Dress Up

Today was the day to clean out the garage. We are hoping to have a garage sale next weekend. I have so much stuff--oh let me re-phrase that: WE have so much stuff! Things that we haven't used in several years just need to GO. Whatever doesn't sell will be donated and hopefully I will have my half of the garage back.

As we cleaned out the garage and organized things, Colin found things to play with and dress up with--boy style! Here is is riding his big wheel toy with the appropriate gear: helmet (borrowed from Logen) and chest protector (borrowed from Uncle Dennis). Now he is safe for sidewalk riding! ;o)

This made me think of Logen after he broke his left arm years ago, (he had already broken his right arm a few years earlier)--I was very tempted and threatened several times to wrap him in bubble wrap (to protect every other part of him) before he could go out to play--this outfit that Colin is wearing would have worked nicely too!

Heights

Logen does not seem to be afraid of heights like I am. Here is a picture of him on our roof.

A couple of things had been on the roof for awhile and Logen was more than happy to climb up the ladder and retrieve them for us. He thought it was great to be up there..... there is no fear on his face, is there?

Yup, he doesn't get that from me.....definitely his tree climbing dad!

Ready for a Walk

Colin went for a walk with his Nana yesterday. It was a bright, sunny and warm day...no complaining about the weather from me! Colin made sure he wore his sunglasses and hat to protect himself from the bright sun. Nana said he was very good about keeping his hat and glasses on and did not take them off until he was inside again.

Looking at this picture you can tell how tall he has gotten--he is out growing this stroller--his feet will be touching the ground soon enough. Ha Ha!! There is a little ledge for him to rest his feet on but he prefers not to use it.

What a cutie he is!

Inspiration

Tyler gave me an awesome Mother's Day gift...this scrapbooking encyclopedia!

Tyler and I have talked many times about how I haven't scrapbooked in a long time (like years) and how much I miss it. I have so many excuses: no time, no space, no creativity etc., etc. This book is wonderful because it has all the latest techniques and gadgets out on the market for this craft. I did not realize how much the art has changed and evolved until I looked through this book. I have really been missing out! :) I am not lacking in the basics or even some of the essential supplies needed to scrapbook--I have a whole closet to prove that! Its just time to put the excuses aside, and get busy.

The best part of the gift was Tyler telling me that he bought it for me to inspire me to get back to the hobby that I enjoyed so much at one time and had just pushed aside. I thought it was wonderful that Tyler wanted to inspire his Mom.....gotta love that kid!

Colin's Preschool Observation

At the beginning of the month, we took Colin to the preschool he will be attending in the fall, to observe the classroom.

The preschool happens to be located at Meridian Elementary School where Logen went to school Kindergarten through 5th grade, so we saw a lot of familiar faces!

This preschool is geared toward kids that have any kind of developmental delays. Colin will most likely qualify to attend in the fall after he turns three years old. Colin is still having four different types of therapy: speech, physical, developmental and occupational. He has really made some huge milestones this past year. Once he attends preschool most of these therapies can be done at school. Preschool is four days a week for about 2.75 hours.

When we walked into the classroom for the observation I was thinking there is no way that he will be able to do this, he is just way too young! It is structured a lot like kindergarten; they have circle time at the start of school where they go over a daily letter and/or color, they determine what the weather is like outside and then the line leader is chosen. They have daily activities and also recess; then on certain days it will be PE or library or computer class.... yes computer class.... I do not even let him touch the computer here at home! ;o) They will also pull him out of class for his speech therapy during the time he is there so he will will work one on one with a speech pathologist. While Colin was there the teacher asked him if he wanted to do a craft--and he went to the table with her (see picture) and worked real well. I was really impressed. He also had a chance to play at the water table, which he loved.

When we left we had completely changed our minds and thought it could and would be a great experience for Colin; structured classroom setting, learning and the social aspect of it would all be very beneficial.

On the 5th of June we will go to a meeting and they will determine if he qualifies (developmentally) for the preschool. His therapists have assured us that he will qualify. If he does go to preschool, it will be after he turns three, so probably not until the first of October.

