Christmas bits

We went to the Lights of Christmas tonight, one of our Christmas traditions. Meghan is officially too tall to rife the ponies (over 4'), but the promise that we'd go for a pony ride when she didn't have school at Christmas helped stop the tears. I hadn't planned on going that night when I left the house at 9am, so I didn't have my camera, so I got a disposable one, so I should have some pics from that. The girls are excited for Christmas, so we're helping them count down with 1. advent calendar 2. nativity countdown and 3. Meghan's class made a paper chain that has suggestions for things to do each day. The funky picture of Jenna is she has both feet in one of my shoes. If you've read C.S. Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader (part of the Narnia series), this looks like inspiration for the Duffers, who are Monopods. She was hopping around like that!

Christmas Already?

I know, long time no post. So here's Halloween pictures. I made Meghan a Tinkerbell dress, which she wore to our party, the GS party, to town Halloween day, and trick or treating here (we went to the church parking lot for "trunk or treat", where the church members bring their cars, decorate the open trunks (one lady had real candles!), dress up and hand out candy, and to 3 houses on the street). Jenna was Cinderella (purchased dress), didn't want the purple tulle skirt with it, wore that to our party and in town and then wore a purple cat costume trick or treating (much warmer). They had a lot of fun, but they don't eat most of the candy people give out. We carved a few pumpkins, did one with lite-brite type pegs that get pushed/pounded into the pumpkin - they liked that!

In case anyone hasn't heard, my beaded doll is in a competition, you can read about it here.

Christmas is fast approaching. I have Meghan's school pictures, Jenna's should be here soon hopefully, so they can go out in the Christmas cards. Both girls chose to wear the same shirts they did last year! It makes it really easy to notice the subtle differences in their faces. Last year Meghan's front teeth were growing in, this year it's the next ones over. A little more shopping to do, and that's done. Maybe I'll even have time to do some baking this year! I'll update the kids wish lists on the side after I'm done typing this.

Tomorrow is the last popcorn delivery day for me. I've been dealing with the BSA popcorn sale for 10 years, and I'm stepping down. Ship out the popcorn, collect the money, one more trip to Everett office, and I'm done. No more crazy Sept-Oct-Nov!

Meghan is officially a Daisy Girl Scout, and loving it. The girls and I have gone to the school skate nights, and their first movie night at school (first time seeing a movie with a group of people, and on a big screen - did very well!). Busy, busy, busy!

First Day of School, 2009

Jenna's first day was Wed the 16th, Meghan's 9/2. These pics are from Jenna's first day. She gets to ride the same bus as Meghan in the morning. We waited for the bus over 15 minutes, figured it must have come really early, so I told them to go home, I'd take them (Meghan rides her bike). Just as I got around the corner, I heard the bus. So I walked back to the road, told the (substitute) driver we thought we missed her, and that I'd take the girls in. Jenna was so happy to go to school! It's the same group of kids, and the same teacher, so they're probably already back into their routines. The bus got there on time today. I didn't have much time home alone since I ran some errands Wed, but Thur was great - actually got to exercise and get some beadwork done.

Busy, Busy

Well, like normal, last week was crazy! We went rollerskating Tuesday, to Anacortes parks with a friend Wed, Thur was speech and errands, Friday we went to Fort Casey with friends, Sat we went for a train ride with friends - Whew! I was glad Mark decided NOT to go get firewood Sun, we just needed to unwind.

So, some of you may be wondering about our trip to GA/FL. I actually made a list of parts of the trip to blog about, so I can do it in sections! So todays segment is on our road trip to FL....

Grandma took me to the rental car place, but they didn't have the car yet - they were being driven down from Macon. So I had them come and get me when the car was available. I got a white (no surprise there!) Toyota Yaris. Excellent gas mileage, not great on hills, and NO cruise control or power door locks - I now totally appreciate those things! We drove down to Leahan's, only getting lost on the last little bit, which is amazing considering the construction in Jacksonville - they have signs up with names, but the lane markers are taped over! We made plenty of stops for potty breaks and snacks; and stopped at a Indian Fruitstand place which as a little tourist trap was cool - each of the girls got a shell, and we got hot sauce for my BIL. We chilled out for the rest of the night with Leahan and David, and their Dalmatians, which Jenna got used to quickly - she was herding them around! Next day we went to the horse farm Leahan's daughter lives/works at, and saw baby horses/ponies. Her daughter has a beach club membership - boy is that place nice! We had fun in the surf for a while, played in the pool, had great hamburgers at Five Guys, and played in Leahan's pool when we got back. The next day we headed back to GA, stopping at the Okefenokee swamp on the way up. There was nobody but us at the gift shop, and a couple people in the visitor center (aside from employees). We didn't see any alligators, but we can say we've been to the swamp. We made it back to Grandma's in time for dinner. The girls did absolutely wonderful - the driving was around 7 hours each way, and I didn't hear a single whine. I had taken some of their toys with us, and the girls played, slept and sang. They are true road warriors!

