Sunday

Looking back over my posts for the last week I can see it looks like Travis has been the focus, and I guess that's okay from time to time.

Saturday I spent several hours over at the church in the nursery. There was a memorial service for a man who was loved and respected by many, many people. The sanctuary was packed, and they even had to put extra chairs in the balcony. I only caught part of the service on the speaker box, because we had 11 little ones in the nursery, but what I heard was powerfully emotional. Nathan Alexander was a good man.

I found it interesting to see so many faces I recognized from when I was a kid, and to see the offspring of people I went to youth group with. I know that most of them didn't recognize me, and I'm okay with that.

Today Jeff and I taught Children's church. We ran out of time. We actually ran over-time but managed to close with a meaningful prayer and dismiss before too many parents were standing there waiting for kids. We weren't even the last ones to pick up our nursery child, so we were doing alright.

After church Tyler went with Jeff on the bus run, Travis went to a friend's house, and I brought Tommy home for his nap. My step-daughter called to chat for a bit, and then Scott & Amanda came over with Josh.

Tyler, Josh, and the neighbor girl played in the pool for a long time, then played the PlayStation. Jeff and Scott helped grandpa put up a shade house tent thing. Eventually, after the kids were done in the pool, Jeff went in and then so did Amanda, then Tommy.

Grandpa asked, again, if this was a taste of how things were going to be. I said "yeah" and he started to shake his head and ask if his house would survive us...so I kind of cut him off. I reminded him that he is always telling people about the many parties they used to throw, and how they hosted youth group meetings and adult bible studies and other activities. His response was something about those parties being "within reason". I don't think having one couple and their one child over for the afternoon is unreasonable. I think he's going to have to compromise and adapt. I also think he may start to see why I want to set up a living room in the basement for us to entertain in.

We went to the churches softball game this evening, and grandpa opted to stay home. He probably wanted to soak up some peace and quiet. We met up with Travis at the game and all the kids quietly went to bed when we got home.

Mom, I got some pictures of the kids in the pool, like you asked me to, but my camera is out in the car so you'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Travis

This is Travis before I dropped him off for Big Splash......


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and this is Travis after he came home from Big Splash........








He had a good time and got to spend some time getting to know other kids in the youth group better. I have to say that makes me nervous, he's only 12 after all. Most of the other kids are 15 and older, and they don't realize he's younger. One of them was stunned to find out how young Travis is last week. Yikes!

Travis's New Bedding

So, today I decided to try to make Travis a little more comfortable in his room. Apparently it worked, because I overheard him refer to it as his "real" bed. I laughed and asked him it it wasn't real before changing the bedding, he said the fluffy pink blanket was not him. I guess that means the blue and green works for him.

I still need to buy the lime green sheets, haven't done that yet. I'm also considering lime green sheers to cover his closet area, and a dark blue valance for over the window. He did get a cool new hamper today to help him keep things picked up in there.

Much better than pink.

Keeps the pens and pencils corralled.

Not bad for a 20-minute craft project.

Our Day at the Zoo

Tree Kangaroo

Travis & Friend

He was disappointed the lion was sleeping.

Gotta Love this Kid.

Feeding the Wild Animal.

Travis thought the sloth bear was ugly and mean looking.

I thought he was kind of cute.

Leaping Lemurs.

I love this picture of the elephant's twisted trunk.

We've been busy.

Poor Jeff called me Friday night and asked me to pick him up at work. He came home and went bed, not to emerge until Monday afternoon when he went back to work. Yikes! He did not feel well.

We roasted sausages and made s'mores and Desiree's house on Saturday. The boys had fun. Travis started the fire in no time with his new magnesium and flint. Go Travis!

Sunday at church was weird...nobody was there and many of those who were there were wandering the halls instead of being in the sanctuary. I only had Tommy in the nursery, and would've gone home if it wasn't for the 5 middle school kids that were hanging out.

Monday we barbecue and worked on emptying out Travis's closet. Thank you, Mom. Tuesday Grandpa and Travis finished the closet and put up a rod to hang his clothes on. Major improvement.

Today I took Travis to the Woodland Park Zoo to make up for his train trip that was postponed. Now Tyler thinks I should take him in a couple weeks to make up for coming home early from Mom & Me Camp. Hmm....think you can babysit again in two weeks, Mom?