An additional note about Colin, I am not sure if everyone knows that he is having a minor surgery next Monday on the 1st of June. Even though it is minor and an everyday procedure, he will be put under anesthesia, so if everyone could lift him up in prayer we would all be grateful. I will definitely update everyone on that day also!

My Grandmother

circa: 1940's

My grandmother, in her 20's, holding my Aunt Connie

When my grandmother passed away, six years ago today, unfortunately I was unable to travel to Maine for her funeral. My oldest son, Tyler, was graduating from high school on the day the service was planned. It broke my heart not to be there for her but I knew that I had to be there for my son on this great milestone in his life---his adult life was just beginning and my grandmothers had just ended. At the time I decided that the next best thing to being there was to share my feelings on paper and ask my Uncle Steve to read it for me. He was more than happy to do it for me, and I greatly appreciated it.

I still miss hearing my grandmother's voice...I have dreamed of hearing her voice on only one occasion, just after my sister passed away. In my dream the phone rang and when I answered it, it was my grandmother saying hello to me. Then my sister came on the phone saying, "boy, I bet you are surprised to hear from me?!" And I was.....unfortunately those types of dreams never last long enough.

I thought I would post what I wrote as a tribute to my grandmother, when she passed away, to reflect once again on my life with her and how special she was to me:

My grandparents (Meme and Papa, as they were lovingly referred to, by my siblings and I) were extremely pivotal people in my life. I spent a lot of time with them while I was growing up, and I know that I am the person I am because they loved me so much.

My memories are many…and not a day goes by that something doesn’t happen to remind me of a special time or place with them: The smell of bacon cooking reminds me of waking up to my Papa cooking breakfast for Meme and me. Driving by K-mart reminds me of how Meme would take me shopping and we would run to the blue light specials as they were announced. Even reading the morning paper, I am reminded of how excited I was the first time Papa handed me a part of the newspaper to read over breakfast. It was only the comic page but I sure felt like an adult. The roses blooming on my rose bush reminds me of all the years on my birthday that my grandmother took my picture in front of her beautiful rose bush. What a wonderful tradition it was and I looked forward to it every year. My grandmother has told me that a very young age, as we would drive to her house I would instantly recognize the hill on King Ave and would get very excited to be going to Meme and Papa’s house. That feeling has never subsided over the years. Meme and Papa’s house has always been a place of love, happiness and my stability. Since, as a child, I moved around a lot with my family, I could always count on the little red house on King Ave and the phone number there always staying the same.

For now, the peace I receive is that I know my grandparents are together again and like Papa waiting for Meme, I know that they both will be waiting for me with loving, open arms.

I will always remember our last phone conversation on Mother’s Day, just two weeks ago. At the time I am not sure if she understood the magnitude of her words and what love I felt as she said her last words to me, she said: “You have been a wonderful Granddaughter.” I will cherish those last words forever.

I love you Meme—you are forever in my heart, thoughts and all my precious memories.

Love,

“Your Little Tina”

May 2003

June 17, 1967

Me & Meme

Memorial Day Honors......

I thought I would share a great exhibit that is on display in Eagle, Idaho (Eagle is the next town to the north of Meridian). The 600 flags on display are called the "Eagle Field Of Honor". Each of the 600 flags represent a soldier, from Eagle, that is serving or has served in the military during war time. Each flag pole also has a tag attached to it that lists the persons name, branch of service and the war they served during.

I think it is pretty incredible to see a soldier represented by an object ( the flag) because then it is easier to visualize the amount of people that have fought in war to keep our country free, instead of just seeing a number count. I can only imagine how moving it must be to go to Arlington Cemetery.

Our flag is flying at our house this weekend remembering not only the soldiers that have lost their lives but the ones that put their lives on the line for all of us.

I remember very clearly how fearful it is to have a loved one in the service during a time of war. After 9/11 (the morning of the attack-we were not at war yet but we all felt like we were) I was on the phone trying to get in touch with Ryan, who was in the Navy stationed in Oahu at the time. I was unable to reach him and we were scared not knowing what was happening. We did not hear from him for several days. When we finally got a call from him the only thing he could tell us was that his ship had been deployed and he was out to sea. We were worried with the uncertainty of what his mission was. Thank goodness my brother came home safely but many don't..........