Bear with me...

Computer demons, weed demons and life are intruding on my blogging time, so it may be a bit longer until you can read about our great adventure - and see some of the almost 300 pictures I took! I'll have some great stories to tell, as soon as I get a chance!

Your Majesty

Thur a friend picked Jenna up from school so I had time to go to the Quilt Museum in LA Conner. They always have such cool textiles, but they don't open until 11. We had a fun weekend, just kicking around the house (literally sometimes, Meghan loves playing withe her soccer ball). Mark took them to speech Sat, so I had some time to myself, which was refreshing. Mark took them for a ride on the mower yesterday (no blades engaged) (picture). They were playing at King and Queen for a while today (picture). Jenna fell asleep leaning against me on the couch this evening. I woke her up to get a bath, now she's wide awake when she should be sleeping!

And then we...

I apologize for so long without a post. Things we've done - Jenna's field trip to Padilla Bay, Free Kid's Day at the fairgrounds with lots of free stuff to do (Jenna especially loves the bouncy house), took the boat and went fishing, rearranged 8 out of 10 rose bushes and planted a white lilac bush and a snowball bush (I guess they call them pompoms here), put borders around the pumpkin patch and blueberry bushes with new soil and mulch, Meghan lost her 7th tooth and had sealant put on a set of molars, life went by faster than I want it to! (picture is Meghan at Rasar park enjoying the oddly warm river water)

I am sewing up a frenzy making some dresses and clothing for the girls to wear in GA. My sewing machine has been giving me fits, but this time I think we've got it fixed. I couldn't sew when people were sleeping, it thunk-thunked so bad. We've got 8 days of school left, then a trip to the zoo, and only 16 days until we fly. Meghan's psyched about the zoo, and knows that a few days after the zoo she's riding a jet airplane. (picture is Jenna on fieldtrip, looking very philosophical - I also have shots of scientist, gymnast, rock climber and architect)

Mark has been busy working, and doing yardwork when he has time (all that planting and borders, a truckload of soil and one of mulch). He's still working 5-6 days a week. At least we got to take the boat and go fishing, so we can say we at least got it wet this year!

There's now 2 houses for sale on the street (including Fort Knox - again!), and the neighbors to our west may move soon too - they have a 2 bedroom house, and are expecting their second child. They tore out most of the landscaping the previous person spent so much time putting in, and now they're looking at moving. Oh well, it's not my yard - that keeps me plenty busy!

Dentist, Fort Casey

We went to Fort Casey on Whidbey Island for mother's day. It's a large concrete structure, with paths, a beach and a great kite-flying area. You could literally put the kite up in the air a good ways and just stake the end of the string down and let it fly by itself. The girls had fun exploring the different paths and all the nooks and crannies in the buildings.

What kid cheers when they go to the dentist?! Mine do! We went for their regular cleaning, and the girls go in together, but without me. I could hear them giggling in the waiting room! Meghan goes back in 2 weeks to get molars sealed, and the dentist requested that he be the one to do it! I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'm glad they like to go, it's easier than dragging them in kicking and screaming!

Photos, and there's lots of them!

Ok, so much later the same day...

Finally got the pictures straightened out.

We start with Friday's excursion to Tulip Town. We have rock-star Meghan, with her pants falling down. She says it,"Rock on, bay-bay!" The girls posed with the cutout - Meghan was tall enough to reach, but Jenna wasn't. I was wondering what to do when an elderly man offered to hold her up. Then a lady in his party said he shouldn't so she would. He didn't think she should, since she was pregnant. She held Jenna up, and I snapped it quickly, thanking her! We went on the tractor trolley ride, and walked around a bit. I was taking pictures with my tripod, trying something new, and Meghan swiveled the camera around from that lower viewpoint and took some great shots. She really has a good eye, and a very creative streak - wonder who she gets that from?! Jenna posed for us a little, but mostly was running with Meghan and our friend that came with us. Fortunately it had been dry for a few days, so the field wasn't very muddy - though Jenna did manage to step in a mud puddle that sucked her shoe off!