Rainbow, I'm sorry I haven't called you back. Melissa, it was nice talking to you tonight. I'm going to post some pics and hit the hay.

Good Night.

It’s About Me

Cut and pasted from http://renlim73.blogspot.com/2009/05/its-about-me.html

1. First thing you wash in the shower? My Face
2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Gray
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Yes
4. Do you plan outfits? If I have somewhere special to go.
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? A little tired. It's been a long day.
6. What's the closest thing to you that's red? A crayon.
7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?
I dreamed I would like my hair short if I was skinnier.
8. Did you meet anybody new today? Yes
9. What are you craving right now? Nothing.
10. Do you floss? Yes
11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? Soup
12. Are you emotional? I can be.
13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? Yes
14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? Bite.
15. Do you like your hair? I'd like it better longer or apparently if I was skinnier (see #7).
16. Do you like yourself? Sometimes
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? Yes
18. What are you listening to right now? Criminal Minds on TV
19. Are your parents strict? No
20. Would you go sky diving? Probably not, but I've watched friends do it.
21. Do you like cottage cheese? Yes.
22. Have you ever met a celebrity? Yes.
23. Do you rent movies often? No.
24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in? Yes, many things.
25. How many countries have you visited? Hmmm…not sure. Canada, Cuba, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Mom….help me out here.
26. Have you made a prank phone call? Yes.
27. Ever been on a train? I think so.
28. Brown or white eggs? Doesn't matter. Fresh is best.
29. Do you have a cell phone? Yes.
30. Do you use Chapstick? Not often.
31. Do you own a gun? I don't.
32. Who are you going to be with tonight? My kids.
33. Are you too forgiving? Depends.
34. Ever been in love? Yes.
35. Ever have cream puffs? Yes.
36. Last time you cried? Last week, out of frustration.
37. What was the last question you asked? What kind of tent Kim has.
38. Favorite time of the year? Summer/Winter…different reasons.
39. Do you have any tattoos? No.
40. Are you sarcastic? Sometimes.
I try not to be.
41. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? No.
42. Have you ever walked into a wall? Who hasn't?
43. Favorite color? Purple
44. Have you ever slapped someone? Yep.
45. Is your hair curly? Not at all.
46. What was the last CD you bought? Craig Morgan, Little Bit of Life
47. Do looks matter? First impressions do.
48. Could you ever forgive a cheater? Yes, Trusting again would be hard, would take a lot.
49. Is your phone bill sky high? No
50. Do you like your life right now? Yes.
51. Do you sleep with the TV on? I set the sleep timer to turn the TV off.
52. Can you handle the truth? Usually.
53. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? Have an intense disliking for….yes, more than 3. Hate? No.
54. How often do you talk on the phone? Very often.
55. The last person you held hands with? Tyler.
56. What are you wearing? Denim capris and a cotton top.
57. What are your favorite top 3 animals? Tigers, lions, and kittens.
58. Where was your default picture taken? In Washington State.
59. Can you hula hoop? Not well.
60. Do you have a job? Yes.
61. What was the most recent thing you bought? Lunch for Travis and me at the zoo.
62. Have you ever crawled through a window? More than once.

The pool in the backyard Grandpa bought the other day.

Tommy.

Always on the go.

Goofing Off.

Clocking the cars. There are too many speeders!

Checking the Tires.

My Little Monster

Tommy is just a bundle of energy, into everything and wants to do everything. He amazes me.

Today at swimming he surprised me. He was watching a class across the pool, the youngest class. There were a couple boys who were being coaxed into jumping into the water, from the pool deck, into their instructors arms. The next thing I know, Tommy is gesturing for me to take him to the ladder, which I did. I figured he was curious and wanted to see what it was...nope! He reached out and grabbed the handholds and hoisted himself right up the ladder and onto the pool deck, then he turned around and jumped into my arms! I let him climb the ladder and jump a few more times, then I tried to distract with a ball or rubber duckie or something, no such luck. He convinced me to take him to the pool side where he spent most of the next 45 minutes hauling himself out of the water and then jumping back into my arms in the pool. Of course, he was supported the entire time, his head never went under, and he had a blast! He did change from standing and jumping in to sitting and trying to dive in when he saw the older class was doing something along those lines. Oh boy, he's going to be fun to watch grow up!

Travis and Tyler are doing well in their lessons. Travis did a belly flop today that looked rather painful, and he won the cannonball contest...pride was the prize. Tyler is just having fun.

