Abby are splitting the shift and Autumn will have just a few days on her own.

Now, I know what it is.....Dave's truck is lacking in appropriate air conditioning! Things could get sticky and sweaty. Maybe I will have him drop me in Colorado and pick me up on the way back.

2011-03-09T11:49:00.003-06:00

Logan and Austin were deep in conversation about their super heros...specifically Batman, Robin, Bat Girl and Wonder Woman.

Austin: "wonnerwomangirl can't hold big house up, only little house"

Logan: "what, I can't understand you."

Austin:wonnerwomangirl can't hold big houses up, only little ones"

Logan: "STOP SPEAKING CHINESE, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT!"

Kids are so precious.....and humorous!

2011-03-08T19:19:00.004-06:00

Tonight at dinner.

Austin: "Mom, if Brandon hates me, I won't have any friends."

Me: "But, Brandon doesn't hate you."

Austin: "But he will if I kick him."

To busy laughing to even respond.

Chicken, more chicken?

2011-03-08T14:05:00.004-06:00

Totally random, but totally annoying as well.

How I would love to go to the grocery store solo once in a while. Today I thought I might get that chance using marshmallows as a bribe. I told Austin I was taking Logan to preschool and then going to the store. If he wanted to come with he needed to get his shoes. Instead he wanted "big marshmallow, just one". So I said, "OK...I am going to the store, you can have a big marshmallow if you are good while I am gone."

Austin, "Ok."
As I was heading out the door with Logan, Austin crams his big marshmallow in his mouth and attempts to also hoover his 2nd "bonus" marshmallow down, so he can yell, "I WANT TO GO WITH YOU!" Oy.

So, onto the chicken story.

After we drop Logan off at preschool we are on our way to the store and Austin says, "can we get chicken?".

Me: "no."
Austin: "why?"
Me: "cause we already have chicken at home."
Austin: "Well, can we get more chicken?"
Me: "no."
Austin: "why?"
Me: "Cause we don't need more chicken."

Now if that wasn't bad enough. Once we have arrived at the store, I get....
"Are we getting chicken?".

Now, I understand why Dave enjoys being hard of hearing.

Sloppy part 2

2011-03-07T17:23:00.004-06:00

Austin, meanwhile, was devouring his second joe.

Again...no shirt, no shoes, no pants, whatever.

"SLOPPY JOES?! NEVER!"

2011-03-07T17:15:00.004-06:00

Apparently Logan has something against Sloppy Joes. When I told him we were having sloppy joes for dinner, he said, "can I have lunch instead?". No, you cannot have lunch, I am making dinner and we are eating sloppy joes.

"Sloppy Joes?! NEVER!"

After I forced him to take at least 1 bite, he said he would but would never eat them again. After one bite, came another and another. Mmmm, those sloppy joes aren't so bad, now are they?

(Yes, we eat shirtless. No shoes either. We are rebels like that.)

He did pretty good for saying he would never eat them!

Can I get back on this blog-horse?

2011-02-16T15:06:00.002-06:00

Its been MONTHS since I blogged about anything. Lets see....we moved from Alaska to Minnesota in September (the boys and I) and November (Dave and Autumn).

Sad event happened.

Kids are growing....way too fast some days. Getting too big for their britches...literally.

Lets see if I can come up with some witty posts to entertain the masses.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

2010-05-30T14:20:00.007-05:00

We spent the day at Kepler Lake and just hung out, roasted hot dogs and rented a boat to cruise the lake. It was a good time. The kids tried fishing, but we had no luck with that. Both kid poles got tangled more than once....the big poles just didn't have the right bait or the right operator, I guess.

Row, row, row your boat...gently down the stream.

Dave, Autumn, Logan, Brandon, Austin.

Dave chillaxin' after rowing the boat around the little lake.

Kristen getting sorta mad that someone (Dave & Autumn) keeps
pushing her boat back out when she is trying to get to shore.

Brandon decided he wanted to jump off the boat (got a little help from Autumn)

out in the middle, but then decided the water was too cold and couldn't get back in.

So he just clung to the side while Autumn rowed the boat back to shore.

Our Mary Kay Party!

2010-05-30T14:03:00.005-05:00

My Mary Kay lady came over to do a foot spa/mud mask thing. It was just the kids and I at home. Autumn decided she would join me and soak her feet. Brandon was hanging around but didn't say anything except for ask a few questions. Once Quinell (Mary Kay lady) asked him if he wanted to join us and soak his feet too, he jumped at the chance. And of course Austin wants to do whatever it is that everybody else is doing. Logan was outside playing in the dirt to begin with.

Here is Logan with his dirt face soaking his feet.

Autumn with her mask on...super thrilled that I caught it on camera.

Brandon and Austin with their feet soaking and their masks on. Notice the nice head band they both have on to hold their hair back. My little princesses!

Austin, thrilled to do whatever we are doing. He even put on some makeup and mascara.
Daddy was NOT thrilled with that.

Baseball

2010-05-27T02:02:00.003-05:00

Brandon...pitching for his team. His team is doing pretty good this year. They are currently tied for 1st place with 2 other teams. The tournament coming up should be interesting.

Kids say the funniest things!

2010-05-27T01:53:00.004-05:00

At the Musk Ox Farm on Mothers Day.

Logan is the one smack dab in the middle of this picture.

Me: "Logan, you look so much like your daddy!"

Logan: "well, you look like a boot. An old lumpy boot."

Me: "gee, thanks."

I sure do love that kid! Even if he says I look like an old lumpy boot.

Easter Eggs

2010-04-03T01:39:00.004-05:00

We colored Easter Eggs for the 2nd time this week.

All the eggs from the first batch got eaten up.

Here is Logan with the bowl of freshly colored eggs.

And Austin, our main egg eater.

And Brandon, getting creative with crayons.

Poop scooper

2010-04-03T01:32:00.002-05:00

I scoop dog poop, Austin scoops the snow man poop.

I think he got the better job!

Musical mattresses

2010-03-27T01:12:00.003-05:00

Toddler beds: Pros - lightweight, cheap, convenient. Cons - lightweight, don't last til they are 18, easily movable by even the wimpiest of toddlers.

Logan does not like sleeping in his own room by himself, so he often will drag his mattress over to our room and sleep there. Well, Austin is in that "monkey see, monkey do" phase and decided he wanted to drag his mattress over too. He sleeps with us everynight still but he still has his own toddler bed in their shared room. Once they got their mattresses all set up next to our bed, they weren't exactly in the mood to close their eyes and go to sleep, so I had to keep telling them to go to sleep. They didn't, so I kicked them out of my room. I told them to take their mattresses and go sleep in their own room.

Logan: "I AM NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER SLEEPING IN YOUR ROOM AGAIN!" (There might have been a few more "evers" but you get the picture.)

Austin: "ever, ever in your room." (The monkey hear, monkey do syndrome.)

Dave: "wow, that was easy! Think they will keep their word?"

They grab their respective mattresses and proceed to attempt to stomp out of our room in a huff, well Austin can't wrangle his fast enough, so.....

Logan: "Austin, move OUT of the way!"

Austin: "YOU ELP ME!"

Logan: "I think we can fit a tow truck in here."

They finally get their mattresses back into their own room and they don't want to sleep on top of them, they want to sleep under them. Dave and I were laughing hysterically by this point, so I had to get up and get a few pictures.

Austin attempting to get his mattress set up to sleep under it.

Logan underneath his mattress.

This was all good and fine, until Austin thought it would be much funner to jump on top of Logans mattress. Logan was not happy when he got pinned underneath. I went back to bed...Austin followed asking for "ma-nahs" and then Logan came back, with his mattress in tow, to our room.

10 minutes later, all was quiet.

Cookie Time!

2010-03-21T17:01:00.002-05:00

YAY! Its time to decorate cookies!! (I fully expect a huge mess.)

Lots of yummy, sticky frosting!

LOTS of yummy sprinkles, too!

And last, but not least, you have to lick the knife!!
Makes me wonder who licks the knife in the bakery?

