And we call this SPRING?????

For the last four days in a row - we have woke up with a light dusting of snow that quickly melts off when the sun comes up... not today! We are supposed to get 1-3 inches today! UGH! It was like winter driving all over again!

Someone needs to drop kick that dumb groundhog - he has it ALLLL wrong!

Some photos!

Miss O received a tea set from Grandma Judy - and she LOVES it! She had her brothers share tea with her! Too cute!
Both front chompers are finally gone on little J! Lucky for him its not corn-on-the-cob season!
This was adorable! She was supposed to be napping - but she apparently read herself to sleep! You can barely see her hair at the top!
Someone got a hold of the mr potato head pieces! She had no help with this one! John had to take the picture - she can be so crazy!!

The end of a long week!

All three kiddos returned to school on Monday... and have so far survived the return to school! Miss O was incredibly happy to be back at pre-school! She has made some progress using the potty (on her terms that is!) which has been a big relief for the rest of us!

Big A has had a tougher time - as right before Spring Break, we had the parent teacher conferences. Since the beginning of the year, he has been receiving extra resources for math, reading and writing. His regular classroom teacher has not been giving him much homework. I finally had to have a chat with him and tell him to just treat him like everyone else - and let's see what he can do! It's almost as if the school has "dumbed" him down a bit. He has had to do what every other 4th grader has been doing all year - which is about an hour + of homework each night... he has been pretty grumpy to say the least!

Tonight the hubby and I get a little break, as all three kiddos will be going to a Kidivity tonight for 2 hours... so WE get to go have dinner by ourselves! Whoo - hoo!

Happy Easter 2008!

Showing off their loot! Apparently, WAY too much - yet again!!!

PJ, the Easter Dog, he just can't be excluded! He escaped from the back yard so that he could help hunt eggs and then demanded to come in and see what Miss O had! Spoiled????? NAH!

Big A finds his basket! It's such a good thing that we have lots of places that the Bunny can hide things!

Little J found an egg in the hay! Amazingly enough, it was not a (real) chicken egg! Sometimes they hang out in there!

Miss O shows off her Cookie Car that she got! She seemed pretty satisfied with her loot!

Happy Easter! We enjoyed a nice and somewhat quiet Easter morning - then that ended when Miss O found a green plastic Easter egg in her bed! Little J always tends to get apprehensive at any holiday - he gets alot of holiday anxiety! First, he was really excited - then really upset when Miss O was showing off her egg! It took him a few minutes to calm down, then the thought hit him that the Easter Bunny (aka EB) might have hid something in HIS bed too! Of course he started screaming for his brother and they attacked their beds and found their egg! The boys had the courtesy (amazing!) to help their little sister read the clues in each egg she found so that she could find her basket. She received a Cookie Monster basket full of toys and fun! She loved it! Of course once she found her basket - her moody brother got upset yet again - thinking that he was only going to be able to hunt for eggs in the house..... UGH - he can be a real pain to reason with at times!

Both boys opened their eggs, and started following the clues... fortunately for Little J - he DID have to go outside and hunt!

EB was kind (to us) this year and only put a few pieces of small candy in each egg! Miss O pretty quickly finished off hers and tried to help each brother eat theirs at each stop! In the end - both boys found their baskets and enjoyed lots of fun stuff! We had a brief flashback to 2002, where Big A ate ALL his Easter candy - and I mean ALL of it within about 20 minutes... he promptly went to the sink and threw up! Again - he does not fail to amaze us that he would try it again - yep - 2008 and finished all his candy before he had everything out of the basket! hehe! Oh well - if he gets sick this time - hopefully he will remember it - because we sure will!

Later in the evening, we found out that both boys have become "non believers" in EB! Can you believe that??? Hopefully, they will keep their wicked thoughts to themselves - or next year, it will be alot cheaper and alot less time for EB's assistant to have to work! HA

Big News! We're adopting AGAIN!!!!!