I have a headache. Allergies are taking their toll this year, on Tyler and Tommy more than me. Poor guys.

Melissa, it was great talking to you tonight. I checked out the Pioneer Woman's blog...pretty nice. I like the lodge where she does her homeschooling, and I love her attitude. I didn't have time to peruse the rest of the blog...recipes and all. How ever did you find her?

Well, good night everybody!

A Good Day

It wasn't the most productive day, but it was good. I went to see Desiree's place, and the house is small, but the yard it dreamy: park-like. They should have a wonderful summer there.

I got some grocery shopping done, my mom stayed at the house with Tommy which made that job a little easier. In the next week I need to clean out the cupboards in our breakfast area so I can stow our snacks away a little better.

Tyler asked if we could walk to WOW! tonight, and as it wasn't pouring and tonight was the last WOW! I agreed. It's about a 25 minute walk pushing a loaded stroller. It was nice to get out and get the fresh air, but I have to admit that both on the way there, and on the way back I started to run out of steam about 100 yards from our destination. You know the old saying "uphill both ways"? I never believed it was possible, until tonight. Our walk is that exactly...start out walking a downward slope, and then have to go up to reach where we're going...uphill both ways at the end of the journey.

Funny though, it took less time to walk to the church from here than it did to drive from Port Orchard.

Tomorrow I plan to work around here and go nowhere but swimming. I need to finish unpacking, and then we can help Des again on Friday. We have plans for roasting marshmallows around the fire pit Friday, before Bible Study of course.

Last night I missed NCIS. It looked like a good episode, but I was distracted by something and didn't get to watch it. I haven't watched much TV at all these past couple weeks, not a complaiant-just an observation. The boys haven't played any video games either. Today I discovered that I can watch the episode online...cool.

I hope you all are doing well. Rainbow, I didn't hear from you today. Is everything okay?

Returning the Favor

I spent most of the day helping Desiree pack up her house to move this week. Tomorrow morning I'm going with her to check out her new place...such a blessing for them.

Rainbow, sorry my phone died. Maybe it encouraged you to get your work done and stop yacking with me, lol.

The boys had swimming today, they're doing great. Tommy and I sat out, mostly because Tommy was napping on my shoulder for the first part of the hour, and then he was running around having fun.

Last night we had Crossover for the Cub Scouts. Tyler is now officially a Webelos Scout. I forgot my camera, and my phone didn't like taking pics last night for some reason...they all turned out blurry. Bummer. Anyway, I am not a den leader anymore, so I'll have to take my badge off my uniform. Now I'm officially the Advancement Chairperson, didn't I just give that position up over at the Boy Scout Troop? Maybe they won't find out. For the record, there is a whole lot less work involved in the Cub Scout position than the Boy Scout position. I only have to collect and report award information and pick up the awards. The Boy Scout Advancement chair has to arrange Boards of Review, plan the Courts of Honor, provide information on advancement opportunities, and encourage the boys personally to work on advancement along with the recordkeeping and shopping.

Crossover was fun. The Bear den did a great job on their two skits, there were plenty of awards, and for some reason there seemed to be more socializing during the dessert portion than usual. At least, I know I had more laughs than usual. All the leaders were presented with a Certificate of Appreciation and a picture of the pack, that was nice.

No Scouts next week, then back to normal schedule for the Boy Scouts. Cubs are done with official meetings until fall, but we have special events planned. Raingutter Regatta, Day Camp, Resident Camp, Kickball/Field Day, Family Camp, and a Bicycle Rodeo.

Tomorrow is our last night of WOW! until fall. Everything is coming to a close for summer, that hasn't sunk in yet. I suppose it will next week when we have nowhere to go. Actually, youth group might continue to meet after tomorrow, I need to check into that.

Travis is excited that he's going to Big Splash at Wild Waves at the end of the month with the youth group. It's a Christian Concert sponsored by Youth for Christ, the sample music on the website is pretty cool. www.bigsplash.org

Well, the kids are all tucked in their beds, fast asleep. Not all, Travis is relaxing, watching a movie. He keeps asking when we are going to have a day at home....soon, honey, soon. I need to shoo him off to bed pretty soon. Then I'm next.

Oh, here's Travis now. Good Night All!

It Was a Beautiful Day

Playing Tetherball

Starting a fire with flint and steel.

Flames!