Austin and Logan had a blast decorating cookies. They both decided that daddy needed more than a couple nicely decorated cookies too. Logan served his up to daddy, daddy ate them willingly. Then Austin got off his chair with plate in hand and promptly fell, 1 cookie landed on the floor. Upside down. I helped him pick it up and said it would be just fine. (I am the only one who saw!) He then tripped again and 2 cookies landed on the floor. I helped him pick them up again and said, "they will be just fine" and then Austin headed straight for daddy with his fine confections and said they were all for daddy. I laughed! Hard!

Star Wars Exhibit

2010-03-21T15:16:00.003-05:00

I actually didn't take very many pictures and this is the only one I will post. They specifically requested no "flash" photography so even though I lugged my damn nice camera around, I mostly obeyed the rules...mostly.

This was at the Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) transportation station. It was interesting building our little cars with the magnets and then having them levitate through the thing. As you can see from Autumns expression, she is totally thrilled beyond thrilled.

The whole thing was pretty cool though. Just seeing all the things they used in the movie, the ginormous Chewbacca dudes are really ginormous. We had a fun day!

A gift

2010-03-19T00:26:00.003-05:00

For christmas, my brother Pat and his wife Lindsey sent me a bulb to plant. They must not know that I am terrible at growing things and also keeping them alive. I thought I would give it a shot though and miraculously I have had LOTS of these blooms and this time 2 popped up and they happen to be in my wedding colors. Does anyone know if it will just keep on keeping on or do I have to spot it one of these days? I know NOTHING. I get a bloom, it starts to fall, I cut it off and put it in a vase and then another one grows and I repeat all over again.

Safety first!

2010-03-19T00:20:00.002-05:00

For some reason, whenever daddy drives, both boys INSIST on wearing some form of head protection. :o)

Baby Shower for Ruthie and Baby Elee

2009-11-09T12:40:00.003-06:00

Sue and I hosted a baby shower for Ruthann and Baby Elee. It was a lot of fun....Here is Ruthie in her new homemade wrap with Elee resting peacefully inside.

The cake I made...supposed to be a baby bathtub with rubber ducky and bubbles. It had a chocolate layer, yellow cake layer with white chocolate strawberry ganache filling and fresh strawberries and buttercream frosting.

More pictures

2009-11-09T12:24:00.004-06:00

Brandon dressed up as an old geezer...we got the mask at Walmart and the clothes at a second hand store. His best buddy Atillio dressed up as an old lady. I wish I had pictures of them together, but I don't.

Here are my super heros. Austin in the sweet shades dressed up as Batman and Logan was spiderman. They had a fun time getting candy from the few houses we went too.

Sharing some life in pictures

2009-11-09T11:18:00.004-06:00

Brandon has wanted his hair dyed of some sort for a long time and I finally agreed...AFTER school pictures were taken. He wanted to do some blue spikes but decided to keep it the way it was after I bleached out some.

While I was working on his hair, his 2 brothers fed him spaghetti that we had on the table after dinner.

Thankful for Every day!

2009-11-09T11:05:00.003-06:00

I am going to try and get back into posting and sharing pictures....I know I have been slacking. I have been struggling lately with life in general and trying to keep up and keep sane, LOL.

We had a big scare with Austin on Saturday and it reminds me of how precious life is. I was actually just trying to try and "live in today" before this happened and I almost wanted to throw that out the window and keep on worrying over what could happen, always thinking the worst case scenerio when it comes to my kids, but I turned it around and am trying my hardest to just live and let my kids live and enjoy every minute of the time I have with them. Doing this I have found that I am calmer and actually do enjoy the little things more. Taking my kids to the store, joking around, just being with them and spending time, hugging, kissing, interacting, etc.

Austin had an episode where I thought he may be in serious jeopardy of actually dying. I hate to sound so dramatic, but that is what it was. We still are not sure of what happened, but are thinking it may have been a seizure. He was white as a ghost, turning blue and on and off unresponsive for around 15 minutes. We had no idea if he hit his head, ingested something or what was going on so it was a complete mystery on why this was happening. By the time the ambulance arrived, he was awake but dazed looking and by the time we got to the ER he was alert and talking again. Bloodwork was normal, x-ray normal, etc. We will be going to his regular doctor today to try and brainstorm and possibly schedule some more testing to see if we can get to the bottom of it. I was frantic, begging him to stay with me and at the same time wondering what the hell I would do if this was the end.

Anyway, always remember to enjoy life, live every day, tell those around you that you love them, hug them and try not to worry about tomorrow or the next day or next month. Live IN today.

I am so grateful that I have this time with my children and my family. I am grateful that I had so much time with my Grandma Ione who passed away on September 25th. I am grateful that I was able to make it to her funeral, and spend that last little time seeing her off on her journey. I am grateful that I got the opportunity to talk to her on the phone just hours before she passed on. I am grateful that she was ready, calm and had lots of family surrounding her. I am grateful.

More pics

2009-09-21T23:00:00.004-05:00

Where's Austin?

Logan in the leaves

Austin getting ready to throw leaves

Putting the trusses up on the roof

Our newest Swingset/playhouse for the kids

More pictures

2009-09-21T22:09:00.004-05:00

Gypsy trying to get a drink of coffee

Logan doing some measuring

Austin measuring

Our horse shelter in progress

Horse nostril

Pictures

2009-09-21T21:51:00.004-05:00

A few pictures I have taken recently....

Austin in his cast

Logan, Brandon and Austin posing

Logan with a straw in his mouth

Austin with donut glaze all over his face

Brandon and some weird freak

Another broken bone...

2009-08-24T21:11:00.003-05:00

Austin has a broken leg. He broke his right tibia in 2 spots. It happened Saturday night and we go tomorrow morning to see the ortho doc for a cast. I am hoping it just needs to be casted and that it won't require surgery or anything "harsh" to fix it. It was a bad accident. Brandon was jumping off of the trampoline and tried to jump over Austin but instead landed right on his shoulders and crumpled him to the ground. I know Brandon feels really bad about it...as he should. We have had a talk about being more careful and slowing down and thinking before he acts. He has a tendency to be pretty rough with his little brothers and this time it had bad results.

Austin had an awful day yesterday cause it was so painful but today was a lot better. He was able to sit up on his own and play in the recliner with things that he yelled for all day. He has a bubble machine that blows bubbles and lots of other "lap" stuff that works out great. Plus he gets extra treats like push-pops and popsicles.

Back to School

2009-08-20T17:07:00.004-05:00

The kids started back to school on Monday and so far everyone is doing great. Its only the first week though!!!

Autumn came home exclaiming how awesome high school is. She apparently as TONS of friends and all the teachers are nice and the math teacher said there won't be much homework. We will see.

Brandon had a good day and said he liked his teacher, she was nice. His friends are coming back. He has a few in his class and the others he gets to see at recess and lunch time. So far he is doing good....he still has a bit of trouble remembering homework and will often jump right in playing games after his chores if I don't remind him. He will get better at that though since he can't use the games anymore unless he remembers his homework.

Kristen only has 3 classes in the morning and then gets let free around 10:30. She is working but doesn't start each day until 12:30, so she has some time to come home for lunch and a quick nap before heading out to work.

Logan and Austin are, of course, doing great at home with me. We work on art projects like painting or coloring or using glue sticks!! Plus I am trying to work with Logan especially on shapes and colors and numbers and letters. He knows some of the stuff, but I am trying to make sure we learn a little bit each day about something new. Today he had an issue with our squares. I cut out a bunch of different sized squares to learn what a square was and I let the boys color and decorate them as they wanted, well Logan did not really like this activity cause he couldn't do something specific with it and it wasn't turning out how he liked so we went on to something else before we had a major melt down. He is pretty dramatic at times.

Salmon

2009-08-20T16:54:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Jessica informed me of an emergency opening for dip-netting in Fish Creek for Red Salmon. I have only been dip-netting once in Minnesota and it was a lot of fun so I decided to give it a try. I was dog-sitting for Jessica so she left out her waders and boots and dip-net gear to go. I took Kristen, Autumn and Logan (should have left him at home!) with me and we headed out on a Friday morning at 5:15 AM. I wanted to be there and ready to start fishing at 6 AM.

