Change is hard

It is! No matter how good or bad the change is or how beneficial the change may be it is hard. 

The struggle to hold on to what was and the pain of the morphing process.

I have just realized tonight that I am in the morphing stage. It is painful and so far I feel I am handling some things poorly. I feel good with the idea of letting go to what was...I think. Time I guess will only tell but for all sense and purposes right now I feel good with that.

But the morphing feels out of control. Feels raw and exposed. And with that comes emotions. Anger, frustration, disappointment, loss, control, insecurity and fear. And that makes me want to give up and throw in the towel.

I want to finish well but all efforts seem thwarted, which cause the emotions to come back and make me want to give up all over again. This is very draining and perhaps, for more than just me.

I know that in time the morphing will finish and a new me will emerge. New experiences will await. The old is gone and the new is with each step. What happens is all unknown. However, with emerging comes choice... 

I will either fall or learn to fly. 

 

Will I  have the courage and the freedom that comes with trying out new wings?

Good Family Times

This Holiday weekend was a very nice Christmas weekend away. But first I had to share tis picture. Isn't it sweet!! I love it. 

Our Christmas traditions started with us ice skating. We have tried to do this the past 3 years and each year has not been very much fun due to the fact that the girls were so little and we all but had to carry them on the ice. And considering we can barely skate ourselves proved to be a slow and painful process. But we keep trying because we just keep thinking it will only get better right? The older they get the more they will skate on there own and the more fun we all will have. I think that still may be true but we aren't there just yet. 

Lindsey did finally use a little walker type thing and then she was cruisin' and loving it. However, Emily wasn't up to the challenge yet. So It meant her and I hugged the side, going  a woppin MACH .000019 MPH!! I think we made it around 2.5 times before my feet started screeming in pain. So I took a little rest - hence the below picture. We will keep trying!!! 

The next couple of years will tell for sure if we should come up with a different tradition or keep going with it.
We then spent a few days with my family. Had an amazingly yummy Prim Rib dinner that my mother spoiled us with and then enjoyed Christmas evening visiting and playing games. The following day was laid back and restful, in the evening we went out with some friends of ours and had some hours child free. Much appreciated since that does not happen too often.

And today we wrapped up the day just the four of us downtown Seattle. Riding the monorail, which the girls loved and shopping at Westfair and then ride up to the observation deck of the Space Needle where we took this picture...
Pretty neat huh? Too bad it did not have the space needle in it too but this is pretty cool!

And finally when we saw this - I just had to take a picture of it.
HUGE Tire!! I have no idea what kind of machine takes such a big tire. There were 2 on back of this trailer. Have  a Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas From the Foxs

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... CHILLY and FROSTY

I am thinking...that this weekend will be a lot about me being in bed since I have a cold.

I am thankful for...my daughters that make me smile and laugh.

I am reading... Twilight (again) and a few plays.

I am hoping... to finally get to my christmas decorations this weekend, but maybe not if I feel worse.

On my mind... our play - we are doing "The Foreigner" check us out www.altatheatre.com

From the kitchen... not much to say... I have food.

Around the house... some clutter that I HAVE to get to and reminders that I have small children. ;)

One of my favorite things...decorating the Christmas tree.

A few plans for the rest of the week...put up Christmas decor, sleep and rest and get to some house cleaning!!

Needing a Miracle

I have been absent awhile... partly because I had nothing new to say but mostly because the friend I talked about in my recent Poulsbo getaway - her husband - is fighting for his life in ICU in Seattle. I spent the last 3 days with her - I wish I could be with her everyday but that is hard living 2 hours away and having small children to care for at the same time.

It started with his appendix, which was gangrenous and removed, that basically poisoned his whole body and he had a heart attack, his liver and kidneys shut down and he got severe pneumonia. He has made VERY SMALL improvements every day until yesterday.

They need your prayers. He is late 30's, and they have only been married 1.5 years.

Poulsbo

Every year my best friend, since high school, and I get together for a weekend away just the two of us. We started 4 years ago and we look forward to it all year. We try and find a place not too far away since we only have 2.5 days. This year we went to Poulsbo. It was nice. We always have a blast. Usually our weekend consists of walks and shopping. Great food and spirits and lots of rest, movies and long talks. Doesn't seem to matter how long it has been since we talked - we are closer than ever and love being together.

