HOUGH HAPPENIN'S

A hunting we will go...

2011-10-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to be more self-reliant and to cut back on the cost of meat, Jared bought a general deer tag and hunting license and invested his Wed. and Thurs. mornings this month (before work) to hunt in Vernonia with a friend who lives there. Sadly, it was a no-go for all those mornings. Too warm, no sightings whatsoever, too foggy, etc.

Yesterday was the only Saturday Jared could get up there and dedicate the day to it.

I got a call from Jared around 9am.

The good news: he shot a deer.
The bad news: it was the wrong one.

The good news: he was honest in reporting it immediately.
The bad news: he had to wait around for the authorities to come.

The good news: he didn't commit a crime.
The bad news: he committed a violation.

The good news: he was "only" fined $345 and was allowed to keep his tag, rifle, & ammo.
The bad news: there goes our Christmas budget.

The good news: (per Jenn) yesterday was his last day to hunt.
The bad news: (per Jared) yesterday was his last day to hunt.

Jared and his friend were in the truck when Rick spotted a buck down below in a wooded ravine. He told Jared to go around the front of the truck to get his shot. Jared walked around, saw the deer down below in some thick trees and took aim. The head at that time was behind a tree trunk. Jared took his shot.That's when Rick yelled from the truck window "You shot the wrong one!" Jared's like, "Whatdaya mean I shot the wrong one??" It was the only deer that Jared saw. Apparently the deer Rick had seen was a buck, but by the time Jared got positioned, the deer he saw was really a doe that had been behind the buck, so Rick didn't see it.

Unfortunately, Jared didn't produce a rookie shot...the bullet went right through the heart.

Fortunately, after calling the deer police, the authorities showed up within an hour. Jared knew he'd be fined but also knew he could lose his tag, and sometimes they confiscate your gun and ammunition too depending on the mood of the officer you get. We were told by friends that if Jared pleads guilty (which he fully admits to) some of the money from the fine could be returned to us. So we'll see. This quest to save money got awfully expensive, awfully fast. I'm thinking we should skip elk season next month!

When I told Jake that Jared had shot the wrong deer, Jake was bewildered. I clarified by telling him he shot a doe not a buck. Jake asked, "didn't he see the deer didn't have antlers?" I told him the deer's head was behind a tree. His confusion continued. "Then why didn't he reposition himself so he could see the head?" Good question Jake! ;)

Jared reports too that in all his days of hunting from his high school years until now...this is the first deer he's ever shot. Ever. And it was the wrong one. And I can't help but break out in song from the Sound of Music, "Doe, a deer, a female deer. Ray, a drop of morning sun. Me, a name I call myself..."

Baby Fun Results

2011-08-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

We had several predictions for the baby to be born on his due date--8.11.11. However, he was born SHORTLY after midnight and most the predictions were after that. My cousin-in-law Dani predicted 8/11 at 2:33am. She was the closest...but she was over! (So sorry, Dani!)

So the winner of the date and time is our friend who lives down the street...Jean Gorton! She predicted 8/10 at 7:53pm and that was the last prediction for the 10th. Yay for you Jean!! That's $50 coming your way.

And the winner of the weight prediction for $25 goes to our other neighborhood friend, Julie Miller (who is busy with a newborn of her own). She was the first one to predict 6 lbs 11 oz. Jacob predicted 6 lbs 10 oz. and was kicking himself for being 1 ounce off. Well done, Julie. I would never have predicted that small. JJ is now our second smallest baby. In fact, our first, third and fifth babies were 6 pounders and our second and fourth were our 7 pounders. Cooper is VERY proud of the fact that he holds the record as our largest baby, tipping the scales at 7 lbs. 9 oz.

Thanks for playing, Everyone!

Fast & Furious

2011-08-17T15:31:00.001-07:00

Okay, so fast and furious does NOT describe the last month of my pregnancy (or this post for that matter). More like slow and frustrating (hopefully the post won't be that way). It wouldn't have been so bad if the uncomfortable and painful contractions I spent weeks timing actually did something--like, oh, you know, send me into labor--and no matter how many kids you've had or not had, the last 4 weeks are always a waiting game.

Now toss in a tiny wrench...I tested positive for Group B strep, which I've never had. Apparently I'm not in danger, but it could harm the baby, so I would need antibiotics during labor and delivery. I've had the same OB since we moved here when Jared started PA school in 2004 and she even delivered Karcyn over her lunch hour. Dr. Hendrickson told me that because of the Group B strep, I needed to not labor at home like she suspected I would want to do (and she suspected correctly) and come in earlier...when the contractions were strong and 5-7 min. apart for an hour so they can give me the first dose of antibiotics and then a second dose 4 hours later.

There were days I timed contractions for 7 hours straight when they were 12-10 minutes apart then got as close as 5-7 minutes apart, but not for an hour. And they weren't as strong as they could be...a sign of true labor. And as much as I didn't want to keep looking at my watch, I felt I needed to be aware of all contractions because of the GBS development.

Toss in a second wrench...Dr. Hendrickson would be quitting her practice the beginning of August, so I would be seeing Dr. Bird for the last two appointments before my due date. On August 1st when I saw Dr. Bird the first time, I was measuring almost 2 cm.

Toss in a third wrench...we have a big family vacation planned a week after my August 11th due date--an immediate family reunion with my parents and then Jared's family and grandma that was planned over a year ago--before the baby was. We really wanted me to deliver earlier rather than later because of this...that and the fact that we're driving from the northwest corner of Oregon to the southwest corner of Utah, which could prove difficult after a vaginal delivery let alone a C-section.

My mom flew into town on Monday, August 8th hoping to be a grandma again. But there was no baby.

I saw Dr. Bird for the last time on Tuesday, August 9th. I was a good solid 2 cm. If I had been further dilated, like a 4, and soft, she would have broken my water. But here's the catch...I do not dilate until after my water has broken. And usually I go pretty quick after that. Stupid uterus and cervix.

Toss in a fourth wrench...I had a C-section with Jake so my subsequent deliveries have been overshadowed and somewhat tainted because of this. Dr. Bird knew of our Aug. 19th trip and knew that Friday the 12th was the absolute last day I could deliver. She knew I didn't want to have an elective C-section, so we discussed some "natural induction methods" because giving pitocin to a woman trying for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) isn't in anyone's best interest.

We decided on the least invasive method of induction...and for the life of me, I can't remember what it's called. But we can toss in a fifth wrench now. Dr. Bird was going out of town the next day for a week. Dr. Bennett would be on call for the week but there weren't any other doctors, or there would only be one. Dr. Bird asked me if I was up for being induced that night (Tues.). I said sure...let's get this show on the road! But of course, the birthing center was "full" with other inductions. So she said she'd leave a note for Dr. Bennett to call the hospital in the morning to see if I could get in and if not, they'd call on Thursday and if not, then Friday it would be. She knew I was capable of having a VBAC delivery because I'd done it 3 times already and that in this case it was just a timing issue. I certainly appreciate her doing everything she could to help me when I'm not even her patient.

I left the appointment feeling pretty dejected even though I usually go on my own fairly close to my due date and I was still 2 days out. But the impending trip and possible C-section if I stalled during the induction weighed heavily on my mind.

Wednesday morning, we waited around for the office to call to see if I could get on the schedule for an induction. Mom decided to take the kids (all 4 of them!) to see a movie. Brave woman. After they left, Jared called the office to see what the status was. The hospital was full with inductions, with 2 additional women waiting to get in. It was apparent that the only way I was going to get in to the hospital before Friday was to go on my own.

So Jared and I went walking. We walked about 1.5 miles around the neighborhood before he had to go to work. I contracted like crazy and it hurt, but of course the contractions quit when we stopped. Jared went to work and I napped for about an hour before the kids came back from the movie. Mom said they were great (sure...for her). She actually left them in the theater while she went and got snacks. The theater manager helped her carry the food and drinks back to their seats and was so impressed with how polite and well behaved the kids were. When my mom relayed this to me, I would have clarified to make sure the manager had the right row of children but mine were the only ones in there.

Karcyn and Calvin were acting like a 5 and 3 year old, so I took them for another mile walk around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, it wore me down more than them.

We went to bed around 10:30pm. A contraction woke me up around 11:40pm. (Jared says I've never been awoken by a contraction before). As I sat up to empty my bladder, I felt two small, almost imperceptible, pops in my abdomen. In the 8 steps it takes to get from my bedside to the bathroom, I was wet when I got there. I've never "wet" myself before. But I wasn't convinced my water broke because 1) it never has and 2) maybe I just fabricated the pops in my head. I had several contractions pretty close together after that for about 15 minutes. After changing, I climbed back in bed and I felt unsettled with that decision. I didn't want to go to the hospital under the assumption that my water might have broken. But waiting another 8 hours til morning wasn't the smartest idea either. It's not good for the baby once the membranes have ruptured and even worse for one whose mother has GBS. The contractions continued to come 2-5 min. apart and they were strong. Even though it had only been 30 minutes of this, we decided it was probably show time. Jared called the hospital to let them know we were coming and that my water might have broken and that I would need antibiotics.

We woke up my mom to tell her we were leaving. I also left her the phone numbers of two neighbors she could call later in the morning during a socially acceptable hour so she could come to the hospital and be there for the birth, assuming they admitted me. 'Cause you never know. I spent 3 hours "proving" I was in labor with Calvin.

We got in the van at 12:30am and drove to Tuality hospital. The contractions were picking up in intensity and consequently I had a little bit of road rage on the way--and I was the passenger. We got to the parking lot at 12:45. I had to stop outside the hospital door for a hard contraction when we realized we were on the wrong side of the hospital. Since it was after hours, we needed to enter through the ER doors, the next block down. So around we went, as fast as we could. I had to stop inside the hospital for another contraction.

We checked in at the birthing center at 12:50am. I was taken to a room in the back and was told to get into a gown. More contractions. The nurse checked me and I was 4 cm and she confirmed that my water had indeed broken. Good...there was still enough time to get the epidural that has eluded me the last 3 deliveries. What kills me is that they have to take blood work and check my platelet count before the anesthesiologist will come and administer the meds. The nurse said it would be about 30-45 minutes. What?? Do they know how long that is in "contraction time"?? Might as well be 45 hours! The contractions were getting closer together and increasing in intensity. I started to whimper and told Jared I didn't feel like I could make it that long. Maybe they could just shoot me and put me out of my misery instead.

After that, it's a fuzzy blur. I sat at the foot of the bed on the edge and closed my eyes and tried to will the pain away. Jared stood facing me with his hands on my shoulders as he rubbed them and my neck. I grabbed his arms and dug my fingers in when the contractions started. Apparently I leaned the side of my head into his arm too because he told me to take my earrings out so they wouldn't puncture him or my neck in the process.

The IV was in to give me fluids and to be ready in case I needed to go to the ER for a C-section (standard procedure for VBAC) and I guess my blood was drawn at the same time and sent to the lab to get that process going. The on-call OB, Dr. Bennett, came in shortly after. I don't think I ever really "saw" her. My eyes were clamped shut. I could hear her and Jared talking though. Somehow, I managed to sign the VBAC consent form that she put in front of me. And then the contractions became excruciating and unmanageable. My breathing was fast and shallow and panicked. The contractions were so hard and deep and close that I couldn't get on top of them nor could I just catch my breath with a minute of relief in between. I even punched poor Jared a few times and bless his sweet heart, I heard him say this was the worst time for a husband: because he couldn't do anything to help me.

It seriously felt like I was in transition--I've only experienced it 3 other times, but there's usually no mistaking it. Yet I was only 4 cm. just a few minutes prior. It was ludicrous to even entertain such a thought so I certainly didn't suggest it. I was already out of control and feeling like a fool. No need to seal the deal with that statement. I heard Jared tell the doctor that once my water breaks, the contractions are relentless. He told me the doctor said she was noticing that just in the short time she was there and asked how long it had been since I was last checked. He said "maybe 20 minutes." So once that current contraction eased up enough for me to be checked again, she announced, "Oh, you're a 9!" The elusive epidural eluded me once again. Dude, I didn't care. I was far enough now, I didn't need it. But one more contraction and I announced I needed to push. I don't remember this at all, but Jared told me I was checked again, I was complete, and the doctor said "Go ahead, I'm right here."

Except that I was on the very edge of the bed. Then I felt like I was laying flat on my back...a horrible position. Jared said the nurses were trying to get me further back on the bed and pull the foot of the bed off, get the drop cloths ready, get the mega light down from the ceiling, & put my feet in the stirrups, which I resisted. I heard them call for a baby nurse "stat" and somehow in the midst of all of that, I forgot how to push. I felt wickedly out of control...not a cool feeling. [I later joked with Jared that had we been a couple on TLC's "A Baby Story," they would have taped the labor and delivery and then the producers would have thrown it out because if it had been aired, NO woman would ever want to go through labor and delivery--ev.er. Jared said, "Naw, they'd just take the video, show it in all high schools and it would become the national campaign for abstinence!"]

Apparently I remembered how to give birth after all and 5 minutes later (give or take), we had ourselves another baby. Dr. Bennett said it certainly made for an exciting night for her and now that it was over, she'd put on her gown that she didn't have time to do earlier and finish up.

Meet Jared William Hough (JJ), born 8.11.11--on his due date--at 1:25am. He weighed 6 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20 inches long.

[**We borrowed a camera (because ours is in the Puget Sound somewhere) which has the hospital pictures on it, but don't have the USB cord for it yet. So we used Jared's iPhone to take pictures on Sunday 8/14 after church.**]

Jared and I shudder to think what might have been if we had timed contractions for an hour, instead of 30 minutes before leaving for the hospital. Jared would have been delivering the baby in the van on TV Hwy or in the hospital parking lot--that's what would have happened. We're both grateful we left when we did. This was the FASTEST labor & delivery in Jenn Hough birthing history.

Our concern, however, is that the nurse had just put the bag of antibiotics on the IV stand right before I said I had to push. They never had a chance to get into my system, which left the baby unprotected. They did blood work on him shortly after delivery to find out if he was positive for GBS. Thankfully, he was clean. Perhaps that's a blessing from his fast entry into the world. Usually the longer the babies are in the birth canal, the greater the chance of them contracting it. We are so grateful and blessed beyond measure and I, for one, am SO GLAD to have labor and delivery behind me! And I feel fabulous. My best and fastest recovery! Perhaps another blessing of a quick labor and delivery and a tender mercy for our upcoming trip.

The kids ADORE little Jared. They fight over who gets to hold him. Karcyn loves saying "Coochie Coochie Coo." When my mom brought the kids to the hospital Thursday afternoon, one of the nurses was checking JJ's vitals. Calvin walked up to her and said, "Sooo, Doctor...how's that baby doing?"

The baby is doing great! We are all in love.

Jake (11) and JJ

Cooper (8) and JJ

Calvin (3) and JJ

Karcyn (5) and JJ

The three JHs :)

Dr. Jennifer Hendrickson would have made four JHs, but we wish her well in her new job so that she can spend more time with her own children.

Let's have some baby fun!

2011-07-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

Alright everyone...I'm due exactly one month from today (8.11.11). And to help me get through this last month (which feels like the entire 9 months put together), we're going to have some baby fun.

For those of you who haven't been with us Houghs since Jake came into our world almost 12 years ago, this is a fun tradition for our family that we've done with each baby. We are asking for your baby weight and arrival predictions and if you're the closest without going over, you win a prize! No purchase necessary!

So here's the scoop:
1) Anyone in your household can participate. The more individual entries, the merrier!
2) 1st game: Tell me the weight you think the baby will be (it's a boy if you missed that announcement) in pounds and ounces.
3) 2nd game: Tell me the DATE and TIME (don't forget AM/PM) you think baby will make his appearance. True to The-Price-Is-Right form, I'm dead serious about being the closest without going over. My brother-in-law had the closest prediction for Calvin's arrival date and time--almost to the minute. It was an awesome guess. Unfortunately, he was 5 (yes five!) minutes over and didn't win. I'm not quite sure he's forgiven me for that yet ;)
4) Obviously, the sooner you get your predictions in to me, the better, because in the case of duplicate predictions, the one who is closest without going over AND was the first one with that prediction, wins.

What's in it for you? Well--the best predictor of the weight will win $25 and the best predictor of the day/time will win $50. (You'd better believe my kids already got their predictions in).

Here's some stats from my previous babies and their due dates vs. their birth dates if you think that will help you in formulating your guess. Oh and I've never been induced. But one thing I've learned is that when it comes to labor and delivery...anything goes!

Jake: due 1/10/00; came on 12/27/99 at 2:12am via C-section (he was breech); 6 lbs. 13 oz.

Cooper: due 10/22/02; came on 10/21/02 at 11:57am. VBAC delivery; 7 lbs. 9 oz.

Karcyn: due 3/9/06; came on 3/10/06 at 12:41pm. VBAC delivery; 6 lbs. 8 oz.

Calvin: due 5/5/08; came on 5/1/08 at 3:35am. VBAC delivery; 7 lbs. 1 oz.

Feel free to submit your predictions by responding here on the blog or by emailing me directly. Thanks for playing our final round of baby fun!

Anatomy survey says...

2011-03-23T19:55:00.001-07:00

For those of you who missed the announcement a couple months ago, we are expecting our fifth and final child on August 11, 2011.

Personally, Jared and I both kind of thought we were done having kids after Calvin. Not to mention, when Calvin was two months old, my cardiologist pretty much gave me a red light regarding having more children after his eyeballs popped out of their sockets when he discovered I had birthed four kids already...at my age...and with my heart condition.

But after some serious soul searching and prayer and getting a surprising green light from the cardiologist a year later (I'm convinced the Lord put words in that doctor's mouth), we felt we needed to have one more baby to complete our family.

Jared and I had our bets about what gender it was going to be. He said GIRL. I said BOY. Karcyn said GIRL two months ago but has insisted after that we'd be having a boy baby. Jake wanted a BOY (because boys rule apparently). Cooper wanted a BOY until he realized if that was the case, he'd have to share his room with three brothers, not just two. Then he started praying for a GIRL. I'm pretty sure Calvin didn't care either way.

I found it interesting that less than 5 minutes into the ultrasound this morning, I was the one who announced the gender. We're having a Karcyn Sandwich! Two boys above her and two boys below. That's right. More blue.

We also thought it was extremely appropriate that one of the songs playing on the radio while we drove home from the ultrasound was "Stuck in the Middle with You" by the Steve Miller Band. "Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you." Yup, that will be Karcyn's new theme song.

Even before we started talking about it, I knew if we had another baby, it would be a boy. I almost feel like that was Heavenly Father's tender mercy to me so I could go into this decision with my eyes wide open and so I could mentally prepare. (Having a girl would be much more convenient for bunking purposes and the clothes we tucked away in the attic would be much less threadbare.) Yet, at the same time, I felt the pull of Satan saying "Are you really going to go through with this? You have plenty of boys already. They're loud. They break things. You barely have enough housing space for the 4 kids you have, let alone space for 4 boys in one room. You don't have to do this. You're body is tired and weak. You've had plenty of kids. Do yourself and your family a favor and be done."

But even though those opposing thoughts were tempting and as stinky as it would be to have 4 boys in a small bedroom, the prospect of another boy was not the determining factor. The point was that our family wasn't all here yet. Someone was missing. And in the final words of Elder Wirthlin, "Come what may and love it."

The kids are THRILLED to have a brother. Karcyn was the most excited of them all. Bless her heart. I'm thinking she probably doesn't believe mommy could have anything BUT boys. (She thought she, too, was a boy for a short time a couple years ago). Jared's not sad. Well, kind of. He had a free movie coming to him if he predicted correctly :) And I laughed and laughed when I realized he'll be in scouting with cold and wet overnight camp outs and other young men activities for many, many more years to come!

Just this afternoon, I've already gotten rid of the girl clothes I could get down on my own from the attic and they've already been taken to the D.I. Pod. (Only 3 more bins to go) And...no tears from me. I am going to miss the cute baby girl clothes, but my gratitude for being able to be pregnant one more time, however physically challenging it may be, overshadows that silly insignificance.

Now--if we could only come up with a name for the little dude. Sadly, with a lousy one-syllable last name that sounds like "ugh", we have nothing. We want to use William as the middle name after Jared's dad. Other than that, we're drawing a big FAT blank. So if you want to throw out some suggestions, we are all ears!!

June Flashback: Lost Lake Camping Trip

2010-11-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

There are many things I just won't be posting about because 5 months later (actually over 7 months by the time this post gets done), they just don't seem as important as they did at the time.

But our family camping trip at Lost Lake is not one of them. We had been planning this trip for over a year. We have very little time in the summer to ourselves due to the time that Jared spends with the young men preparing and going on High Adventure. It comes down to about one camping trip a year for us and Lost Lake was it for 2010, the week after the kids got out of school.

In the 4 years we've been employed in Oregon, the kids and I have never been anywhere near Mt. Hood. So this was going to be a fun new adventure.

It was a darn good thing we had the suburban by this point. Even still, we had to remove one of the seats in the back to make room. And we didn't take our own firewood like we were planning. We have yet to get a rack for the roof so we can use our car topper. That would have helped. We were packed to the gills.

A view of Mt. Hood as we ventured off the beaten path to the Lost Lake campground. We took the scenic route and there were times when it was so scenic Jared was wondering if we weren't lost ourselves.

Karcyn's motto for the trip: "This is the life." She kept saying it over and over from the moment we arrived.

We really liked the campsites at Lost Lake. They were clean and spacious--we had spots to put 3 tents--and it felt like you were the only ones there. The trees are so thick, you can't see the next campsite. Not to mention they were a bargain!

There's a 3.2 mile loop around the Lake and you can fish anywhere you can find a spot. We took the kids fishing the first night.

They all hooked fish, but only Jake got one in.

And no camping trip is complete with out card games.

Day 2:
Nothing like hot chocolate and a warm fire in the morning.

Jake working on some of his Webelos requirements.

More fishing. Jared forgot his fishing license so he couldn't fish, but the little kids could.

Success for Cooper!!

Can't stop now...

Success for Karcyn! She loved waiting for the fish to bite and then hooking it and reeling it in, but man, she didn't want to have anything to do with the fish once it came out of the water!

Eagerly waiting for dad to get her pole and bobber ready for the next go around.

Our little pyromaniac.

Basking in the sun...the first sunny week we had in a long time.

Rowing out on Lost Lake to find Mount Hood.

Found it!

The view from the lake was spectacular. In fact, some of the best shots of Mt. Hood are taken from Lost Lake.

Calvin enjoying his freedom in the rowboat.

This is what Karcyn thought of the boat ride out on the lake. She missed the whole thing. Catching fish sure takes a lot out of ya.

What I didn't get a picture of (because we videotaped it instead) was of Jake and Cooper jumping out of the boat into the FREE.ZING. water and swimming back to shore when we got closer. Jake was a total polar bear and did it. Cooper slid tentatively over the side of the boat (instead of just jumping in to get it over with) getting only halfway in...and got his breath taken away and panicked because it was so cold! In his panicking he all but tipped the whole rowboat over! We finally got him up the side and into the boat and into his towel. He was not happy about that experience. Jake was too cold to talk at the shore, but nothing that some dry clothes and a warm fire couldn't fix.

Here we are eating our yummy Mountain House dinners. Though, according to our ward's young men who ate Mountain House on their 50 mile backpacking High Adventure trek in the Eagle Cap Mountains, if that's all you have to eat for two meals a day for a week, the very sight of those pouches are enough to make you hurl. What I didn't notice until I took that picture is the mountain logo ON the pouch. That looks an awful lot like Mt. Hood from the Lost Lake side. Pretty cool. Considering these meals are manufactured in Oregon, I'm guessing that's our Lake view of Mt. Hood.

Later in the evening, Jared took the boys out on the boat to go fishing as they made their way back to the dock to return the boat. I stayed behind with the little ones and we made s'mores before leaving to go pick up the fishermen.

When they got back, Jared took Karcyn fishing all by herself. After cleaning up and getting Calvin ready for bed, the boys and I walked down to see how they were doing. They were sitting on rocks at the end of our private path from our campsite. How cool is that? Jared said as many times as Karcyn put her line in, she'd reel in a fish. I think SHE was the one that was hooked! But don't be fooled. Her dad LOVED it!

And here's Calvin--doing what he does best. He wanted to go down on the rocks, but I wouldn't let him. Can we say "bedtime"?

Day 3:
Packing up so we can go on our hike around the lake before heading home.

Off we go...

Had to stop and catch some salamanders.

Mt. Hood through the trees from the path.

The path was a 3.2 mile loop around the lake and a good portion of it was muddy, or rocky and steep and just plain uneven terrain. I knew the boys would be fine, Calvin was in the backpack, but Karcyn was hoofing it. And she was a rock star. She didn't once say how tired she was....UNTIL...one of her brothers, who shall remain nameless, had to open his mouth and share that he was tired and asked with a whine how much farther did he have to go. Fortunately that was near the very end. Not only that, but Karcyn was only 4 months out from being potty trained. So she learned how to go in the sticks for the first time and she was a champ! She didn't like it, but she did it.

Nothing like ice cream at the end of the hike!

If you hadn't noticed, we had a fantastic time at Lost Lake. Our '07 camping trip to Wallowa Lake in Eastern Oregon still ranks as our #1 family camping trip. However, if you want something that's only half the distance (3 hours instead of 6) with great fishing for kids and beautiful views, Lost Lake is it.