Never have I worn waders in my life, so am sure I was styling in those things. The dip net is HUGE and barely fit in the back of my van. We got all ready and trudged down the steep hill to where we saw others vying for a spot. We went right into the creek (low tide and shallow at the time) to start fishing. It was shallow enough initially so you could see the fish coming downstream and watch them either totally avoid your net or swim right into it. As the tide came up, you couldn't see anything so you had no idea when a fish would hit until you felt the weight pulling on the dip net. I caught 10 fish in all, threw 5 back and then Logan was NOT having anymore of this watching his mother whack fish heads. He got crabby and whiney and wanted me to hold him (probably so I couldn't whack fish heads!) so it was time to pack it up and leave. It was fun though. The girls didn't catch any, even though they did hold the net for a little while...they are not as tough as me and couldn't hold it for long.

We are still enjoying our salmon. I smoked most of it after soaking it in a brine and it turned out great. I have some in the freezer and just pulled out a few pieces to make a salmon cheese ball that is currently chilling in the fridge. Can't wait to break out the crackers and devour it! Logan and Austin sure like the salmon, they kept bugging me for more bites when I was pulling it apart for the cheese ball.

Autumn is a big chicken!

2009-08-12T16:46:00.002-05:00

We went to Fred Meyers the other day to get a few things and Autumn got Logan out of his carseat and grabbed his hand. She said, "Hold on, we have to wait for mommy." Logan said, "oh come on you big chicken!"

Kids say the funniest things.

Slacker!

2009-08-10T20:03:00.003-05:00

No, I am not still in Minnesota. I have been back for over 2 weeks now. I would have some fabulous pictures of our trip for your enjoyment, but I either lost or someone stole my awesome camera. I noticed it missing the day before my trip when I was packing things. So no pictures...well there might be some pictures on other peoples cameras, but I have NO pictures in my possession. Sucks. Sucks real bad. I miss my camera and feel (if I could) like kicking myself in my own ass for either losing it or letting some asshat (word borrowed from Bobbie - Thank you Bobbie!) steal it. I hate even thinking about it so I am moving on to other less annoying subjects.

I missed home. I was glad to be coming back to see Dave and the girls. Its good to be settling back into a sort of routine. Brandon stayed for another 3 weeks though so I miss Brandon now. I can't wait for him to come home. He gets back on Saturday, so only a few more days. School starts here on next Monday. I think all the kids are looking forward to it to be honest. Its Kristens last year, so she is excited to start and finish, LOL! She only has 3 classes each semester so she will get out early everyday to go to her job. Autumn loves school for the social aspect....so I am sure she is pumped to get back into the social networks. She has spent plenty of time with a few friends over the summer, but there are also quite a lot she hasn't seen. Plus she is a new freshman this year. I think she may be a tad nervous about that. Brandon is going back to public school and will be in 5th grade and I know he is EXCITED to get back into hanging out with friends. He kept a couple friends from school over the last year but he is also very social and likes being able to connect with all the other troublemakers....errr...friends from 2nd and 3rd grade. So it will be just me and the 2 littlest ones this year. I will be helping out with Grandma Emma from time to time though so I will be busy. Plus those pesky horses keep me running too. Never too many dull moments in my life. I mostly like it though! Exept it would be nice to have a camera to capture some of the cool, funny and cute moments with the kids from time to time, but NOOOO someone had to go lose or steal my camera!

Ok, over it....tell later.

Off to Minnesotahhhh!

2009-07-04T20:06:00.003-05:00

We are off to Minnesota in a few hours. We have an overnight flight, so it takes off at 10:30 PM Alaska time and arrives in MN at 6:45 AM Central time. Not a good time for me, but hopefully the kids will sleep most of the way and I will get a few hours sleep.

Our duck died. He broke another leg, so I fixed him up OUTSIDE the pasture but he hobbled his way back into Mokie's pen and obviously Mokie wasn't very careful with him. I thought about getting another duck or 2 cause it was fun having him around, but I really don't think it would be very fun trying to keep them alive or dealing with more broken-ness.

Anyway, see ya all in MN soon. Hopefully I can post updates often.

Duck wrangler/Horse Whisperer?

2009-06-12T20:59:00.004-05:00

We spent some time down doing chores this morning and I got a couple nice pictures of Austin with the duck and horses. The duck has another broken leg so he wasn't really up to running from us.

Austin petting the duck, while Mokie sniffs his hair.

Austin sitting next to the duck while Mokie and JuneBug look on. It appears he is right in with the horses, but he is between their 2 enclosures.

Austin and Pumpkin (the duck).

Best Friends....err....duck with a broken leg so he can't run from the toddler!

Mokie grubbing on Pumpkins food.

"Hey kid! What you got there? Can you give us some?"

(Austin is trying to feed the duck, while Gypsy, JuneBug and Echo look on.)

Duck, duck, goose?

2009-06-09T17:47:00.003-05:00

This duck is very attached to its horses and came as a package deal with whomever bought Mokie. He hangs out with the horses, bedding in their hay or even curling up next to Mokie when he lays down. I guess he has had his leg broken about 2-3 times so he walks with a bit of a limp...hasn't made him stay clear of the horses. They seem to tolerate him pretty well and even look out for him.

Another picture of Echo - momma horse.

2009-06-09T17:31:00.003-05:00

We got our new horses and duck on Sunday....here they are.

This is Mokie, the stallion. He has his own pen since we don't care to have babies. He has been trying REAL hard to Brandy's attention but she appears to careless about him. I thought for sure she would go into heat, but I think maybe Arabians just aren't her thing.

This is Junebug, the 3 yr old filly. Her dad is Mokie and her mom is Echo. She is doing great under saddle. We are thinking she will be Autumns horse.

The grey horse is Gypsy, a 2 yr old filly. Next to her is Echo (white horse), 14 yr old Mare, the momma to Gypsy and Junebug. Gypsy had a saddle and a person on her back for the first time on Sunday and did AWESOME. She is just so laid back and calm. I think she will make a great horse too.

This old guy is Clue. He is the 24 yr old Morgan that came along in the package. He is a great calm riding horse, but we will take it real easy on him since he is an elder.

Here is Brandy, my Quarter horse. She has been looking for a herd since we got rid of Cisco, but I don't think she was too happy that we dumped 4 on her at once. She quickly started asserting her dominance to let them know they were in her territory. It will be between her and Echo here soon. They are all getting along nicely now for the most part though.

Cake and Mushrooms....yum!

2009-06-09T17:25:00.003-05:00

I volunteered to make a babyshower cake for a friend of Sue's and it turned out pretty good I think.

My friend Jessica got me involved in her mushroom hunts. She hunts for morels and it is actually kinda fun to do....even though I don't care to eat them unless very tiny and hidden in foods. The bowl is the bounty she got when she went with another friend of hers and the small pile on the side is what we found the next day at a couple different spots.

2009-06-09T17:19:00.003-05:00

A couple weekends ago, we went up to the cabin in Chickaloon. It was a gorgeous day out and we just hung out, roasted hotdogs, had smores and went for a walk, played a little catch, climbed some hills, etc. It was fun.

Austin is BIG into baseball right now and takes his glove and ball just about everywhere.

Austin catching a ride on big sis, Autumn.

Me, Logan and Austin sitting around the fire in front of the cabin.

Me and Logan.

Autumn having some difficulties eating her smore. She needs a bib I think.

Brandon watching Autumn make a mess.

2009-06-09T17:11:00.003-05:00

We had an issue with our septic so we ended up renting a small excavator so Dave could fix it. The boys LOVE riding with daddy and most of the time fall asleep.

This time Austin fell asleep. Thats Pioneer Peak out there above the trees.

Logan looks a tad bit uncomfortable as Austin rests on him.

2009-06-09T16:41:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures from Austin's Birthday party on May 23rd. I have been so busy, but I am gonna try and get some things posted here today!!

He got a little scared when everyone started singing, he hopped into my lap for protection from the scary choir. (Nevermind the unfinished cake...I got impatient with putting the baseball stitches on.)

Blowing out his candles, we practiced before-hand and I just had to help a little bit.

So happy about eating cake. Yum!

Opening presents....he wasn't as excited as I thought he would be. He kept walking off to do other stuff.