Next we have Jenna riding her truck (a sturdy Grave Digger monster truck) that she loves to ride around on in the house now that more of the floor isn't carpeted. Meghan showing off her face-painted hands. She really wanted her face painted at Tulip Town (we did last year - the guy is incredible!). I said no, since I didn't want to pay that much and just have it washed off in a few hours (bath night). My consolation prize was that I would paint her the next day. So while each of them had their turn at speech, the other got painted while sitting at the nearby bakery. I didn't get a shot of Jenna, she had a grey unicorn on her cheek and a red butterfly on her hand. Meghan has a unicorn and a kitty on her hands.

Meghan has come down with a cold, and set herself up to watch movies yesterday. She put the laundry basket next to her to hold her buddies, water and cereal. She's using a unicorn for a pillow. She stayed home again today, fever and sore throat, etc. I've tried getting all the photos lined up where I want them, and it's fighting me tonight. I need to go to bed, so I can hopefully not get whatever Meghan has! So it'll just have to stay slightly wonky.

still trying...

We went to Tulip Town Friday with friends, and I have some great pics, but the software seems to be having issues tonight, so it will have to wait. We actually got a little flushed from all the sun - way too many days spent inside with no sunlight! We probably OD'd on Vitamin D! I'll try again with the pics tonight (it's already tomorrow!).

Easter, Beach, Etc.

Easter...

We didn't go to the Lyman egg hunt this year, since both girls had speech at that time. We colored some eggs the night before, for fun. Nothing fancy, just food color and crayon for designs. They liked dipping them in different colors to see what happened. Sunday was rainy, so no outside egg hunt. I had scoured up all the little toys laying around, and stuffed them in eggs. I bought one bag of M&Ms, divided some of it into the eggs. When stuffed, we have a grocery bag full. Mark hid the eggs while the girls and I straightened up Meghan's room. They had such a blast searching for them! Jenna wanted to open each one as she found it, but we finally got her to just put them in her basket, and they opened them at the end - it didn't matter who had found what egg, and the candy ended up split fairly evenly. They also each got a chocolate rabbit, but Meghan didn't want hers. She is very particular about her candy! They had already picked out and opened their toys the week before, so it was a fairly laid-back Sunday aside from the egg hunt!

Last Sunday we went to Washington Park, outside of Anacortes. We like to take a picnic lunch and go there. There's a playground for the kids, a boat dock for small boats where people pull big boats with small vehicles (we just shake our heads!), and lots of gravel beaches and tide pools. The field next to the playground had all these little white flowers. The girls had fun clambering over the rocks.

I went through the girls clothes today, pulling out stuff they don't fit in anymore. Jenna still has a good selection, since I also pulled out the stuff from Meghan. Meghan's closet is looking a little peaked! Unfortunately, she's at an awkward size - too tall for a 6, too skinny for a 7/8. Though some of the Tshirts these days are sized totally weird - she has a 10/12 that is just a little wider than a 6/8 - wider, not longer! School dress code is that no belly should be visible, even during movement. I'll end up buying boys clothes just because they're cut longer! I'm buying patterns on sale, and plan on sewing most of her clothes so they'll fit her.

More pics

Meghan making crackers and peanut butter, the girls at the River park on spring break.

Meet Shirley

We said goodbye to Orville yesterday. His transmission was seriously slipping, the engine was ticking (possible lifter), the fan only blew on max, etc. He served us well. Our new family "member" is Shirley.Thinking of Goldilocks and Movies, Shirley Temple comes to mind - so Shirley it is. She is a goldish (found out it's actually called sandstone) 2004 Honda Odyssey. This is the first vehicle of mine that I'd consider an investment piece, since they hold their value very well. Not that I haven't taken care of my cars, but they always end up being $1k or less at trade-in. She is in great shape. You can see her picture here, until they take her down! And that's not what we paid. She has a few bells and whistles, which will take a little time to figure out. Both the girls love the fact that it has a built-in DVD player. Long road trips will have never been a problem for us, but I think they might look forward to them more! I did my research, and if you want to know why 2004 is better than 2005, I can tell you! I really wanted a Montana, but there were none to be found locally (1 in Renton sold while I was researching). Would you believe our insurance is cheaper?! We decided to decrease our deductibles on both vehicles, and it's only $4 more a month. Considering how much a windshield costs, it will be worth it!

Meghan's trying to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. This week is spring break. We're going swimming tomorrow, and maybe a picnic Friday if the weather's nice.

Funny Faces

Seems like every time I have the camera out, the girls insist on doing funny faces. So, just for fun, here's a set of funnies, Jenna mid-jump and Tess totally relaxed. I'll write about our first roller skating venture on Sunday!

Super Girl!