We decided that since Easter was near - we'd share our BIG news! We had not anticipated that things would move so quickly, but they have and we are all more than ready for to make the big announcement to everyone!

We have been discussing the new addition(s) with both boys, who were thrilled with the announcement!

Both boys were excited, yet a little apprehensive about who and how we would be choosing the newest additon(s). We talked about about the fact that everyone would have to pitch in and make some sacrifices so that these little ones would grow and enjoy being part of the family. We talked about responsibilities that the boys would have - and why it was important that they do their parts..... The hows and whys of adoption were discussed - and all the important things that would be changing in the short time.

No, we are not adopting from Ukraine this time around - we are adopting locally. We figured that it would be much less expensive and we would definetly not be leaving empty-handed!

The kids and I drove to Yakima this morning, took some stuff back to Costco, had lunch at Applebees then we headed to the big destination of the day.....


The kids and I pulled into Big R - walked in and came out with our five new little chosen ones!
Meet our newest little clucks for 2008!!!!!

Boy - I hope nobody go the impression that I was talking about anything other than CHICKS!

Have a great day! :)

Lions and Tigers and Bears - oh my!

We rented the stroller for Miss O - but apparently it is more fun to push your older brother in it!
Three cuties and an ape!
Little J poses with an extremely accomodating peacock!

Today we headed over to Seattle and took the kiddos to the zoo! The boys have both been before on field trips in the first grade - but this was a first for Miss O! She enjoyed everything and loved seeing all the animals! She said "ewwww" and stuck out her tongue when we saw the snakes! Awesome for me - as I am not a fan of snakes either!

We got each of them one of those smashed penny things that puts a picture on a penny after you run it through the machine - Miss O got a giraffe, Little J a tiger, and Big A did not show his! HA! When we finally saw the Giraffes, Miss O freaked out and dug into her pocket for HER "raf"! It was super cute! She was pretty impressed (if not totally overwhelmed!) by all the animals! Unfortunately - I ran out of batteries in the camera during a majority of the cute moments!

But here are a few pics I did manage to get!

Happy St. Hubby's Day!

Happy "big #" birthday to my wonderful hubby! He turned a BIG number today! In honor of his special day - we went out to breakfast with Grandma Judy and all the kids. The kids and I got him some presents and made cards. Then, he decides to mow the lawn - in the rain! Hehe! I'm not sure what he was thinking - but it was cute to watch! Not many people mow their yards in their heavy winter coats! Since we have not mowed the lawn since last fall - I guess he thought it would be a good time! Phebe, our not so little puppy has pretty much made it her job to ruin our yard! She is completely destructive! Anything she can pick up - she chews... she even carried some of my planters over to this part of the yard, dumped the dirt out and then proceeded to chew the planter buckets up and leave the piles of dirt - as you can see in the picture! Since we have yet to spay her, and she likes to roam, we have to leave her locked up in the back yard when we are not outside... sort of sucks since we live in the toolies - but one neighbor complained that she was on their property and being too friendly with their kids..... though I've tried to contain my comments about allllll the things they've done to piss me off - I've decided to try and be the bigger person (for now!)! I'll just be as passive as I can about the 300 Republican party posters I put up along my driveway come this summer! HAHAHA!

!

And in this corner.....

Weighing in at an impressive 52 pounds 2 ounces... the silver medalist from his weight/age bracket at the Ellensburg Tournament on March 15th - give it up for Big A!
We had our final meet of the season (very excited about that!) in Ellensburg on Saturday. Again, it was alot of sitting and waiting! Fortunately, since we live so darn close, we were able to have alot more flexibility! Miss O has a tough time sitting and hanging out that long, and Little J tends to gravitate to the concession stand and spend all his money - not to mention get all sugared up!
Grandma Judy came from Sequim and spent the weekend with us, which the kids truly enjoyed! She brought them a ton of books and Miss O got a brand new tea set! The boys loved their new books - and the tea set was a HUGE hit! The wind blew alot the last couple of days - so nothing could be done (without freezing) outside! Spring break starts Monday (big groan!) and all three kiddos are out of school for the week! The nice thing is that Easter is on Sunday - so I will be busy getting the bunny plans done! Fortunately, Little J and Miss O are believers - and it is only Big A that I really have to watch out for! I don't mind getting up at 6am to assist the extremely busy bunny - but it does make for a long day! I think that the bunny remembered to cut back on all the sugary stuff this year!! HA!