Austin Tyrel is 2

2009-05-22T19:06:00.004-05:00

My littlest little one turned 2 on Wednesday, May 20th. I just cannot believe how time flies. We will have his birthday party on Saturday so I will post pictures after that. I wasn't sure what kind of cake to do for him cause he didn't seem to be "into" anything in particular like Logan was into Elmo or excavators. After thinking about it for a while we realized he is very into baseball right now. I should have thought of that since I am having to throw a ball at him all day while he tries to catch it or hit it with whatever he has found to use as a bat. We bought both Logan and Austin their own glove and bats with balls since they both wanted to be like Brandon and Autumn.

He is my little Baby Bug and always has a smile on his face for me. He LOVES riding horses and will often throw a bit of a fit when its someone else's turn. It makes me a tad bit nervous since he thinks those horses love him so much he can just walk up and pat them on their head or butt or leg. They do love him cause he is the one that will bring out 2 or 3 tablespoons of grain at a time when they are being brushed down for riding.

He gives the sweetest kisses. And then wipes them off to see the reaction. Its almost automatic now - kiss, wipe, smile.

I remember the day he was born. We didn't find out if he was going to be a boy or a girl and I told the midwife and nurses present that I didn't want anyone in the room to announce it except for myself or Dave. I wanted us to be able to discover it ourselves. When he was born and plopped up on my stomach, it didn't even occur to me to look. I was just so happy to have him in my arms and to hear him cry. Of course I was sorta wishing for a girl, but at that point it didn't even matter. He was healthy and crying and here. It took me a few minutes to say, "wait, what do we have here?". Of course after discovering he was a boy, I was overjoyed. There was no regrets at all. He was perfect. He was born at 3:27 PM on May 20, 2007 weighing in at 9 lbs 4 oz.

Checking in and updates!

2009-05-13T18:35:00.003-05:00

Its been a while and I am tired of seeing my picture up everytime I go to my blog.

I had a good Mother's Day. I told Dave ahead of time what I wanted to do and that is what we did. There was a Parade of Stallions going on that day at the fairgrounds and there was to be horses for sale there too. Since we are in the market for a horse or 2, I thought that would be a fun way to spend some time. Plus I was really looking forward to seeing some flashy stallions. It was a good time but there were only 3 horses for sale and none that were in our price range or league.

I told Dave I didn't want any gifts for mothers day, just to spend time with the kids and him. So he didn't get me anything, but Kristen had to work all day so she got me some roses the day before. There are so pretty still. Autumn wrote me a poem that was very nice:

Nanabug (Joanna)

Thanks for being the best you can be.

Thanks for being the mom that I need.

Thanks for taking care of me.

Thanks for looking out for me.

Thanks for understanding me.

Thanks for taking time off from what you're doing just for me.

Thanks for being there when I need you.

But most of all thanks for loving me.

I love you.

Oh and thanks for feeding me. :)

~Autumn~

Those are the types of things that make me believe that I am doing alright by my step-daughters.

Brandon got me a nice card, sunglasses (which I desperately needed!) and a pack of gum. After the Parade of Stallions we went and had lunch and then headed over to Home Depot to finish up designing our kitchen and picking out our countertop and then headed over to Target to get a few things. Overall it was a nice relaxing, enjoyable day.

We are winding up our school year here. Brandon needs to be done by May 21st and I will have to hand in grades on the 22nd. Autumn is done on the 21st after her 8th grade graduation ceremony. I think Kristen is the only one who will have to go to school on the 22nd, which is the official last day of school.

Brandon and Autumn are both in baseball and softball. The both enjoy it a lot and have had lots of practices (everyday!!!). I think Brandon's first game is on the 17th and Autumn's is on the 21st. Her team this year is a combined Jrs and Srs team, since they didn't have enough 13-14 yr olds or enough 15-16 yr olds to make the 2 separate teams. So they will be playing both Jr. teams and Sr. teams. It should be interesting. I am not very fond of her coach up to this point. I think he must have a terrible case of jock itch or something cause he is CONSTANTLY scratching at his butt and crotch. Its to the point where everyone notices and he doesn't even care who sees him. Its pretty disgusting. I wonder if the other parent's have notices or not??!

Our Baby Bean is doing great. We let Dozer and Bean out of their pasture just about everyday to just graze our lawn and they just love it. Baby Bean will tear off running doing crazy 8's all over the lawn and then Dozer will get all worked up and take chase. Its quite comical. If you lay down on the lawn, Baby Bean will come up and nibble on you and check you out. She is very curious. She is teething though right now, currently has 4 teeth that have come in. They are doing great. Brandy is also such a good horse. We have been riding her frequently and she does great. I had to give her a tiny tune-up after that long winter of not riding, but she is doing great now. I am teaching Brandon how to ride and he is very excited about learning.

There is a friend of the family who just recently gave birth to twin girls. It was a miracle that she was even able to have children. She is currently in remission from cancer and just recently had a scan that revealed something. Her name is Yvonne Ortiz and if you could all keep her in your prayers right now, she could really use them. Her babies were just born at 34-35 weeks last weekend and around 4 lbs each, so they are still in the hospital for a few weeks and Yvonne is very tired and feeling kinda sickly right now. Please send positive thoughts and prayers for her and her babies!

Me, me, me! And my haircut.

2009-04-24T23:16:00.003-05:00

I decided I needed to post pictures of my haircut, since I have been talking about it and people ask. Its short. I haven't had it this short in years...ok, like maybe 3 or 4 years. But I think I like it. What choice do I have now, eh? I was playing with the camera to try and get the most flattering angle of myself....here are the shots that didn't get deleted right away. Brandon took the last one...I was in the process of fixing my hair since the hair and makeup team did not come. Damn them!

I can lift a horse, can you?

2009-04-20T01:12:00.004-05:00

When was the last time you said to someone, "Yeah, I picked up my horse and cuddled her." Probably doesn't happen very often, so we decided to get pictures. Our baby weighs about 35-40 lbs we figure....about the same as Logan, our 3 yr old. She is pretty tolerate of us.

Brandon with baby and Dozer.

Me with the baby...isn't she so cute?!?!

HSPPP with the baby and Momma close behind.

Dozer is a very good momma. She is so protective, she doesn't let the baby get more than 4-6 feet away from her without scolding her and getting closer. The baby had a blast running around the pasture today and momma was right on her tail, keeping tabs on her.

We are in negotiations about naming her. We have tossed around a bunch of names like Polly Pocket (pocket horse) or Dolly (Pardon) or Loretta (Lynn) or Patsy (Cline) or Honey Pie or Supercalafragalisticespealadocious (sp?) or Dizzy. I suppose we should settle on something soon.

Horse Poop Bonfire! Redneck?

2009-04-20T01:07:00.003-05:00

We spent the day clearing out the Mini's pasture of the downed trees and other miscellaneous stumps. We burned it right on a big pile of horse poop. Brandon got out the marshmallows and roasted a few until he decided they really didn't taste very good. I am not sure if they did not taste good because they were old or because he was roasting them over wood that was burning right on top of horse dung?! He said to me, "Mom, these taste nasty, here try it." Ummm, no thanks!

My first baby is 10!

2009-04-19T00:24:00.004-05:00

I remember the day I first saw Brandon....it was December 21st, 1999. The social worker brought him to where I worked and set him on a chair in the reception area. He had a blue and grey/silver coat and had a blue blanket sorta wrapped around his little legs. I remember thinking he was such a cute little baby with round cheeks and dark round eyes. I was doing foster care and was only supposed to have him for a few weeks. I grabbed him up from that chair and talked to the Social worker for a few minutes before I had to leave to drop him off at home with my roommate so I could finish out my day at work. He would start at the daycare in my building the next day. When I got home that night he was getting attached to my roommate and I was a tiny bit jealous. I scooped him up and told him, "I am your mommy!!" Little did I know at that point that I would become his mother. It was a maddening rollar coaster of highs and lows on the way to becoming his "legal" mother, but it was all worth it and could not imagine my life without my bubba. (I rarely call him that anymore since he is getting so old and "grown-up", LOL) The adoption was final on April 12, 2002. That was the happiest day of my life when I could finally relax and not worry about him going anywhere else. We had a great ceremony (1st time in Hennepin County that an adoption was done outside of the courtroom) and feast with lots of family and friends present to witness our special day.