Jenna is having a hard time going to sleep tonight. She's playing in her room, and wanted help getting her cape tied on. She can always make me crack up! She previously had on a pink and green "fairy" costume. The horse picture is something Meghan staged. The horses aren't from the same company, but they do look good together! I'm not sure what toy the crown came from. Both the girls got little princess bride figures, and are having fun having the brides riding the horses around when they play!

Snow pics

Pictures from Monday.

And then...

So it's snowed again today. They sent Mark home early, so he'll probably work Thursday. Council tomorrow. Jenna threw up 1/2 hour ago. It's going to be a great week! I've already spilled a bunch of beads and my sewing box.

Last week Meghan got sick Wed night, stayed home Thur and we had her party at Jungle Playland (big indoor play structure) on Friday. 13 kids came, good turnout. We took the truck in to get fixed Thursday. It wasn't done, so we took Mark into work, slept some more, picked up 2 kids from town, got the cake with all 4 kids in tow, went to the party, took the kids home, went back in to pay for the truck, went to the kids museum until Mark got done, got the truck, went to McD's for dinner, came home for cake, ice cream (which only Mark and I ate) and presents. Jenna tore through the presents for her, and then threw a fit because the rest were Meghan's. This too shall pass. I didn't get a single picture the whole day. Had the camera, just didn't have time to pick it up.

Youtube

Apparently you need to have a Youtube account to see the video. I've added ya'll to my contacts list, but I'm not sure if that means you'll have access. I don't want the whole world watching her dance in her undies, so the security is pretty high. Sorry if it causes problems.

Jiggy Dancing, etc.

Jenna dancing to Mama Mia.

The snow we got Wed night - had a 2 hour delay Thursday. It's all gone now.

Jenna being silly.

Jenna drying off Louie when he came in from the rain.

We've gone on 2 outings with regular underwear - I think the pullups are over!

Here we go again

Snow! Probably about 1.5 inches, very wet and sticky. Sure makes everything pretty, but I am ready for Spring to really be here and to get going on my garden! If it's still here in the morning, I'll take a picture to add.

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Yeah, I know...

Ok. so it's been a while. I'd say I was busy, but then when aren't I?!

We had a nice weekend with some east-coast family. We spent the afternoon at the Everett Children's Museum.. Great place! The kids were ping-ponging around until they had found every corner and then slowed down to enjoy themselves - by slow down I mean slow for them, still way too fast for pictures! These pics are from the bus - the mic actually works, so the girls had fun with that - Meghan was serenading us.

I have officially purchased tickets for our trip to GA this summer. Now for transportation and sleep arrangements! I want to see relatives in Stone Mountain and some in Florida that might meet us in Savannah, the Atlanta Aquarium is reported as huge, pick seashells from a warm sandy beach, etc, etc.

I've set up a Facebook account. If any family have one, please let me know (I've connected with Andrea, and sent a request to Collin).

The flooring is now in the master bedroom as well. We ran it the other direction. We ended up with one box left. Next inside project - bathroom flooring, refurbish master bathroom! But it will probably wait for a while - the weather is starting to be nicer, so there's lots of outside stuff to do - like tackling our growing mole population!

Frosty!

This week was a little slow-paced, which is good! Thursday we finished laying the flooring in the living room. It was still frosty out at 4:00, so Meghan and I went for a "camera walk", taking pictures of whatever struck us, including each other! Friday the frost was even more magnificent, so I snapped pictures while waiting for Meghan's bus (11:30). The sun finally peeked through then, and I snapped pictures around the house as the frost was melting.

We've decided we have enough of the flooring left over to do our bedroom (yes, we majorly over-bought), so that is the next project. We'll run it in the other direction, to provide a break between the bedroom and living room. That leaves the 2 bathrooms and the kitchen to redo and the entire floor of the house will be changed! We'll also change the inside window trim on the bedroom windows - the last ones for that as well! I had been saving a little pair of roller skates until we finished the floor. Meghan doesn't like them, says they hurt her feet. Jenna loves them! Meghan tries to steady her as she goes around the room. And Mark's remote control car finally has the dust knocked off since it has a place to run.

I did manage to get some beading done this week, finally. We got the movie WallE Sat, watched it a few times. I really like it, the female lead is the strong one, saves WallE and he saves her - not your usual Disney viewpoint!

Jenna's added a very clear "Meghan" to her vocabulary. She also likes to say "Thank you" and "No problem" when you say thank you to her! She's also starting to ask "Why?" - a phase Meghan never had! Her current favorite movie is Dumbo - Meghan has started reciting the lines the stork says when Dumbo is delivered to his mom, acting out the entire scene.