Big A wins his first wrestling medal!

We traveled to Othello, for their Little Guys Wrestling Invitational yesterday. Big A won 3rd place in his weight class!

He was really proud and excited about his medal! He had to get up about 5:30am and leave around 6, and we did not get home until 8pm! It was an extremely long long long day!

There is one more competition next weekend - then wrestling is pretty much over for the season.. This time we don't have to travel far, as it is in town! Yipppeeeee!

Wheels on the bus!

Too cute! She won't sing - but she can do the "Wheels on the Bus" dance!

"I'm ok!"

This was too cute! She actually enjoyed the folding chair and did it until we finally had to stop her!

At least someone had fun on the fishing trip!

Opening Day fishing

Well, it wasn't a fish - but it was the biggest slime Little J reeled in! ICK!
Ahhhh - he's actually sharing! I think little O had more patience holding the rod than the boys did! She actually wanted to sit there and hold it!
Big A sits down (for a few minutes!) and WAAAAAIIIIITTTSSSS! Fishing is really hard for him - as he has to hold still!

We took the kids to Quincy for opening day of fishing. We were (un) fortunate to not have caught anything that would have required killing and bringing home! We got a late start, but the boys had a fun time casting and learning to finally bait their own hooks!

We only stayed a few hours, but it was MORE than enough for me!

The weather was in the 50's and was fairly nice... at least most the snow was melted! It looks like spring is finally here! As it was incredibly windy at our house all weekend!

End of the soup diet and other stuff

Well, we finished the heinous soup diet! The hubby lost 10 pounds, and I lost almost 7 (sounds better than more than 6!) I had a much harder time with it than the hubby, as I was around the kiddos, the cupboards, freezer and fridge! haha! Plus, add the fact that I really do not like alot of my veggies cooked in a soup! We are going to try and adopt a few more healthy eating habits to see if we can lose a few more pounds before Spring Break. Being a bread-a-holic and choco-holic, this diet is extremely hard on me! hehe!

We have been continuing to work with Little O on her toilet training... she is a bit defiant at times! She is pretty close, but seems to be the kind of little girl that will be ready when SHE says so! All we can do is give her little pushes and reminders.... I can't wait until we can stop buying Pull-ups and diapy wipes! Overall though, she has made great strides in her development, considering her background! I would have to say her understandable language is close to 50 words. WE can understand alot more, but someone who is not fluent in "O-lish" tends to have problems figuring it out! She can get most her clothes off by herself, and put her PJ's on by herself... she can brush her teeth (with help!), she is REALLY close to being able to pedal on her trike (time for a helmet!) as well as she can ALMOST write her name to where anyone can read it.... At times we forget about her past and compare her to her big brother J, when it comes to the developmental stuff... Little J was always way ahead developmentally, potty trained at 2 and reading at 4.... I have a feeling in the next few months she will really take off! She is now wearing her 3T shirts/dressers and 2T pants! Amazing how much she has grown! She is slowly getting out of the Sesame Street phase, currently in Pooh and Mickey Mouse! She also loves to look at books and tries to read them, but we have to watch her, as she also loves to shred books! She actually likes to ruin board books and the lift-the-flap books best!
Off to get the kiddos ready to take Big A to wrestling practice!

Big A's first tournament!

Yesterday, Big A had his very first wrestling tournament! We were really surprised how well he did! He just started the end of January, so to take on a tournament this early was asking alot!