A year full of fun!

Every year I make a calendar for myself and a few other members of my family. I thought you might like a look at what will grace my months to come. Enjoy!

January...
February...
March...
April...
May...
June...

July...

August...
September...
October...
November...

December...

Shakin but Thankful

Last night was the scariest moment of my life. I thought my daughter had drowned. To my extreme thankfulness to God she didn't and is safe! But those moments I will remember forever. Emily is 6 and loves to swim and does a good job. She practices holding her breath in the bath tub. Well, that is what she was doing. I always stay close by and check in and listen while she does this. It had been a little bit and I suddenly did not recall hearing her. The phone rang and I walked past to get it...I see that she is face down in the tub. I call her name as I get the phone, thinking she is holding her breath and she does not respond. I walk in 3 seconds later and yell her name and no response. I threw whatever was in my hands and pick her up out of the water and roll her over... to my relief she blinks and is stunned, I bring her to me and hold her tight as I burst into tears.

Now I know that she was indeed holding her breath... but I feel traumatized. For those moments I THOUGHT she had drowned and that is real. Those feelings were and are real. Unlike a dream I did not wake up knowing it never happened. I saw her floating there face down, I picked her up out of the water... it was real. 

I keep reminding myself that she is and was safe... every hour I have to release the fear and guilt to Jesus because every hour I see her laying there face down. Every time I close my eyes. There she is laying face down. I can't even imagine how people handle it when they actually lose someone they love tragically, when I feel like this and everything was fine.

I am SO thankful to have my daughter and that she was not in danger. But I needs your prayers.

The things Husbands should NOT ask of their wives!

I have been told I need to write these stories down, so here goes...

I know you all agree with me that here are just some things that men naturally do better than women and vice versa. Our amazing God knew what he was doing. But it amazes me how many times we forget that and we ask of our spouses things we shouldn't. Like sending your wife to Home Depot to get items you need for the project you are working on. 

 BAD idea and yet it happens over and over again.

There should be a sign at Home Depot that reads. "Wives walk away now." The reason we are asked to go is because for us we live 1/2 hour away and a trip to the store will take 1.5 hours at least. So you think it is saving him time. But here is where the problem is... 1) Item Name -- husband calls it one thing, then there is a builder name for it and then you get there and it has a completely different name. 2) Item location -- husbands tell you where they are located, you go to that isle to look and finally get help and they are in a completely different part of the store.

So the trip goes like this... you walk to the area he told you  "it" would be and you search and search because you know what "it" looks like but you can't find it. Then you seek out help which is NO WHERE to be found. So you take 10 minutes seeking out help and finally do and you spend another 5 minutes explaining what it is that you are there for. 1) calling it by the name husband calls it... after the stone blank stare comes you offer 2) telling them what isle husband sent you to. So for 5 minutes you follow this assistant down several isles searching for said item explaining again what it is that you need (based on description from husband) and finally you find it only to come to realize they are called something completely different and they come in about 6 different sizes and made from 2 different materials. What to get??? So now a phone call is made to reach the husband who does not answer because he is working on project and you are left seeking advice and ultimately having to just choose what you think is best. Only to get home to find you have chosen WRONG and have to start all over.

Did you know there are different kinds of rock? Of course you do.... Sandstone, river rock, limestone, slate...etc. No I am talking about gravel...GRAVEL and more specifically what I call driveway gravel. Do you? Well, I do NOW. But this is yet another thing wives should NOT be sent to do.

I was sent to get gravel for the driveway...a no brainer right? WRONG! I show up in our truck and walk up to the man at the counter and say I need a yard of gravel and he looks at me and says what kind? I blankly stare at him not having any idea what to say... but I was prepared!! Thankyouverymuch!

 I brought a handful of the kind I needed from our driveway. Good idea right? I stretched out my hand and said this kind. He actually looked at me and said, "What is that." Now, I am dumbfounded. He is supposed to be the gravel man, right? I mean that is why I went to him, right? I mean come on... really - he is asking me, What it is...

