Hope all had a very merry week!

There is only 1/2 hour left in this very merry week. This is also the 1/2 hour of silence of this week. We have had some wonderful days! The week started out with the most uplifting special meetings I can remember. They get better every year and once again we were not disappointed.

Sunday night the kids got to go to Grandpa and Grandma Anderson's for the very first time! They walked clear across the front yard and spent the night in G&G's motorhome. It was very special to be able to go to their "house" for the night.

Randy and I spent Christmas Eve morning preparing the kids' Christmas presents....bedroom makeovers! It was time to redo everything!!! My excitement bubble popped when we opened the brand new dresser and saw that it was broken. I called the company and there was no problem sending it back....until I went to UPS and found out it would cost $800 to ship!!! Now the girls didn't have their new headboards and dresser, but there was enough change that we knew they'd still be excited. We finished with everything else and G&G brought the kids back home after a special breakfast out and Christmas began for all of us! (I took before pictures of the bedrooms, but I have to wait until we get the new furniture (that I have to fix) before I take after pictures, then I'll post them.) The excitement in their eyes and voices made me forget all about broken furniture and outrageous shipping costs!

A much desired MP3 player...New bedding makes for a very comfy bed and a perfect place for hours of fun with his new gameboy...A dollhouse taller than she is has become part of the living room decor...

Three very happy kids!

Randy and Amy

Create your own visitor map!

Where did the time go?

I had every intention to get a holiday letter and picture in the mail this year...at Christmas time. Last year I cheated and sent my holiday letter on Valentine's Day. It's a holiday!

Since I already posted the main events of our year, I'll just share some cute kid things.

Kaylee has added to the English language. She was very perceptive to pick up on the fact that many time references begin with "to" - tonight, tomorrow, today. In her ignorance, she has added to-now, to-later and to-yesterday. Very cute!

Tessa had an interesting way of describing the first day of school. She told me that she had 13 butterflies in her stomach. Ten of them were excited and three of them were nervous, but the three were making more racket than the ten.

I had made a "School Morning Procedures" poster for the kids. We follow exactly the same morning routine 9 months out of the year, but I was still having to prod them along every step of the way. On the first day of school Trevon read the poster. One item says "Pack your packback with library books, lunch money or lunch, snack, homework, folder, notes". I figured that covered everything. Trevon doesn't see "school supplies" on the list so he empties everything out of his backpack and reloads with one folder and lunch money. I failed to remember that Trevon has a VERY literal mind and the poster DID NOT say to pack school supplies, even though it was the first day of school and that should have been obvious. (He has done very well from the 2nd day of school until now!) In 2nd grade, he's learning to add double digit numbers. The teacher said add the "ones" column, then the "tens" column. So, that means 23+13=9. The teacher DID not say, add the "ones" column, put the answer below the line, then add the "tens" column, put that answer below the line and now you have a new number that is your answer. No, he added 3+3, then 2, then 1 = 9. The entire worksheet was correct using that mathematical method. (He's aced almost every math sheet since then! A quick learner, just doesn't know when he's wrong because he follows exactly what the teacher says.)

Kaylee was getting stomachaches from chewing gum. Once we figured this out, she was really good about not having gum very often and never chewing the gum for very long. She'd throw it away saying, "I don't wannie get a stummych-ache." One day she was helping unload the silverware from the dishwasher. Halfway through, she says, "I don't wannie do this, I might get a stummych-ache." How smart is that!!!?? Devious, but smart, and still cute at 3 years old.

Tessa was doing a "Travelling back in time" project for school. She chose to enter her time machine and travel back to when her mom was a little girl! Way back! When interviewing me, one of the questions was what year I was born. I answered 1976. As she wrote the year, we hear her saying in a totally awe-struck voice, "Whoa!"

All for now from this old lady. Have happy, fun, and family filled holidays!!

Holiday Cheer!

Traci had some cute little elves on her blog, so I just had to make my own...

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1210797732

We're smiling again!

Good-bye discomfort, hello soft-leather-comfy-reclining-laze-around-all-day furniture. Here's our new loveseat. We bought two matching glider recliners too, but they don't fit in the view finder of the camera. They aren't really that big, but this gives the idea anyway. We bought them Friday and they weren't supposed to be delivered until Wednesday. On Friday afternoon the store called (when I was napping!) and said they could deliver on Saturday. My MIL took the call, told Randy, and they kept it a secret from me. MIL took me shopping ALL day Saturday and I actually started complaining about being gone too long. Little did I know she was making sure we were gone long enough so the furniture would be there before we got home. Randy met me at the door, walked me in, and dropped me into a recliner. Merry Christmas to me!!!!