He had 3 rounds/matches (I am still learning the lingo!) He won his first 10-1! His second round was not so great - he got pinned in the first three seconds! The third match he had a great competition, the boy was almost 10 pounds heavier and about 5 inches taller! Alex lost 11-9, so only by two points, and the other boy really had to work hard to get those last two points!

Big A was really proud of himself! It was a long day - but well worth it!

We are on our last day of the soup diet! UGH! The hubby has lost about 10 pounds, and so far I have only lost about 7! Oh well! I do have to say that the hardest part was looking at the stack of Ukrainian chocolate (my more than favorite flavor!) that my pal Donna sent to me! It took me 3 days to actually hide them! We sat in the stands yesterday surrounded by folks and kids eating hot dogs, pizza, chips, cookies, etc... and we had to have plain salad and raw veggies! It took alot of willpower! But, we got thru it! Today we get to indulge in brown rice and veggies, and of course the soup! Less than 24 hours - so the count down has began!!!!!

Here is a short video of Big A... he is in the red!

The hideous soup diet, and more!

The last two weeks have been pretty uneventful, so far that is! All the kids have been busy with school, Big A with wrestling (my least favorite sport!) and Little J overly concerned on when he gets to start another sport. Luckily for us, both boys decided NOT to do baseball this spring! WHAT A RELIEF! That would have been 5 days a week for practices and games! Sounds like they are both leaning towards swimming lessons, though it seems to change daily! I always get the thrill of reminding them that they can no longer choose baseball, as the registration closed! WOOO-HOOO!

Little O has been enjoying preschool, she is trying harder to say new words. She is still really delayed with it, but we seem to have our own language with her - so things are not so bad! She has decided that she would rather fall asleep after preschool in the car and take her nap earlier in the day, instead of later - works for me! As long as she naps, we are all happy!

The hubby and I started the "soup diet" last Monday. We were supposed to be able to lose 10-17 pounds in 7 days... Sunday is our last day! It has been a really hard diet to stick to - no yummy stuff! You have no idea how BAD I want soem french fries, or ice cream, or cookies, or... I better stop!

Edit: The Cell phone travels again! Carolyn is taking it with her to Kremenchuk and other areas in the Poltava region with OBS!

Warm thoughts and weekend outings!

We had an eventful weekend! The best part was the weather! The temps were in the 40's and the snow has been quickly melting! Since we have had the snow over month - its time for it to go! Friday night, we had a little birthday party for Little J. We did the dinner, cake and presents thing. He was pretty pleased! Little O was a bit torked off that it was not HER birthday! She got over it when she got to eat cake!
Saturday we spent most the day outside getting the ice broken up off the driveway and around the barn... the kids took the time to enjoy the warmer weather and play as much as they could outside! Jason played with alot of his new birthday toys! (Easy come, easy go - as many are already broken!)
Sunday we drove out to Joe Watt Canyon to where they have one of the elk feeding stations (picture below)... it is amazing how many of those darn things come down to eat! We went to have lunch, then we drove down to the Umptanum Rec. Area in the Yakima Canyon to the swinging bridge. The temp when we were there was 50! Totally like a heat wave! haha! We went over the bridge, and Olya got to see a fast moving train close up! She loved the fact that she and her brothers were waving at the train - and the engineer was waving and really laid on the horn a few times! We got a few pictures on the tracks (of course long after the train was gone!) and then walked around on the trails for a while before heading back home! It was so nice to let the kids really run around and enjoy some fresh air!
Back to the old grind this week!
Little J. Little O and Big A pose on the tracks!
Elk at Joe Watt Canyon
Mama and Little O strike a quick pose!
And the ending of birthday week for little J! I still can't believe that he is EIGHT! UGH!

Thought for the day.....

Who needs a thought - when this precious smile is more than enough!

Happy Birthday Little J!

Yesterday, Little J had his birthday! Hard to believe that he is actually EIGHT! It seems not so long ago he was having his first birthday! Where does the time go??? He loved having his fried ice cream at our favorite Mexican restaurant!