I stretch my hand out again confused and said sheepishly, "Rocks". ? then he goes on to say "Crushed or something (I forget), fines and no fines and what size." Oh, dear Lord, NO! This is Home Depot all over again. 

Horrified I look at him and then the handful of ROCKS and then back at him... can't I just look at the pile of rocks and compare this to find it? NO, because of the fines and something about something and it washing away. AARGGH!! So, another phone call to husband to ask because of course 1) item name is called something else 2) now requires husband to talk to gravel man and FINALLY a decision is made. PHEW! I pay, get loaded up, drive home and unload gravel on driveway and guess what...IT'S NOT THE SAME!!!

Touch Tank Fun!!!

Today was a cold and fun day. Had no specific plans - just decided to leave and go wherever we wanted. After getting some doughnuts the touch tank was on our minds... the girls were excited! They loved picking up the colorful starfish and the slimy sea anemones. ME TOO!!! It was really hard not to touch the big ones in the big tank that is open to view but your not to touch. There was this huge octopus and scallops swimming around... thought for a minute the octopus was going to have lunch but he let the little guy go.

After awhile we headed out with cold hands and warm hearts. We decided to take a peak at the local pet store. Once we had our fill of little critters... we finally headed for Tino's for dinner and then home. A good family day!!

Autumn in full glory

I love autumn and all it's amazing colors.  Even though the weather is cooler and often here rainy  - the amazing colors warm me and leave me in awe as I drive by them. 

I am reminded of a story a few years ago.

Part of the highway I often take runs thru a very mountainy area. Lots of rolling hills and rocks edges. 1000s of pine trees intermingled with many kinds of maples, oaks and other leafy trees. Trees that burst into to color this time of year.

About 2.5 - 3 years ago when my kids were 3 and 4 we were driving this stretch of the highway and it was a pretty morning. 

As we were driving thru the colors were amazing, there was mist, or fog or low hanging clouds (whatever you call it, is it all the same thing? If not, how do yo know which one it is?) creeping thru the hillside. 

Sporadically thru the mist and blanket of green you would catch an amazing patch of colors, red, orange, yellow...It was beautiful! 

It was then that my children looked out and saw this amazing sight and said in awe, " Mom, LOOK, FIRE! The mountain is on fire!" I thought it was so cute, I looked at it with that thought and it was amazing how right they were. The mist looked just like smoke only not gray - it was very pretty. And the bursts of color - fire!! The hillside looked like it was on fire. It was awesome!

Rain got the best of us

So we decided to make a family work project out of it. Our mail has gotten wet for about a year and finally the mail lady said that the mail would not survive if she took it... so we decided to make  a house for our mail box and it turned out pretty cute.

Here is Lindsey waiting patiently to help. She busied herself playing with left over blocks.

Stud man Andy putting his handy skills to use and building our house.
This was fun - there isn't too many projects that we do together. It was fun holding wood for him and being entertained by the girls as they chased each other around and waited to nail something.
The girls and I painting it ... ok I know I did a bad job but my girl just can't seem to keep her clothes on and she is getting too big for the naked look to be cute anymore... hence the painted on tank.

and viola... rain I dare you to get my mail wet now!!! We even painted it to match our house.

Pretty cute huh?

CLUELESS

I am amazed to say that I have tried for days to come up with something to say and be funny and make it worth the time that you may all put in to check on me. But I am in awe that I have nothin'. Absolutely nothin'.

Maybe it is the fact that the sickies have been going thru my home or maybe because of that we have been watching more TV and my brain is oozing out. On a normal day TV is not a big part of day but we tend to watch more when we don't feel well.

So anyway, I have nothing for you except a warm hello and hope for a great day for you!!!

Garage Sale FINDS

You know what they say..."One mans junk is another mans treasure."  I am not a big shopper but I love garage sales. Yes, usually there is a ton of junk that needs to be just tossed but often there is at least something for someone and I decided I would share a few of the treasures I have found this past year. Look at my chicken...I am not too into farm animals but when I saw this $2 egg poacher I could not resist. It even hard boils eggs and all you have to clean is this little dish afterwards. If I was crazy I might make a pedestal for it - that is how much I love it. OK, I am kidding but you know what I mean. AND it even chirps when the eggs are done!