Cooper's Baptism

2010-10-30T15:35:00.001-07:00

It's official. Cooper was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 3 hours ago. I'm posting these pictures for my parents' benefit as they are in Scotland and were unable to attend. I told them not to feel bad however, because even though I was in the building, I missed practically all of it myself. I had to tend to 'the beast' (otherwise known as Calvin). He was as naughty as I was hoping and praying he wouldn't be. I managed to see Cooper get baptized as much as you can when you're kneeling on the floor trying to keep an eye on your 2 and 4-year-olds and see through the masses. I think there were 80+ people there for the 4 baptisms. It was packed! Which is a wonderful thing for the children who were being baptized.

I missed hearing my father-in-law speak on the Gift of the Holy Ghost who received many compliments from people afterward. From young children to teenagers to adults and visiting guests. At the beginning of Doc's talk, Calvin was sitting with Jared on the front row, but was so squirmy and LOUD and down right ornery, I had no option but to take him out in the hall 20 seconds after the talk began. For the tenth time.

There were 4 baptism candidates and Cooper was the 3rd in line, as it was outlined in the program. I just assumed that they would follow the same order when confirming the children too. So as I waited out in the hall, I could tell when Doc was done with his talk and there was a shift in activity. Confirmations would be starting. I heard the quiet murmuring of a confirmation being given and listened as hard as I could for an "amen" and would wait for the next one to be given and then Cooper would be next. Except that...after that first confirmation, out walks my Bishop and his wife and they looked at me, surprised and said "we didn't know you weren't in there." I was confused and clearly it showed because Vickie asked if I heard the confirmation. Still confused, I said no (why would I?). And then she said they did Cooper first because Bishop had to go on the youth temple trip within the next half hour. My heart sank. I missed what I think is the best part of the whole baptism day...when Jared lays his hands on the heads of our children to give them a blessing from their Heavenly Father after telling them to receive the Holy Ghost. Vickie said it was a great blessing. I have no doubt that it was. After I thanked the Bishop for being our witness and assisting Jared and they left, I stayed out in the hall. There was clearly no need to go in anymore. I got a little irritated that no one in my family thought to look for me or make sure I was even in the room. In my rising irritation, I shed a few tears in self-pity. I've waited so long for this day. So close, yet so far away. *sigh*

No use in crying over spilled milk. It's a part of the sacrifice of being mom. What's done is done and at least Cooper wanted to get baptized. That kid very much enjoys exercising his free agency. He will not do anything he does not want to do. So the fact that today even took place is a miracle to me. And I'm grateful.

Cooper with his 2nd grade teacher...the amazing Mrs. Vick who took time to come all the way from Sherwood to support Cooper in his special day.

Cooper with Grandma and Grandpa Hough

Cooper's such a poser!

When we got home, Cooper was able to talk to Grandma and Grandpa Lee through Skype and then he got to open belated birthday presents from Grandma and Grandpa Hough (and Uncle Kevin and Aunt Chris and kids) and open his baptism gifts...a new set of green scriptures and a green carrying case. And tonight, we're off to the ward Halloween chili cook-off and costume parade for the kids. For a kid, it can't get much better than that!

Brother cubs

2010-10-30T15:23:00.001-07:00

Cooper's first day in scouts was a pack meeting so he and Jake got to go together. Cooper also received his Bobcat award that he had earned. I'm excited for the adventures ahead of Cooper as he spends the next three years in Cub Scouting. Maybe it'll be easier for all of us now that Jake's paved the way and we know a little better what we're doing this time around. Jake and Cooper will have two months as brother cubs before Jake's on his way out. Onward and upward to Boys Scouts for him.

Good-bye Green

2010-10-26T10:08:00.001-07:00

It's been 5 months to the day since I last posted. I had the mistaken idea that I'd have PLENTY 'O TIME during the summer to manage and keep this up-to-date. Silly, silly me.

But...for those who are interested, we finally said good-bye to the green in our living room. It had to go. I didn't like it the second I saw it, 2 years ago. But Jared did. And to his credit, the green looked better than what was on the wall already, as it clashed with the beige in our dining room above the red.

But I couldn't stomach the thought of painting this room again (even though we hired someone to do it the first time) nor could I figure out what color to paint that would go with the two colors in our dining room as well as the denim blue in our kitchen and family room. It was when I was at a friend's house that I noticed her brown color (toffee to be more specific) and it hit me like a truck. Brown would work!

Once we found a young man in our ward who we could hire (yes, we believe in outsourcing our jobs as much as possible--gotta boost that economy somehow and help these young men/women save for scouting activities, missions and college :), we made plans for him to do it this past Saturday. Of course it wasn't just the living room, but our entry walls as well.

Unfortunately there weren't enough hours in the day on Saturday to get it all done, but David came back and finished the job and touching up yesterday.

Wah-lah!!

There's no doubt that the "melted chocolate" brown is MUCH better than the green. However, in the light, it casts more of an orange undertone that I wasn't expecting. It looked much darker to me when we put some test paint up, which is what I wanted. I don't know how you can truly know if you'll like the color or how it will be until it goes up on all the walls anyway. But...it'll work. (And here's my plug for getting the paint with primer already in it. It was worth every penny and went on the walls so well.)

Of course our furniture still doesn't look great with the new wall color and our bookshelves and most picture frames clash now, but we'll replace those things...eventually.

AND...if you're looking for a hard working young man, David Waters is your guy. He's in our ward (Farmington). We hired him to dig up stumps a year ago and he did great out there. This was the first time he's worked inside for us and we were very pleased. If you need his number/rate, let me know.

Thanks David!

Hair cut #2

2010-05-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

I was noticing the other day that Calvin's bangs were getting pretty long and that maybe...JUST maybe... it was time for his first hair cut. We had to run to Fred Meyer for a few things Monday afternoon, so I swung into Great Clips next door to see what their wait time was. About 2 minutes. So we waited and I signed Calvin up for his FIRST hair cut. And for the record, it had nothing to do with the fact that he's been pronounced an adorable little girl for the past month or so. Nor does it have anything to do with the fact that he's been nicknamed Billy Ray Cyrus or Fabio or Mullet Man or that other nursery parents in church keep asking: who's the new kid with the mane? Nope...his bangs needed trimming, so we went for it.

I haven't had a "first hair cut" in almost 5 years. Karcyn is 4 and has never once had her hair cut, not even a trim. Though she's been begging to after watching Calving get his done. We waited until Cooper was almost 3 to cut his and it was more out of fear for our personal safety. It had to be quick because he had to be held down to get the job done. How a 25 lb. kid can be stronger than two adults is beyond me.

I hoped and even believed that Calvin would do good for his hair cut (you know how the saying goes: hope for the best, expect the worst, take what comes) but until we did it, I wasn't sure what we were in for.

My heart leaped with joy and pride when Calvin climbed up on that booster seat and sat like an ANGEL. I told Ruby, Calvin's stylist, that it needed to be short all over...super short. If we were going to do this, we might as well do it so we wouldn't have to be back any time soon.

Before Ruby started cutting, she looked at me knowingly, made sure I was looking square in her eyes and once she had my full attention she said very slowly..."Do you realize how much of a big boy he's going to look like if we cut it short?" I assured her I did and although I didn't need the clarification, it was nice of Ruby to prepare me for what was to be coming. (Once she saw the other three kids sitting in the waiting area and discovered they were mine she said more to herself than me, "Oh, you've been through this before.")

And then she began. Calvin didn't freak out at the water being sprayed on his head. He didn't squirm when Ruby started combing and snipping with the scissors.

He didn't say a word. He just sat there.

Ruby and I showered Calvin in praises for being such a little man. Then she called him "Mr. Serious." Which is funny to us, considering this post from his early baby days. http://jjcrew.blogspot.com/2008/06/mr-seer-wee-us.html

I don't have a picture of it, but Ruby got out the trimmer, er "tickle machine", and showed it to Calvin before she used it and he continued his perfection and sat so still.

10-15 minutes later and voila!

I had a NEW CHILD!! Who WAS this kid??

Oh boy...

Fortunately, I was sooooooooooo proud of Calvin for being Mr. Awesome that it overruled any sadness I might have had for the loss of the locks. (Ruby was kind enough to save the first curls she cut in a little memory pamphlet for me.) When we went to Fred Meyer I bought him a whole bag of cookies as a reward. I wish I could have done more. He deserved it!

I thought it would take some major getting used to, but I'm okay with the new look. Except that now, he looks like he should be potty trained!

Family time

2010-05-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Over the past year, the last 5 months especially, this Hough patriarch and matriarch have pondered a LOT about our little family and all the distractions that can pull at us...even the ones that are "good" but not necessarily "best" for our eternal benefit. We're still trying to figure it out as we go, but one thing we have omitted this spring that was a huge obligation and thief of our time and energy, is baseball. It was a tough choice and one we discussed with Jake, who would have been playing competitively again this year. But he announced in January that his goal for the year was to get his Arrow of Light award in scouts. We made him aware of the fact that also participating in baseball could really complicate and even interfere with that goal as you have no idea when practices, games or tournaments are during the week or which weekends. So he felt letting go of baseball would be the better choice to make. And we couldn't have been MORE proud of Jake. There are some ADULTS who can't even distinguish between "good, better, best" and prioritizing. It's not that Jake couldn't do it all. He's the kid that is totally capable of jumping from one thing to the next and doing it well. The questions is: WHY? Why put yourself and your family through months of crazy chaos when it's not necessary. I don't want my kids to grow up thinking they have to do everything. He just turned 10. There's a quote I heard once that I like. "The Lord is not frantic and he does not wish us to be." We have nothing against sports (hello? Jared got his first Masters in Sports Medicine) and I'm not completely convinced this is the end of sports in our family (maybe recreation instead of competitive)....as I said, this is a work in progress for us...taking it one year and one child at a time...and I'm pretty sure it's going to get harder before it gets easier, yet it's liberating to know that we've taken that first step outside society's ring of "over scheduled families" and are spending more time focused on not just one member of the family, but the family unit as a whole. It's tricky with our callings (Jared's more than mine) and we wouldn't have it any other way. However, this is why we have felt we need to be EXTRA careful in how our time, outside of serving the Lord, is used. Time cannot be recycled. When a moment is gone, it's gone forever. I consider myself highly efficient and organized. I don't waste my time. Which is why this is so eye-opening to me and Jared. Even without baseball or any other competitive sport or major time/travel commitment for that matter, it is super difficult in finding a free Saturday or half of a free Saturday to spend together. But we're hoping to make it a monthly priority, in addition to the "outing-with-Dad" that the kids (Jake and Cooper so far) each get once a month to spend time alone with Jared, because that guy is a man in demand these days.

Okay....soap boxes aside....Last month we took the kids to the home of a single sister in our ward who spends all her free and not-so-free time caring for her aging mother in another part of town. Her yard has fallen by the wayside so for her birthday gift, we took our family to her home and we worked to cleaned up her front and back yards. We went to the tulip festival later that afternoon, which was a first for us.

Last week we went on a hike at the Hoyt Arboretum. It was a perfect day for hiking and we took Jake's scout book and identified trees and other forest plants for his forester badge while we were there. Fortunately the trail was such that we could take a stroller. Calvin was out like trout shortly after we started. I wonder if there are backpacks for kids over 2 years old. I would have carried him but our backpack is more suited for the little babies up to a year. Calvin is in that in between stage....too big for the backpack, but not quite big enough to keep up with us and we want to go on more hikes.

Look at these TREES!!! The kids got to see redwoods, cedars, and giant sequoias for the first time.

It was one of those days where both the sun and shade felt good on their own merits. You could almost feel the sun pumping invigorating shots of energy through your body when it hit your skin, totally recharging you. Then the shade felt good after you'd been warmed by the sun. Not too cold. Just right.

Along the way, I even made up new lyrics to the Primary song "Sing, Sing, Sing".
"Hike, Hike, Hike.
I like to hike.
I like to hike a trail.
Hike, Hike, Hike." And we sang it in rounds.
Whoa! Stop the presses! One cannot find artistry at this level every day (thank goodness, right?)

And one cannot pass up a super stump on which to sit and have their picture taken.

Karcyn was a champ. She didn't complain ONCE about being tired or hungry or anything else during the two hour expedition. Nor did she ask to be picked up. She hung in there to the very end. The last five minutes Calvin woke up and wanted to walk, so we got him out of the stroller. That's when Karcyn asked if she could sit in the vacant spot. She totally earned it.

Before we got home, the kids perused the book-of-hikes and took turns picking out their requested hiking destinations for next time. And now we feel one hike closer to our kids than we were before.

The weekend of 13 years and 13 miles

2010-05-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

Friday May 7th marked 13 years of our marriage. Wow...lucky 13 ;) This was also the night of the ward Father/Son camp out. Jared couldn't go last year because we were in San Diego. Jake got to go with friends, but Cooper didn't. I really wanted them to go, but was sad that meant I would be going to the half marathon alone. I suggested maybe they could meet me at the finish line. They had til about 11:30 before they needed to be there. Jared agreed and I was satisfied with that because I knew it would be a sacrifice for Jake and Coop. Leaving early meant they wouldn't be able to play 18 holes of frisbee golf! The camp out was in North Plains, not too far from here, which was good. Due to a high adventure prep hike on Sat. 22nd when Jared has call again, he switched with Dr. Hicken this weekend because there won't be cell service available at Silver Falls and Jared really needs to go on that hike. The pager and phone would reach North Plains no problem.

Fortunately I was able to have my friend Kahli (a good friend in her first year at Pacific University) come spend the night with me, watch a chick-flick, have pizza and be here in the morning with the little kids while I ran.

I sent the men-folk off for their camping adventure around 5pm and picked up the pizzas and met Kahli here at 7pm. We had started watching TV and had a slice or two of pizza when I heard the garage door open at 7:35pm. What the?

It was Jared. But no boys.

Turns out, his pager DOES reach North Plains, but the camp ground is down in a valley and there's NO cell service. If he got paged, and he doesn't NOT get paged on a Friday, he wouldn't be able to call anyone back. They hadn't even set up camp yet when he realized this and Jared was really bummed he'd have to ruin the boys' weekend. He figured he'd take them to a movie so the night wasn't a total loss for them. Jared started explaining to Cooper what it meant for him to be on-call. Jake piped in and with a face longer than the Mississippi River and said "I know what it means. It means we have to leave." Apparently word got around and one of the dads who had a 12 man tent (and not that many boys) and 3 pizzas offered to "adopt" Jake and Cooper for the night. What a sweet and touching gesture!

Personally, I think this was a tender mercy from Heavenly Father to Jenn. I HATE going to things ALONE...especially things with BIG groups of people I don't know. Makes no sense, but it's true. It was like that even when I was little, huh Mom?

Jared went and bought anniversary milkshakes for me and Kahli and himself and we watched some TV before turning in for the night.

I wasn't nervous about running this half marathon. I just wanted it over with. Why on earth was I running it then? Good question. My friend Bev emailed me and a few others last fall and asked if anyone wanted to do this with her. I figured, I've run a 10K, a half marathon is the next step, I guess if Bev is going to do it, why not? Misery loves company after all. Bev told me you have to register at midnight though because it fills up fast. I had casually told Jared the night of the registration that if he was still awake at midnight, could he try to sign me up.

He went online a couple minutes after midnight and got me registered. I guess there is a perk to him being an "insomniac". But there's also a drawback...Bev didn't get in. Major bummer. But I was committed and wasn't going to back out. I didn't get to train for it like I wanted to because life happens and there are other bigger priorities in my life, so my only goal was to run it without stopping. (Minus potty stops because those don't count!)

I was sooooo grateful to have Jared with me. He has been my biggest fan and cheerleader. It was so fun to talk with him on the way to Champoeg State Park and to navigate where to go and to get my number on and to wait for the race to start with someone other than me, myself and I.

Jared wanted to take a "before" picture. So here I am...all fresh and perky and eager to get it behind me! (#395 and registered just minutes after midnight!) Speaking of behind...I saw the back of a lady's shirt that Jared entitled "A Runner's Prayer" or maybe "A Wanna-Be Runner's Prayer." It said, "Dear God, please let there be someone behind me to read this." I told the lady not to worry, it would probably be me.

Jared snapped a picture after the crowd started going and managed to get me in it!

I saw a few people donning shirts that said, "Courage to start, Faith to finish." Although, a little over halfway through this endurance test, I decided it takes faith to start and courage to finish. Doesn't have quite the same ring to it, but that's how it felt to me.

Another poster being waved at us as we passed said "If you're legs hurt, it's because you're kicking butt." Yeah...I liked that one!

The first 8 miles were actually okay. I did take my one and only quick pit stop after mile 8. My bladder actually raised it's hand to get my attention shortly before mile 2, but I tried ignoring it and went as long as I could. I passed Jared the last time right at mile 9 (see below). Wow, and I even managed a smile. It was the last. My real test was coming up...after mile 10 when I would hit unknown territory. I was only able to train up to 10 miles.

I was keeping an 11 minute per mile pace, which saddened me. I had been training at 10 minutes per mile. But...I just wanted to do it without stopping so I tried not to let my pace frustrate me.

Miles 11 and 12 were BRU-TAL!!! I slowed down to just over 12 minutes a mile as I figured I would. But I was having pains like never before. Figures. It was grueling and every time my feet pounded against the ground, I wasn't sure if my body would be able to keep me upright. I think it did help knowing I wasn't the only one out there...that--and going to my happy place. I'm not even sure where that is.

I marked my time on my watch when I completed mile 12. And then a few minutes later it dawned on me to check my total time. 2 hours and 19 minutes and I had been working on mile 13 for 4 minutes. I realized that if I kicked it up a notch, I might ACTUALLY come in under 2 1/2 hours. Totally slow but faster than I thought I'd be.

Out of NO WHERE...seriously, I still can't explain it, my legs started propelling my body forward at a faster pace. Where the heck did that come from?? It was almost as if my lower body were disconnected from my upper body. It was weird. I kept chanting to myself "go, go, go, go, go..." I swear running long distances is just as mental as it is physical. My body was screaming at me by this point, but it was funny because it was like it was throwing a tantrum. It would scream and I'd hurt and feel pains I didn't know I could have and then after a couple minutes, it stopped..."silence". And then it would throw a tantrum again a few minutes later.

I hit mile 13, pushed the button on my watch and I had to literally choke back tears. Omygosh, Jenn. Are you really crying?? How embarrassing. Deep down, I don't think I believed I could do it. I didn't want to approach the finish line with tears streaming down my cheeks, so I started to choke them back. Then I began having trouble breathing and that led to me hyperventilating a little bit. I was so close to being done, so I put my head down and ran as fast as I could across the pink mat that was tracking the timing chip on my shoe and there was another one, so I ran across that one too, full speed ahead. Jared said I came in SO fast, he practically missed me.

I realize now why people were yelling at me. They weren't cheering for me. They were telling me to stop. I ran right past the guy who was handing out the finishers' necklaces and finally stopped when I was well beyond free and clear of the crowd.

Fortunately it didn't take long for Jared to get to me. I just wanted to collapse. I just wanted to sit. He had to hold me up and wouldn't let me sit. He made me walk around. I couldn't walk. I think I was whimpering. We got my necklace (I really wanted a medal and how dumb is this...even the "hippie chicks" who did the quarter marathon--isn't that pretty much a 10K?--got necklaces too. Figures we'd all be winners the year I decide to do a half marathon. Am I being petty? You betchya!) Jared grabbed a couple of orange wedges for me to suck on and I kept whining about how I wanted to sit. There was a pancake breakfast for all the runners, but I told Jared, I just wanted to go home. Because then I could sit. So we did.

Oh and my time: 2 hours, 28 minutes...even. I did it and I did it WITHOUT having to walk to rest. I competed against myself and I won.

We were going to go to ward temple night because that evening appeared to be our only shot for our monthly session together. But Jared was on call, so there went that option. Since we already had a sitter, we decided that we would go to Olive Garden to help replenish some of the calories I had burned off and to celebrate our anniversary. What a novel idea.

The babysitter took this picture of us before we left. This was me after a shower, 800 mg. of motrin and a much needed nap.

I couldn't have done it without Jared...helping me train, encouraging me, giving me perspective and hope and for cheering me on the sidelines. Ironically and as a record, he never got paged Friday night. Heavenly Father knew I needed him more than our boys did.

Jared, I'd rather re-live the last 13 years of our life together than run another 13 miles!

What my son does on his day off...

2010-05-13T15:07:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure whether to be worried, impressed, exasperated, or grateful for the innovation & ability. What really scares me...This is nuthin'--and I've got 2 more boys to follow!

Species confusion

2010-05-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

I recently posted about there being some gender confusion with people when they encounter Calvin. Fortunately he's very aware he is a boy! All boy.

With warmer weather around the corner, we decided to have our kitty, Madras, get a summer shave yesterday. We'd never done this before and thought we were doing her, and us, a service by getting rid of that thick fur she has, for a couple of months.

She has BEAUTIFUL coloring and is soooooooooooooo soft. Here's a picture of her peacefully sleeping in the corner of the living room before I so rudely disturbed her to take her to her grooming appointment.

This is a picture of her after we first got her last year. She's put on a couple pounds of weight, but that's the only difference.

Jared went to pick her up after work. He informed me that the groomer had warned him & all of us, not to laugh at Madi. (Okay, this is an animal, people. Not a child--though the groomer did refer to Madras as my "baby" when I dropped her off and I assured the gal I had 4 babies of my own in the car and Madi was my pet. I'm sure she thought I was heartless.)

When Jared took Madras out of the carrier, I was shocked!!

Ohhhh Madi!! What have we done???

You look like a......a.....RAT!! Ugly. Somehow that's NOT what I was envisioning. I don't know about Jared, but I'm not sure I'd do it again either.

Poor thing. She probably feels totally violated and I wouldn't blame her one bit. We tried not to laugh at her, but it couldn't be helped.

Karcyn looked at her and said, "Madi got a hair cut!" Then she added, "Why is Madi brown?" She looks so different and...scrawny sick. There's not much to her when you take the fur off. Though we were at the vet a month ago and the vet confirmed she's a healthy 7 lbs.

Well....Madi....what's done, is done. And as some people try to console others regarding hair cuts gone bad--it'll grow back. However, it will be interesting to see how her fur grows back in. I've heard the coloring and patterns can change. Time will tell.

Apparently Madi's shaved fur will be donated to help in the oil spill clean up efforts. I'm sure her fur will be a monumental contribution. Instead of "locks for love", it's "fur for favors". And hopefully she will remember she's a cat and not an overgrown, fluffy-tailed rat.

May Day--unlike any day

2010-05-11T16:29:00.001-07:00

Calvin's birthday this year was a jam-packed and somewhat dreaded day as we anticipated it and it became one for the books once it got here.

May 1, 2010.
5am...the youth met at our house for a 6am temple trip.
8am--noon...there was a combined service activity with the Farmington (our ward) and Hazeldale wards cleaning of the church building, inside and out.
9am-11am...I had to run 10 miles for my last long run in training.
3pm...Jared had a stake priesthood leadership meeting in conjunction with stake conference.
7pm...we had the adult session of stake conference, oh yeah, and I was speaking.

We knew we wouldn't be able to celebrate Calvin's birthday ON his day so we opted for Sunday. We didn't celebrate his first birthday until the 5th of May last year, so why start now?

We hit the ground running on Sat. 1st. After Jared got back from the temple trip, I got ready for my run. Unfortunately, we missed the service project at the church, but I couldn't not train. It was my last 10 mile run before my half marathon.

After my run, I was still getting over my cold and totally wiped out from that and my run. I tried to choke down lunch, but nothing sounded good. Then I realized I hadn't gotten Calvin ANYTHING for his birthday from us or my parents as they had instructed me to. Fortunately (but don't tell Calvin) we were using leftovers of the cake that was made for my birthday for his party the next day. It was after 1pm at this point and knew I had to get going if I was going to go shopping before Jared's meeting. I was also going to take advantage of not having any children and vacuum out the suburban.

On my way out of the driveway, my mom called from Scotland to wish Calvin a happy birthday. I talked to her for a little bit since Calvin was sleeping. She wanted to talk to the boys so I left my cell phone with them and left.

I got my shopping done and was cutting it close with the time, but decided to clean out the burb anyway because if I didn't do it then, I was going to regret it. I figured Jared would leave Jake in charge for the few minutes when he had to go before I got back. I would have called him to let him know I wouldn't be much longer, but I left my phone at home.

I drove up to the house at 2:55pm only to see the van was still there. I found Jared fast asleep on the bed, in his casual clothes. He fell asleep (a combo of being sick and being up at 4:30am) and figured I'd just wake him up when I got back...of course he assumed I'd be back to give him enough time to get ready for his meeting. He practically jumped off the bed and got ready in record time. I apologized profusely. I hate being late to meetings. He was very gracious about it all...mentioning something like "that's what opening songs are for." I asked him if he'd pick up a pizza on the way home for the kids to eat for dinner so that I would have one less thing to think about and he said he would.

While he was gone, I wrapped gifts, bathed the kids, got the house tidied up, practiced my conference talk one last time and got ready to go.