We really did have a rough journey and its still a journey of growth and love and I love him so much my heart aches at times. He is growing up to be a fine looking little man and has great qualities that he will share with the world. He is full of life and loves spending time being active with his brothers and sisters or his friends. He is a very social kid. He is athletic and loves baseball and his martial arts practice. He would also like to play hockey and football or basketball. He will play just about anything. He is comical and tries to crack jokes (sometimes gets himself into a bit of trouble with this) at just about anything or anyone for that matter. I sometimes wonder with amazement at the doctors and others that come in contact with him for short spurts of time and say, "Why is he so quiet?? Is he like this all the time?" That is just crazy talk, cause Brandon is very full of life (and noise!) and constantly looking for his new adventure and companion to go along.

He decided to have his birthday party at H2Oasis, an indoor water park in Anchorage. He had 3 friends come along and of course siblings and a couple cousins. Everyone had a blast! Here are a couple pictures of him and 2 of his friends - Bailey and Atillio.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON!

A New Baby!

2009-04-17T10:45:00.003-05:00

Dozer had her baby early this morning and here she is! (I think it is a girl...will have to get a closer look later on.)

She is still learning to nurse. Hasn't quite got it down yet. She tries to nurse from her mom's armpit, her neck, her nose, her butt....all the wrong places. Hopefully she will figure that out soon. She is strong and healthy it appears, she is already trotting and running around. Her mom fast on her tail. Dozer doesn't let her get too far away yet. She let me pet her and touch her so that was good. When I tried to look under her tail, she jumped her rear end up a bit though like she wanted to kick me. It was the cutest thing.

Scary story....

2009-04-10T21:51:00.003-05:00

So, our mini-mare is pregnant right...you all know this. Well she is due any day now, but I am not so excited as I once was to meet her little baby. I heard a story today from my friend Abby. She has another friend who has mini-horses and one of them got knocked up and it just recently had its baby. A MULE! Apparently the donkey got to their mini-mare and their love session created a baby mule. (Everyone picturing Donkey from Shrek, right?) I am sure its cute and all, but I would rather NOT have that kind of surprise on D-day.

If you never hear of our pregnant horse again or its spawn, then you know something didn't turn out right. BUT, if she indeed does have a baby horse like we are anticipating, then I will gladly post pics, upon pics to show you how cute it is.

BTW, Dozer is extremely ornery these days. She doesn't want anyone even touching her. I can only imagine how miserable I would be if I had to carry a child (or horse) for 11 months. Yuck!

Checking in...giving updates.

2009-04-03T12:29:00.005-05:00

So, Lance Mackey won the Iditarod. 3rd time in a row for him. It was fun watching and keeping track of where all the racers were.

Austin got his cast off on Wednesday, April 1st. He is learning how to use that arm again and gaining strength in it again. He has had a few episodes where he doesn't know how to catch himself when he falls. He used to have a very solid brace against the floor. Bath time is MUCH easier now too.

Dave and I are working on our house plans. Dave is pricing everything and coming up with a plan. We designed our kitchen with Jason at Home Depot. That was ok. I really am not picky, but when you have to make decisions about where to put what and how you want it to look, it is hard to decide. Its hard to picture it in your mind and how you would use it all. Oh well....it is coming together.

I wanted to post a couple pictures of myself and my weight loss progress. I hadn't compared til recently and was shocked to see how different I look. I think I am in desparate need of some tanning sessions though since I look so pasty.

This first picture was taken when I was in MN/ND in July of 2008. I got a decent tan. Bobbie was pregnant in this picture and didn't know it yet, but I did, ha ha!! Her baby was born on our anniversary of March 14th. (Geez, I wish I had her beautiful hair!!)

This picture was taken April 1st when Austin got his cast taken off.

Anyway, I have lost a total of 31 lbs now. Its going very slow but steady. That is all I can hope for I guess. I still got LOTS to go.

2009-03-16T01:35:00.003-05:00

Joanna and I were given a wonderful night out for our 4th anniversary last night. My parents got us a night at a bed and breakfast in Willow. It was a rustic experience and included an outhouse.... in our room.... or would that actually be called an inhouse? Here's a couple of pictures... check 'em out now before she deletes them!

*Edited by Joanna*
*Disclaimer - I posed for this picture and had my underwear up, so NOTHING was exposed!!!!*

Current Leader Lance Mackey

2009-03-14T15:01:00.003-05:00

Here's a couple photos of the current leader, Lance Mackey, shortly after leaving Willow.

Iditarod Restart in Willow

2009-03-11T08:47:00.002-05:00

Fun in the sun and snow!

2009-03-07T19:36:00.002-06:00

We had a fun day outside. Temps were about 28-30 degrees so fairly warm.

Here is Brandon headed down backwards.

Here is Logan coming down the little hill by the house.
Here is Austin and Grandma Sue going down the driveway backwards too.

Dave and my Father-in-law Larry.

Grandma Emma and Grandma Sue just getting back up the hill from their ride down on the sled. Grandma Emma insisted on going down and nobody could talk her out of it!

10 month preggo belly shot

2009-03-07T19:27:00.004-06:00

Here is Dozer, our pregnant Mini-Mare. She is about 10 months pregnant, due to give birth Mid April to end of April. She has a nice BIG round belly and I am so glad we human aren't pregnant for that long!

I gave her a haircut today as well. She has massively bushy hair and it just got bushier with it shorter. Oh well. She is cute anyways!

Teens and letting go

2009-03-07T01:28:00.003-06:00

Well, it is one of the most difficult things a parent probably has to do, but its necessary. At some point you have to let go and let God, as they say.....Let them go, have more freedoms, have more decision-making and experience the consequences for both to help them become reasonable, responsible adults. And at the same time, pray that they go down the right path.
I was really having a hard time letting Kristen do things with her boyfriend and friends and I had to really think about why. I had to remember what I was doing at that age and remind myself that I turned out pretty good (if I do say so myself!), so its not all bad and treacherous out there in the real world. It all came down to me wanting to protect her from all the hurts and pains that can come along with making a few wrong decisions, but in the end, she needs to experience some of that stuff in order to gain strength. The thing is, she is fairly good. She has had her struggles with stuff, but she doesn't drink, she doesn't smoke, she doesn't do drugs. Those are things she has decided for herself and I am proud of her for that. So, she needs to have a little more trust and freedom to start her separating, growing up process.
I feel much better about that now that I have "let go". I feel more content in letting her spend more time doing her things, whatever they may be and feel she may make decisions I may not, but they are her decisions. I do feel confident that most of her decisions will be good for her though!!

I also remembered during this soul-searching event that my own mother went a little crazy right around the time that I was 17 too. I couldn't understand why she was all of a sudden "hovering" and being weird and crazy and she finally confided in me that she was going through a "stage" with me growing up and all. So I am not all that out of line....its normal for parents to do this...at least normal for my mom and me. So that makes it normal, right?

Austin's Cast

2009-03-03T15:04:00.004-06:00

Austin got his cast on yesterday. We got him a blue one and promptly added some personalization to it. He thought it was pretty cool that people could write on it.

As you can see, it hasn't dampened his spirits. He is still a happy, smily baby.

BUT, he was trying real hard to cut that cast off!

It's back! I'm back.

2009-03-01T18:24:00.004-06:00

Well, it looks as if I was able to fix that annoying error. I just removed the music at the top....so no fine tunes for your enjoyment anymore. I know you will all be terribly sad at that loss, but too bad, so sad! I am back.

In other news....my littlest little boy broke his arm on Friday. He either fell or jumped (I am betting on jumped) off of Brandon's bed. Not sure how he landed, but he broke his left arm right above the elbow. I was more concerned for his mental state immediately after since he was acting a little funny. I wonder if he got knocked a little loopy to begin with. The doctor at the ER was NOT impressive. I think he would do better with dogs at this point. He didn't even want to do an x-ray, just thought he had a dislocated elbow and wanted so badly to just do this special "manuever" to fix it. He was a bit to eager for me and I instead insisted on an x-ray first. I could not believe he wouldn't want to make sure something wasn't broken first before agressively flexing his little arm. Either way, I was right. The one without the M.D. behind my name. Makes me scared for other parents who take their kids in to that ER and have to be unnecessarily tortured by that doc. I am going to file a complaint about him though, so maybe he will get a stern talking to. I sure hope he actually took something from that experience though and may be a little more cautious anyway.