And who couldn't love this little cutie and for .25 cents too. Yup, you heard me .25 cents.  He's just so cute I want snuggle up on the couch and hold him.

Look at these jars... they are my most expensive find at $12 for all 3. They are large, and the original older canning jars. I have no idea what I am gonna do with them but when I saw them I thought how COOL. Any suggestions?

And last but not least my $3 FOLDING chair. I have been needing extra chairs and it beats the cold metal ones. Plus, it matches the colors in my house perfectly. How could I resist.

Happy garage saleing...I know you can find something!

MY GIRLS

the loves of my life...

I know that all parents look at their children and think they have the most beautiful and amazing kids. And I know that I am biased but really... how can you not look into their eyes and not think that.

 I love the funny things they do. And the joy that fills my heart when they make a joke and think it's hilarious and they are the ones laughing harder than anyone else.  I actually caught my Lindsey girl in the bathroom making faces in the mirror. It was so cute. She had no idea I was watching and was having so much fun... and then she saw me and we both started laughing. Who hasn't done that? I admit I have ... on more than just one occasion. 

I think they are so cute when they are so serious and say the wrong word.  For example, Emily was working on her figure eights on her bike to learn to turn both right handed and left handed with ease (with no training wheels...I know I am a proud ma ma). Anyway, she came running into the house and said. "MOM! I did it! I did my cigarettes!!"

And who wouldn't like all the hugs and kisses and the frequent, "Thanks Mom, your the bestest mommy in the whole world."

A little bit of grit, a little bit of grime and some sandpaper!

I have been thinking a lot lately about sand paper people and have had to ask myself, "Am I a sand paper person?"  All of us are sand paper people at some point or another. Or more than likely have sand paper moments. That is probably a more accurate definition. To be a real sand paper person in my opinion I guess is the kind of person that you can  ALWAYS count on to rub you the wrong way or at least more often than not. So I need to possibly reconsider the couple of sand paper people in my life and ask - are they sand paper people or just have sand paper moments.

We all at some point in time are caught off guard by life and react in ways that on any other normal day would not react that way. And sometimes given your life situation that period of time may last awhile. We all have battles in life that no one else is usually aware of and too bad for the person that happens to cross us on those day that the battle is raging hard.

We all have grit and grime in our lives that affect us certain ways that may not even be a personality issue but more of a defense mechanism from something deeply rooted in our past lives. The stresses of life can weigh heavily on us that we aren't always gracious. Hopefully the people we come into contact on a regular basis, they are the ones that are more apt to feel the sting from the paper, will look at the situation and see our hearts, our motives, our intentions and easily look past it. 

Am I a sand paper person? or do I have sand paper moments. I know at times I do. If I am a sand paper person to someone and not just having a sand paper moment or moments to them - I hope they love me enough to stick with me, talk with me and help me change the way I rub on them. Because I certainly don't want to be a sand paper person. 

May we all remember that we have no idea what battles people are fighting ... let's all extend a little more love and forgiveness to all. And hope they do the same in return when we are fighting our battles.

Twilla

Last night we found our little Twilla. After 3.5 days of looking  - we found her and she did go away to die. It was a relief to finally know. We did not have to look anymore. Did not have to wonder. Did not have to wake up each morning to see if she came back to resume her daily routine. We could have closure and move on. Sounds funny... it was just a cat. But it is a similar grieving process as a lost family member or friend.

It was such a sad night. But it gave us the chance again this year to talk about death with our kids. We buried Twilla in our back yard and said goodbye.

We cried and talked about what death means and talked about Jesus and His sacrifice. We then ended our night telling stories about Twilla and ended up laughing together. It was a good family time. A time only the four of us can share. A time only the four of us will remember.

So Twilla, thank you for giving us memories to share together and with that, staying apart of our lives.

SAYING GOODBYE

Tonight is a sad night in our home. Our Twilla got sick today and is now missing. If you knew her you would believe as I do that she probably left to find a peaceful place to pass on.