Kaylee insisted on taking a picture...again! She had me posing! What else is there to do on a rainy, windy December afternoon but play with the camera? I was impressed she got all of me and most of the loveseat after several attempts. I will NOT post the picture she took of me sitting at the computer, but I will share the mental image because it is worth a few good chuckles anyway. She captured from my neck to my hips...from the side, with terrible posture. SCARY!

Little Sister

Little Sister found Big Sister's pretend clip-on earrings. Notice that these apparently are not "lobe clip-ons" but made for the upper ear. They really wiggle clipped on like that too! The kids lost a brand new pair gloves, but no, the earrings stay around for years!!!

Cold, bored, and uncomfortable

Whine, whine, whine. Cold because I can't build a fire. We are getting a new roof and I might smoke out the roofers. Bored because we are getting a new roof and I don't have any money to spend and housework doesn't sound fun today. Uncomfortable because I got a wild hair one day and sold all our furniture. The new set of furniture isn't as plush as I was hoping. The rocker doesn't recline. I like the idea of matching chairs and I suppose the wood will never go out of style, but they just aren't very comfy for long. Here's a picture. They do make the living room feel big so that's a plus!



Well, that is a bit of an exaggeration. I have my $1 garage sale chair and my outdoor metal furniture. I never realized how much I would miss a recliner in the evening. Now to find the perfect set in looks, color, and comfort. Oh yeah, and affordable. What a challenge!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, tomorrow!
A beautiful autumn evening in our backyard


Mastering the art of carving pumpkins...notice the tongue!

The only child in the house to cooporate with the cold outside, costumes, dark, and lit pumpkins picture. Thank you, Tessa!

This was a surprise! I'm taking pictures in the dark, can't see a thing around me, can't even see Tessa. I'm just telling her to stay ready and keep smiling. After the camera displays the picture, this is what I see. My dear husband is posing as a monster. (I think I moved the camera a little too soon...We'll just call that creative photography.)

This will have to be Kaylee's Halloween outfit. She is too shy to leave the house in any kind of costume. She wanted to try on my new boots. Since she looked so cute I wanted to take a picture. I had to make deal with her. I could take the picture if she could take a picture of me when I was done...

Here's me!!!

Autumn Days

This is probably my favorite time of year. To me, it is the most beautiful - until the wind blows off all the leaves. It feels good to be outside and it feels even better to come in to a cozy house and sit by the fire.

The kids only have a few hours of daylight after school to play outside, but last Friday we got to spend a beautiful, sunny day at Kayak Point with Lois and Carolyn. The best fun we've had in a long time!


This is Carolyn at the top of the "Eiffel Tower".

The kids and Tucker enjoying the last bit of sunshine and getting pumpkins ready for carving.

Tickled my funny bone

It seems we always end up with pictures like these of Randy at all the kids' birthday parties. These pictures are a few months old but they still make me laugh. And, since we haven't done anything exciting lately I had to post something new....


Trevon got a bicycle helmet and there was one extra piece so Randy found a use for it all.

My parents gave Trevon remote control trucks for his birthday. Randy was so excited that Trevon got two! When I was trying to get a picture of Trevon with his grandpa and grandma, Randy jumped in at the last minute since he thought part of the gift was for him. Fortunately the novelty of the trucks wore off fairly quickly for Randy! Trevon still loves them.


















Here are the "boys" thoroughly enjoying themselves.

I'm very new at this

So, I've jumped on the bandwagon and become a blogger. Just about everything I've posted is in the wrong order, but after almost 5 hours on my first try I'm going to call it good for now. (Those 5 hours include making breakfast and lunch, taking Kaylee on a short bike ride, phone calls, and building a fire in the woodstove with help from a 3 year old.) I do believe I beat DeAnne on creating a blog so that should count for something!!! Happy viewing. Amy

Latest addition to our family - Tucker

After years of begging from the kids, we gave in and got a puppy. Once the decision was made I think I was the most excited of the whole family. He has been a lot of fun. The kids have done well with all the responsibilities that come with having a dog. There are days though that we have to remind them of how "lucky" they are as we hand them a shovel. He's a good "brother" for Trevon. Someone to be rough with and they actually play soccer together!

The real summer adventures

Our annual trip to Lake Roosevelt


Trevon and Rylan

Daily activities include...holding down the lawn chairs, building diving boards and sand castles, and cruising.

Randy, Rod, and Ernie were invited to Alaska for a "Once in a lifetime" fishing trip. (They are now trying to convince their wives it needs to become a "Once in a year" fishing trip.) Here's a typical day...



Rod with his...uh...trophy halibut

Randy with his average catch of the day - a 28 pound king salmon

And Grandpa Ernie with a loaded camera, searching for the award-winning photo.

Overview of our summer

Visiting relatives... in our living room



























At the waterslides...in the backyard







At the car races...in the backyard

Camping in Stanwood...in our backyard