Jared came home around 5pm but without pizza. In his rush to get out of the house for meeting #1, he forgot his wallet. So he jumped online and ordered a pizza from Papa Johns to be delivered. The babysitter arrived and we gave instructions regarding the pizza and tip and bedtimes and left around 6:15pm so I could get to the stake center for the prayer meeting.

All went well during the adult session. I was actually one of the first speakers and was glad to get the talk over with so I could focus on the others who followed. I noticed Jared got up twice after I spoke. He was on call, so I wasn't surprised.

When the meeting was over and I finally made my way up to him, he said we had to go home and repent to our children. Jake called (one of those times Jared left the chapel) at 8:20pm (bedtime was 8) and told Jared that the pizza STILL hadn't shown up. It should have been there by 6:30--at the latest. I didn't even want to know why they were just now calling about it. Jared told Jake to tell the sitter that we approved of them having cereal for dinner and then they needed to go to bed. Jared told me, in his haste, he must have forgotten to select the option of "delivery" when he ordered the pizza.

So we hustled out of the crowd quickly to go find our kids' dinner. It was there alright, awaiting "carry out". I'm just glad they were still open. When we got home, I found out my babies (Karcyn and Calvin) went to bed at 7:30 like I had asked, but with no dinner. I was heartbroken. I've never put my little ones to bed without eating. And poor Calvin...on his BIRTHDAY no less!

After we took the babysitter home, I told Jared I was waking all the kids up so they could eat. We got Jake up, but Cooper refused. He had eaten anyway, so I wasn't concerned about him. I was able to get Calvin up but Karcyn was OUT like TROUT, man. We brought her out in the light and did everything shy of dumping cold water on her to wake her up and she would not do it. So we laid her back down and hoped hunger wouldn't wake her up in the middle of the night.

This is how Calvin ended his 2nd birthday. Pizza at 9pm.

Look at that FACE! So sweet and forgiving.

I wish I could say that was the END of our May 1st. But it wasn't. As we were finishing up our pizza, we suddenly realized we couldn't find Madras, our cat. She has been an indoor cat since day one over a year ago. She's never been outside before. We scoured our house, high and low just to be sure and she wasn't in "her" spots. She usually comes as soon as she hears you or her food and neither were being effective. And if she's stuck in a room or closet and wants out, she'll start meowing and pawing at the door. We were stumped! How could she have gotten out? The pizza guy never came. Jared called our babysitter who said they saw the cat not too long before we got home. A short time later, Jake recalled that the two little kids got outside in the backyard undetected for a while. The babysitter got them back in, but that must have been when Madi got out. So we went out back and called for her and looked in a couple of places for her. No Madi. I was already in my PJs but went out front and called for her out there. I walked down the street in both directions calling for her. Two cats came when I called, but no Madras. She's such a sweet kitty that I figured someone must have taken her in.

When I got back inside, Jake said he wanted to say a prayer. So we had him offer it. He prayed that Madi would be alright and that we would find her quickly. We sent Jake to bed and put Calvin back to bed and I wandered into the kitchen to shut everything down. I stood at the back door one last time, perplexed about the whole situation. I left the back porch light on for Madi, just in case. That's when I saw 2 "shining" eyes staring at me from behind the new shed we just got across the yard. I opened the door and called, "Madi?? Is that you?" The cat came towards me slowly. Then stopped. I called her to come. And then she started running. It was her!! We couldn't believe it! We had been in the backyard several times already. Maybe she wasn't there when we were. Who knows. Regardless, it was super cool that Jake's prayer was answered, just as he asked that it would be. And we were finally able to go to bed, at peace, to end a very long day.

Gender confusion

2010-05-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

So for the past 3 weeks, Jared and I have both been complimented on how cute and adorable our baby girl is. *sigh* Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, usually green, gray or blue, with a red jacket & brown shoes...our 2-year-old is NOT a she, he's a he! I don't care how long his hair is, I'm NOT cutting his curls.

Does he REALLY look like a girl??

He's just barely 2. We didn't cut Cooper's curls until he was a month shy of 3. But that was because he scared us. Calvin would probably be really good for his first hair cut. I'm just not ready to go there yet.

Tulip festival newbies

2010-05-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. We've lived here as students for 2 years and as employed citizens for 3 1/2 years. And we almost didn't make it to the tulip festival this year. Our weekends are substantially busy and when Jared and I calendar a month or two in advance, I can't help but see my life flash before my eyes when you look at it in terms of weekends!

On this day, I had 9 miles to run in preparation for the much dreaded half marathon I'm doing in two days. I had only gone 8 miles twice before attempting the 9. Then we had plans to go do yard work for a single sister in our ward who is caring for her aging mother and never has time for herself, let alone her yard, and it was her birthday the next day. So that was my gift to her...our family yard service.

After that, Jared was off on a two hour bike ride with friends, planning to get back with just enough time to shower so we could head down to Woodburn. My friend Stephanie mentioned taking family pictures there...pictures we could put in our family frame on the wall that haven't changed since last March. That was the plan. Pictures stress me out as it is, though, and I worried that Karcyn wouldn't cooperate. When you need her to face the camera is when she avoids it the most. It's uncanny.

Right before Jared got home, it was hailing and a huge downpour came through the area. Weather was not on our side for this trip south. But in Oregon, you just have to go and can't let the weather stop you. So we loaded up the rain boots and jackets.

We got poured on in a couple spots on the way down, but once we got there, aside from being very windy and a little chilly, the weather was great. There were a few large standing puddles in the fields but we just walked around them. Unless you're Cooper and then he gets as close to the edge as possible hoping he doesn't fall in. Which we later spoke to him about and compared that to the people in Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life. The people who can't hold on to the iron rod because they're too close to the edge and flirt with the danger of falling into the river below.

Stephanie graciously took pictures of our family first. The fields were HUGE and so pretty.

People have since told me there was a lot of variety to the flowers this year than in years past. It was still pretty windy but the sun was out and it felt good. Unfortunately for the Hough family, Karcyn wasn't the problem this year, it was Calvin. Good grief. If it's not one of them, it's another. I think we're just going to skip family pictures from now on and just go with individual shots. These are pictures we took with our own camera.

JAKE & KARCYN

COOPER

KARCYN

CALVIN

JENN & JARED

JENN & KIDS

We took pictures of Stephanie's family and all the kids among the flowers. I think it ended up being too sunny for the right lighting for fancy schmancy pictures, but what Stephanie doesn't realize is that we're NOT picky! I can't wait to see how her shots turned out.

We walked to the other side of the field towards the exit but had another haul back to the parking lot. My butt and leg muscles were starting to speak to me and they weren't saying nice things. Jared's bike ride was making him a little sore too. So...Jake flagged down a cart that goes between the field and parking lot and asked the operator if he had room for 6 (Steph and her family were still in the field). He did and Jake and Cooper even got to help drive it!

We met the Morgans at Burgerville for dinner on our way home and then parted our ways. And now we can say we've been to the tulip festival!

Drawings

2010-05-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Jake has been on a dragon kick for a while...since reading the Eragon series when school started.

Recently he got the idea of drawing a dragon in sections. More because he only had access to regular sheets of paper. He somehow landed himself a long piece of paper that became the dragon's breathing fire first and the rest of the dragon he drew in 9 more pieces.

Jake showed his principal and voila! The dragon ended up on the wall at school.

Well, monkey see, monkey do. Cooper had to do the same thing. So he did. And voila! His lands on the wall right next to Jake's.

The librarian told me that as often as the boys are going to share their talents, the school is going to showcase them. I thought that was sweet. But I told her to watch out! That's a risky open invitation. Especially for my overly confident boys.

Road trip

2010-05-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

Jared decided a while back that he would need a break in March but managed to swing it the beginning of April. He planned to drive down to Utah with Jake and Cooper. They were going to visit Jared's brother and family in Lehi and go to General Conference for the first time in the Conference Center. Jared was taking Thursday through Monday off and with that much time, I thought about crashing the road trip so we could all go, but that contemplation lasted only about 10 seconds. It would be good for the boys to be with just their dad and each other and their cousins without the little ones dictating how long or where we did something, traveling arrangements, etc. I wanted this to be a break for them too. Jared also figured he would be taking the suburban and didn't exactly ask me. He acts like he owns it because he's paying for it or something :) I of course let them take it because apparently a suburban IS the road trip. I'm not THAT controlling, people!

They left early April 1st. At 5am. I had 5 miles to run so I stayed up to see them off but it was so early and I didn't NEED to be up so I actually debated about crawling back in bed. As the garage door lowered, I walked into the kitchen and saw Jared's cell phone charging on the counter. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Then I freaked out and ran to the front door to try and flag Jared down but he had just passed my line of sight. And my heart sank mightily as I watched him drive off without any way to contact me or his family while traveling. I was pretty upset, mostly because there was nothing I could do. Not one thing. I racked my brain for the first five minutes trying to think of ANYTHING I could do to help or send him a signal. So I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to CONTACT JARED, to make him notice that he forgot his phone and if it was convenient to let him know sooner rather than later so he could still come back and get it. And because my adrenaline was pumping, I couldn't go back to sleep even though I wanted to so I painfully got dressed and started the dreaded 5 miles on the treadmill. Forty-five minutes into my run, near the end, I was startled by the opening of the garage. And smiled gratefully and relieved. Jared said he was on the other side of Portland when he started thinking about calling me later and realized he didn't have his phone with him. I was much lighter after he left the second time. It seems silly, since we grew up without having cell phones, but when you're traveling on the road and in different states and for FIVE days, it sure puts this wife at ease.

On Friday, Jared took the boys up to Salt Lake City to Temple Square.

They saw the temple.

And though this platform is used primarily by newly married couples, I thought it was sure cute. Not only do my boys have their arms around each other, they are sporting genuine smiles.

They saw the Christus statue in the North Visitor's Center. Jake actually called me in an excited whisper to tell me where they were at the time (yea for cell phones!)

They visited the Tabernacle--where Conference used to be held in the good 'ol days.

And from the Church Office Building they were able to see the State Capitol from above.

In addition to the amazing Conference Center

and one more view of the temple.

Jared forgot the camera in the car when they went to the Sunday afternoon session of conference, but the boys had an amazing experience and that's all that matters. They also loved spending time with their cousins. Easter was a bonus. Back at home, I had a delightfully low key and super conference weekend with just the babies. No commercial Easter celebrating here. Karcyn and Calvin would never know the difference! And less work for me.

The boys made it back Monday evening and my baby, I mean the 'burb, was still intact and unharmed, and Jared's cell phone was accounted for!

Speechless

2010-04-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

Okay.
Remember this post from 2 years ago??
http://jjcrew.blogspot.com/2008/04/one-big-event-down-one-to-go.html
I didn't follow my own advice.

I answered the phone last night. The first counselor from the stake called to ask if I'd say the opening prayer in our morning session of stake conference, Sun. May 2nd. I said sure. I mean, after all, I've already spoken in conference while I was 39+ weeks pregnant. Praying can't be any harder than that. Right? You can't totally prepare for a prayer or practice it like a talk though and that is a little unnerving, but...on the plus side, it will be over quickly!

Then the phone rang this evening. I looked at the number before answering like I usually do and thought it looked vaguely familiar, yet I couldn't place it. It was the 2nd counselor from the stake. He called to verify that I was asked to pray last night. I said yes then asked playfully if I was being "released" from the responsibility. To my surprise, he said yes, and I was sad for 1 thousandth of a second. They changed their mind, I guess. Or...they didn't want me up at the pulpit so soon after speaking 2 years ago. Uh...no. I was being scratched off the program as offering the opening prayer because they wanted me to speak instead.

(jaw crashing to the floor)

I was SPEECHLESS. He asked if I could do that and I believe I said "if you really, really, really want me to." He said the presidency prayed about it and said they did. (Way to insult the stake presidency, Jenn). Obviously I humbly accepted. Except that they don't want me speaking on Sunday. They want me to speak at the May 1st Sat. evening adult session. Oh my lands. I had forgotten about that as an option. That's WORSE where nerves are concerned! In the Sunday session you can just pretend you're speaking in Sacrament meeting with cute little kids looking up at you. Speaking to adults only, and lots of them from the entire stake, is a whole other ball game. Fortunately, I know they'll pretty much be there just to hear our AMAZING Stake President address us. With any luck they won't remember a thing I say!

So in case anyone is wondering, I'm not pregnant. And I've already spoken in stake conference before. So shouldn't I be LESS nervous this time around?? 'Cause I'm not! Oh yeah, and I'm putting the stake counselors phone numbers in my cell phone so I'll know it's THEM when they call! :)

A peek into my pantry

2010-04-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Jan who steered me to www.thecanorganizer.com, I now have a happy pantry. Some genius created a can rotater (-is that a word? It is now-) out of cardboard and I'm only sad I didn't think of it first! Before the can organizer, my shelves had rows and columns of cans stacked precariously on top of each other. Stocking the shelves after shopping was always a delicate and dreaded operation. All it would take is one quick breeze by, or an accidental little bump, for the all the cans, minus the one on the bottom, to topple over, often causing a domino effect. Very frustrating. And then came the cardboard solution.

For $3 per organizer, it was worth the risk to me. Especially if it ultimately meant order and organization. I purchased 3 sets for 12 total. I got the small cupboard size and they fit perfectly on my shelving in the "pantry". Best 35 bucks I've spent in a long time. I LOVE them....for exactly what they are...cardboard can organizers that help me rotate and store my canned food items. I wish I had a before picture of my shelves. But it doesn't matter. Look at them now! And I've got space for even MORE to STORE. My kids argue over who gets to put the cans away and take them out for meals. Who would have thought food storage could be so exciting?

Spring Break at the Falls

2010-04-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

Spring break this year was going to be filled with first and foremost...spring cleaning (much to my children's chagrin) and after the work, not much else. We planned one outing for Wednesday to go to Mt. St. Helens with our friends the Morgans since the destination is relatively close and we've never been. But the night before, Stephanie called to say Mt. St. Helens was still closed. Of all things! We hadn't anticipated that. Stephanie wanted to go to Silver Falls on Friday but the weather didn't look as promising on Friday as it did Wednesday, so that's what we decided to do instead.

The weather was fabulous. We made it down there around 11am and began the outing with a picnic lunch. As we were leaving to go on our hike, everyone and their dog started coming into the area for lunch. Our timing was just right.

Unfortunately, in order to get our parking permit, for $5, we had to pay in cash. I NEVER have cash, but miraculously had $15...one 5 dollar bill and one 10 dollar bill. Stephanie had no cash. I was behind her and told her I'd pay for her, no problem, except when I got up there, I discovered that a 5 dollar bill was the largest bill the machine would take (I'm sorry, that's just dumb) as there was no attendant manning the entrance to the park. So I paid for mine with the $5 and we decided to see if we could break my $10 into smaller bills later at one of the stations. After eating lunch, we hiked to one of the posts before we hit the trail and about 30 minutes later, Stephanie had her day pass and we were on our way to South Falls.

I don't have a very sturdy stroller and I wasn't thrilled about navigating one on the trail, so I put 26 pounds of Calvin on my back. My goodness he's heavy!Thankfully, the other three kiddos can walk carefully on the trail, as long as I can hold Karcyn's hand. Here's a picture of them before we had to focus more on where our feet go than taking pictures as we headed down to the back side of the waterfall.

After we got past the waterfall and down to the bridge, Karcyn's poor bladder got slammed by the rushing of the "big water" and succumbed to her first wet accident since being potty trained 2 months ago. That kind of put a damper on things, so to speak. And since we still had to corral and herd eight kids and haul our own selves back UP to where we started, we cut the trip short with the one waterfall.

But...it was worth it.

Just to see this:

Gone a fishin'

2010-04-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

Jared and his buddy got word of a discounted sturgeon fishing charter, for a half-day on March 20th. Discounted so much so that Jared could take Jake, who has never been sturgeon fishing before. And that's what they did the Saturday before spring break officially began.

They fished out of Oregon City on the Willamette River. Jake was the last one to catch a fish. (His friend joined his dad, too). Jake admits he didn't set the hook (Jared did) but Jake got to reel it in. It was tough, he reports, but he made it! It was 24 inches long. Not a keeper, but fun enough! It was a wiggler, too! (Wait until you catch a salmon, kid).

He caught one more. This time it was 26 inches long. Took Jake about 5 minutes to reel in. He tried to set the hook, but he didn't want to lose it, so he said "let the professional do it", meaning the guide, not Jared ;)

Hey Grandpas...look what I can do!

4 Years Later

2010-04-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

This was Karcyn on March 10, 2006. After laboring at home for a few hours, we finally went to the hospital. I brought Karcyn into the world without drugs, 1 hour and 1 minute after arriving at the hospital! My OB came to deliver Karcyn over her lunch break. She was my fastest labor and delivery and my smallest baby weighing in at 6 lbs. 9 oz. It was the wonderful antithesis of my experience with Cooper.

This was Karcyn on March 10, 2010, waiting for her 4 little friends to show up for her first party.

I was having trouble trying to figure out a theme for Karcyn's first birthday party. She doesn't really have any particular obsession, aside from puzzles. And believe me, I tried finding some ideas for a puzzle-themed party, but came up short. I'm just not creative enough to pull off something like that. Karcyn pretty much plays with her brothers' toys and their hand-me-downs. So...I recycled the outline I made for Cooper's 4th birthday and threw her a "Dinosaur" party. I felt a twinge of guilt for a) giving my ONLY daughter a non-girly party and b) re-using a plan I had already used on her brother. To the latter, doesn't that make me smart? :) And as for the first...what does one do when the friends Karcyn plays with most, are BOYS? I didn't think a party with pink and flowers and skirts would go over very well. But she does like dinosaurs and that seemed to be a safe choice in this case. It was a total bonus that I had already outlined a party with a dino theme already.

The party was a hit! We even had lunch, which was a first for me. The kids were so well behaved and we ended right on time. The only "problem" was that every time someone came to the door for the rest of the week, Karcyn thought they were coming to see her and bring her presents.

Karcyn's birthday was on a Wednesday and Jared was able to be excused from the Young Men's activity that night so he could stay home and celebrate with the family. We had her favorite for dinner: spaghetti and french bread (okay, so it's mom's favorite!). Then we cleaned up the kitchen and gathered all the gifts in the living room to open them up.

Then something happened. Jared got a call that was medical related that he couldn't avoid. So we waited for a couple of minutes. I puttered around in the kitchen while he was on the phone and took a picture of Karcyn waiting too.

The phone conversation did not end quickly. When it finally did, I thought we could get on with the gifts, but Jared had to do some follow up documentation on the computer and send in a prescription. I peeked in on Karcyn because she was really quiet and saw this:

She was the only one in the living room waiting to open all the gifts that surrounded her. Poor thing. Jared told me he was almost done, so I gathered the boys to come out for the celebration and we found this:

Karcyn said "forget this" and started opening her gifts without us. I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did! All in all, I think it was a super great day for a super great girl.

4 things I love about Karcyn are:
1) She wakes up so happy in the morning!
2) She's so outgoing and loves everyone.
3) She has the best belly laugh.
4) She is very self-confident :)

Mom? Dad?

2010-03-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

We can't seem to communicate with you through email. We're receiving YOUR emails, but as of a week ago, any email we (including Michelle) send to you is getting returned to us as failures. This started for me on Monday, 3/8. Just wanted to let you know we are not ignoring or forgetting about you.

Love,
Jenn

Last words

2010-03-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

Someday I am going to die. Sobering thought. But it's true. Could be 40 years from now. It could be 40 minutes from now. It could be in an instant. It could be after months or years of pain and suffering.

In December, my friend and Relief Society president gave her first Sunday lesson on preparing for our own death. At the time, we had lost two sisters in our ward and stake. From the sister in our ward whom Bev got to be around more than the rest of us, she wanted to share some things she learned.

Like sometimes, when people get sick with cancer or another life-threatening disease, they think they will have enough time to make the necessary preparations for their death or to say good-bye to their family. But they don't consider how your body can quickly deteriorate and you may never get that chance due to physical obstacles, no matter how much you want to.

Bev shared some amazing ideas and the three things that touched my heart, that I committed to do, as a result of her lesson were A) make my funeral plan B) teach Jared my system for running the financial aspect of the Hough family and C) write "last words" (good-bye letters) to my children. These three things are services I can provide for my family now, before I die, so that they won't have to wonder or worry when the time comes and will hopefully provide peace for them during a very difficult time.

A and B were easy, assuming I were to die tomorrow. I tried to select speakers for my funeral (ironically I've never been to an LDS funeral before) that wouldn't have to travel far to do so. I certainly wouldn't want to pose a financial strain on friends from out-of-state. Here's your courtesy head's up...Stephanie M., you're doing my life sketch. Good luck with that. Bev, you're her back up. Grandma Vickie, you're giving the talk. Shocis, I'd love it if you would sing "I Know My Redeemer Lives" (your special arrangement of it) as a solo or small group or choir. It's up to you. Barbara, would you be so kind as to accompany her (or them)? My deepest gratitude in advance. Oh and if anyone is wondering...I like tulips...any color or better yet, a variety of colors!

Jared wasn't thrilled about having to learn the financial ropes. He's happily avoided the responsibility for the past 12 1/2 years and has no desire, whatsoever, to go anywhere NEAR the family finances. Ever since we were married, he's been in charge of production, I've been in charge of distribution. And it's worked really well for the both of us. But...he needed to know the system, just in case. And now he does. So don't let him claim ignorance!

C was what I was dreading the most. No one wants to contemplate how short life really is, let alone ponder their mortality for more than 30 seconds. It's uncomfortable. It's not a happy place to be. Planning your funeral program and burial is one thing. But how do you say good-bye to your babies--those precious spirits you helped create and bring into the world, with so many hopes and desires and dreams for them? Especially when you want to BE THERE for everything. You want to be there to celebrate when they get a good grade on a test they studied their heart out for or when they make the try-outs. You want to be there to comfort them when they fall and get hurt or when they don't make the try-outs. You want to be there to teach them what you know, to help them with their homework, to support them in all the good things they try. You want to be there when they ask for your advice. You want to pray with them, play games with them. You want to be there when they get baptized, receive the priesthood, go to the temple for the first time, go to their first dance, have their first date, get their mission call, go to college, get married.

Most of the heartache I experienced was certainly out of pure selfishness. It was excruciating just to consider missing special milestones in my children's lives, let alone all the other days in between. But we all know, it's not what I want. It's whatever the Lord has in store for me. I had to convey all the mothering I would have done, had I been around, in verbal form to my babies in the event my death happens sooner, rather than later.

Writing these letters was, without a doubt, the most heart-wrenching, emotionally difficult thing I have ever done thus far in my life. I took an evening when Jared wasn't going to be home to do this. Though I warned him if I was a blubbering mess when he returned, not to panic and told him what I was doing. I said a prayer before I began because I knew I couldn't do this without Heavenly Father's help. More importantly, I pleaded for the Spirit to guide the pen and my thoughts so that I would write the things my babies would need to hear most from me when I was gone. I spent 2 1/2 hours that first night and only got through Jake and Cooper. Half the time I couldn't breath let alone see or write because I couldn't stop sobbing. I was a wreck.

The letters to Jake and Coop were hard because of all the things I wanted to "talk" to them about: their personal characteristics, their talents and strengths, giving praise for the things they've done so far, my counsel to them for the big and not-so-big things in life, my testimony and of course, the love I have for them in the deepest corners of my heart. It took me another two months and two separate occasions before I finally finished the letters to Karcyn and Calvin. Their letters were difficult also but for a different reason as well. Karcyn is almost 4 and Calvin not quite 2. I've had less time with them. I don't know them as well as I know Jake and Cooper which made leaving last words for them a lot more general and felt a lot less meaningful. It seemed like I was cheating them andI only hope they won't feel that way.

As painstaking as this was, I'm glad I gutted through it. More importantly, I don't ever want my children to wonder if I loved them and what I hoped for them. I don't want them to ever worry that they never made me proud. And I don't ever want them to wonder about my testimony of the Savior or the restored gospel. Even though I tell and teach my children these things, once someone is gone and as time goes by, it gets tricky to remember them. The written word is a powerful tool in helping us remember those we loved and to feel their spirit and "hear" their voice.

A few last words...

I love you, Jacob. Chin up, Sweetheart. Smile for me. Help Dad. It will be hard on him, too. Love Cooper. Be his buddy. Take care of Karcyn--protect her. Baptize Calvin and help him remember me. You make me so proud and honor me with all the good that you do.

I love you, Cooper. You are the son we chose to name after my grandparents that I loved to my very core. And now I get to be with them again. Don't ever take your eyes off the temple! Do whatever you have to do to get there worthily and keep going back so we can be together again.

I love you, Karcyn. You are pure sunshine. I feel so blessed to have been a part of your life--even if just for a little while. The gospel is everything! Embrace it. Be grateful for it. You are a daughter of God who loved you before I did.

I love you, Calvin. You light up whatever space you are in. Sweet boy--life isn't easy. Life isn't fair. But this is the only life we get, so make it the best you can by becoming the son of God I know you are and I will be the proudest mom ever.