This cutie little thing was a special kitty. The girls picked her out 2 years ago and she has been a joy of a kitty. Twilla is the most affectionate, gentle and loving cat I have ever known. And almost silent. She rarely meowes. We prayed for a kitty that would truly be the girls' and for the most part she was.

Twilla usually slept on the girls' bed at night and playfully checked in with us all day and night long. Today was a different story. It was clear from the moment we woke up and saw her that something was wrong. We are hoping for our girls that she will show up in the morning but we are trying to prepare them that it is highly possible she won't. I have had this dreaded feeling all day about her. We have searched for her but cannot find her and she never wandered too far from home. The farthest we have ever seen her was when she would follow us on walks. I have never seen that before. She would follow us for blocks and then stop and wait for us to come back and follow us home again. It was so cute.

Tonight has been hard on Emily especially. Both girls prayed sweet prayers for Twilla and finally have drifted off to sleep. If you think of them -- say a little prayer for Emily and Lindsey.

They feel so deeply and Twilla was the only pet they got to pick out and care for from a baby - she is truly special. Goodbye our little Twilla...

Love of Money

I have been pondering money for awhile now. Mainly, because it is the biggest factor in why I decided to home school my oldest daughter and it had to do with a huge misunderstanding that I had last year and this year over school...something I am still working on.

But...the Bible says "The love of money is the root of all evil." WOW - that is huge - I am not even sure I entirely get that. Do I love money? The root of all evil? What does that mean? ALL evil? I am not even going to pretend I have the answers for that.

A friend mind always challenges me in this because I am ALWAYS working. I am ALWAYS looking for another job to do. Another way that I can contribute to our financial needs.
Do I want to be rich - no not really. I just want enough that I don't feel like I can't buy a new shirt if I need or want to. I am thankful that both my husband and I are not shoppers. I want just a bit more than I actually need. I also feel that I SHOULD contribute to our financial needs. But my friend challenges me in that.

I grew up with a single HARD WORKING mom that got things done. She carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and raised my sister and I the best she knew how. Work hard, pay your debts, take care of yourself and you will have what you need. She taught me A LOT more believe me. But I am listing things that relate to this topic. So often growing up there was not a lot of money. We did not have a lot of extras. But we had what we NEEDED and we learned to be responsible and I know that as I parent my daughters I can tell a lot of what my mom taught me is what I want and do pass on to my girls.

With that said - I think that environment put in me this underlying thought or belief that we need more because we don't have enough. I don't have that extra, that I think I need or want. My friend challenges me a lot - is that true? It's not a bad thing that I have that belief. It is is what it is. An unconscious belief that may or may not be true?

My hard working husband works a lot and pays for our financial needs. Our bills are taken care of. Is that enough? I say yes! And sometimes I need to remind myself of that. Do I drive a new car? No, but I have what I need and it is a nice older car. Do I have a huge custom home that has everything I ever wanted? No, but I have a new home that is big enough and is nice. It is enough and more than others have.

Do I have a lot of toys-boats, RV's, trips around the world? No, but I have an old tent trailer and enough money to get away a few weekends a year. That is enough!!

Are my basic needs taken care of? YES! As long as I can say that...then maybe this underlying belief that I have is wrong. Maybe it is ok for me to happy to not work so much. (keep that relative to what I am saying - it is good to work hard for your needs.) But take care of what I have. Be a good steward of what I have. Sure I do have a couple P/T cleaning jobs and I will keep them but I do I need to have 10 - probably not if I can't take care of what I have. If it interferes with me being a good mom and wife.

So something I am pondering...enough is enough. And the rest keeps me trusting in God to make sure I have enough. And He does! Always!

Busy Days!

These past few days have been busy days for sure! This is Emily, she is 6 and is in the 1st grade. We have ventured on into the homeschooling world. We set up a school station in the garage with the intention of building walls to create our school room. Here is Emily, sitting at her desk on her first day of school.