Tuesday, I brought ice cream sandwiches for his class, which surprised him as he was pretty much resigned to not having much of a birthday this year (looooong story!) due to his far from delightful behavior! Hopefully, if all goes well, he will have a small party on Friday.

He does not show a toothy smile in the picture, but last week he lost his first front (upper) tooth!

He is just getting too big! But, we love him anyways!!!!

Todays adventure.....

Walking in the snow at Carey Lake! Someone gets Princess treatment and gets pulled!

The iced over and frozen section of the Yakima River, as seen on our drive down the canyon.

A small part of a herd of Big Horned Sheep we saw.. it was too bad I did not have a better zoom!

Hard to see - but these two Bald Eagles were HUGE! Very impressive on top of the tree!

Today the kiddos and I made our monthly trek down to Costco in Yakima. Though we had a trace of snow in the morning - the sun came out and it was beautiful! We enjoyed our usual (super cheap!) Costco lunch and then instead of coming back the freeway - we went on via the Yakima River Canyon - which adds about 15-20 minutes to the trip - as you tend to slow down and watch the wildlife!

Today was a great day for spotting "critters!" We saw two fairly large herds of the Big Horn Sheep, a few handfuls of deer, four hawks and TWELVE bald eagles! In all my years of driving the Canyon (which was twice a day when I commuted to Yakima for almost 10 years!) I had NEVER seen that many in a trip! The kids had fun keeping count, as well as watching them fly really close to the car! One of the herds of sheep was low - so we got a picture - which is tough as you don't want to stop on the road and get hit!

So we got a picture of a pair of eagles on one tree, a small section of a herd of sheep, and a picture of all the ice on the river!

All in all - so far a decent day off from school - though I am truly excited for them to go back tomorrow!

Other good news - after 6 days without good running water - it finally thawed late yesterday afternoon... the temps stayed in the low 20's most the weekend - so the ice finally melted in the line! We have never gone that long without it! UGH!

Yesterday - we took the kids and the dogs for a walk near the river at Carey Lakes.. it was pretty cold - but good for everyone to get out and exercise! Little O got some special treatment - she got to ride most the time in her wagon.... Luckily for us, her brothers took turns pulling!

Ahhhhhh Winter!

As much as we "love" the winter months around here - it tends to be more than trying! We have to watch the weather to see just HOW cold it is going to get at night! It sure would be nice if they could at least get it somewhat right!

Predicted low last night was 12. We woke up to ZERO and no water! UGH! Though this happens a few times each winter to us - it is a massive pain in the butt! Poor hubby has to go out and check everything to make sure that the heat bulb on the well is working (this morning it was burnt out!) and then see what else needs to be done! Apparently, with all the work we have going on, as well as the super long extension cord being stuck in the ice - neither wanted to work this morning! So - he found that the extension cord was not working either! To make a long story short - we jerry-rigged a few cords together (we'll probably have a few frozen chickens!) and got things to start the slow thaw! It is such a major pain!
So - we have been without a "normal" water flow since Tuesday! We have to pull water off the other water line, run it into the pressure tank - and be extremely choosy about how much water to use and when! We have been told that most likely our main line is frozen. All week the high has been around 15-20... so there is no way possible that the line will thaw! Oh well! Tonight is the warmest it has been - about 21 and snowing of course!
It will be really nice when this cold snap ends and we see some balmy temps in the 30's! HA!
For those of you who just had to email me the questions - I'll answer them!

#1 - No we don't have FOUR kids! The little brown haired girl in the first slideshow is the same as the little blonde in the other slides! She has really changed!
#2 - No - neither boy acts like an angel! VERY VERY deceiving looks!
#3 - No ! I'm not a Neil Diamond fan - but the song was an fitting opening for the slide show!

For those of you in warmer climates (Nana and Grandpa, Jenn T, Jenn H and April) I am so hating you right now!!!! Just kidding!

And Happy Birthday to my dad - who turns an amazing age this year - at some point don't we stop counting!

Amy