I hope you'll consider doing the same for your children. I promise, you won't regret it. And as emotionally taxing as this process was, there is profound peace in being prepared and leaving your children (no matter how young or old) their own personalized gift from Mom. A gift that money can't buy. A timeless gift. A gift that could only be created for them ahead of time because their mom knew it would be hard on her kids when she died and she wanted them to be able to treasure her own words written just for them that they could read over and over and over again. Words that might bring them peace, solace, strength and above all, a reassurance of her love for them--even after the sting of her death has faded. For as long as they need it.

Blowing off steam...lots of it!

2010-03-06T20:37:00.001-08:00

My Santa came through, as he usually does, year after year, and got me the steam cleaner I had been wanting for the 8 months leading up to Christmas. I told him it was the only thing I wanted. Jared rolled his eyes and told me to just go buy myself one if I wanted it that bad, but I couldn't justify it. Nope, in order for me to not have any buyer's remorse, it had to be a Christmas gift. Jared was actually raised to NOT buy his wife any kind of appliance or household tool that would suggest "cleaning" or "work." I'm very grateful he was brought up that way. However, in the case of marrying an undiagnosed, slightly OCD, Type A woman, all bets are off. If said wife, ASKS, or better yet, BEGS for things to enhance kitchen productivity and cleanliness of the home, I believe her wishes trump any and all parental upbringing on the subject! Fortunately Jared has seen the light and has given in and gotten me those things on my wish list. He insists my practicality is no fun. But, c'mon! It makes me happy! And happy wives make for happy husbands :)

I wanted the steam cleaner, if for no other reason, than to clean the grout in between the ceramic tile in our kitchen and bathrooms and laundry room. Two years of traipsing through our kitchen with four little rug rats and friends can make it really dirty. Here's a BEFORE picture (plus two adorable rug rats).

Here's a picture of first time I experimented with the cleaner. Notice the 3 vertical lines and 2 horizontal ones closest to Jared's feet that are lighter than all the rest? That's what I'm talking about!

And here is an AFTER picture.

Even with the steamer blasting away at the grime, it was still hard work. The cleaner worked great, but it took time and boy my back was killing me. It took me three sessions to complete the kitchen floor and the sessions were not as close as I would have liked. At one point I had half the tile done. It looked silly for a long time. But now, I feel like I have a whole new floor!! Thanks, Santa Baby!

March 2nd

2010-03-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

Aside from it being the day Jared and I got unofficially engaged (without the ring) 14 years ago and my friend's wedding anniversary (Hey Suzy, hope it was great!), it was also Dr. Seuss' birthday. And at our house, we celebrated.

Nothing says "Happy Birthday" more than atomic, glow-in-the-dark green eggs and (diced) ham for dinner. Ewww...they really did look gross. Fortunately, that didn't stop my kids.

Puzzle Princess

2010-03-02T16:32:00.000-08:00

We've noticed for the past year or so that Karcyn really enjoys puzzles. We have several wooden ones with 9-12 pieces and she would just do them over and over again. So I got her a couple 24 piece puzzles and she whipped right through those. It was around September that we noticed this was more than just a kid who likes puzzles. She has a real knack for them.

She doesn't have a system, like looking for outside edge and corner pieces first and then filling in the middle. She doesn't always look for the colors that match on pieces either. She looks for the actual SHAPE of each piece and where they connect. And let me tell you something...she's got an eagle eye because she finds them before I do. I don't know how she does it. It's quite amazing to watch.

My parents got her a big floor puzzle (48 pieces) for Christmas. It was one of the first gifts she opened. And she had it done and put together in a matter of minutes. Less than 20 and only because she had to rescue several pieces from Calvin who thought taking them and running off with them was the best game ever.

I got her another floor puzzle a month ago for a potty training reward. I sat down with her the first time she did it and offered my assistance to help her out. Yeah...turns out I kept giving her the wrong pieces and suggesting they went in the wrong places! So I just stay out of her way. Fortunately, Karcyn is very sweet and doesn't get frustrated with my "help".

I'm having a REALLY hard time keeping Karcyn in puzzles. They aren't exactly cheap and trying to keep them stored is a ton of fun...especially when she does 3 at once. I finally remembered a Noah's Ark puzzle, over 100 pieces, in our Sunday box. Out of desperation, I got it out to see how she did with it.

Karcyn was in puzzle heaven! It was no big deal and as soon as she was done, she wanted to do it again! Sometimes she works on a puzzle until it's done, sometimes she takes breaks and goes back to it, but not very often. I'm impressed with her ability to focus and find that much patience in her 3 1/2 year old body to do such a project. She is definitely a puzzle princess and it will be interesting to see how this lends to other talents and abilities in the future.

I remember seeing my friend's mom doing a puzzle back in the '80s. It was at least 1000 pieces of the poster "CATS." So it was virtually pitch black with two small glowing green eyes in the center which consisted of about 20 pieces...maybe more, but not much more. I'd like to see Karcyn attack that one!

Where in the WORLD are Elder and Sister Lee?

2010-02-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

Last time I posted about this, my parents had to give up the opportunity of serving their next mission in Bangalore, India due to visa issues. And after going through several other possibilities over the Thanksgiving holiday, they were able to choose (yes, choose) to go to the Slovenia-Croatia mission.

My parents entered the MTC the second week of December and then hung out at the Family History Center in SLC, UT waiting for their visas to come through. They were told it would be around the beginning of March.

Shortly after the beginning of the year, my parents found out that there is NOT family history work or a need for such missionaries in the Slovenia-Croatia area as they were initially led to believe.

Because family history work is what my parents had their heart set on....where would they go now??

A quick switcheroo and one more First Presidency approval, and they left February 15th for Edinburgh, Scotland! They will be going through archives of records and taking digital pictures of them for the Church. They work in a long room with 4 other couples. My dad has a camera station and my mom works with a computer to quality check the images once they are taken. The room they are in has no windows so the mission president encourages them to get out on the weekends and see the country. (Tough life!)

Interestingly enough, my parents just up and took a trip to Scotland last May. My cousin actually lives over there and they joined her and her parents and had a wonderful time gallivanting around the beautiful country. This is a real treat for them to be going back. Now that my parents are actually ON their mission, I don't foresee them changing country locations prior to their release in 18 months!

AND...even if we don't have any vacation time, Jared insists that we go visit them. I had totally forgotten that the name "hough" is rumored to have Scottish roots.

He survived!

2010-02-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

Phew! Jake is officially done with his participation in Century High School's rendition of "The Music Man".

Back in September, Jake came home on a Tuesday and said he really wanted to try out for the high school musical at Century. He said they were asking for younger children to audition for "The Music Man". Auditions were the next day, but of course he couldn't tell me when, how long, what he needed to do to prepare or anything else about it. He didn't have the handout. So I told him to bring me the information the next day after school and he did. Sure enough, it was just as he said. There were some possible time conflicts, but I told him we'd try and make it happen. I dropped him off, signed him in and made sure it was okay that I didn't stay since I had three other loud and squirmy kids to juggle and that it was in EVERYONE'S best interest if I didn't stay. I was told it would be about an hour for the elementary students to audition. So I waited in the parking lot for him to come out. To this day, I have no idea what the audition entailed. Jake was nonchalant about the whole thing. Said they'd call if he made it.

I had just enough time to drive home, get dinner on the table and welcome Jared home before needing to leave for a missionary discussion that was scheduled for 6pm. That's when I got a phone call from the stage manager telling me Jake made the audition! I couldn't believe it. She told me that about 75 kids tried out and only 19 made it and only 5 of the youngest towns people were boys. We were so proud of him and were excited and a little anxious to find out how this would all go down.

Rehearsals for him started in December. (Fortunately for me, I just had to drop him off two miles down the road and come back and pick him up.) Obviously, rehearsals got longer and later the closer they got to opening night. But it was still doable. (We did take a break from piano lessons for the month of February before it got too crazy.) All told, he had 11 performances in 8 days and he wasn't getting home 'til after 10pm in the evenings. Considering his rigorous schedule and his usual 7:30 bedtime, Jake managed it very well at home and at school. He kept up on his schoolwork and chores and even missed two days of school for two weekday matinees. For his first theatrical debut complete with a 3-word speaking part, singing and choreography, Jake was a great little towns person and despite hating the knickerbockers, enjoyed his chance to rub shoulders with some very talented youth. When people ask Jake if he would be in a musical again, he responds with an emphatic "yes!" And quickly follows that up with this: "as long as I don't have to kiss anyone!" (Just keep thinking that, son!)

Here's Jake in full costume. I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of him in his band uniform at the end. He "played" the clarinet. (Huh...I didn't know they had metal braces in 1912...)

This was opening night, Feb. 11th, when Jared and I saw the show together.

I was so mesmerized by the charm of this musical and how WELL the entire cast did, that I had to see it again before closing night. Considering this was put on by a high school and lots of other younger kids, I was soooo impressed. The costumes were authentic, the set was cool, the singing of the leads was fabulous and entertaining. My only complaint is that it was sometimes hard to hear certain parts, but that's technical equipment issues and not a reflection on the cast or crew.

Jared took Cooper to the first Saturday matinee and to this day, Cooper wanders around the house singing "Seventy-six trombones led the big parade, with a hundred and ten cornets close at hand" and "Shipoopi!" I went the following Thursday with my neighbor and then to the last show on Saturday with another friend who took Jared's ticket since he had to work. The musical was 2 hours in length but clipped right along at a relatively fast pace. I was always surprised when intermission came after the first hour. It was so fun to watch! Kudos to the Century Theater cast and crew and the members of the orchestra pit!

And a HUGE thank you to all the friends who attended the show to support Jake. We appreciate you!

This was Jake on Sunday 2.21 after closing night (with a matinee that afternoon) and a cast party until 11:30pm. We have 9am church so Jared and I told him that if we let him stay for the cast party, he could not fall asleep in church but could take a nap when we got home. He was definitely "Shi-pooped."

100 days, 100 verses

2010-02-23T15:52:00.000-08:00

Today marks 100 days the kids have been in school. It's a VERY big deal to the lower grades who are learning about place value and of course, it's a fun day to participate in activities and extra treats and have other experiences based around the number 100.

The kids in Cooper's class were given a variety of pattern block shapes over the weekend and were asked to use exactly 100 and CREATE something with them. I hung those up in the hall at the school today and they are INCREDIBLE! Also, while I was there, the children were given the assignment to draw a picture of what they'd look like when they were 100 years old. One kid drew a picture of a grassy hill and his gravestone on it indicating he'd be dead!

What about those 100 verses?

Well, this year, 2010, our family is veering away from the suggested stake challenge to read the New Testament by the end of April (having started the beginning of November at Stake Conference). Since we've read the New Testament and Book of Mormon, cover to cover already, we decided to read the Old Testament together. Except that we gave ourselves 12 months to do it. We are studying the Old Testament world-wide this year as a Church in Sunday School and the older Primary children are learning about it in their individual classes, so we thought it would be a perfect time to do so as a family. In order to get the most out of our reading, we are also spending two family nights a month on studying certain passages in the Old Testament. There are so many hidden treasures in this underutilized and under appreciated book of scripture. We certainly don't expect to be Old Testament Master Scriptorians when we're done, but at least we'll be more familiar with it than we were before!

Spreading this challenge out over a year is very doable, but it's not quite the end of February and we've already fallen behind!! Blasted! This, of course, doesn't surprise me. We're great at the "read on schedule for a week, fall behind for four, catch up over three, repeat." So...in honor of the 100th day of school today, we will be reading 100 verses in Exodus tonight as part of Family Home Evening. I'm sure the kids will freak out. However, a closer examination of the pages that follow where we stopped will reveal that there are 100 verses EXACTLY in the next 3 chapters. Maybe we should EACH read 100 verses. Sadly, I still think we'd be behind.

Hygienist wins over patient

2010-02-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

Ever seen that commercial several years back that shows a Kindergarten teacher with her children gathered around her in circle time. She asks them questions: "What color is the sky?" They answer "Blue!" She asks them, "What color is the grass?" They answer "Green!" She asks "What color are my teeth?" hoping for the answer of "white." She was completely thrown off-guard when the children came up with responses like--"beige", "ecru", "mother-of-pearl". It makes me laugh every time I think about it.

For the past couple of years I've actually had that nagging feeling that my teeth are yellowing and need to be whitened. I just haven't gotten around to doing it yet. It's not exactly on my priority list, let alone the HIGH priority list. Do I try doing something myself or do I get it professionally done? I haven't researched a thing about it. I just don't want my kids calling my teeth color "ecru".

Today I went in for my second six-month cleaning and check-up with the dentist whose office is right next door to Jared's. And who just happened to move into our ward two Sundays ago!

I'll admit, right up front, I'm not the perfect dental patient. Far from it in fact, which is why I hate going to the dentist. One more reminder where I fail in life is just not pleasant. I got my first cavity at the age of 25 and I cried. Yes, I cried. The other cavities I have are my "graduate school cavities." We had no medical or dental coverage for the four years Jared spent getting his masters degrees and while I am SO grateful we didn't have any major oral issues during that time, it was a complete drag to my pride to get more than a handful of little cavities all over my mouth a few months AFTER getting dental insurance. *sigh*

I sat in the chair this morning and of course, it was the check-up for the bite wing x-rays. The gal who put the first gag-reflex-checker in my mouth said, "Wow, you have beautiful teeth." I was more than surprised by her comment. Certainly she wasn't talking about the color of my yellowing teeth. It couldn't be the shape of my teeth either. I think they're a little big myself. Hoping for some more feedback I asked, "Really?" She said, "Oh yes, they are nice and white. Do you bleach them?" Stunned, I told her I didn't whiten them and that I was actually thinking of doing so. Then she said more as a statement than a question, "You don't drink coffee do you." I shook my head no. She said, "We can always tell who does. Your teeth are very pretty." That totally made my day.

She continued to rack up the points with me with her genuineness. Later, when the dentist came in to do the exam, we were discussing how his wife is due to have her third baby any day now and her past deliveries. I mentioned that with four kids, I've had four VERY different deliveries. This same gal gasped. "You've had FOUR kids??" I told her I had. She gawked at me, flipped through my chart to find my birth date and said, "Huh, you're my age. Wow--you don't look like you've had four kids." As I was leaning back for the exam, I told her I really hoped that would help me out when I'm in my 50s. She said, "Seriously, I thought you were 23...25 at the most." After which I mumbled, "I wuv woo" while the dentist was checking my teeth. That totally made my YEAR! As I was leaving, she said she meant every word of it. I told her she was now my favorite ;)

"I Have a Dream"

2010-01-14T20:37:00.000-08:00

I have had my dream vehicle picked out since I was in high school. And though I thought chances were in my favor that I might get it eventually, I did NOT think it would be so soon in my lifetime!

And that DREAM is a....

That's RIGHT! Jenn got her SUBURBAN!!! (Giddy-up!)

Why? I'm not really sure, actually. It all just happened kind of suddenly ;)

About a month ago, we were driving back from a Christmas concert in Vancouver and I saw a suburban pass Jared on the left. It was just a suburban. Nothing flashy about it, even though I do a double-take and a slight drool whenever I see one. But it caught my extra attention. And then I dreamily wondered how long it might be before I could entertain the thought of owning one myself.

Christmas came and went and out of the blue Jared half jokingly commented we might need the cargo space of a suburban before long. (He told me later he was VERY hesitant about saying anything to me about it since I'm such a tight wad--even when it's purely hypothetical). But much to his surprise I replied, "That's funny because I was sort of thinking the same thing."

The next day, my yahoo inbox was INUNDATED with emails with the subject heading "Jared wants you to look at a Chevrolet Suburban on autotrader.com" or the like.

Out of the first batch he sent me, I saw two that I liked. They were both 2007s with similar mileage. One was over $30,000 and the other was a little under. I liked the expensive one because it had more "bells and whistles" than the other (like leather interior--which I didn't want, a DVD player--which the kids would love, an MP3 player, sunroof, remote starter, flex fuel, power-everything, etc.)

A week went by and we talked a little about when we should start looking more seriously at the suburbans, talk to the dealers, etc. Maybe after Valentine's day. We talked about the timing of selling the car, etc.

More craigslist and autotrader emails appeared in my inbox.

Sunday, during second hour, when I was making my rounds, Jared found me as he was pow-wowing with some of the young men leaders and said that the priests advisor was willing to bring his suburban over after church to see if it fit in our garage. Dead serious! I told Jared one stinky thing about getting a suburban is that I'd lose the garage because we had already found the measurements online and the length was wall-to-garage door with no room to breath. Even still, we really wanted to get an actual suburban to come test out our garage space. Blaine was willing to do it. And it FIT! Oh, it was tight, alright. But the garage door closed! Jared and I both did a BIG 'OL happy dance the rest of the day! (Thanks Blaine!)

Then on Tuesday, I went to the temple with our friends whose son is getting ready to go on his mission. Jared was going to meet us there after work. As the room started filling up, Jared didn't show. I knew it was a distinct possibility that he wouldn't make it with last minute things that sometimes pop up at the office and that was fine. Before the session started, I had the fleeting thought "I hope Jared goes and talks to some dealers if he can't make it tonight." It seemed hardly the thing I should be thinking about it in the temple. Shame on me. Fortunately I was able to focus my thoughts the rest of the time.

When I got home a little before 10pm, Jared told me what he did when he knew he wasn't going to make the session. He went to one of the dealers nearby! We got a kick out of that. It's actually been FREAKISH the way he and I have been thinking almost the same things at the same time--about something BIG like this--not just movie quotes that fit a certain situation.

The dealer he spoke to said that we'd be hard-pressed to find a 2007 'burb under $30,000 and they talked a little more business.

Right before going to bed, we checked the suburban we'd been "watching" online and we were FLOORED to see the price had been REDUCED below $30,000! We looked at each other and knew we had to act fast on this.

More things fell into place...it was mutual night, but it was a combined activity and Jared's quorum was not in charge, so it was an okay time for him not to be there. The activity sounded really cool, however and I was sad he was missing it. And then he had to ask his 1st counselor to fill in for him at BYC. (*cringe*...sorry Zach!) I guess that's what counselors are for, but it seemed really selfish! And even though it was mutual night and all our youth babysitters would be at church, our friend Kyle (who was endowed the day before) was home and could babysit for us!

We left at 6:15 and headed to Milwaukie...a new destination experience for the both of us. Thank goodness for the new GPS we just got.

When we arrived at 7pm, Brandi (the internet coordinator who I had talked to umpteen times on the phone during the day when I was getting the skinny on their inventory, making an appt., running numbers and filling out a credit request, etc.) had the suburban already "on deck" for us to look at and drive. I was so nervous getting behind the wheel of that thing. Fortunately, there were ONLY right turns involved!

I think we already knew we were going to buy the burb. We just didn't want to get it sight unseen. Jared even asked why they priced it so low (relatively speaking of course). She said people are buying Tahoes now, not the suburbans. It had been sitting since September. I guess that's a long time in the car business hence the big mark down.

Long story short, the dealer lost some money on the deal, we have a car payment again that we haven't had in YEARS (ugh). But we have a big rig in our garage and it just so happens to be MY DREAM CAR!

After we left the dealer, we went to dinner and I called my parents to tell them about the "irresponsible" thing we had done (we've only bought vehicles out of sheer desperation...we've never had the luxury of looking for one and buying one because we can put it to good use). They were excited for us...even more happy that we won't have to take two cars when they come to visit. Then my mom asked me what color it was.

I have this thing about car colors...we can't get away from red or any hue or shade of red. I married into a red car that Jared had when he got off his mission, we got a burgandy car after that. When we had to get the van, Jared promised me it wouldn't be red. It's burgandy too. Needless to say, I've been giving him flack for that ever since. I am happy to announce that my suburban is "graystone metallic" and I love it.

(See?? It's so big I couldn't get a picture of the whole thing!)

I asked Jared yesterday about the first time he got the fleeting thought about getting a suburban. He said he saw a suburban drive past us on our way home from the Christmas concert in Vancouver and it just came to him.

I think this suburban was meant for us.

More monkeys

2009-12-23T14:10:00.000-08:00

They are monkeys 99% of the time, but for a small moment, they were my Christmas cuties.

Karcyn

Mister, Mister

Super Coop

Goofy

Meet the Monkeys

2009-12-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas came early for me this year. We have a gift exchange at Dr. Hicken's office and these last couple of years we've written down a couple of things we'd like to help give our giver some ideas. This year, I wanted a pair of sweet sock monkey slippers. I couldn't justify buying them for myself, but boy, they'd be fun (and comfy) to have.

Two days before the office party, I was at Target and went to visit the monkey slippers and they were ALL gone! Either that or they had been moved. I didn't have time to hunt for them so I just told myself they were sold out. I was so sad.

Guess what I got at the party??? It was the first thing I opened in a stack of gifts Elizabeth got me. She was much too generous! But I've been doing the happy dance ever since.

I'd like you to meet my left monkey: Liz.

And my right monkey: Beth.

Together they make: 'Lizbeth!

They're the bomb and I love 'em.

A change of plans

2009-12-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

This would be a mission change.

My parents flew here for their last visit with us for Thanksgiving before they went on their mission. We had a great time with them. It was too short as usual, especially since it's going to be a year and a half before we see them again.

A good portion of their time with us was spent on the phone with former missionaries and secretaries of missions and the missionary and family history departments in SLC. My parents got word that their visas to India were on "back order"so to speak and no one could speculate how long before they'd be issued. My parents had their hearts set on leaving now for their mission and didn't want to wait around, twiddling their thumbs, for the visas to come. Their newly bought home was packed up. Their suitcases were packed. They said their good-byes and were ready to get rolling.

When speaking with a secretary in the family history department (I believe) my parents were given a couple of options for alternate destinations. One country was French speaking, so that was out. Another option was the Dominican Republic. Jared about burst into tiny pieces, he could hardly contain himself. That is where HE served HIS mission and has always wanted to go back and take me with him. Unfortunately, that was short lived because there is a Spanish language requirement, understandably so, for that mission as well. My dad can speak Spanish but wouldn't call him fluent and that's what they needed. Although, we got our hopes up because it was mentioned, during one of the umpteen phone calls, that my parents might be able to get Spanish language training at the MTC. That was a very exciting possibility....and then the big let down came shortly after. (Sorry, Jared).

Another option was Hyde Park in London, England. My parents were all over that, however, did you know that this is the MOST EXPENSIVE mission in the WORLD? The secretary helping my dad had asked what his finances were like because they have a hard time filling that spot. My parents' finances are good, better than most, actually, but it was MORE than they had budgeted so that got nixed, too.

This issue was, of course, compounded by the Thanksgiving holiday and apparently the Church department (or the persons my parents needed to speak to) takes the Monday AFTER Thanksgiving off, too. It's all well and good for people to enjoy an extra day off from work to be with their families. It's just inconvenient for those senior couples who are 13 days away from serving their mission and they still don't know where!

By the time my parents flew back home on Dec. 1st however, we had it on good authority that they would be serving in the Slovenia-Croatia mission...with no language requirement with the expectation they will be doing family history work and other assorted responsibilities. The First Presidency approved the mission reassignment (phew) just days before my parents left. Just enough time for them to REPACK their suitcases for an area of Europe with 4 seasons, instead of two as they had prepared for.

Mom and Dad reported to the MTC two days ago on Mon. Dec. 14th. They will only be there a week and then will go to SLC and live in a hotel for 2 months, working at the family history building until they get their visas.

It will be interesting to hear about their experiences in this part of the world that they weren't planning on going to. Those are usually the best kind of experiences.

Rude awakening

2009-11-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

At 6:15am, because there was no school due to the federal holiday, Jake and I went to our neighbor's house so he could learn the morning feeding routine for their animals while they're way this weekend.

We got home around 6:40am and I told Jake to go back to bed because that's where I was headed. And if he didn't go back to bed, to be QUIET!

I actually managed to sleep in a little bit longer before I had two little ones climbing on top of me. Sweet Jake had gotten the "babies" out of bed and fed them breakfast. Niiiice.

When Jared got home from work tonight he told me that while Jake and I were down the street this morning, he dutifully went in to wake up Cooper. He related the following:

"Cooper, Man, c'mon it's already 6:30, time to get up."

A moment later, Cooper barely lifted his head off his pillow. Partially whiny, mostly groggy, he informed Jared, "Daaaaaaad. We don't have school today."

Jared, confused: "You don't?"

"Noooo." (If his eyes had been open, they would have been rolling). Extremely inconvenienced, head limply hanging down, he pointed to the wall and grumbled, "Look at my calendar. It says Veteran's Day. NO SCHOOL!"

Bummer for Jared. It's bad enough waking Cooper up when it's necessary. It's even WORSE when you could have let the angry bear sleep longer. Darn those sneaker holidays!

Jake's testimony

2009-11-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Calvin woke up in the early hours with a fever. The kid is sprouting about 8 teeth at once, including molars. But he's been doing this for a while, so we suspected the fever was related to something else. Fortunately, Jared was able to check his ears. Both were red. He sent in a prescription, we dosed him up on Motrin, and when it came time for church, I hunkered down with Calvin and Karcyn. (I kept Karcyn home to make life easier on Jared).

I really HATE missing church. Not because the kids are sick, but because I HATE missing church. I HATE missing choir practice. I HATE not being able to take the Sacrament. I HATE not being able to sing the hymns. I HATE not being able to feel the spirit. I HATE not being able to learn something new. I HATE not being able to hear the testimonies of others. I HATE not being able to see my friends who share the same beliefs and perspective I do. I HATE not being able to serve someone.