I definitely have a deeper appreciation for the art and skill of a teacher. Those that are called to teach are GEMS and should be treated as such. I will never again bock at hearing about another teacher strike and say "What are you complaining about you have the summer off paid." (oh, come on, I know I am not the ONLY one to have thought that!...be honest)

Teaching is hard! We have had some good days. On those good days we have so much fun. I love being with Emily and learning together. Seeing her think about things and get excited when she gets it. We have also had some really hard days. Which is expected. However, we are trying to determine what is best for Emily right now and the family so this story continues...

And here is Lindsey! She is 5 and in Kindergarten. This is her first day of school and she is riding the bus. It was a little scary at first but then she made a friend. While we were waiting for her to make friends she brought her stuffed "spidy" as her bus buddy and that helped.

Lindsey is excited to be in school. She is doing well and loves her friends and teacher.

So that is life right now... at least leaving it on this note for awhile has got to be better than leaving it on the toilet paper note for so long...sorry about that.

;) Laura

Potty Blog

I have to say that I am not above potty talk...that may put my ranking with you down a few pegs or so...

But for some reason I had the urge to share a tidbit that I found very helpful. if you are like me you run out of toilet paper constantly and have to buy it constantly. I HATE THAT! In my family of 4 with 3 of us being girls - I was changing the TP role every other day...no joke!

My sister told me about Scotts TP. So I tried it. It is 2 ply but thinner than what you will be used to - NOTHING like 1 ply I promise but you will have to use more than you would normally...butt (he,he) that doesn't matter!!! You adapt quickly!! I went from changing roles every other day to every other week. From 4-6 roles a week (we have 2 bathrooms) to 4 a month.

It's at least worth a try right? Go buy a 4 pack and see how it will change your life...ok, well the TP changing sanity at least!! ;)

Bed vs. Tent...hmmm

The Great Idea!!

My cute little girls had this great idea to go camp in the back yard...it started with them innocently packing a bag and some toys and with their hats on they ventured on in the back yard littering their belongings across the grass and enjoying their afternoon. They asked if I could set up the tent but I was just starting dinner so it was impossible for me to help. So once daddy got home, their charming selves got daddy quickly to set it up and they had their home away from home.

Everything was fine until they asked, just before bedtime, to sleep in there. Dad had said no because he had to work and I BRILLIANTLY thought, "Well, if they are gonna do it tonight's the night - we gotta start them on their school schedule - no biggie I will sleep with them."

So I get them all set up, I lay several blankets down as a cushion and got the girls tucked in with lots of layers...it was getting chilly and was going to rain...still I thought this was a good idea.

So a couple hours later I crawled in the tent and layed between them to share a great peaceful moment with my girls. I envisioned waking up with them in the tent, cuddling and creating a memory that will last forever...well it certainly will.

I knew fairly quickly that tonight was not gonna be a fun night...it felt like laying on cement. I realize 34 is not old...but Oh my GOODNESS...I woke up an hour later with my body SCREAMING in pain!!! I tried many different positions - I would doze off a minute here and a minute there only to wake up with a DIFFERENT part of my body screaming.

Then is started raining...usually the tranquil raindrops on a tent is soothing...well not this time. I am not sure if the rain was unusually large or if the fact that my body felt like I had red hot needles all over it affected my hearing...but tranquil it was not.

So FINALLY at 3am with my back, hips, shoulders and arms in an immeasurable amount of pain I wake up both my girls and BEG, yes I said BEG, to come inside to sleep and that daddy would do the tent thing with them this weekend which THANK YOU GOD - he had already promised. So after a lot of begging they agree and we get to bed.

My bed -- AHHH...however my body hurt so much that I could not sleep. I felt tortured. But finally just as I started to succumb to sleep I hear and feel little hands on my feet. Lindsey was crying. She had a bad dream...I am not sure how you can have a bad dream in what felt only like 15.4 seconds but none the less she crawled into bed. And of course she could not sleep. So that means she keeps mommy up. I doze here in there between the the little moves and hands holding my face and then I hear another sound. Emily...came into our bed. So now there are 4 of us in a queen size bed. NOT comfortable. But we are trying to make it work and Lindsey still being scared wants to sleep on my stomach. So I let her. Makes more room in the bed.