If I Still Smoked.....

I would so want a cigarette right now. That tells me I need a break. Funny thing is, I actually started by craving workout time....just 20 minutes and enough elbow room to get through one kick-butt, sweat-inducing, Turbo Jam workout. Not even the full 45 minute Cardio Party, just a quickie....but alas, it hasn't been meant to be. I thought it was funny that my mind kept going back to that over the last three or four days, until tonight. Tonight, it was the cigarette thought that hit me. Not that I actually craved a cigarette, just the few minutes of solitude and peace the smoke-break used to buy me. I guess my workouts had become my "me time" and that's why I was craving them.

This move has been hard, and we are not yet settled. It's one thing moving into a new home. It's something else entirely moving into a home that is not just already furnished, but stuffed to the gills. There is not one room that is safe for 20-month-old Tommy to play. I'm starting to lose track of all the stuff he is gotten into, gotten hurt on, or broken: shells, music boxes, a crystal rose, candy dishes (ate all the candy, broke the bowl), pins and needles, scissors, razor blades, garden clippers, he fell down the stairs (just the first 3, he's okay, but still.....)

I feel a little compassion for the folks who are annoyed at Tommy for getting into everything, but I feel tons of compassion for my little boy who is curious and has nothing he is allowed to do or no place he can safely play. Today we went for a walk so he could burn off some energy. We swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he likes that so far, but yesterday he was getting a bit too brave, pulling away from me to chase balls and the like....he wore me out. I would like to get a float of some kind so I don't have to hold him the whole hour.

I don't mean to complain so much....it's nice being so close to the church, shopping, the pool, etc... I love the high speed Internet. If we get stuff sorted through and put away this arrangement could really work well...it's just all the stuff that's bothering me. I want to fence in the back yard somehow so I don't have to be on guard every single second he's out there. It would be nice to get a swing set, sandbox, or playhouse of some type. I want a bedroom door. I want a safe place I can put Tommy down to play so I can finish unpacking our boxes. I want a closet I can hang Travis's clothes in so they can get off his bedroom floor. I want a place where I can get my kids settled to do their schoolwork.

Tomorrow I am running away to the ocean. Pacific Beach, to be more precise. That's where Travis is until Sunday, and I told him I would come visit him. I really need the break. It's a 3-hour drive each way, so I'll be logging some road time. I should get my MP3 player ready.

So, for those of you who are praying people, please pray for safe travel, peace, and a solution to my Tommy woes. Rainbow, thank you for listening when I needed to complain. Mom, thank you. Melissa, I miss you. My cell phone is on dual clock, so I always know what time it is where you are. For whatever reason, I tend to look at the phone when it's 2 a.m. your time....you don't want me calling then.

Good Night All!

A Hodge-Podge of pictures.

Wow! They uploaded really fast!!! Only a minute or so.

Theler Wetlands Hike in the rain

It is pretty, isn't it?

The boys were interested in the Whale information.

They were equally interested in the skunk cabbage.




This tree made me think of Melissa

Taking advantage of some sunshine.

Shooting at Mom & Me Camp

My new cell phone actually takes decent pictures.

But Travis didn't want me to play with my camera.

I Have Internet Again!

It's been a long week, but we survived it. I know we still have a lot of work ahead of us, settling in, unpacking, making adjustments....yikes! Cable guy came today, updated all the cable on the TVs and hooked up my internet, Yay!!!! No more waiting an hour to upload pictures.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Happy Mother's Day Desiree!

Happy Mother's Day Rainbow!

Happy Mother's Day Every Mom!

Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Desiree. Without all your help and support this move would have been impossible.

Moving Days

I have a few moments before we leave for church. No, we're not sick anymore. It was some stomach thing, which hit each of us one at a time and lasted between 2 and 3 days per person. Yuck. Not swine flu and we are (thankfully) over it.

We have way too much stuff! I have a charity truck coming on Tuesday to pick up the stuff we're not taking with us. The box truck is in the driveway, being loaded with the furniture and big items that are going to storage, and as many boxes as we have ready to go by early this afternoon. Then we'll load the box truck with the stuff going to other people's houses and deliver that stuff. Last we'll load the stuff going to our new home…basically our bedroom stuff, clothes, and few small things. Busy, busy.

I am thankful for Desiree, who has come to help me pack the last couple days; and to my mom who has been helping and will be helping.

Gotta run!