With that said, however, it was a "good" Sunday to miss in that I didn't have any big responsibility to attend to that day. I wasn't teaching or conducting and didn't need to speak to anyone.

Turns out, after several months, Jake got up to bear his testimony in Sacrament meeting. He mentioned it to me casually in passing after church. He's been doing it off and on for a few years now after we learned about how to appropriately bear a testimony and practiced in family night.

Jared said at dinner that Jake gave a really great testimony. Jared related that Jake had shared that he got up early that morning around 6:30am (he was also fasting) and decided to watch the church movie "Praise to the Man" about Joseph Smith. He said it was very quiet, no one else was up yet, and as he watched the account of Joseph Smith's life, he heard a voice speak to him that said Joseph Smith was a true prophet. He even looked around to see if Cooper was the one whispering to him. Jake had gained a witness of the divine calling that Joseph Smith restored God's gospel in its fulness to the earth and that he was the one who translated the Book of Mormon from ancient records.

Apparently Jared got some playful flack after Sacrament meeting because he was sleeping in while our 9-year-old was watching church movies at 6:30 in the morning. Our kids never sleep in when you want them to. But I'm impressed he chose to watch a Sunday appropriate movie in the quiet of the Sabbath morning and not take advantage of the lack of parental supervision.

After Jared recounted what Jake had said, Jake nodded in agreement then added, "Yeah---I just need to really work on crying while I say my testimony. I don't know how to do that yet."

Gotta, gotta, gotta

2009-11-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

Having sold their house in Anchorage, AK, after 17 years (sniff, sniff), having bought a new house outright in Santa Clara, UT, and having spent about 18 months in the U.S.A since mission #2, my parents are ready to serve mission #3.

Our mailbox serves as "home base" for my nomadic parents. So their mission call came to our house on Sept. 30th. Jake got the honor of opening it up and reading where they would be going (practicing for when he gets his own call in 9-ish years). We weren't surprised when he read that Elder and Sister Lee have been assigned to serve for 18 months in Bangalore, India. They were more or less recruited, as they were for their mission in Ukraine. Nonetheless, it was still exciting to get the official word knowing that the Prophet signed off on this location as THE place where my parents need to be. They are to report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT, on Dec. 14, 2009 for about a week. Most their training will be done in the field. Wow...Christmas in India.

Dad reports that they will be the FIRST family history couple to serve in India. There is a Family History Department employee that serves there, but they believe he travels and isn't a native to India. Dad and Mom hope they will get to set up family history centers and teach the Indian people how to do their own genealogy as they did in Ukraine, but they aren't sure what the Asian Area Authority has in mind for them. Whatever it is, however, they will be fabulous! [While serving in Salt Lake City on mission #1, Dad was the Zone Leader for a zone that didn't exist. He had to create it!]

We're looking forward to hearing about their adventures as family history missionaries in an area where the church is relatively new and about the culture and other "things" they will have the opportunity to experience. We're also looking forward to all the blessings that become yours when a family member, especially parents, leave everything behind to selflessly serve more of God's children in a distant land. It's like your life is lifted to a higher level where blessings and protection from on high are much more concentrated than where you were before. We're so grateful for the example my parents are to our own children.

Mom and Dad thought they had a lot to do to get ready to go. So do I!!

Gotta get my web cam set up so we can skype each other online.

Gotta figure out the time difference.

Gotta take advantage of this opportunity!

Gotta start saving our pennies.

Gotta get my passport.

Gotta get a visa.

Gotta eat more curry.

Quiz: Do you know which temple district my parents will be in?
(The winner gets to be really smart :)

Catch-up, Mustard, Mayonnaise

2009-10-25T20:27:00.000-07:00

"Catch-up, Mustard, Mayonnaise." That's one of many fun sayings Cooper's teacher tells her class. She's so creative.

And that's what I'm going to do...attempt to "catch-up" this blog and get through the rest of July.

1) After I got back from Alaska, Jared (as first counselor in the young men's presidency over the teachers quorum) was gearing up for his week of High Adventure (July 13-18th) with twelve of the teachers and priests (14-18 year old young men) from church. They embarked on a 175+ mile biking journey down Highway 101 of the Oregon coast starting at Cannon Beach and ending at Honeyman State Park. It was an awesome experience--definitely one for the books! The "stats" were as follows:
*Near death experiences--7
*Crashes--6
*Lost bikers--8
*Flat tires--13
*Mental walls--26
*Blood injuries--9
*Strokes--1
*Puking--5 (15 rounds--this was not caused by biking, but from the rocking of the boat on the chartered fishing trip they took one morning)
*Stitches--1
*Run-ins with cars--2
*ER visits--2
I think they were very grateful to have a health professional with them!

When I first heard the YM were planning a coastal bike ride for High Adventure last November, I was horrified. We actually went to South Beach with my parents last year and I was looking at the lack space between the white line on the road and the cliff. Hardly enough room for a bike tire in many places. Not to mention all the curves and blind spots. Totally scary for a wife whose husband still has a lot of student debt to pay off, dead or alive! However, as the planning continued and the group prepared, I was completely at peace with this by the time July came around. I knew it wasn't going to go without a "hitch" because this was, after all, an "ad-ven-ture," a process the young (and older) men could compare their journey in life to. PLUS...they were a fluorescent traveling group of priesthood holders who could administer to anyone at anytime! Throw some faith in there, and that's all you need.

Part of the group, refueling with lunch one day.

Some of their scenery along the way...

Jared trying his hand at sand boarding.

And Jared wiping out. Way to try something new, Honey!

Next year's High Adventure is already in the works....hiking the Eagle Cap Mountains!

2) Each July 4th, give or take a week, since Jared graduated three years ago, we take the kids to a Mariners game up in Seattle. We spent the night up there last year, so we decided to alternate the years we stay overnight and made it a "day" trip this time around.

This was our "before" picture. It was already warm at 8:15am. This was also the weekend prior to our MAJOR HEAT WAVE.

We ate sandwiches on the drive up, but you can't NOT get food at the ballpark. That's 90% of the whole experience, if you ask me. Some of our top faves at Safeco Field are garlic fries and Dippin' Dots.

The boys' favorite....nachos and for Jake--chili nachos.

There's a kids area at the park and tucked back in there is a concession stand where you can buy what I call a "bucket special." Your choice of a hot dog or PB & J sandwich, popcorn or a pretzel, plus cracker jacks and a drink. That last option is the clencher because it's the only place in the park that has MILK. All of that comes packed in a cute little bucket for $6. Sweeeeet. It's a lot of food, our kids are addicted to milk and it's cheap. I LOVE that the park has that option. A Happy Meal, Major League Baseball style.

Woooo doggie! It didn't take long for it to HEAT UP. We lathered everyone in sunscreen (from the waist up) when we got to the parking garage, then left the bottle in the van. Duh....as soon as the sun came over the field I realized, like an idiot, that we never put sunscreen on the kids' legs or knees. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Mental note #1) Always bring the sunblock. I could just SEE them baking! I was so full of regret I couldn't concentrate. As I was about to go spend $20 on 2 ounces of sunblock, I spied the mom next to me reapplying sunscreen on her little ones. I leaned over to her and asked if could use some. I told her I forgot to do the legs. She was happy to share and I was so grateful. I felt a little more relaxed after that. Though I still worried about the little kids, especially Calvin. He just LOOKED hot. I was convinced he would fry, sitting in the sun like that with his delicate baby skin all exposed. I actually took him and Karcyn for 30 minute walk under the covered walkways to get them out of the sun and bought Calvin a hat. He was the only person without one. $15 well spent. If only he would keep it on his head.

The people sitting behind us (we sit in the non-alcoholic family section) had spray bottles filled with water. A little bit of the mist got on the backs of our necks and it was absolutely divine! When we told them how great their run-off felt, they squirted us down. Mental note #2) bring spray bottles for the 1pm games!

Of all things, we ran into our friends, Eric and Sara (Sara, as in: the co-author of "Our Best Bites"...the greatest food blog out there!) Eric and Jared were PA students together at Pacific. Eric and Sara live in Idaho now, but Sara is from Seattle and they just happened to up that weekend. So fun--even though we only saw them for a few minutes. The boys, big and small, went on a Dippin' Dots run together (banana split all the way, baby!) while Sara and I hung out.

Mental note #3) bring more water for the 1pm games. One water bottle per person was not enough. We did enjoy sharing a rather large lemon squeezy icy thing between the 6 of us. It was a good opportunity to teach children and adults alike how to take turns and what constitutes a reasonable slurp.

As for the game...well, we like to see it through to the end, even the bitter end. Turns out we scored the only 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth. But then the fat lady was singing. The Cleveland Indians took us 10-3. It was okay, though because the kids were soooooo good. I can't believe how well they behaved in that heat and with little action in the game. They didn't complain or anything. We really love bringing the kids to see the Mariners and even wished there was a MLB team closer than Seattle (it's about 3 1/2 hours minimum each way). On the other hand, we also like the special-ness of just going once a year.

When we got up to leave I was all of a sudden very aware that I was wet in places I didn't want to be. Jared confirmed I had "wet spots" on my rear and legs. Alllll sweat, I assure you. But still so embarrassing.

On our way home, we stopped to grab some dinner at Denny's. Major score for the day: the kids ate free!

3) A tradition we JUST started this year, is going to the Washington County Fair. I thought it ran for a week, but it's only a few days. The only day we could go was Sat. August 1st and it was a squeeze AND it was still horribly hot. The only thing about doing something new is not knowing what to expect. Parking was a breeze however. That was a nice surprise. We had a budget when we went and it wasn't much. We bought each of the three kids 20 tickets to use for rides or games. We had to scope out the rides first to see what was available and how much they cost. The decent ones were 8 tickets each.

I wanted us to stay together and watch each of the kids do their ride. Jake went first. He chose the "Sea Dragon." I love that ride. It was only him and one other boy. They sat at the very back of one side of the "ship."

It was so funny watching Jake's facial expressions change. One second he's smiling, the next he looked like he was going to puke--at least from where we stood. He had a blast.

We walked around some more trying to find a ride for Karcyn. We even went to the kiddie ride section and every single ride required her to be at least 1 inch taller than she was. We couldn't even take her on the blasted merry-go-round and sign a waiver unless she met the height requirement. I was sooo sad for her. She wanted to go on a ride like nothing else. We were walking back towards the games and rides so Cooper could have a turn and I spied a bungee jumping thing. It advertised that riders needed to be 10 lbs to jump. Good grief. Even Calvin could do it! Cooper took one look at it and decided that's what HE wanted to do so we paid for him and Karcyn to jump. I still couldn't believe that it was okay for Karcyn to be flung in the air on a rubber band, but not okay for her to sit on a slow moving plastic horse with me standing next to her.

Cooper was cautious about how high he went. He was happy to just do it "medium".

Karcyn's turn! The guy running the jumper was so good with her. It was cute.

Karcyn was FEARLESS. The higher she went, the more she squealed in delight.

BOING!!

And....

BOING!!

And Jake decided he wanted to go too. So...we gave Cooper some extra tickets to make it "even Steven."

Karcyn blew her brothers out of the water. Jake was also a bit tentative about not going too high.

We were dealing with a screaming Karcyn at this point. She wanted to go AGAIN and she wasn't liking our answer of "no."

After that fun new experience on the bungee jumper, we headed back to the games. We mostly played skee-ball. Cooper did a couple other games and won 3 stuffed animals, Karcyn won 1 and Jake won none. So ironic :)

We spent a little time looking at the livestock, but we were mighty hot and tired, so before going home, we bought some snow cones, sought reprieve in the shade under a tent with a periodic misting apparatus and cooled off with our treats.

Our time at the fair was short, but sweet. I'm glad we went even though we kind of crammed it in at the last minute. Hopefully next year, we can try some real food and see more of the exhibits.

Phew! July is done. Check, check.

Boy's athletic abilities frustrate parents!

2009-10-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

Since Sunday we've had some CHILLY temperatures. I've tried my best to keep the furnace off until absolutely necessary, but our house sits between 64 and 67 degrees during the day. Brrrr!!

Tuesday, our day set aside for Family Home Evening (because Jared works 8-8 at the Urgent Care on Mondays), we thought it would be fun to have a fire in the fireplace. That's all I needed--just something to take the edge off the chill in the air.

As I was helping Cooper's little friend Andrew (who is staying with us for a week while his parents are in Hawaii) get settled in, Jared prepped the fireplace with Jake's assistance. As I walked back through to the family room I heard Jared say to Jake, slightly annoyed, "That would have been nice to know before now." Apparently, Jake had informed Jared that he accidentally kicked a soccer ball into the chimney in the spring and thought it might be important to know before the fire was started. However, in Jake's defense, he said he told me way back when it happened and once he said so, I vaguely have a recollection of something like that lurking in the musty corners of my brain. I guess I didn't think it was all that important in the month of April but I am surprised I didn't say anything to Jared about it. Makes me wonder what the priority was at the time! Needless to say, no fire for us Tuesday night. And Jake went to bed wondering if his precious savings was going to be majorly depleted when we said he might have to pay to have the ball rescued.

Jared and I were even more stunned that Jake managed to kick a soccer ball INTO the chimney. The chimney itself isn't all that high. 15...18 feet maybe? Jake's kicked, thrown and hit stuff on the roof before.

But this is what's so amazing and moderately frustrating...the opening of the chimney is just barely big enough for a soccer ball to squeeze through.

Talk about execution. Though I know full well Jake wasn't aiming for the chimney opening. In his words, "I was just kicking the ball and it happened to be accurate!" Sounds like 90% pure dumb luck more than anything else. But still! I can't stop rolling my eyes at the odds.

I broke down Wednesday afternoon and turned the furnace on for the first time this fall. I was hoping it wouldn't be til October or a little later, but at that point, I really didn't care about setting any records.

And now we have a "chim-chim-in-ey, chim-chim-in-ey, chim chim cher-ee" chimney sweeper coming in a couple weeks to get that blasted soccer ball out of there! Oh and Jake's savings has been spared. We told him to consider this his warning. Any more "accurate accidents" and he's footin' the bill!

The Last Frontier--one last time.

2009-09-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

Now we go back to June. Shortly after my parents arrived back in Alaska after being Super Grandparents and babysitting for us for 6 days while Jared and I were in San Diego, they put their house up for sale. Although I was not giving my "yea" vote on the matter, I told them they needed to do what was best for them. My parents got a cash offer the second day on the market. They had to be out in less than 30 days by July 13th. Holy cow, that was fast! My mind was whirling with all the things they had to do to prepare and the actual move. It's a logistical nightmare moving to or from Alaska, even worse for a couple anticipating leaving the country shortly after selling their house and not sure if they will be able to find another one in another state to buy before leaving, and thinking about storage in the lower 48 in the interim and needing storage in AK until they leave for the summer, etc., etc.

Later that night or the next day, I started wishing I could go up to Alaska to help my parents out. Don't get me wrong. My parents are the most efficient movers you will ever find! They've packed us up, loaded our trucks and helped us move more than their fair share. Which is why I wanted to help. I wanted to give back to them just a tiny portion of what they've done for us. So I started looking at the calendar. And then I started devising a plan. Jared worked the night of the 4th of July at the Urgent Care. However, if I took a flight out that night, I could stay Sunday, Monday (Jared didn't have to work that day!), and then he would only have to take Tues. and Wed. off. I would fly home Thursday morning because Jared doesn't work til noon on Thursdays. That would get me a 4 day trip with the least amount of vacation days used. I proposed my plan to Jared. He was all for it.

I asked my parents what they thought. First of all, Dad wasn't even going to be in town during those days. He was going to be hanging out/fishing off Kodiak Island. So Mom was going to be alone. GREAT! Even more reason to go. An extra adult can't hurt. Their first reaction...they didn't want me spending all that money on a ticket. I was still just outside the 2 weeks advance ticket purchase. But the more Mom thought about it the more she got excited. So I bought the ticket. And under $550. I was happy with that. Especially since I was flying out of Portland.

A week later, the contract on the sale fell through. We suspect the buyers got spooked by the renters next door. Oh well. I told my mom the ticket was non-refundable, non-transferable. I was coming whether she needed me or not.

The 4th of July was a HOT day. I got everything cleaned, organized, labeled, sorted, and outlined for Jared. Menus were planned, groceries were bought, bills were paid, laundry was done, fireworks were purchased, the house was spotless. All Jared had to do was make sure the kids didn't kill each other or burn the house down.

My friend Celina took me to the airport while her mom (my friend Cheryl) watched the kids for the 45 minutes when I was gone before Jared got home. What lifesavers they were!

I was stunned when the plane backed away from the gate. It was half empty! I have NEVER been on a flight to or from Anchorage where even 1/4 of the seats were available. They cram you in like sardines on those limited flights. I had a whole row to myself.

It was fun to see the fireworks dot the sky below us as we left the city. Once we reached cruising altitude I settled in and stared reading a book I had with me. You know you're going to Alaska in the summer when you leave one place in the dark and it gets lighter the later it gets. I soon became obsessed with the what was outside the plane and started taking pictures. Because the flight was so empty, I moved from one side to another and from one row to another getting as many different shots as I could. It was incredible.

I had the moon behind me.

The midnight sun in front of me.

Mountains, snow, glaciers and rivers below me.

Goodnight Moon!

Hello Anchorage! This is the Sleeping Lady or Mount Susitna (located about 30 miles northwest of Anchorage across the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet).

It was an awesome flight! I feel so blessed for once-in-a-lifetime views. I arrived around 12:30am which is when the above picture was taken prior to landing.

It was about 2:30am before Mom and I turned in for the night. We couldn't stop talking. She had another offer on the house already and ironically enough the renters that scared the first sale away, packed up and moved the week after! Oh well. Their loss. My parents would sell their house. It wasn't if, but when. Mom had countered on the second offer (because Dad left her in charge while he went gallivanting around Kodiak Island with his brother and friend). She was waiting to hear back from them, but was still showing the house.

The next day was Sunday. We walked to church and entered a very WARM chapel. Apparently the air conditioning was out (yes, some buildings have A/C) and the Bishop welcomed everyone to the "Honolulu North" ward for the day. Anchorage was experiencing some unusually high temperatures while I was there.

Because the house was still being shown, we couldn't do a garage sale or pack or paint as I had anticipated doing, so we played instead! Darn.

When Mom asked me what I wanted to do Sunday night, the first thing out of my mouth was "climb Flattop." I think she thought I was kidding. I assured her I wasn't. She double checked. I continued to assure her. I wanted to climb it last year when we were up there with the kids, but we just didn't have time. Seeing as how this was my last hoo-rah, I wanted to do it one more time. Mom had NO desire to climb the Glen Alps, but because she loves me, we did it.

Our goal :)

Downtown Anchorage on a hazy afternoon due to a couple of forest fires.

Going up...

The parking lot is the light thin strip beyond that second hill on the right. (Mom, you're the best! What a trooper!)

At the top...

The views...

See? It really is flat!

Going down...MUCH harder than going up! Woo--we were tired at the end, but what an accomplishment.

After cleaning up we got dinner at a Mexican restaurant and rented Mamma Mia!

Tuesday we went shopping in Wasilla for the "Original Poop Moose." I own one. But Mom wanted to get one and in looking for one for the Hickens last year, we discovered the guy that makes them sells them in one store only in the valley. There were only 2 or 3 large ones and a couple of small ones. And they were on sale. Sweeet!Mom got hers and I bought a baby one for my "other mother" Vickie. She holds Calvin (often a very squirmy Calvin) all through Relief Society for me (and has for the past 9 months since I was called to the Relief Society Presidency). She very much deserved a collector's item that you can only find at one store and only in Alaska!

On our way back into town we stopped at a theater and watched the new Ice Age movie and then we had one of my favorites for dinner: spaghetti.

Wednesday morning we went to the temple. Such a special place.

I packed up (boy those 4 days went by fast--not sure Jared could say the same, however) and then we headed to the Sourdough Mining Company for dinner and the Alaska Wildberry Company for souvenirs for the fam. And then it was time to go.

Goodbye house.

Goodbye Silver Spruce Drive.

Run, run as fast as you can!

2009-09-19T23:48:00.000-07:00

Today marked our FOURTH annual 5K run in Forest Grove. The Lion's Club and the optometry program put on the "Run for Sight" each year and we've been doing it as a family or couple since 2006. This year, because Jared was preparing for his 175 mile coastal bike ride with the young men in July, he had to forgo running the race but Jake wanted to give it a try. Jake ran a couple of 1 mile sessions on the treadmill and he and I ran around the neighborhood 3 times and only once did we do 3.2 miles. He ran it in 35 minutes and left me in his dust. I had this silly idea that he might not be able to keep up with me. After that I realized he didn't really need me to run it with him.

Here are the kiddos minus Calvin before the race. Karcyn is sporting my shirt.

Jake, Stephanie and I headed to the starting line around 8:50am while Jared took the other kids to 22nd Avenue to wait for us to pass.

I had to ask Jared about this picture. I guess Calvin got mad when Jared put him down and decided to lay down on the path. That doesn't even look comfortable.

When the alarm sounded for us to start, I told Jake "go, Jake! Run!" We were near the front and I didn't want him getting trampled. Gosh, we hadn't made it halfway down that street when I lost sight of him. He just took off! He was so quick, Jared wasn't expecting him and got a blurry shot. At least he's smiling. Jared and Jacob (Steph's hubby) were afraid Jake came out waaaay too fast and that he'd tank shortly after.

Stephanie passed me before we left that street too. That's also when the token jogging stroller passed me as well. Yup, everyone and everything passes Jenn.

And this is Jake coming back down 22nd Avenue, still running strong.

And he's still smiling. How come he doesn't look tired? Or sweaty?

And there's Steph. I heard she and Jake had a fight for the finish. And Jake beat her :)

And here comes Jenn, the running caboose. Very tired and very sweaty!

And wondering why the heck I put myself through this year after year?!

Here we are after catching our breath, those of us who needed to, waiting for the awards. It also started to rain, but that felt good.

Yay for Jake! He took first place for his age group (0-13 years)! Time: 29:49? (He thought it was 30:03 but Steph later found out she came in at 29:50 and he barely beat her)--Very impressive. I'm glad he doesn't get his running from me. I couldn't run a mile in college.

Yay for Steph! She took 2nd place for our age group!! (This is her second, 2nd place ribbon 2 years in a row!) Time: 29:50

Go ME!! I got third place in our age group (30-34). My first ribbon for anything physical! (And yeeehss, there were ONLY 3 of us in that group running this year. But so what?) Time: 32:50. I just looked back and saw my time last year was 32:48. You can't get much more consistent than that.

It's going to be hard to beat this year's run with ribbons!

Laura Ingalls strikes again!

2009-09-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

I was at the temple Thursday morning and as I was getting ready to leave, a sister who was in the session with me, stopped me and said, "You look JUST like that actress who played Laura Ingalls on "The Little House on the Prairie." I smiled and nodded. She asked, "Do you get that a lot?" Yup. Since I was 12. Not so much from people who've known me for a while. It's mostly from strangers or people I'm just starting to get to know. And HONESTLY...it's clearly the hair that's the commonality. Otherwise, I just don't see it.

Although--

I sure hope it's THIS version of the actress Melissa Gilbert that I remind them of

and not THIS one!!

Before & AFTERs

2009-09-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

#1
Piano bench BEFORE...

Piano bench AFTER!

When I was getting my piano keys recovered back in 2007, I found a guy who handcrafts piano benches. He did a great job on ours. He would have finished it for me too, for another $200. Yikes. I hadn't budgeted that, so I opted to leave it natural with the idea I would stain and finish it myself. I've never done anything remotely like that before and thought it might be a good first project. Two years, 4 months and one child later, complete with step-by-step directions from my sister-in-law Chris, and a tip from my friend Rachael in proper rag disposal, I finally stained the bench. I am soooo pleased with how it turned out. I have more craft-type failures than successes so this was good for my crafting confidence. And more importantly, the wood is now protected from wandering pens and markers clenched in toddler hands.

#2
Family room window before...

Family room window...AFTER!

Okay...case in point about my crafting failures. I KNEW...deep down, no matter how hard I tried, I would not get the lengths of these curtains the same. Again, I've had this fabric since BEFORE Calvin was born 16 months ago. It frays and stretches so I was doomed from the beginning. It was July 3rd and it was going to be hot that weekend. I figured it was now or never. I did the left panel first. It took me 4 HOURS to get the first panel done. Why? Because I don't use my sewing machine but every couple of years, so we had to spend the first TWO hours getting reacquainted. Fortunately the second panel only took a fraction of the time. Now I remember why I don't sew. It is STILL painful for me to look at these curtains side by side. But, in my lack-of-crafting-defense, they weren't sewn for looks, they were sewn for relief from the blaring afternoon sun. And they are a HUGE help so that softens the blow a little.

#3
Side yard before...

and before...

Still before...

and...Side yard AFTER!

I went to Alaska unexpectedly the night of July 4th for a few days (more details on that later). While I was gone, Jared used his "time off" to make some needed changes and wanted to surprise me with this new transformation. He employed about 7 teachers and priests from church and over 2 1/2 days they created this lovely new walkway on the north side of our house. It looks SO MUCH BETTER. And the pea gravel is beautiful when it's wet...which is good in our climate. Jared's a little bummed, however. The gravel hasn't settled like he thought it would so it's soft, making it hard to get the heavy trash cans and lawn mower out front. He'll probably replace the gravel with pavers later. But for now, this is more than adequate. I've hated the that side of the house since we bought it. It's been a work in progress, but I love it! Thanks for the gift, Babe!