By now I am so tired and so sore that I could not stay still long enough to doze. I was twitching and moving every minute or so. But I could hear finally after 2 hours that Lindsey was falling into a deep sleep. So at 5 am I slowly roll her off me and she WOKE up..I gave her a body pillow to snuggle with and I went into her room to sleep on her bed. Finally SLEEP. 15 minutes later she comes in crying...so she crawls in bed with me again in HER room and we sleep immediately. Suddenly the phone yanks me away...I fall out of bed...LITERALLY and in a disoriented state find the phone.

It is 8am. So I got a few hours of sleep. I decide to go back to sleep and sleep as long as the girls will sleep. I look into my room and no Lindsey, I look in her bed, no Lindsey. I then look all over the house and no Lindsey. I go back to her room and turn on the light and finally I see her in Emily's bed....I realized I had no memory of her sleeping with me - I was so sleep deprived that it took several minutes to piece the night back together. I went and caught a few more ZZZ's in the recliner only to be woken up 20 minutes later by...yup you guessed it LINDSEY!!! I love that girl!

So unless you are under 25...do not sleep in a tent without a mattress. And if you already know that daddy is gonna do it this weekend...DON'T OFFER TO DO IT! Make a SPECIAL memory some way else. But that's just me.

-- Laura ;0)

Cuteness in a Sassy Package

I am Lindsey! I am 5. Cute you say? Of course I am!!

And really how could you argue with this. My Lindsey girl cracks me up. This sweet little thing will be the first one to hug you tight and say I love you. She will snuggle up and say I am the best mommy in the world...well, yesterday was one of the days. I got a lot of lovin' from my Lindsey girl... AND THEN

I started asking her to pick up her things on the living room floor. She moaned a little but did it.
then a minute later I asked her to pick up something else she left on the floor and she groaned a lot louder and said "I don't have to do EVERYthing!" "I'm NOT your prisoner!!"

I couldn't help but laugh...

BUSY End of Summer Days

The Cushman Girls!!

I just came back from my Girls camp out! I look forward to this time of year all year long. Where I get away with just some friends and go to my families property on the Olympic Pennisula - not too far from Twilight land!! We come here to relax, and do whatever we want. Each year the mix of people is usually a little different - most of these friends are the usuals with me but there is one or two more that come and go but can't always make it every year!


What I like most about this weekend - without a doubt is the laughter that always ripes thru the weekend. We spend hours telling stories, and just laughing. Laughing until we are crying. Laughing until our stomachs ache and then at that point everything is funny and we just laugh more. And it is a time of great sharing - usually at some point most of us will have a time of crying. Sharing the weight that we all carry on our shouldiers or sharing the hurts of our lives.


It is a safe time and we have a motto - "What happens at Cushman, stays at Cushman!" Until next year!!


My Emily - 6 year old! decides finally to concur the bike without taining wheels. And I am amazed at how quickly she picked it up. She loves it. She is still wobbely and in fact I am waiting for her to crash and break her leg..the way she puts her legs down to stop when she is nearly out of control makes my skin crawl..but she catches herself every time and has only fallen once - barely tipping the bike over. You can see as she rides that she is experienceing a new taste of freedom! The wind blowing across her eyes thru the motorcycle helmet, the sense of the air rushing past her skin and the crazy wobble back and forth - SHE IS IN HEAVEN!




Loungin' on summer evenings! I love this pic. Emily actually has a piece of long grass in her mouth and no this picture was not Staged! She was just enjoying herself and taking a breather after working so hard to learn to ride her bike without training wheels. She layed here about 5 minutes and then jumped back on her bike!!

Isn't this picture a hoot! I hade my niece and nephew - Alex and Hailey here for about 4 days this past week. We had days full of running around! Swimming and painting and swimming and more swimming. There are actually 5 people in this car. My husband took our girls and Alex and Hailey to the lake last week. There is actually a LITTLE motor that he can put on this and it could barely tow the tube - and the canoe with 5 people in it - had to of been a SITE! but fun I am sure.

Well, as you can see - we have been busy. On top of all the above - I have been painting my garage, cleaning other peoples houses and working at a friends house doing yard work. Once I finish my garage - I will need to seriously get on with the homeschool prep! Yikes -I can't believe I have not started yet. It may be awhile before you hear from me!!