So....Austin has a temporary cast/splint thing on his arm until tomorrow. We will go into the Ortho doc tomorrow for his permanent cast (well not totally permanent, lets hope!). I was so glad they have to call in the expert when something like this happens. I surely wouldn't have sat still for that dumb doctor to splint or cast it. I really liked the Ortho doc, seemed really laid-back and more importantly - knowledgable!

Austin is doing just fine with his bum arm. He has a bit of frustration here and there when he can't do what he would like as efficiently as he wants, but overall he is running and playing just like normal. Its a bit different at night. I am sure that is when the discomfort is at it's peak and its been difficult to settle down to sleep or to get long stretches of sleep without having to dose up on some motrin and/or tylenol. That seems to fix it though, which is good.

Other than that awful experience, things are going well in our house. Brandon kicked my butt in Tic today, he is very pleased with himself. He even hung up our score sheet on the door so Dad (Dave) could see it when he got home. Let's just hope he doesn't want me to send it off to Grandma Ione. Brandon also made some bomb ass (borrowed that from Anna!) peanut butter cookies. I am sure as soon as Dave gets home their life span will shorten dramatically.

Gratitude List

2009-02-25T13:38:00.002-06:00

Life can get pissy. Let's face it, it isn't always sunshine and roses. We have crappy people in our life, crappy circumstances and overall crap to deal with at times. BUT, we don't always have to focus on that crap. We can choose to focus on the great things in our lives that we love and cherish. Why spend time dwelling on icky stuff when there are so many other things to do and more positive ways to spend our lives? So....I will start with my list:

Joanna's Gratitude list

1. Dave - I am so thankful for my husband coming into my life. He is really my 2nd half and makes me laugh and smile and feel good about myself. He is also strong and supportive.

2. My kids - All 5 of them!! They have all taught me so many things. It is because of them that I want to be a better person both inside and out.

3. My mom - Best mom ever. Supportive, best friend!!

4. My brothers and their families - They are the best I could have. I think about them and almost instantly laugh cause they are both so comical. I am proud to have them both as brothers. Of course their spouses ain't too bad either....Both of my brothers got lucky! I have very awesome sister-in-laws.

5. In-laws - no awful jokes about in-laws from me. I got very lucky. I have a great mother-in-law and supportive father-in-law that are always willing to help out with whatever. We get together often for dinner or cards or just hanging out. I couldn't have asked for a better set of in-laws. My sister-in-law, Ruthann is one of a kind. She has suffered great loss, but still keeps an upbeat attitude and smile. I have great respect for her and Darin. They are great parents and great people all around.

6. Family & Friends - there are way too many people to list off individually. I have a huge family that I love endlessly. My grandma, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, friends (online friends too!) that I think of as family, etc. I think of these people often and am thankful they are in my life.

7. Health - I am fairly healthy and working on improving that and my kids are all healthy too. That is a lot to be grateful for. There is so much suffering in the world. We are lucky and blessed!

8. Work - more than enough to keep us busy and useful. Plus the work that gives us the means to support our family.

9. Challenges - yes, challenges are what make us stronger people. Life is not a cake-walk for anyone I would guess. Everyone has their hardships and dark days. Its how we meet those challenges and overcome them that defines us. And remember, the person next to you scowling could be having one of those days. Instead of judging, show a bit of sympathy and compassion.

That is what I have time for at this moment. Work is calling (lunch for the kids) and not calling all that quietly, I might add. Feel free to do your own list for yourself or others to see.

Randomness

2009-02-21T00:40:00.004-06:00

So I caught the Twilight bug. Its bad! Very, very bad. I am on the 3rd book - Eclipse - and I have to force myself to put it down and do other things. I do have to say though that I am slightly annoyed with how many times this auther uses some form of the word 'dizzy' in describing Bella's little moment's. Its dizzy, or dizzily or whatever so dang often. Isn't there some other synonym that she could have used?! I like the story though. I still haven't seen the movie though and am wondering if it would just ruin it for me. I have these pictures in my head of what the characters look like and all that and I am sure the Hollywood people didn't exactly match my thoughts with that one. Moving on....

Other books I am reading are: Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn. As much as I would like to think I am one awesome parent (actually I don't think that!) I think it best that I get ideas from others and possibly see if things can improve. I am not too sure about this one yet, not even 20 pages in yet, but he seems to think that time outs and immediate discipline for misbehaviors in children is counter-productive. He talks about how its more important for children to know that you love them for them and not for their behaviors. I agree to a point I guess, but am still not sure about the way to go about that. I will finish the book and see how I feel later.

I am also reading The Five Love Languages of Children. It's a follow-up to The Five Love Languages - How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman. I purchased both books, just haven't started reading the second one yet. I had heard good things about both books. I feel like I am struggling with making sure all my kids know that I love them and feeling that I could use a little help with that. Its very easy to love a baby who does very little to test your patience, its completely different when you have older kids who purposely test your patience! Like I have said before, I love my kids fiercely and I want them to know that and it isn't always as easy as just saying, "I love you". You sometimes have to have different ways to show them and they each may have their different ways of receiving it best. So again, I am hoping to make myself a better person/parent and in the process help my kids grow to be caring/loving human beings. I guess I have to first work on myself (reading and studying) and then pass it on as best I can.

And finally, the last book I am reading is Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. which is about how much crap we put in our bodies that we call food. He has some pretty scary things he talks about and it scares me that I am doing that to my kids by what they eat...both at home and out at say McDonalds. Ick. I got this recommendation from my cousin Shays wife, Erica. He basically thinks that if we put the right food/nutrients in our body to nourish it, we will live healthier, longer lives with less disease. It makes sense to me. I have been trying to eat healthier as it is (down 25 lbs!) but I sometimes find it difficult to really know what to eat and how to prepare it. I really have to work at figuring those things out and planning our meals ahead of time, so I don't come down to scrambling to get dinner on the table and it ends up being something that isn't the best for us. Anyway, I hope I find some insight and motivation to do better by myself and my kids. Now if I could just get Dave to cut down on coffee?!

That is what my free time is consumed by lately, but I must run. Austin is stirring in bed....Good night!

2009-02-17T19:37:00.003-06:00

My mom and the boys.

Austin and the big turtle.

Logan and the big turtle.

Brandon and Austin at the top of the slide.

Logan playing with the train set.

The Imaginarium was awesome. We had the place to ourselves and the boys had a blast running around, playing with everything without having to share! They were so busy the whole time, checking out different "science" stations and pushing buttons to see what would happen. We will definately go back sometime during the day again to explore some more.

More Imaginarium...

2009-02-17T19:25:00.002-06:00

Brandon holding a walking stick bug.

SUSAN - this photo is for you! MUAH!

Logan controlling an airplane with Brandon and Austin watching.

Austin LOVED this blow machine and the ball that hovered above it.

Austin and his blow machine. He tried and tried and tried to get that ball down several times and figured out if he pushed the machine so it rocked back and forth the ball would eventually get knocked off its little current.

Our Day at the Imaginarium

2009-02-17T19:16:00.002-06:00

This is a giant bubble making thingy.

I was trying to hold Austin still and pull the bubble cord at the same time. It was a bit difficult and we never got fully encased in a bubble.

Brandon, fully encased in a bubble!

Brandon doing a flight simulation exercise.

My mom, almost fully encased in a bubble!

Logan and Austin trying to race each other down the "mountain" slide.

More pictures coming.....

Kristen's 17th Birthday

2009-02-17T19:06:00.003-06:00

Kristen turned 17 on February 11th, 2009!

I made a Tiffany Box cake....as best I could.

Kristen and her friend Amanda getting ready to blow out the candles.

Me, being goofy with Hannah on my lap.
Kristen looked forward to turning 17 cause she is that much closer to that magical age of 18 or what she considers "adulthood" or "get-to-do-what-I-want-hood" in her eyes. Boy does she have a rude awakening coming! She also gets to go to rated R movies legally. Her first movie out was not rated R though....maybe she chickened out. Either way, I hope she slows down to enjoy her 17th year of life instead of trying to race through it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISTEN!!