#4
Jenn's hair before...

Jenn's hair AFTER!

My dear friend and other mother Vickie called me a couple weeks ago and asked if I was thinking about getting my hair cut. Indeed I had been considering it. It was way too long. So long that it was at the annoying stage...even pulled back in a pony tail or a clip, it was still falling in my face when I leaned over. Vickie said that her hairdresser was in need of a hair model as his studio was bringing in an educator from the Paul Mitchell school for continuing education and asked me if I was interested. I said I was. I was told the model would need to be willing to have her hair cut between the shoulders and chin. I've never gone above my shoulders so I was a little worried, but I trusted the educator. As you can see, my hair is still pretty long. She was so moved with my hair color, as were the other stylists, (and apparently I have great texture too--they ooooed and ahhhed over that as well--) that she couldn't bear to cut off more than she did. The way I figured it, it's just hair and it'll grow back. But before we began, I told her I trusted her. And hey, the haircut was free and Vickie offered to watch my kids as well. You can't get a deal better than that! The rep from Paul Mitchell gave me a "Liza" haircut, obviously with layers. She also used a flat iron on it to show the stylists her layers in more detail. Whoa, that was an eye-opener! I didn't think my hair could look flatter than it already did. That was cool to see the difference. The stylists said it made my hair look "smoother." I liked the look, but because I don't own a flat iron (am I calling that by the correct name?) I won't be able to reproduce that style ever again. But my hair definitely has more lift and flow to it. As I was preparing to leave, these 8 stylists were all pawing my hair and running their fingers and combs through it. It was also interesting to hear the different terms and techniques they were throwing around as they watched the demonstration. As I sat there obediently quiet, I was amazed at the specific knowledge and art that is required in this field and consequently, I have an even deeper admiration and respect for hairstylists. I would definitely be a hair model for them again. Thanks Stage 4 Hair Design and thank you, most of all, VICKIE!

'Tis the Season to be Jolly....

2009-09-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the STAPLES commercial from a few years back where the song, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is playing over the intercom, a father is skating joyfully down an aisle on a shopping cart dancing to the music overhead while his kids are unwillingly trudging behind him with scowls on their faces? The commercial is ushering in, not the Christmas holidays, but Back-to-School days. I think it's hysterical.

Yesterday Jake told our friends from Forest Grove and his social studies teacher that we happened to ran into at Winco that he cannot WAIT for homework because his summer has been soooo boring. He later amended his statement to me by saying that some weeks were lots of fun. (Wise choice, Young One.)

Today in one of his usual meltdowns, Cooper stomped to his room and slammed his door while yelling "I can't WAIT to go back to school!!" I rolled my eyes at the dramatics, smiled slyly from the other room and murmured under my breath, "That makes two of us."

I guess that wasn't really fair of me to include Cooper's outcry. He's had a rough summer altogether due to his own actions and choices. But I thought it was fitting since I have never heard him so eager to get to school. And I'm sure he meant it. He's been pretty miserable, making his mother miserable by association many times, with his inappropriate knee-jerk, 2 year-old reactions to EH-VER-REE-THING. At this time, one would think I'd actually be requesting the windows of heaven to bless his teacher this year. Though I do pray for my children's teachers, Cooper has proven to me over and over again this summer, that he's a gem for everyone BUT me.

So, all in all, summer was just boring enough (whether through my doing or through self-imposed misery) that the kids are chomping at the bit to get back to school. Mission accomplished.

Where there's smoke...

2009-08-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days where you've got so many things to do and it seems nothing gets done, no matter how hard you try? Yeah, that was me yesterday.

After being a hair model for a Paul Mitchell educator and getting a free hair cut, I had 4 loads of laundry to do, menus and a grocery list to create, shopping to do, many phone calls to make, 3 miles to run with Jake when Jared got home, and several other things that aren't typical on Mondays.

One of those other things was going to show a rental home we manage to a prospective tenant. I had two appointments for showings. One at 5:30 and one at 6pm. Then, because Karcyn took a 3 1/2 hour nap unexpectedly, we had to go to Winco AFTER we showed the house.

The 5:30 showing went well. She turned in her application but didn't have her application fee so I told her I'd be at the rental til at least 6pm for the other showing if she wanted to go to the bank and bring it to me. She agreed and drove off. It was just barely 6 o'clock when I heard Cooper exclaim, "Jake, look!!" I was occupying myself by looking at the lady's application and watching for her to come back and the other man to show up for his appointment and didn't think much of Cooper's announcement. The boys get excited over everyday airplanes flying overhead. But in the back of my mind, I didn't hear the engine of a plane and I started to see a shadow cast on the street, so curiosity got the best of me and I, too, looked. We were parked on the right side of the street. To the left (west), above the tops of the houses, we saw large quantities of thick black smoke shooting fast into the air. My heart sank. That can't be good!

I turned the van around and drove two streets down to try and find the house or yard or car the smoke was coming from and to make sure help was on the way. It was a house up on the left. Smoke was flowing fast from the back side of it. I saw an older lady screaming on our side of the street, clutching a little girl to her chest on the sidewalk. I pulled up and parked quickly, ordered the kids to stay in the car no matter what, grabbed my phone and jumped out. There was already a small crowd on the sidewalk directly across the street from the house on fire.

I ran up to the lady, put my arm on her back and asked her if that was her house. She said yes. I asked her if there was anyone still in the house. She said there were a couple cats still inside and groaned. I told her I knew that was hard, but the most important thing is that her family was safe. She was very upset, screaming over her shoulder to no one in particular for the fire department to hurry up and get there. I asked her if 911 had been called. She said yes. Another man ran up to us at that point with his phone in hand saying several calls had been made to 911 and they were on their way. The poor lady was very upset and in distress. I asked her if she wanted some water. She said yes. I grabbed a water bottle from my van, which had already been opened, but I gave it to her anyway. I asked her if there was anyone she wanted me to call for her. She said no and said she couldn't think straight. It was at that point that I heard the sirens getting close. My van was parked on the road, so I jumped into the van, backed it up and drove hard right, cockeyed into a driveway, trying hard not to hit the car parked there, to get my vehicle off the street. I glanced at the clock quickly on the dashboard. It was only a few minutes past six. Ah man. That lady would be coming back to the rental and wonder where I was. Not to mention, I'd be standing up the 6 o'clock appointment. There wasn't much I could do. I was too involved at this point.

When I got back to the sidewalk, I turned my focus on the little girl stuck in the frantic grasp of the lady who was becoming increasingly unglued. She looked to be about Karcyn's age. I asked her if she would like a fruit snack. She nodded. I rummaged quickly through the diaper bag and pulled one out for her.

That's when the older lady said, "I need to call my husband. I want to call my husband." I told her "no problem" and whipped out my phone as she started rattling off numbers, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. She gave me the first 6 digits, but couldn't get the other 4 out of her head. She gave me a set of numbers and then she swore a couple of times because that didn't seem right to her. I told her it was okay and showed her my phone pad, asking her if it would help to try and see the numbers as if she were dialing. She said yes and the numbers came back to her. I asked her if she wanted me to talk to him. She said she would so I offered to take the little girl out of her arms.

A younger lady, about my age, came up to us. She was the older lady's daughter and the mom of the little girl. She asked if her daughter was okay, I said she was. The other mother and daughter started talking. The fire engines had already arrived several minutes before and I was completely oblivious to it. The older lady turned her attention back to me and looked as though she was about to pass out. I suggested she come sit in my van to relax and get cool for a few minutes and she could still talk to her daughter. I sat in the driver's seat with the little girl on my lap while she ate her fruit snack.

Cooper, in the meantime, was giddy with excitement because the firetrucks were less than two feet from our van. I heard him say, "I know those firemen!" and "This is so cool!" I growled his name to get his attention, hoping our van guests couldn't hear me and shot him the "SHUT UP NOW" look while willing fiery darts from my eyes so there was no mistaking in his mind that this WASN'T cool!! We had the very people who were in the house when it caught on fire in our car and this was a horrible thing happening to them.

A few minutes later, the older lady got out of the van to go find another relative. The daughter took her place in the front passenger seat. We exchanged names as we watched the firefighters at work. The gal told me that her mom and aunt were living in that house with her other uncle. She had been there helping one of her aunt's move in that very afternoon. Half her things were still in the driveway in boxes. She said before it happened her grandpa was inside and she heard him yell fire. They didn't think too much of it at first because grandpa often makes a big deal out of little things, but when she went to see, there was so much smoke she knew this wasn't anything they could handle on their own. She grabbed him, called 911 and tried to get everyone out of the house while answering all of the dispatcher's questions. She even heard a window explode on their way out. She was just grateful grandpa had been in the house to alert them, as they were all out in the garage unpacking the one aunt's belongings. I told her that there were many reasons for them to be grateful. It could have been so much worse. It could have been at night or when they weren't home. The gal told me she suspects it might be a cigarette that started the fire. Apparently her mom and the other relatives are big smokers. At one point, she told her mom this and her mom (older lady) said they hadn't been in the back of the house smoking for quite some time. The daughter told her that cigarette butts can smolder for a while. The daughter told me her mom felt some major guilt thinking she might have been the cause of the fire. She also said there is an air conditioning unit back there that might have malfunctioned too.

The smoke had stopped when we looked back at the house. Seemed like they were getting close to being done. It wasn't even 6:30 at this point but it felt like hours! That's when I realized, with a slight twinge of stupidity that I was stuck. Literally. I had THREE fire trucks (and an ambulance) blocking me and two more on the other side of the house. The street was impassable.

One of the big wigs from the fire department was gathering the family into the house next door to debrief and get statements, no doubt. So the gal said she should probably go and took her daughter with her. She thanked me for everything and said I helped in more ways than I would know. I shrugged it off. I was just in the right place at the right time. It's not like I was the one that called 911. I told her it was no problem and wished them luck.

As I sat there, stuck in my van, thinking back on the events of the last half hour, I started to feel a little bit proud of myself. I was unbelievably calm through that whole ordeal, which I didn't know I was capable of. Thoughts and actions came to my mind that I certainly don't credit myself with....like offering water, a fruit snack, my phone, the phone pad, trying to comfort and say things that amazingly didn't come out the wrong way as most things seem to do when they escape my mouth. I also thought how I almost didn't bring the diaper bag on our outing and how I put a few extra fruit snacks in the diaper bag several days ago.

One thing I realized was that firefighters don't just put out fires then leave. They stay for quite some time. We saw them go back into the house (to secure it maybe?) and then they started tossing things out of the upstairs window onto a tarp on the grass below. I'm not sure why 5 fire trucks and the fire fighters that go with each truck had to stay, but I'm sure they have their protocol. That's just something I hadn't ever learned on field trips to the fire station or during Fire Safety Week as an educator. And believe it or not, Cooper did recognize the fire fighters in the TVFD truck directly behind our van. They were the fighters we met on his walking field trip to the fire station off of 209th last fall. I recognized them too as they walked back and forth between the house and the truck.

As it neared 7pm with no more indication that fire trucks were leaving, I figured I'd better ask to find out what was going on. A fire fighter was walking in my direction, back to a rig. He had his helmet on, his pants and suspenders were folded over at his waist. His t-shirt underneath was sweaty, dotted with dirt and dust. His face was flushed with sweat & smudged with ash and go figure, he smelled of smoke.

I felt like the biggest idiot and sheepishly approached him. I said I was one of the first people on the scene and was helping the residents in the house. But in the process I got trapped as I gestured to the van. I asked him how long it would take before we could get out. He smiled a kind smile and said he would work on it for me. I waved my hands and said, "No, no, please don't do anything just for me." He assured me it was fine and it would give someone something to do while they moved the trucks. I told him thank you and still felt like an idiot despite his understanding.

The ambulance finally left, and I watched from the sidewalk as one firetruck and then two backed up along side the opposite side of the street. That still left the firetruck directly behind me. As I looked, I saw that I might could pull out and back up and just drive in reverse through that portion of the street, but worried about hitting someone who might drive in. Another fire fighter discerned my thoughts when he asked, "Are you trying to get out?" I said yes, that I was one of the first people here and thought I could squeeze out and drive in reverse. He said he'd just pull the firetruck further up the street. I told him thank you and of course wanted to crawl into a hole. Here I was, the cause of THREE firetrucks needing to move. Way to go, Jenn.

As I backed out, the first firefighter I spoke to was directing me (even though I didn't need it because the way was clear). I appreciated it though and waved him a thank you as we drove away.

It was after 7pm. My kids were getting restless. They needed dinner. But we needed to go to the store because we had no food. Yet there was no way I was taking them grocery shopping when they were 20 minutes from bedtime and on empty stomachs. So for the third time that day, I postponed going to the store, drove the kids home and divvied up the last little bit of oatmeal squares and milk into 4 bowls for dinner.

The store would have to wait until later.

But I don't regret our side trip.

Last Half of June

2009-08-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

Because of the once-every-two-decades snow storms we got this past December, our children were in school until June 17th. We were going to try and have a family camping trip in June but the month went by in a flash.

**Since the end of March we had been extremely busy with T-ball and baseball. Jake made it onto a competitive team that traveled for games as far as Keizur and McMinnville and it made life interesting for us this spring. I don't even have any pictures of Cooper playing T-ball (but we do have stuff on the video camera lest you think I'm a despicable mother). He had a great coach with several buddies on his team and I know Coop had a fun time. He's not a bad player either!

Jake earned the opportunity of being one of the pitchers for his team. He's never pitched before and actually did pretty well for his first time. We are very proud of him for all of the fielding and batting he did. He played 2nd base, 3rd base, catcher, pitcher, and outfield and a few homeruns! He had some awesome wins and some crushing loses. So it was a wonderful learning opportunity. Jake wishes he could have the same coaches. I think that's a great sign. At this age the kids are placed by ability, not by coach or player request. Considering all that went into this season of higher level playing, I think it was managed well and I credit the coaches with most of that.

**The Friday and Saturday of Father's Day weekend, Jared and Jake went on their long awaited fishing charter together on the Columbia River in the Hermiston area. Jake could have gone last year, but lost it due to his behavior. I'm not sure who was more upset over losing the trip, Jared or Jake. Jared said he was going this year with or without Jake, but Jake had, overall, a MUCH better year. This trip also included their buddies, the Baldwins. Ironically, I think Jared was the only one who didn't catch a fish. :)

**This is our cat, Madras, A.K.A. the water and fish snob. She prefers water in her bowl out of the fridge or drinking it directly from the tap herself. Here she's turning her nose up at *gasp* fresh, Alaskan halibut!!

**The climbing continues. Calvin is a monkey minus the tail. He is my WORST climber.

I mean, really...what GOOD is a high chair with a buckle if it doesn't keep your kid in place??

One day, I found this...

He had climbed out of his high chair, ONTO the counter and FOUND my plate of cookies I had wrapped and set aside for some neighbors. (Nice crusty glare, Kid). *sigh* We've nicknamed him Houdini. I literally cannot turn my head for 10 seconds. He's climbing everything. We have to put the chairs at the bar and small table up on the counter and table so he will stay down by default with nothing to climb. Except that there are still couches and slides and bunkbeds and the dining room table and chairs. So far, no stitches. Knock on wood!

The Little En-Jenn That Could

2009-08-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Sat. June 14th was the long awaited 10K run that I had been training for from January to April. May training went by the wayside with all the visitors and traveling that we did. And I'd put my running on the back burner for them any day. To be brutally honest, I'd put running on the back burner for just about anything. Nonetheless, I'm proud of myself for gutting through those 4 months...even though I only went as far as 7 miles.

I was worried I wouldn't like running the "Helvetia" 10K. It's mostly known for the half-marathon and draws THOUSANDS of people each year. I still feel like a wanna-be and extremely out of my comfort zone among the die hards. But my dear friend Stephanie did it with me and we even saw a few other friendly faces along the way.

Surprisingly enough, I really enjoyed the 10K experience. For starters, we were given time chips for our shoes that tracked our time. So even if people were passing me, it wasn't because I was slower than them. We were running against our own clocks. Likewise, when I passed people it didn't mean I was faster than them either. (Although it sure feels good to pass people!) Actually that first mile is kind of hard because you do a lot of weaving in and out of people. I'm amazed I didn't trip and fall.

At the first mile marker, I looked at my watch to see how I was doing. Last year in the Forest Grove 5K, I came out WAY too fast. 9:30. I'm doing good to run it in 10:00. So I was very conscientious to not overdo it in the first mile. When I looked at my watch, the time read 10:30. I couldn't believe it! I knew there was no way to recoup that lost time. I'm not that fast. And I was disappointed that I probably wouldn't make the time I was hoping for. But I wasn't about to stop. No way. I paid $50 to run this puppy.

You know you're running the "big races" when there are water stations at mile-ish checkpoints. After the first mile, I saw the first group offering energy shots and water cups. I actually debated about taking some or not because as silly as it sounds, I don't know how to run and drink at the same time. Finally, I mentally shrugged my shoulders and thought to myself, "Why not?" I remember reading online about a runner's first marathon experience. She shared her technique for drinking the water while running. You take the little cup and pinch the bottom of it to make the upper part of the cup more streamlined with a point so the water will be better guided into your mouth. Easy enough. So I pinched the bottom, tilted my head back and with all the movement running makes, I did manage to get water in my mouth. And all over my face...and up my nose...and when I swallowed, I accidentally inHALED because I'm desperate for oxygen the first 5.9 miles. I threw the cup down in disgust, but because it's so light, it hardly made a sound to represent my humiliation as I started gasping, wheezing and coughing from the water going down the wrong pipes. It was so bad, I was afraid I'd have to actually stop running to get my coughing under control. Of all the ironic luck, there were now two reasons why I couldn't breath and in the 3 seconds this all happened, it was at the very moment I was running in front of a roadside photographer pointing his camera right at me. Noooooooooooo!!! I felt like such a fool. It was painfully obvious I'd never run a 10K before. And for the next two miles, I prayed he didn't get my water blunder on film.

Once I finally got my labored running breathing back, less the water in the lungs, I felt better.
There are lots of cheerleaders placed strategically on the sidelines of the course who have no clue who you are, but are part of the greater good to help you push along and keep going. As were the port-a-potties. I am very relieved to report I made the entire 6.2 miles without one emergency stop.

The last .2 miles more or less, you're running back into the parking lot and into the Hillsboro Stadium. I had no i-dee-uh there was some dude on a LOUD SPEAKER and as I got closer to the finish line he announced...to the ENTIRE stadium and those in the vicinity, "And here's Jenn HUGH from Aloha." How embarrassing.

And then I was done. 65 minutes. Dang it. I was shooting for 60 minutes. Usually you run faster when you're competing too. I've even run 6.2 miles in 58 minutes before. So I was pretty bummed. I know, I know. Looking on the bright side, I did it. I did it without stopping. I did it while choking. Maybe next year I'll be able to better my time now that I know what to expect. And NO WATER CUPS for me.

San Diego, Day 6: Going home

2009-08-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning, May 28th, Jared went to his last few classes before check-out while I got us all packed up. It didn't take long. And he was back before I knew it.

Jared was actually starting to feel ill. Like a sinus infection or something complete with chills. Thank goodness that set in on our LAST day. Poor guy. There's nothing worse than flying when you feel like poo.

Our flight home was uneventful, thankfully. We arrived shortly before 7pm. My dad and Jake and Cooper were there to pick us up. Cooper had lost another tooth! The boys couldn't stop talking to us :)

When we got home, my mom was dripping from sweat because she was cleaning my house, leaving it nicer than when she found it, of course.

And then there was this.

Calvin would NOT come to me. I couldn't believe it. He never turns down the chance to come to me. But, believe it or not, I did not cry. I was not hurt. I was actually touched that he loved my mom more than me at that point. That he was comfortable enough with her to stay in her embrace. We tried several times over the course of 30 minutes to get him to come to me, but he wouldn't. Eventually he did, but I certainly didn't see that coming.

I'm so grateful for the sacrifice (on many levels) that my parents made so that I could go with Jared on this trip. (I can't forget Dr. Hicken either, who was perfectly fine with me mooching off of the hotel and car expenses that he was paying for).

This trip was the FIRST trip Jared and I have ever taken just the two of us. We've never flown anywhere without any of the kids and for pleasure! And technically, it wasn't ALL fun and games because Jared was in class from 8-3 each day. But we will take what we can get.

We were in San Diego for 6 days. 1 day for every 2 years of marriage. I was actually worried about the length of time. Our friends, who have kids our ages, go on a trip or two a year together without them. When we asked them what their limit was for being away from their kids, they said 3 days. I was thinking 3 days didn't seem like enough and what kind of parent was I for wanting to be away longer?

I determined that 6 days was the PERFECT time away. If we were able to go away once a year for a few days, 3 days might be my limit too. But when you're on the pattern of getting away only once every decade or so...6 days is just fine! I wish all of my married friends with children could do what we did.

San Diego, Day 5: Carriers and Cruises

2009-08-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 27th, was our last full day of sightseeing and playing. As soon as Jared got back we strolled along the boardwalk on our way to our destination: the USS Midway. A retired naval aircraft carrier. (It wasn't here 12 years ago when we were).

On our stroll I saw this boat in the marina. This picture is for my friend Amanda and her baby Millie G.! Pretty sweet, eh Amanda?

And 'thar she blows'! The USS Midway.

This was an audio tour. We each got a headset and could input the number that corresponded to an aircraft or part of the carrier and the man in your ear would tell you about it. Pretty cool that we could pick and choose what we wanted to know. Unfortunately, we didn't have a ton of time before it closed. So we hit the planes first. Those are the most important! Would you expect anything less from an aviator's daughter?

How many of these aircraft can you identify by name? I can't name any of them. But my 9 year old can.

I'm guessing this is the A-4 since I'm standing by it. If so, that's the jet my dad flew.

And Jared's favorite...the F-14 Tomcat.

This is a view of The Fish Market from the carrier which was right next door. We ate on the enclosed "veranda" for dinner the night before.

We were guided by a volunteer through the upper portion of the carrier where all the instruments are. (If it wasn't 2 months after the fact, I'd probably remember what that part of the carrier is called). We also went below deck to see how they "lived." (Very closely...like sardines). It also helps to be short, we discovered.

We were a little pressed for time because we had a dinner cruise of the bay that night. The vessel departed at 6:30 and it was already 5pm. So we hailed a bike taxi and enjoyed not having to walk back. Poor guy. He got a work out. We always felt bad when we had to stop because getting started is always the hard part. We even sat up, keeping our bums glued to our seats, and shot our bodies forward a couple of times to help with the momentum all the while praying no vehicle would hit us.

And this was our cruising vessel "High Spirits."

Each person was given a complimentary glass of champagne. However if you were under-age or don't drink alcohol, they had sparkling apple cider as an alternative. The boat looked smaller than it was. We were in the very back and loved our little secluded area with the unobstructed view out the stern.

We did a double-take when we saw this "vessel" shoot past us.

I forgot to mention the BEST part of this cruise, outside of the ambiance and dining on the San Diego Bay at sunset....we got a 2-for-1 deal! There was a coupon for it on the back of the paper map we were given by the hotel tipster. I saw it when we first arrived but didn't think that was something Jared would be interested in doing. He came back to the hotel room Tuesday afternoon and said he found the perfect thing for our last night and showed me a dinner cruise pamphlet. That's when I showed him the 2-for-1 coupon and we did a high five!

This was a four course meal with love songs piped in through the speakers by our DJ. We had a yummy warm spinach-artichoke dip with crackers. Then a Caesar salad. Next came our steak and chicken dinner with potatoes and steamed veggies. I actually didn't eat a ton of the main course. I kind of lost my appetite. Seasick? Nope. Jake had called right after we were served. He was so excited. He said, "Do you know that plaque that the coaches (baseball) give out at the end of the games?" I said, "yes." Then he said, "I got it tonight!" I was so elated! and disappointed. Jake was MVP of that night's game and I missed it. I'm just glad my mom could be there to share his moment with him. Turns out my dad was at Cooper's game on another field at that same school. Apparently in one inning, when Jake was playing 3rd baseman, he caught a line drive, getting the batter out and then threw the ball from 3rd base to 1st base (the farthest distance) getting the runner who had left 1st base out. Then he caught another line drive, getting all three outs for the inning! We were so proud of him. And thank goodness for cell phones. We were both able to talk to him.

By then the sun was starting to set.

That's the USS Midway on the left lit up with the red and blue lights from Memorial Day.

While out on deck, we went to the stern of the boat and danced to a couple of songs. And that was JARED'S idea :) It was most enjoyable and very romantic.

And pictured here was the best cheesecake I have EVER had. Normally, I could take it or leave it but I could have eaten 6 slices of this. Yumm-O.

This dinner cruise of the bay at sunset was an INCREDIBLE, AMAZING opportunity that we may never get again. It was soooo much fun. So delicious and intimate. A PERFECT ending to a PERFECT trip.

San Diego, Day 4: Where it all began

2009-08-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 26th, after eating yet another overly-priced breakfast, I went down to the pool and lounged. I had my book, my phone, and my towel and got comfortable. The pool was literally 10 feet from the bay and the breeze coming off of it was cool on this overcast day. Living 32 years as a redhead, I've learned, often the hard way, that overcast days are just as dangerous for getting sunburned, than those with the blaring sun.

I made a face, let out a sigh, gathered up my book, my phone, my towel and went allllll the waaaay back up to the 24th floor to put on the sunscreen I had forgotten to put on before going down the first time. The process of just going from point A to point B took almost 10 minutes because of the size of the hotel. I admit, I was in a bit of a hurry. I have no idea why. Jared was in classes for another 2 hours. Maybe I was worried my lounging chair would be taken when I returned, even though there were 50 others available, although not as close to the entrance as the first one I had staked out. Regardless, I slathered the sunblock on as quickly as possible all over.

My chair was still available so I repeated my routine and settled down for a nice little rest.

I decided it was too much work to read my book, so I called my friend Amanda instead. We talked for over an hour while I enjoyed the occasional warmth of the direct sun rays as the clouds floated through the sky.

After my conversation, I was starting to get hungry. Apparently a high priced meal doesn't also mean it's a long lasting one. I grabbed a sandwich at the Starbucks in the hotel (saving half for Jared) and went up to the room to get showered and ready. That afternoon, Jared and I had a date at the temple.

[As an aside, before Jared got home, I stood at our room window to take in the view some more. I thought it was pretty cool to see the destroyers going out to sea. I got excited for my boys and couldn't wait to show them. They're into the game Battleship right now].

If you've never seen the San Diego temple in person and from the highway, you're missing out. One second you're driving down the highway, minding your own business, waiting to take the required exit. The next second you blink and then WHAM! It's right there. It takes your breath away. I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. It totally had me mesmerized.

Once inside and I just had to tell everyone we passed that "this is where I was married 12 years ago and we haven't been back since!" as reverently as possible. I wanted everyone to know how exciting this day was for me and that I never thought I'd have the chance to visit again.

To add to the personal electricity and unique opportunity of that day at the temple, we were asked to be the witness couple. There was a young woman who was going through for her first time, as she was to be married the following week. I told her it was a great place to start her marriage. And then, because I couldn't help myself, I added, "I was married here too 12 years ago...and in the month May!"

I was the first person from our session to enter the Celestial room. I felt like I hit a wall that had SPIRIT written all over it. I was just stunned. And as I looked around, trying to take it all in and imprint all the beautiful images and overwhelming feelings in my mind and heart, I openly wept. The San Diego temple was even more breathtaking and special to me now than it had been when I first went there to be married.

Jared and I spent some time, more than we usually do, on the upper balcony of the Celestial room reminiscing about our special Wednesday in May of 1997 and all the happenings involved with our eternal marriage. We tried remembering which sealing room was ours and where the temple President had counseled us prior to taking us into the sealing room. And joked about the few things we actually remember from our ceremony.

On our way out of the Celestial room, one of the sisters encouraged us to take a look around. She motioned for us to go through a door which lead to the lovely atrium. It was enclosed in glass, but looking upward, it was open enough that you could see the spires from there. Like you could reach out and touch one.

We also determined we were sealed in Sealing room 7 :)

On our way back to the dressing room, we were told by another sister in the atrium (who had the tough job of reading her scriptures in there), to take the Grand Staircase back downstairs. That was so much fun. Fun in the temple? You bet! I felt like a Queen with her King.

In the dressing room, though, I started to feel a little heat. On my leg. Further scrutiny found that my upper right thigh, including the side of it up to my hip bone and along my bathing suit line was completely toasted! It was lobster red. Apparently, I had missed some parts of my leg with the sunscreen...in a slashed triangle sort of pattern. You know, the part of my leg that never sees the light of day and then it saw too much. And it got scorched. This was right about the time when the sunburn was starting the throbbing stage. I was just grateful the session was over. But we still had pictures to take outside, so I was just going to have to deal with it.

Jared and I went outside and had more fun with our camera. Just a note...these pictures just can't do the temple ANY justice. To experience the sheer size and magnificence of this amazing edifice, it must be visited in person.

Notice the red streaks on my neck? The white streaks are evidence that I had sunblock on my fingers but wasn't very thorough in my application of it.

On our last walk-around of the temple, we came across a senior missionary. He asked if we would like our picture taken. We told him we'd love it. Then I said (do you see it coming?), "We were married here 12 years ago and haven't been back until today!" He thought that was really neat and asked where we have been all this time. He got our history of moves in less than 2 minutes. He snapped the picture and said, "Beautiful couple." I'd like to think so! If not, I can at least say we were M.F.E.

We found the local church bookstore and made some purchases while I hobbled through my sunburn (the nylons were chaffing).

As we drove away after sunset, this was our parting scene. Isn't it lovely?

We got a tip for dinner from a local, but I can't remember who it was. We went to The Fish Market and after I shed my nylons in the ladies' room, we shared an appetizer sampler. We also had some of the best clam chowder and sourdough bread. The fun thing about this restaurant is that part of it hangs over the bay. Guess where we were seated? On the water!! I couldn't believe our luck. See?

Looking back on this trip, out of all the things we did, the biggest highlight, hands down, was our visit to the temple. Not only to be in the temple, but to be in the exact same holy place where our celestial marriage began.

San Diego, Day 3: Shopping mishaps & Lighthouses

2009-08-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

On Monday, 25th (Memorial Day) after spending waaay too much money on an over-the-top breakfast at our hotel restaurant, I was off to go shopping. I had the time, access, a little bit of spending money and NO KIDS! This was going to be a successful day. Here's where I went. My first "outdoor mall."

Um, yeah. The outing was an exhausting waste of time and energy. I remembered painfully why I hate shopping. There was NOTHING I was looking for. And if on the off chance I found something I liked and was modest enough, there wasn't anything in my size. I couldn't believe it. I swear I've got the shopping curse. I can never find anything when I'm looking. But when I'm not looking or don't have the time or money, I always find cute things. What is UP with that??

And apparently I don't get out enough because I was at the GAP, going through the clearance rack. I saw what I thought was a pretty cute skirt. It was a neutral color and looked long enough. So I tried it on. I pulled it up to my waist and there was this extra pouch of fabric that hung off of my waist like an over-sized cummerbund. I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what was wrong with this skirt. That's when it dawned on me. It wasn't a skirt. Oh no, that extra fabric was to be pulled over one's chest area. It was a very short, strapless dress. And that's when I decided to call it quits.

I grabbed a snack to eat on the way back to the hotel. I got about halfway there when I realized in my fashion embarrassment rush to get out of the GAP, I accidentally left my beloved running jacket Jared had just gotten me for my birthday a month previously. So I hauled my fanny back to the mall, went to every floor except for the one that the GAP was on until the very last and prayed that no one took it. Relief washed over me when I saw it sitting up by the front cashier. I thanked her and then started back to the hotel, again.

When Jared got back, we drove to the Point Loma Lighthouse. And we totally would have missed this opportunity except that one of the sisters in the ward we attended recommended we go. I was soooo excited. Anyone who knows me, knows I love lighthouses. But I didn't know there was one here, nor did I even consider there might be one nearby. Thanks for the tip, dear sister!

The thing about this lighthouse is that a few years after it was up and running, the people found that it was up too high. The fog that often came in would obscure the lamp and it didn't provide the needed light and direction. So....not too long after, they shut this one down and built a second lighthouse closer to the shore that could escape the fog and be more useful.

Pictures of the bay behind us...

With it being Memorial Day, we had the solemn privilege of walking through the military cemetery and paying our silent respect and gratitude to those who bravely fought for our freedoms.

The headstones went as far as the eye could see on those hills.

Once we got back in town, we went to

for dinner at

It was a quaint little bistro and the food was not a disappointment. There were lots of places to choose from, too. But how can you go wrong with a place called Mimmos?

San Diego, Day 2: Church & Coronado Island

2009-08-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

The ward we were going to attend started at 9am on Sunday the 24th. We got up really early and had breakfast at Richard Walker's Pancake House which is a small but an elegant and popular place not far from our hotel. Later we discovered it is even highlighted in the tourist information packets. It was de-lish.

Then we went searching for the address of the chapel we had looked up. When we got on the street, we saw a chapel straight in front of us and headed for it. Whoopsies! There was a cross on the top of it so we knew that wasn't our church building. At the last minute, Jared saw the chapel on the left.

We almost drove right past it. If it didn't have the Church's name on the front, I wouldn't have guessed that was the building. I'm not used to seeing the unconventional chapels. It's definitely got character. Very San Diego-ish.

The ward members were very welcoming even with lots of visitors and tourists all year round. (My parents were some of them back in March). Turns out, a couple we house-sat for in Anchorage the year we got married are the missionaries assigned to this ward and the military ward. They were, unfortunately, not at the ward we were visiting that day. But my goodness...let's all break out in singing "It's a small world after all..."

I'm very grateful that Jared took the time to go to church...all three hours...before going to his mandatory CME classes later in the day. It would have been very easy for him to justify not going but I'm glad he did. He sacrificed some credits to do so.

As we were sitting in our pew, with nothing to do, we both commented on the weirdness of it. It was very odd to not be setting up a Relief Society room or making sure the Teachers have the bread and are preparing the Sacrament and attending the Young Men's prayer meeting, or herding and hushing children before the start of the meeting. This unbusyness was what it was like 12 years ago without kids. Though I wouldn't change our current situation for the world, it was fun and slightly unnerving to go back and experience church as a couple again. Actually, Jared found it easier to doze :)

On our way back from church, we saw the Cruise ship "Elation" had come into port. *sigh* Someday I would love to take a cruise. Maybe they're overrated, but I'd really like to find out for myself.

While Jared was in class, I took a stroll through the Gaslamp Quarter of Historic San Diego. I also needed to find a place to eat, by myself. I chose a Thai restaurant and got pad thai noodles and a banana bamboo drink(yummy). I didn't care for dining as one, but it proved to be for the best as I was able to outline my Relief Society lesson for the beginning of June while in my lonesome.

This picture is in honor of my friend Alison.

When Jared came back in the late afternoon we were ready to head out for dinner and then drive to Coronado Island.

We are big food network fans. We don't follow anything religiously but we enjoy "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" hosted by Guy Fiere to see fun places to eat or if we've been to any of the sites that are highlighted on the show. We found one in San Diego we wanted to try. El Indio. And here's the proof.

Here's a view from the Coronado bridge going away from San Diego. Our hotel is middle center.

This is the famous Hotel del Coronado. We walked on the beach behind it at sunset. (Fair warning: there are LOTS of pictures of just me and Jared on this trip.)

We have a really cool new camera and that we love and we were having waaaay too much fun taking our own pictures. That's how we got most of them on this trip as you will soon see.

We rounded out the night by trying the local Mondo Gelato. I've never had gelato before and not being much of an ice cream lover, I found it pretty tasty. I got lemon. It was very refreshing.

6 Days in Sunny San Diego, Day 1: Posh and Padres

2009-08-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

(Back to the end of May...)

It was very important that my parents eventually made it back from Scotland. They did, of course, and with time to spare. They were "killing" time in Europe until they were very much needed here in Oregon on May 23rd. Jared's national PA convention was being held in San Diego, CA. This was also where we got married 12 years ago that very month. Since my parents weren't currently on a mission and were still in the contiguous 48 states (though they did postpone their arrival back at home in AK a month longer for us), Jared wanted to take me with him. It all fell into place very nicely and I still can't believe I actually got to go too!

My parents have been here at our house and with the kids for several lengths of time that they know their way around and the kids are very close and comfortable with them. My only worry about leaving was for my parents. Not that they couldn't handle 4 kids, but that they wouldn't be speaking to us when we got back. They assured us not to worry and as I smooched my kids goodbye early Saturday morning (2 sneaky tears crept out when I kissed Calvin), my mom's parting words were..."Just pretend it's 12 years ago, with no kids!" So we did!

Just being in a land with palm trees is so fun. There was a cool breeze. It wasn't as hot as I was hoping for because we were visiting during "Gray May" as it's called by the natives. But I quickly got over it.

We chose to stay at the Bayfront Hilton Hotel because A) it was right next to the convention center and Jared could walk to class. B) it was right near the water AND Petco Park where the Padres play. We rented a car so we could see as much of San Diego as we could when Jared wasn't in class.

Next time, we're staying at the Best Western or Motel 6 or something of the like in town. Our hotel of choice was at the least, extravagant. "Swanky" is the term Jared used, I believe. Not only was it $200+ a night, but they charged an additional $21 a DAY for parking. And the running track that they touted on their website doesn't actually exist. And in order to use their gym with 2 treadmills, 2 steppers, 1 bike and some weights, it cost an additional $15 a DAY to use. What a rip. Good freakin' night. About that...the room wasn't anything spectacular either, unless you're moved by the granite counter tops and hidden safe. We requested a king bed back in January but I'm sure because we were there just for the PA convention, there were only 2 queens available. There was no microwave and no refrigerator, which totally stinks! I could have eaten cereal for breakfast every day and we could have had popcorn at night for a snack. Best Western, Motel 6, all those chains at least give you a fridge and microwave and more often than not, a continental breakfast at 1/5 the price! What a waste of money. So we pretty much paid (ahem, actually Jared's CME money paid) for the VIEW of the bay and the bed. I have to say, that bed was heavenly. I felt like I was sleeping on a cloud.

Here's a view from the end of our hallway. Bottom/middle left is one end of the Convention Center where all of Jared's classes were. And upper/middle right is Petco Park...the baseball stadium...home of the Padres.

Here's our eye-rolling, posh, over-the-top, ritzy hotel. I meant to take pictures of the inside and forgot. Probably because I felt completely out of my element and was hurrying back to the room as quickly as possible.

Jared went to a couple classes for the last few hours of the day while I stayed and unpacked. That night, we met up with our friend Shanelle (Jared's classmate from PA school) and Molly, the other PA in Jared's office for the Padre's game against the Chicago Cubs.

One of the best things about these games is the stadium food. Here's Jared eating his pulled pork sandwich. I swear, you can dress him up but you can't take him out. They should name it the "sloppy piggy." The sandwich, not Jared!

The game had some fun excitement when a brawl broke out about 8-10 rows below us. Jared was convinced it was the Cub fans. Having lived with them, I think Jared would know. I have no doubt alcohol played a big part in it as well. It took awhile for the stadium police/security to get there, but several people were escorted away in cuffs. And the Padres won the game.

Here are the physician assistants: (left to right) Molly, Jared, and Shanelle.

Here's the wifey tag-along and proud of it!

A New Record

2009-08-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today we set a not-so-fun new record in the Portland area....NINE DAYS of temperatures 90 degrees or higher. It is currently 94 degrees at 7:45pm. It's 89 degrees inside our house. The experts say we're on our way to a cooling trend. I'll be doing cartwheels (or at least trying to) when the temperatures get to 85 degrees. That used to be my "hot." I am most definitely a heat weenie. I didn't like it when I lived in Georgia either.

The humidity involved in this heat wave has been the real kicker. Both Karcyn and Calvin have had heat rash all week too. We've all been wearing the minimum clothing possible. I think I used the stove only twice this week...once for pasta salad early Monday morning and then Thursday to make dinner for some friends. Oh and dinner tonight, but that's it. No one's really hungry when you're sweltering. The fortunate thing is that all the kids are sleeping through the night. That's truly a blessing.

This picture of Karcyn was taken last Monday when the temperature got up to 103 (although I think it was hotter here than at the airport). That is NOT water soaking her head and shirt. It is SWEAT. That's for perspective.

HEAT SMACK

2009-07-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

*sung to the tune of "Once There Was a Snowman*

Once there was a Jenn Hough, Jenn Hough, Jenn Hough.
Once there was a Jenn Hough--sort of tall.
In the heat she melt-ed, melt-ed, melt-ed.
In the heat she melt-ed...sweat and all.

This ain't no heat wave the Pacific northwest is experiencing...it's a full on SMACK DOWN. We were over 100 degrees yesterday (Mon. 7/27) but I don't know the official number (*update: the news reported the temperature at 103 on Monday*). It was 106 degrees TODAY and currently at 8:43pm, it is 103 degrees outside. UNBELIEVABLE! What's worse....it's a stifling 93 degrees inside our house! Holy schnikey!

You know it's bad when your home reaches 90 degrees before you go to bed at 10:30pm with open windows and then when you wake up at 5:30 in the morning, the inside temperature only dropped to 85 degrees. Yup, that's how we started our day today. Needless to say we spent 3 hours at our subdivision pool this afternoon. We spent 2 hours there yesterday. The last two nights Jared and I have slept on TOP of our bed. (At least I haven't had to make it the past two mornings!) It's humid too. We are just dripping sweat. Karcyn and Calvin have both been sporting heads of hair that are sopping wet. They look like they just got out of the bath. Well, they sure need baths because it's all sweat. Gross. There's nothing clean or pleasant about it.

You know it's hot when you go sit on the toilet to do your business and when you get up, the toilet seat comes with you. Or when you have to reapply your deodorant 10 times in one day because you're offending yourself. (Yes, I am speaking from experience on both accounts).

It's going to be just as hot tomorrow, but hopefully it'll get down in the low 90s and dare we dream of the 80s this weekend?? I'm so grateful this is only a 3 day stretch. It was hot Saturday and Sunday, but not triple digits. And when you're getting higher in temperature, every degree matters. We'll survive, but man...this is down right oppressive!

My sister lives in AZ and I know it gets hotter than this there. BUT...I don't care. I have no sympathy for them or anyone else living in that type of a climate. Why? Because A/C is standard down there. If they need to go somewhere, they get in their car, with A/C. When they go home, they have A/C. Up here, air conditioning is the exception, not the rule. There is no relief for us in oven homes. Aside from fighting over who gets to stand in front of the refrigerator next.

The middle of May

2009-07-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

Jared's parents, Doc and Karole, arrived Saturday, May 9th.

We had our friend Kahli spend the night with us that night then she and Jared's parents joined us for Mother's Day at church (also the VT conference in Relief Society which I helped to present). Jared and his dad made Mother's Day dinner complete with a steak, salmon and grilled asparagus. I didn't have to do dishes or anything. It was a lovely day.

On Tuesday, Doc and Karole were two of the guest speakers lined up to address the Pacific University Physician Assistant students about ready to start their clinical rotations. Jared and I were able to go hear their presentations. What a fun, unique opportunity for them. Karole is a diabetic lifestyles coach and spoke about her adjustment to diabetes and her journey to help others cope with this disease. Doc, who is a preceptor for Pacific and takes PA students, spoke about what the students can expect on their rotations from the preceptors' perspective and how to make the most of their limited time (6 weeks per rotation...though it was 4 weeks for most of Jared's rotations when he attended). They both taught and entertained. It was really cool to see.

The next morning, Jared and his dad left for eastern Oregon for 4 days. That's the REAL reason, why his parents were here. They started out in Monument, I believe, (on Kahli's grandfather's property)...turkey hunting. They didn't get a turkey, but it wasn't for a lack of trying. Then on Saturday, they had a fishing charter arranged on the John Day River (if I recall--I never remember where he's going...just when and how much it costs. Great wife, eh? But at least I'm posting some pictures of his trip.)

Interestingly enough, Jared's parents flew home to Illinois on Monday the 18th at 12:30pm and my parents were scheduled to fly back from Scotland at 6:57pm just barely missing each other.

But...my parents had a chance to get bumped from their flight in Minneapolis to earn airline vouchers, so they took it. They actually volunteered and got bumped TWICE before finally coming back on Tuesday afternoon. We've loved having all of our family coming and going and that we got to spend time with just them, but boy it's kept us hopping! We're not used to having it happen virtually back to back within three weeks. But it was a wonderful craziness!

MAY FIRST

2009-07-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my last, on-time post was about our wedding anniversary on May 15th, when Calvin's first birthday was 14 days before that. Hmmm, I guess our marriage bonds really are more important than the bonds with our children (I highly recommend you read "Follow the River" for a further examination of this). Well, I won't tell Calvin if you won't!

This spring was as crazy as the first of the year. I thought for SURE it would slow down after the 10 Virgins disbanded the middle of March, but it didn't. For example...I spoke to the youth of our ward at a big annual combined activity on April 1st with 3 days notice (no foolin' there). My parents arrived via camper the day before Easter and we went to the temple that evening. I was one of the speakers on Easter Sunday and then came home to a kitty who wiped her poopy bum on our carpet a few times, giving me and Jared the joy of cleaning her in the bathtub complete with leather gloves, towels, a removable shower head and lots of Lysol. The two weeks that followed were a barrage of baseball/T-ball practices 3x a week, scouting events, training for my 10K and helping prepare for a visiting teaching conference among other things.

I celebrated my birthday on April 28th (a day early). My parents flew to Scotland on the 30th for 3 weeks before coming back again. On Friday, May 1st, I did remember it was Calvin's birthday and took a picture to commemorate it.

But we had other plans and they didn't include him, or the other children. Kevin, Jared's brother and his wife, Christina, were in town for the weekend, so we met them at the Melting Pot for dinner...our first time at this restaurant for me and Jared. We were combining it as my birthday dinner (29th) and their 15th anniversary (30th). We always have fun hanging out with them, but it was especially nice to do it in that atmosphere. And it's a good thing because I really can't think of any friends that would be willing to spend that kind of money to dine with us there.

After dinner, Kevin said he found a miniature golf place down the road, so we went and investigated. I forget what it's called, but it's an underground Pirate adventure. The course was INSANE (definitely advanced placement miniature golf) but the motif made it worth it.

The next morning, Kevin and Chris arrived bright and early at our house and Christina and I headed to the DOSHA spa. I finally got to use the 8 hour spa-spectacular gift certificate--"Euphoria" it's called-- that Jared got me after I had Calvin one year previously. I certainly would have gone alone, but what a treat for me and Chris to go together. We rarely get to do anything alone between her 6+ kids and my 4. Usually the Hough brothers are out playing together during those rare occasions that we do see each other.

I loved the spa! Of course, the full-body massage and the facial (that I've never had which consisted of more massage) were divine! Also included in that day was a body elixir, a steam bath, a soaking tub, a spa manicure and pedicure, gourmet lunch, a shampoo and styling of the hair and an application of Aveda cosmetics. This was the post-spa "refreshed" Chris and Jenn. I know, you can't tell the difference. But I FELT the difference and man, did I smell good! I love the smell of Aveda hair products.

I told Jared he could send me to the spa any day (but not more than every other year because it's much too expensive!)

After we took this picture, I ran to the adult session of stake conference. I would have been there ANYWAY, but my very own RS President, Bev, that I have the privilege of serving with, was speaking and I wanted to support her even with family in town. She did not disappoint either. It was a fabulous talk. And then I snuck out. When I got home, we had another babysitter (yes, I believe I spent more on babysitting that weekend than I have in 2 months time) and drove Kevin and Chris back to their hotel...after stopping for dessert. They were flying home the next morning.

The next week gave us 5 days to get ready before the next guests arrived...Jared's parents. We decided to celebrate Calvin's birthday on May 5th...the day he was due. Actually, that was the first available day to do it. Besides, we rationalized, he would never know the difference.

All of the gift opening pictures are on the video camera. But here's how it went down with his cupcake. He was very good about eating it in small, tentative bites.

But then the bites got a little bigger.

Then the other hand had to get involved (notice it's his right one).

And of course, it just wouldn't be Calvin if he didn't offer to share.

Calvin is such a sweet, very mild baby. Of course now that he's older, there's more that he thinks he wants and he screeches if he doesn't get it. But he's the perfect caboose. He started taking his first steps around a year, but knows he can get to where he wants to much faster by crawling (and he can moooove), so that's what he does. He's gradually increasing his unassisted steps and I'm sure it won't be much longer before he's really running after Karcyn and the boys.

Just shortly after his first birthday, Calvin started folding his arms when we said it was time for prayers. I can't think of anything that melts my heart as much as that does. Without fail, it's been one of the first things my babies learn to do. In fact, we were in Sacrament meeting when he did it. Jared was standing Calvin on his lap before the opening prayer. I heard him whisper to Calvin "It's time for prayer." And Calvin whipped those little arms across each other. Jared and I both smiled and I know I gasped audibly enough that I'm sure those within surrounding pews of us heard it and wondered what was going on. The prayer hadn't started yet, so I don't feel too bad about it!

I also decided to do some sign language with Calvin, just for fun. He's already showing much more progress in his language development than Karcyn. And at this rate, he may very well be speaking and using the toilet before her. (Ahh, the irony that would be). Last week, when he wanted some more dinner to eat (this kid can pack it away. He's totally working on a gut...and he wants MORE before he's even chewed the mouthful he already has. I swear he's going to choke one of these days...) I showed him the sign for "more" and asked if that's what he wanted. The very next second...he was showing me the sign for "more." It was so cute. What a BRILLIANT child! :)

Calvin loves everyone, but it's especially sweet to see him when Jared comes home. Calvin gets to Jared as fast as he can (even climbed down from the couch one evening to go greet him) and begs to be picked up and then smothers Jared in the biggest Calvin hug he can muster, laying his head on his shoulder and smiling away. Moments like that can cure MANY THINGS.

What a fun year this has been with the Calvinator.

What a guy!