Random Pictures

2009-02-04T13:23:00.003-06:00

Brandon working hard on his math.

Logan in his "super hero" get up. Headband, cape, flashy gold and black belt. He put down his sword to eat some breakfast.
Austin with Logan's underwear. Clean ones, I might add.
Yum, cheese!
"oh my gosh, this is heavenly cheese, man!"

Hump Day

2009-02-04T12:26:00.004-06:00

Wednesday. Middle of the week. Hump day.

My mom will be here on Friday and we are all very excited. As long as Mt. Redoubt doesn't blow that day, everything should go as planned. Its been pretty quiet.

My birthday is coming up soon too. Monday. I will be 34 years old. I was planning a spa day for all the girls here, but that seems like a lot of planning on my part and I would rather do something with less hassle/stress. Nothing like making your birthday celebration stressful when you don't have too. Instead I think I will do my own spa day, maybe with Kristen and my mom and call it good. I really do need some "work" on my hair and my feet are pretty ugly. Dave's feet are "prettier" than mine. He never ever walks around without socks on.

This time last year I was pregnant and didn't know it. It turned out to be an ectopic pregancy and on February 11th (Kristen's birthday), I found out and had surgery to remove my left fallopian tube where the baby had implanted. It's sad for me. I haven't had too hard a time dealing with it except initially, but now that I think back and it comes around to that time of year again, its sad. I am a girl (duh) and emotional at times (duh!) and we tend to overthink/over-analyze at times. So even though the pregnancy was doomed from the beginning, I sit and wonder what-ifs? I also wonder if I ever get "my tubes tied" if the surgery will be half the time since I only have 1 tube to tie. Should be half the cost too, right?

Ok...time to get going with school stuff.

Miss me?

2009-01-29T18:58:00.004-06:00

Its been a while since I've been on here. I suppose I better update.

Things are going very well here. I have been busy trying to lose weight and I am doing very well. I am down about 24 lbs right now and very happy with that progress. Its not easy, but I am sticking with it and hopefully will be at goal someday. I have a workout buddy that I go to the gym with almost everyday. It helps a lot to have someone to workout with and keep me motivated. I am also busy with homeschooling Brandon and that is going well....most days. He just had some testing at the correspondance school and it shows he is right on track. Since this is his first year homeschooling and my first year "teaching", it is a relief to know that he is right where he should be. I am helping get the local La Leche League back running and will become a "leader". I have been attending LLL since Logan was about 5 weeks old and love the support and adult conversations. LLL is a support organization for mothers who breastfeed their babies/toddlers. Since I am a huge pro-breastfeeding person, I like to offer my support to that. We got off track for a few months, but hopefully we will get it back running, especially for those mothers that need that support in their early breastfeeding days.

Dave has been busy working....which is good. He does road maintanence so that means plowing or scraping ice packed roads. It means early mornings and late evenings on occcasion, depending on the weather.

The kids are all doing good...for the most part. Kristen is going through her teenage-trying to be an adult stuff and has had a few struggles. She is really looking forward to the day she gets her "adult" freedoms. (Didn't we all look forward to that?) Its not as easy as it sometimes appears to a teen, but they learn. She has applied at Job Corp and hopes to be able to finish out her high school education there and move on to something else.

The little boys are both getting bigger and bigger everyday it seems. Part of me looks forward to them getting bigger and seeing how they develop into big kids and the other part wishes they would stay little forever. The part that isn't changing a poopie diaper I suppose.

My baby brother Pat just got married while on vacation in Hawaii! I was hounding him a bit before he left if they were actually gonna do it this time, since they had tossed it out about 12 trillion times that they were gonna get married in about 15 different countries/vacation spots over the years that they have been together. I can finally send the congrats card I bought about 5 years ago that was all signed with my name and Brandon's name. I will have to add 5 names to it since I have gotten married and had more kids in the meantime. I am so happy for them though and hope they have a great life. I am wishing for them to have a baby too! (hint, hint!) We could not be more different than in our ways to the alter....it took me 71 days to meet and marry my husband and it took Pat...what....9 years to finally get it done? I believe they meet about 9 years ago. Maybe 10, I dunno.

Now I am just anxiously awaiting the arrival of my good friend Bobbies baby. She is having a beautiful little girl and I can't wait to hear how it all goes and to see the pictures. I just wish I lived closer (or she lived closer, LOL) so that I could be right there to see for myself. She is due in March, but she thinks she will have her in February sometime!

Speaking of February....my birthday is February 9th and Kristen's is the 11th and then there is Valentines day on the 14th. Just thinking about February makes me think of Valentines day and made me change my background of this blog to the hearts and stuff and makes me think of all the people that I love!!! I am so lucky to have everyone in my life and so grateful to love them all, ha ha!! I love my husband with all my heart and I love my kids fiercely!! It's my love for my kids that drives my overwhelming need to try and protect them from everything in the world that could make them hurt. I know I sometimes am a bit overbearing and even hurt my kids on occasion with my limits and words. Its something I am working on actually....to try and do it better. As a parent, you try to do your best but you will screw up here and there and just have to accept that and move on and try to do better next time. There is no handbook to raising kids....well actually there are millions of handbooks by various authors - some with kids, some without. But when it comes down to it, I believe you have to do what is in your heart and try to raise them up as confident humans to go out and enjoy life and participate in society as responsible adults. And hey, if one decides to drift out as a criminal, you at least tried your best. (NONE OF MY KIDS WILL BE CRIMINALS, DAMNIT!)

Anyway, speaking of all the people that I love, since I am in such a loving mood. I love my mom. She is the best of the best in my world. I couldn't have asked for a better mom, there just isn't one out there.

I also love all my family....my brothers, their spouses (hey, now I can say spouses and not spouse and "significant other" or "girlfriend" or "fiancee" or "shack-up", LOL), their kids (my neices and nephew). I love my grandma Ione. I love my aunties and uncles and all my cousins, even the naughty ones. I love my in-laws too. AND, I LOVE all my awesome friends, even the ones I have never met in person!!!

Love, love, love! I just love it!

50 degrees!

2009-01-16T13:07:00.002-06:00

Right now as I sit typing, it is 50 degrees in Palmer, Alaska!! Can you believe it? We deserve a little break from the -20 below. Although now we have massive amounts of ice on driveways and subdivision roads. Dave has had to work all day....5 am to 9 pm to try and help get those roads safer.

I know the midwest and east coast are suffering with our previous cold temps now, but I have to say I am glad they moved on to somewhere else. Hang in there guys!!! These warms temps will no doubtedly move on to you too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-01T12:41:00.003-06:00

It's 2009. We spent New Year's eve bowling with the 3 oldest kids. It was fun. I also invited my friend Jessica and her sister Emily. We bowled from 10 pm - 1am. I have been practicing my bowling game on our new Wii and thought for sure I would cream the competition, but apparently Wii bowling and the real thing are not all that similar. Who knew? Oh and you don't get as sore playing the Wii version. AND I can stand at my table, snacking while bowling. The bowling alley gets all huffy if we have food or drinks on the TABLE that they provide by our lanes.

It was a fun evening. Now on to those New Year's resolutions....lets see what can I resolve to do that I will actually do. Thats the trick right?!

Austin's blocks

2008-12-28T19:40:00.003-06:00

Austin got blocks (real wood ones!) from Grandma Denise and he loves stacking them and knocking them over. Here are a couple shots of him playing. Me too!

He started out with short little stacks. He wouldn't let them get too big before knocking them over.

He 'oh so gently' pushes my short stack over!

This time he is working on getting it REALLY high!

One more block up on top!

Now, he shoves it as I try to catch it. He is very pleased with himself as it topples to the floor. (Autumn looks pleased too! LOL!)

Brotherly love....or not.

2008-12-28T19:33:00.004-06:00

Austin's favorite past time is stealing whatever it is that Logan has. I don't even think he really wants to play with it, he just wants to steal it and hear Logan scream and give chase. Austin will run, grinning from ear to ear as he looks back at Logan screaming and crying. If Austin can get a parent to chase him too, its even more fun. Anyway, Austin unsuccessfully tried to steal Logan's new book. Logan gave up a good fight and won.