2009-07-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

After a rollicking afternoon at our subdivision pool on Monday, we got ready to go to one of Jake's last baseball games of the season. It was in Banks, about 30 minutes northwest of here. We weren't even to the highway yet when Jake called out that his stomach wasn't feeling very good. I dug around for the plastic sack I brought for "Karcyn accidents" and tossed it back to him. It didn't take long for the poor kid to toss his own cookies. But it's no biggie when the kid is self-sufficient in this way. As soon as I could get off the highway, we turned around and went home.

Right when we got back, I looked up the coach's cell phone number and left him a message. I also emailed him just in case. He emailed back later that night and included the game stats. Our team won 27-14. The biggest victory yet.

I was actually afraid to tell Jake the news. He's pretty tenderhearted. I didn't want him to be crushed that he missed it, or worse, feel like they won because he wasn't there.

But I told him anyway to ease whatever pain he might bring upon himself before he heard it from his teammates.

Quite the opposite happened. Jake was ECSTATIC! I was half-surprised and very pleased at his reaction. There was no pity party because he missed the game and no selfish absurdity thinking his absence caused the feat. It was Cooper's response that has me shaking my head. Cooper was doing something in the kitchen off the family room when he heard the news. Cooper called out to his brother, "Hey Jake--maybe you should miss the games more often. Then it would bring the team good luck and they'd win even more!"

As I braced myself for Jake's reaction to that, Jake surprised me again.
"Yeah! Maybe I SHOULD get sick more often!"

You Win, Karcyn

2009-06-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Our week of me attempting to potty train Karcyn is now coming to an end and I'm not sure we're any better off than when we started. *sigh*

Monday she had about 4 or 5 accidents, but I expected that. Tuesday was much better, she not only stayed dry but did her business in the potty twice! Wednesday she woke up wet and was not only refusing to sit on the potty, but didn't even want her treat for staying dry every 30-60 minutes. Fine then. I was to the point of tears by that afternoon and after Jared emerged from sick bay later in the day, I told him I needed to "get out" for a little bit. It was enough just to go to Freddy's alone to get my friend a birthday gift.

Thursday morning, Karcyn crawled onto our bed around 6am. I discovered she was dry and still asleep, so I put her back in her bed where the pad was in case she had an accident. I got ready to go to the office for a few hours and when I came out of my room, I noticed she was on Jake's bunk. I cringed, thinking he wouldn't be happy to have to wash his little sister's pee out of his bedding. But Karcyn woke up right then and was very chipper. I got her off the bunk and found her still dry! I asked if she wanted to sit on the potty. She said she did. I gave her 5 M&Ms for being dry all night. As she was eating those, she filled that little potty cup about 1/3 full. Which was even more exciting. I really needed that! And she got 5 more candies.

Jared had some errands to run while I was at the office. He was apprehensive about taking Karcyn along, rightfully so, but she did fine. Of course, once at home, she was back to refusing to sit on the potty. (I don't get her!)

Friday morning, when Jared left early for work, I heard Calvin stirring so I quickly jumped in the shower before the kids got up for good. I came out of the bathroom less than 10 minutes later to find Karcyn in my bed, under the covers. She was soaking. ARGH! After cleaning up and getting dressed and getting Karcyn in some dry undies and a top, I went to gather her wet bedding. Only it wasn't wet! She woke up DRY--AGAIN!! But because I wasn't there to greet her and get her on the potty, it all ended up on my bed. Stupid me. (I'm still kicking myself for that one). Later that morning, I geared myself up for our 2 hours of errands, but amazingly, Karcyn got through all of it, completely dry and mess-free. What a blessing! But she didn't want to sit on the potty at home any more than she'd like to get stung by a bee (which did happen Thursday evening).

I had the fleeting thought at one point this week to make Karcyn clean up her messes. My mom suggested that as well so I just started making her do that. Of course, I'm not sure how effective that's going to be. She thinks cleaning is fun!

People have suggested that I use the book "Toilet Training in a Day." Though I'm grateful for the thoughtfulness, there are a few problems with that idea. #1) It's not available at the library. #2) Even if it were, anybody who knows me knows I'm the slowest reader on the planet. It would take me 2 weeks to read something, I need to know right now. #3) Though people SWEAR by it, I'm not convinced that every child on this planet can toilet train in one day, just like you can't parent your own children the same way. They're all different.

So...Karcyn wins.
I didn't give up.
I just lost.
As of today, Karcyn remains un-potty trained but transitionally so because we can't surrender back to diapers. Which means (*groan*) more work for me. (Yes, I'm lazy.) I am marginally relieved that I finally found a couple of plastic covers for her underwear yesterday at a second-hand store. I can put those on her for extra protection when we go to church or run errands outside the house. Hopefully those will contain the puddles and problems for others until we can tend to her. I just can't believe a child who can control her bladder 10-12 hours through the NIGHT for crying out loud, can't sit on the potty a few times during the day to empty it.

Oh well, this too shall pass. (hee hee hee)

3 Wishes

2009-06-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

On Thursdays, among other things, the boys have some journaling to do as part of their summer structure...which I have yet to blog about. For Jake, he's to write in his journal. Cooper is to finish the prompt I give him. This week's prompt was: If you could have any three wishes in the world, what would they be?

I was expecting a scooter for one wish. Cooper just made it known he really wants a scooter for his birthday. I half expected a Nintendo DS to be listed. But this is what was on his mind instead...

1. a dog
(Okay...I get that. Doesn't every little boy want a dog sooner or later?)

2. a cat
(What? We have a cat. Got her just three months ago. What does he want...one that he doesn't have to feed or clean up after?)

and finally:

3. 'a nuw bruther'

When Jared saw Cooper's three wishes he most assuredly inquired about #3.

Jared: You want a new brother??
Cooper: Yes.
Jared: You already have 2 brothers.
Cooper: I know. I want a new one.
Jared: You have a new one. What's wrong with him?
Cooper: Nothing, I just want another one.
Jared: But you fight with the brothers you have.
Cooper (laughing): I know. I just want another brother.

A Future with Scripps?

2009-06-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

Jake's been bitten by the bug...the spelling bug that is. We love to watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee. But this year, it was on ABC a month ago. I haven't blogged about this yet, but Jared and I were in San Diego during the Bee AND...because we have DISH Network, we weren't getting ABC until just recently. However, a few days after the fact, Jared caught a repeat of the final 11 spellers on ESPN and DVRed it for us.

The boys and I finally got around to watching part of it last night. I suggested they might want to get a piece of paper and try writing down the words to see how they do at spelling them before the word is displayed on the screen.

I was surprised by how close they BOTH came at spelling some of these words, off by only one letter! Obviously, Cooper was going pure phonetically, which works with a select few of the words chosen for the Bee. Without studying the etymology of words (the language of origin), Jake was thinking hard about what he knows about words to spell them. It paid off.

I have no idea what these definitions are, let alone how to pronounce them and even still how to spell them.

ophelimity was given--Jake spelled it: opheilimity
simnel was given--Jake spelled it first: simnal, then symnal. Cooper spelled it: simnol
goombay was given--Jake spelled it: goumbay; Cooper spelled it: gombay
byssinosis was given--Jake spelled it: byssonosis

Being only one letter off isn't good enough to be at Scripps or any spelling bee for that matter. But for not having studied, I thought those were pretty darn good guesses!

Jared was bitten by the bug as well. The 2-bucket flu bug that is. He started horking his intestines out around 5am, waking me up. He threw up for at least 5 minutes straight. Eewwww.
And then again at 6am. And 8am. And 11am. It's 12:30 now. I think he just got out of the shower. I can't remember the last time Jared succumbed to a bug. He's pretty resistant. I think it was back in 2007 and that's iffy. That episode could have been the result of food poisoning...not my cooking, though! Hopefully the bug has stopped ravaging his insides and will leave our family alone. Only spelling bugs allowed here!

House Arrest

2009-06-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

No, this isn't the reason why I've been away from the blogging world for the past month. Life gets to take the blame for that. And there are more postings to come.

This confinement is actually self-imposed and began Sunday after church. It's also called...potty training. Or, as I refer to it...the "dreaded" training. I am not the happy mommy who thinks this milestone is "soooo fun." But it must be done. What's frustrating to me is that I've been trying to work with Karcyn (yes, Karcyn not Calvin) the past 11 months when she started showing interest. She was pooping and peeing in both her potty and the big potty last July. And then she up and stopped. I admit, having a newborn at the time, it wasn't the top priority in my life. However, in my defense, she stopped making it an issue too.

Both Jake and Coop trained themselves and they weren't much older than when Karcyn started last summer. Until now, my school of thought has been to just let the child decide when to do it. It proved successful with my boys. Both of them poop-trained first even. That's why I haven't been pushing the issue since last summer. She clearly wasn't ready. As a gentle reminder, I would ask her every once in a while if she wanted to go on the potty. 99% of the time it was a vehement, "NO!" So I backed off even more.

I think it was January when I thought we could give it the old college try again, knowing if I waited until she was ready, attending public school might be out of the question for her. We put the potty on some towels on the family room floor, pumped the DVD player with all her favorite movies and gave her treats and snacks. She sat on that thing for over 5 hours and went pee in it throughout the duration. Each time was a joyous moment. We celebrated. We danced. We hugged and gave each other high-fives. But it didn't last. And worse...she was afraid of pooping on the potty. It scared her. (Grreeat.)

A few months went by, including her 3rd birthday and I felt maybe it was worth a shot to try again. No luck. Even MORE frustrating is when, more recently and frequently, she stops what she's doing, poops in her diaper (refusing to go near the bathroom) and then announces loud enough for the entire house to hear, "I pooped!"

I feel like the time has come to more aggressively take this stubborn bull (child?) by its horns but I humbly recognize I'm still not completely in control. Yet I'm all out of ideas and approaches. I've tried everything every mom and friend could tell me. It doesn't make any difference, I've realized, because like everything else, every kid is different, even in potty training. Mentally tapped and pretty discouraged, I did the only other thing I could think of. I fasted. The way I see it, Heavenly Father knows Karcyn better than I do and if this is the right time for her to be potty training, he'll help me to help her make it happen.

I fasted a couple weeks ago. What I haven't had in the past year is ONE week of NOTHING on my schedule. The only thing I have to do this week is go to Jake's two baseball games (which is a miracle in and of itself). He had one last night and has another one tomorrow night. I figured we'll be outside for his games, so if Karcyn has an accident, it's not really going to hurt the grass. That's how the week of June 22, 2009 became the WINNER for the week-of-virtually-nothing contest and put me on house arrest so that we could say good-bye to diapers for Karcyn and put her in underwear without the stress of going anywhere.

After changing her clothes on Sunday, I put a large waterproof pad on top of Karcyn's bottom sheet so that she could sleep on top of that. I also let her pick which of the 9 pair of underwear she wanted to sleep in. I limited her liquid intake to nothing within the hour of bedtime and laid her down.

She woke up crying at 12:30AM. She had peed at her door, but not in bed. I was actually motivated by that. I helped her get into clean underwear and put her back in bed. She woke up one other time but was dry.

She had an accident outside my bathroom door when I was getting cleaned up Monday morning. I figured it was going to be one of many and told myself not get my own panties in a bunch over it. A couple months ago, my mom got Karcyn a pink "potty watch" that has an alarm. It goes off in 30, 60 or 90 minute increments. I chose every 30 minutes to give her as much potty awareness as possible and I wore the watch. I need the reminding more than she does! I've also come to realize that my life, in 30 minute snippets, is pretty boring and unproductive!

All told, from 7:30 to 3:30 Karcyn had 3 wet accidents and one super accident (pee and poop). My goal was to have her sit on the potty every time we went in, but it was clear after the fourth time she didn't want to do that. An impression came to me to just celebrate the fact that she's dry. So we went into the bathroom to get an M&M for an "I'm still dry" reward. If she wanted to sit on the potty, then that's what we'd do. She fell asleep around 3:30 for an unexpected late nap and I inwardly groaned at my inevitable task. What kid doesn't wake up wet from a nap? I roused her at 5:30 when we were heading out to Jake's baseball game and amazingly enough...she was dry! I slipped some pants on her (one of 4 pairs that I had packed) and put her in the van. We were at Jake's game until 8:45 and she only had one super accident and it was outside.

Because I'm on house confinement, I decided to go grocery shopping after the game, instead of this morning, like I usually do during the school year. Instead of passing the store on our way home, unloading the kids, putting them to bed and then turning around and going back to the store, Jared met me at Winco and we did a swap. He took the kids home, I went shopping. I had given Karcyn very little to drink at the game (in hopes of giving her more opportunities for staying dry). Before he laid her down to bed, Jared said Karcyn wouldn't go on the potty. Why am I not surprised? But her pee-proof pad was in place. And she slept all through the night this time.

As I gradually woke up this morning, I burrowed further under the covers when I thought of what I'd have to face in Karcyn's bed...like a urine saturated child if nothing else. Before leaving super early for work, Jared came in, holding Karcyn. Her legs were draped around his waist. He said, "Look at who I have." Once it dawned on me, I asked, "Is she wet?" He responded matter-of-factly, "Would I be holding her like this if she was?" I threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. She was dry all night long?! I couldn't believe it. Holy Schnikey!

She wouldn't go on the potty that morning though, of course, and wet her pants, but I didn't care. The fact that she remained dry all night was a true miracle to me.

At 8am, as I was unloading the dishwasher, Karcyn said "I poop." My heart sank and then leaped. Was she announcing a job done or one that needs to be done? I quickly checked her. When I found her completely clean and dry I persuaded her with all the careful excitement that I could to get her in there. Jake helped with brotherly encouragement. She went in and she even sat on the potty. We have a little "poop on the potty" chant we made up so we started singing that. Ironically Jake had to go to the bathroom too. I was about to send him to another bathroom and then I stopped. What would it hurt? So I left him and her to their business and went back to the dishes. Jake came running out 30 seconds later yelling that Karcyn pooped in her potty. We all paraded in there, practically tripping over each other, to witness "it" with our own eyes. It was a glorious little nugget to behold. I'm sure our neighbors two streets over heard the 4 of us jumping up and down, screaming, cheering, laughing as we shared our pride and joy with Karcyn. She loved dumping it in the potty, flushing the toilet and bidding farewell to the small brown chunk.

Since then, we ventured back into the bathroom 4 more times, each time she was dry. And at 10am, she peed on the potty. ANOTHER JOYOUS EXULTATION! She stayed dry til noon when she had an accident right before we were to head back in to the bathroom. (It seems like there is, without fail, 5 times more liquid that ends up on the floor as the product of an accident than there is when it goes into the potty. Maybe it's an illusion or maybe there's some mathematical equation for the volume divided by liquid dispersed and area to cover times 15, but I don't think so). I can't complain, though, about 1 accident in 4 hours in addition to two successful potty stops. I just need Karcyn to TELL me when she has to go.

And with that said, I know we have a looong way to go still. I can't even think about the fact that it's only been a day and a half that we've been doing this training. I really hope we make enough progress come Sunday. Otherwise, I don't know what we're going to do for our church meetings. Keep her with us, I guess. I'm NOT putting her back in diapers. Which is why I'm really hoping this will click with Karcyn. After Sunday, I don't get another day off let alone a week. Keep your fingers crossed!

May Seventh

2009-05-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

One week and one day ago, Jared and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary that began in the San Diego Temple. Wow...twelve years. That just sounds like a lot.

Who are those crazy kids??

This date holds even more meaning for me personally. It dawned on me last week that it was TEN YEARS AGO, May 7th, that I graduated from Weber State University with a degree in elementary education. It's hard to believe it's been a DECADE since then. Ironically, it was also that very graduation morning that I found out we were expecting Jacob in December. Talk about some major excitement. Never mind the fact that Jared drove 19 hours straight through the night from IL to UT to be with me at graduation by 8am in the morning. He had finals he was taking the day before so we "agreed" he would stay and take them. He showed up at my aunt's house about 5 minutes after I took the pregnancy test that indicated "positive." I was actually VERY relieved he had shown up. I didn't know how I was going to keep that a secret over the next 3 days traveling back to IL with my parents. I took him downstairs to give him his anniversary gift--the positive pee stick. To which he replied, "What's that?" After I explained to him what the stick meant, we went back upstairs. I slid the pee stick across the table (sanitary? maybe not) to my parents. It had no sooner stopped sliding when my mom was jumping up and down, giddy like a school girl, doing cartwheels while my dad sat there scratching his head saying, "What's that?" (To this day, my mom collects the pee sticks that represent each of her grandchildren :)

So yeah...May 7, 1999 was a BIG day for me and Jared.

Here we are after the ceremony with my girlfriend Sarah and her then fiance Justin. They were married a couple months later. Hopefully she won't mind me posting this picture from the past :)

Birthday Blues

2009-05-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Jared's brother, Kevin, was coming to give a medical lecture in downtown Portland at Jake's. He hasn't been doing lectures for very long and has NEVER come to Oregon, let alone, Portland. And this trip it was on my birthday. April 29th. Which meant we'd have to celebrate it a little early. I was actually just fine with this. On Sat. 25th, my parents took us out to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Good food, fun company and great times! Yum. I also got a sweater from my parents and from Jared I got 3 Nike running shirts (2 short-sleeved and 1 long-sleeved) and NINE pairs of foot specific (L/R) running socks. Niiice.

On Tuesday, April 28th, we had our FAMILY party planned for after dinner.

Earlier that afternoon, I was doing laundry. I'm not sure where my mom was...out running errands I think, but I came out of my room and as I walked past the boys room, I found their faces crumpled in TEARS! They were so upset.

When they told me why they were upset, I couldn't help walking out of the room without a word and retrieving the camera to document the trauma.

It went like this...
*Cooper and Grandma secretly made me a birthday cake.
*They stashed the cake in the boys' room to cool, with the frosting fixings to decorate with later, hoping kitty Madras wouldn't get to it.
*Apparently they forgot about sissy Karcyn.
*The door got left open and this is what they found....

I assured the boys that the cake would STILL taste wonderful and though it wasn't a surprise when they were hoping it would be, it was still a surprise for me!

Karcyn was put in time out (she looks REAL sorry doesn't she?)

The boys delivered the sad news to Grandma when she returned.

And this was what I got....a "pistachio" frosted, Karcyn-munched birthday cake. And it didn't last long!

I was showered upon with more gifts...our first BluRay disc to go with our NEW BluRay player...from my kids...TWILIGHT. According to Jared, the boys wanted to get me "Snowbuddies" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks." I'm very grateful he steered them in the right direction. I also got LOTS of yummy movie treats to go with it.

Another gift from my parents was a super cool croquet set. We are finally at a point where croquet would be somewhat successful in our backyard. I have fond memories of the game growing up and my parents have helped expose the boys to it as well.

And the last gift from Jared...was BLUE. A Nike running jacket for me to wear when I run in the rain! I was so excited! I actually wanted to sleep in it. It was the perfect size and I love the color.

I had a wonderful REAL birthday too--with all the visits and gifts and phone calls from family and oh-so-thoughtful friends. Even the Beehives came to clean my house! That was just lucky, but I'll take it!

Oh and I have to add that this birthday is when I'm exactly HALF my mom's age. So we got a picture to document it. We almost forgot. They had gone to bed in the camper outside in front of our house. I was in my PJs and getting ready for bed when I remembered! So I grabbed my camera and paid them a little unexpected visit. Fortunately it wasn't too far to go :)

American Idol...watch out!

2009-05-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

Cooper has fallen in love with the song "At the Beginning" sung by Richard Marx and some other chick. It's on the "Anastasia" soundtrack. We listen to it occasionally in our van and we all like to sing along. Cooper's actually gotten pretty good at singing it and getting into it. When he heard about his classroom's "Show and Share" program that started up a couple months ago, he knew JUST what we was going to share....singing along with the CD.

Cooper's kindergarten teacher is so great. I emailed her to see if it was first okay to have him sing a song in class. And if it was, could she let me know when he would do it so I could come video tape it. (We just got a rockin' new video camera too...let's just say that the NEW camera is the size of the battery on the OLD video camera. Blows my mind!!) This is how awesome his teacher is...she called ME to find out when I would like to come and see Cooper sing. She knew I'd have little kids to contend with and to find someone to watch them and I just thought that was so cool! Fortunately, my parents had arrived a few days earlier and would be here to watch Karcyn and Calvin for me.

I have GOT to figure out how to upload video snippets to the blog because this one is definitely worthy of it. Actually, he was sitting when he sang and he's much more, MUCH MORE animated and performance driven when he's on his feet. So maybe I'll re-record it with him keeping the beat, etc. here at home. Either way...it's pretty funny. I LOVE that my laughing (because it's so cute and admirable) doesn't deter him. What confidence!! I would NEVER have done that at his age (or THIS age). Kudos to him!! I hope he never loses that love of performing.

My BIG...

2009-05-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

Helper....

and CLIMBER...

I LOVE SPRING!

2009-05-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

Spring is definitely my favorite season. I like fall too, but between the two transitional seasons, spring wins in my book. I hate the iffy weather, but I love that it is getting WARMER not colder. Usually. Spring this year has been very wet and cold. However...I love the new life that's bursting forth in flowers and animals. And I'm sure that my birthday in the spring has nothing to do with it!

I don't think I've met a flower I didn't like. I love them, especially the kind that smell great and the kind that people give to me for whatever reason. But I have a special place in my heart for tulips. We, I mean Jared, planted LOTS in the front patch of our yard by our garage and by our front porch this past fall. It was so exciting to watch them finally come up. We were curious too to see if we had any flower fatalities via death by squirrel because the darned vermin wouldn't stay out of our bulbs!

Recently, we got a rockin' new digital camera with some of our tax refund. It's an Olympus TOUGH. It's water-proof to 33 feet, crush-proof up to 220 lbs, drop-proof from up to 6.6 feet, and freeze-proof to 14 degrees. I was having fun with it as I took these pictures that just make me happy. Kind of like..."Sun-shine...on my shoul-ders...makes me hap-py." :)

Made for her...

2009-05-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

My mom found this shirt at Target and thought it screamed "KARCYN!" when she saw it. Yeah that pretty much sums it up for her. Especially numbers 1, 2 and 4. Does anyone else out there think that age 3 is the new 2??

And the winner is...

2009-04-07T17:18:00.001-07:00

Boy...March Madness was ugly for us this year. I don't know how gamblers do it.
All of our winning picks were out early in the tournament. Jake's team (Memphis was out early and he was DEV-ES-STATE-TED. But we reassured him that didn't mean he'd lose because then it was down to the person who had the most points.

This year...the winner was...Super Cooper. He had 100/192 points! Good for him. He gets the celebratory ice cream of his choosing sometime soon. I'm sure he won't let us forget ;)

Karcyn was 2nd with 93/192.
Jake was 3rd with 75/192.
Jared was 4th with 69/192. And I find some comfort in 5th place knowing I was only TWO points behind Jared.
I brought up the rear as usual with 67/192.

What's really fun is that we've had a different winner the past 3 years. Maybe Calvin will join us next year.

It's another GIRL!

2009-04-07T13:55:00.001-07:00

Ha! Ha! Made you look!!

This girl is of the feline variety. We adopted her on March 30th and happily welcome her into our home.

Meet Madras.

Yes, Madras. We didn't name her and I'm actually glad she already came with a name. I wasn't wanting to duke it out with the kids on the matter. Karcyn calls her Madi for short. She is a medium haired domestic kitty. And PURR-FECT for our family. We saw her, but were drawn to some other kitties first. Fortunately the volunteer that does the adoptions knew the cats VERY well and I think Madras was made for us. Personally, I wanted a younger, smaller kitten (she's 8 months old) and one that was short haired. But I told Jared, "She'll probably be a lot like our house. She's not what I expected but I'm sure I'll love her."

How 'bout that squirrel tail?

She is THE best kitten. She's still playful with kitty toys and when we hear her meow, which isn't much, it's still that high pitched kitten meow. And she is an ANGEL with our kids. She puts up with everything. A real trooper. Nothing seems to bother her. She doesn't like Karcyn chasing her (and Karcyn has the advantage there since Madras can't get any grip on our hard floors) but she just runs off. She doesn't swipe, she doesn't meow, she doesn't bite or hiss. If you have a lap, she'll sit on it. Actually, she'll sit anywhere, on your face, chest, whatever she can get to. She is so laid back and sweet. You may notice in the picture below that Karcyn has a grip on one of the cat's hind legs. Does Madras care? Not one bit. We made Karcyn stop of course. She's learning to be soft and gentle. Overall, I think Karcyn's doing pretty good with the transition. Madras is a dream in that regard. Calvin just loves having another someone on all fours like him. Jake and Cooper love her as well. She seems like a natural fit for us.

Madras sleeps with Cooper on the bottom bunk or with us or under the crib. One night Karcyn was having trouble sleeping. So we took Madras in and put her on Karcyn's bed. Karcyn wrapped her arms around Madras and we didn't hear her after that. A little while later, Madras emerged and Karcyn was sound asleep. It really doesn't get much better than that!

Oh and in case you're wondering, my mom told me that madras is a type of Indian fabric or material. That was news to me. So I googled it. Then I saw several links for Madras, Oregon. DUH! It's in central Oregon but how many times have I seen the temperature for Madras listed above Bend on the weather map? Um, lots. I'm willing to bet that's how Madras got her name.