If Logan isn't fighting off Austin, he is helping Austin fight off Kallie who is also a toy thief extraordinaire. She often takes toys from Austin, of course Austin also equally steals from Kallie too.

My Guitar Heros

2008-12-26T23:57:00.004-06:00

Brandon was playing Guitar Hero on the Wii and both boys wanted to join in, so they fetched the real guitars from our closet and were having their own little jam session. Such cute band mates!

Nevermind the massive toy mess left over from yesterday!! I still have not gotten motivated enough to organize the toys. I did however get my new cubbies put together for that project. Now if the toys would only jump themselves into place.

And more random ones....

2008-12-26T13:47:00.002-06:00

Autumn
Ruthann

Sue and Kristen

Austin working on opening his bathtub boat

Hannah with her twin babies

Did you notice all us older girls are wearing the same pj's?? Sue thought it would be cute, so she got us all the same pj's to match on Christmas morning.

And the old people.....

2008-12-26T13:42:00.003-06:00

Grandma Emma with her fake cat.

Me with SEASON 4 of LOST!!!!!

Dave and Ruthie

Larry, Sue, Logan and Kristen

Christmas day pictures

2008-12-26T13:34:00.004-06:00

Logan got a Mater remote control car from Brandon.

Brandon got a "buddy" night light. Just like Logan.

Austin seeing the stuff from his stocking.

Kristen flashing a happy grin after getting her Hannah Montana pen.

Autumn just digging her stuff out.

Holiday Pictures

2008-12-25T17:16:00.003-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2008-12-25T16:02:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! We have had a great day and I will be back later to post some pictures. The kids had fun, we had fun, the food was good and it would have been perfect if my family were here too!!

We had Grandma Sue, Grandpa Larry, Auntie Ruthie and Hannah and Kallie all here this morning to open presents and eat breakfast. I made a big breakfast for everyone and we made the kids wait to open gifts. They got their stocking before breakfast though.

Since its Logan's Day....funny picture

2008-12-22T01:33:00.003-06:00

Logan fell asleep as he was getting up onto the couch. Man that is hard work!

Logan's Birthday Party

2008-12-21T23:25:00.004-06:00

The pictures are sorta in reverse order. Anyway the first one is after he opened presents and we are doing the whole cake and singing thing. The race car helmet was fitting I guess. The last one is of the food. Showcasing the race car sub sandwiches. What an awesome idea my mother-in-law had with that. We had a great time. Logan enjoyed his day and his presents.

Logan's birthday cake

2008-12-21T22:00:00.004-06:00

Here is Logan's race car cake. I am pretty proud of how well it turned out. I have been preparing the red and black frosting since Thursday and Fri to get them dark enough. So they sat on my counters in bowls and I just stirred them occasionally. It worked great. I guess that is the trick to the deep colors. If I had not prepared them in advance, they would have been purple and pink, just like what happened with Brandon's last birthday cake....my bad! I will post pictures of Logan at his party soon.

Logan got his birthday presents from Grandma Denise!

2008-12-20T21:50:00.004-06:00

Logan's birthday is tomorrow, December 21st., but Grandma Denise sent her package and it got here 2 days early so I just went ahead and let him open it. He yelled out, "TRACTOR!" right when he saw it. He was so excited. He got a John Deere remote control tractor with a little dude that rides along and a pickup truck and trailer, a skidsteer and a backhoe. He LOVES his birthday presents. THANK YOU GRANDMA DENISE, I LOVE YOU!! Love, Logan.

P.S. Nevermind my grubby looking hair, I just got back from the gym and was all sweaty!

Austin the cowboy

2008-12-20T10:02:00.004-06:00

What a cute little wrangler on his mighty horse. He just loves that horse. I got it off of Craigslist for 12 bucks. Austin will start jumping on it and let go of the handles, put his hands in the air and it is the funniest thing to watch. Dave will tell him, "Go ride your high horse!" and he will run and get on and start bouncing.

The hole in my ceiling...

2008-12-20T09:57:00.005-06:00

This is where the stairs to upstairs are going. (Duh!). Those wood things are gone now and its just a nice clean hole. I sometimes feel like a rat in a cage when people are looking down into my house. I guess since Dave is off work this weekend (unless it snows) he will be working on finishing up the stairs. I will be glad when it is all done. Its messy right now.

The lost is found!

2008-12-17T18:27:00.002-06:00

Autumn and Jeanette showed up at her mother's friends house. They are alive and safe. I don't know any details, since it just happend.

Thanks for all the prayers and support throughout this ordeal!!!

Autumn Estey still missing!

2008-12-17T13:05:00.004-06:00

A different more recent picture of the girls....trying to look tough I think. Please pass it on if you can. They are still missing and I think in danger from the last contacts we have had. Please keep your eyes and ears open!!
And keep those prayers going too!

Autumn Estey and Jeanette Solis still missing!

2008-12-15T16:35:00.004-06:00

I have decided that I need to update more frequently even though I don't have much more info. I need this at the top of searches so people can help us find her.

We miss her and love her very much and want her home. Now! Please pass this on to anyone you know. The more eyes the better.

Please keep Autumn and Jeanette in your prayers too!

Autumn Estey

2008-12-12T22:41:00.005-06:00

My cousin is still missing. The police think she is with a gang in the area. I am not sure if they are actively watching for her or not. I cannot even begin to imagine that she would be staying at her own free will right now. At this point I believe she is not free to do what she wants to do. I am sure she is terrified and doing what she is told. Everybody has heard the awful things that happen to people in gangs. Please keep your prayers going for her safety and her return home. Its scary to think that any 13 year old would be in that situation.
We are going to try and organize community members to rally or march against gangs to "Give Back Our Children!" I am not sure where to even start but I am sure other families have been affected by gang violence or had their children recruited and then hurt terribly. If you know of anyone that has any experience with these issues, PLEASE comment me and let me know. We are doing the research to try and reach out to the Black community, Latino community, Native community and any other group we can think of that may want to join us in this effort. The more people we have showing that strength, the better and safer it will be. I am looking for people that live in and around the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, but even if you know people in other states that may have experience, please let me know that too. Anyone who can offer advice, encouragement and direction would be helpful.
We often turn a blind eye to the nasty part of society that doesn't directly effect our own lives or the lives of our families. It is time people start voicing their displeasure and showing strength to help support people fighting this kind of stuff that hurts children and families.

Autumn Estey is missing

2008-12-08T18:52:00.003-06:00

My 13 yr old cousin, Autumn, is missing since Saturday night. She was with a friend and both have not been seen. Please keep them in your prayers for finding them safe. At this point they are not sure if they have run away or are in danger.

OJ Simpson

2008-12-08T12:59:00.005-06:00

I don't know why I feel the need to put his name on my clean blog, I guess because I am happy he is finally getting a little bit of what he deserved years ago. Everyone who has a brain KNOWS he was guilty of killing Nicole and Ron Goldman and he got to walk free. Apparently he still thought he was above the law and could do whatever he wanted. Too bad he decided to associate with other scum who would have no trouble ratting him out to save their own butts.

Speaking of butts - Bye-bye OJ, have fun in prison. Don't bend over to pick up the soap, buddy....I am sure you still have a nice cute, tight butt in your old ugly age!!

P.S.'s

If you believed that OJ was innocent, I am sorry but you don't have a brain! Haha, just kidding, obviously you have a brain, you just may have been too drunk to pay attention to all the details.

Also, I am sorry if talking about prison and soap brings up any painful memories for my readers, but if you did the crime and had to do the time, too bad for you. Hope your butt is not still sore, even though I have brought up a sore memory for you.

Are you a follower??

2008-12-06T00:07:00.004-06:00

Speaking of my mass audiences, I have now created a "Followers" widget (what the heck is a widget??!) on the sidebar and you can become a follower. It will allow me to see who follows my blog and will allow you to get updates easily. Nice, huh? Soooo, please go click over there somewhere and become a Follower!
Thanks!

P.S. You can do it anonymously too. (I don't know why anyone would want to do it anonymously, I mean unless you are being followed or watched by the FBI or CIA or CSI or AFC's.)