As they say "Freedom does not come Free!"

Logen and his Drama Class

On Tuesday, Logen had his EOC (end of course) exam for his advanced drama class. One of the areas of the exam is a skit performance in the auditorium in front of his teacher and peers--the teacher invited parents to come also. I was there with camera in hand, trying not to throw off his performance with the flash of the camera. Unfortunately the pictures turned out dark--but I felt it was still worthy of posting onto the blog! (Logen is in the middle in this picture)

Logen was a hit and a superstar! This is the second performance that Logen has done in drama, that we have been able to attend. Last year, in 7th grade, the class did a play that parents were invited to watch. I recall very vividly how funny Logen was and how he had the audience laughing. We had several parents come up to us when they realized we were Logen's parents and tell how funny they thought he was and a natural at acting. It was a great compliment!

This year was no exception. Even though it was a short skit instead of a play.....Logen did an awesome job. He did have funny lines to say but it is the delivery of those lines that make him a great performer. The premise of the skit was that Logen's character, Rick, was trying to prevent one boy from fighting with another boy, over a pass that the boy made to the others' girlfriend. It was silly and very funny!

Logen has really enjoyed his advanced drama class this year and is hoping that a drama class will be part of his schedule in the 9th grade also.

Record High of 95 *

Monday, May 18th arrived with record high temperatures in Boise. The high in Boise was 95*, beating out the old record set in 1954 of 93*!

With the beautiful weather we decided it was time to blow up the pool that Nana bought Colin for some splish-splash fun in the yard. Colin loves the water and had a great time! He especially loved the little sprinkle of water that was squirting from the frogs head. Because of his sensory issues he did not like the wet swimsuit touching his skin or dripping down his legs.....so he decided that taking it off and "skinny-dipping" would be better. Of course we are in the privacy of our back yard so it was no big deal. We will need to figure out a plan B for when we go to the water park...........

Tyler's vacation is over

Before we knew it, it was Monday afternoon and we were at the airport to say goodbye to Tyler. Wow, I still hate goodbyes! Since we are no longer allowed to walk to the gate at the airports (I know it has been that way since 9/11/2001), we have to stand back at security, watch the fun happening at the security line; scanning of the bags, juggling of the shoes, taking all the electronics out of your bag and trying to put everything back together while slipping your shoes back on! Its a little entertaining...but I would rather be at the gate saying goodbye and watching the plane take-off. As it is, I am usually back at home before the plane even leaves the airport.

We had such a good time with Tyler. We spent a lot of time together...we spent the days together and at night is when Tyler would go hang out with his friends. It was perfect. On Sunday night we watched a movie together, Stand by Me. It is a movie from 1986. It was one of Tyler's favorite movies when he was a kid and he thought Logen would enjoy it. Logen, Dennis and even Tyler (who has seen the movie many, many times) laughed and laughed, really enjoying the show. I enjoyed it too but, I think it was geared toward teenage boys!

Tyler is planning on coming to Boise in August to attend a big outdoor concert that he has been going to since he was 14. Unfortunately, it is scheduled for the same weekend as our family reunion. It happened that way last year also, so we had just a limited amount with him. I know that we would like to get to Las Vegas this year to visit with Tyler and Heather, but Dennis swears he will NEVER go to Vegas during the summer months again! :o) So maybe in October like we did last year, the weather was perfect.

We miss you already Tyler.......be safe....we all love you......

Grandsons.....

We took advantage of us all being together and got a picture of the boys! And a picture of Nana with her grandsons!

Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation

Sunday Night Dinner

On Sunday, we decided to all get together and go out to dinner at Tyler's favorite restaurant, Buffalo Wild Wings. We have eaten there in Las Vegas when we have visited Tyler. The restaurant is new to Boise, but not new in Las Vegas. They have six locations in Las Vegas and Tyler eats there at least once a month, usually on a Thursday when they offer a deal on their boneless wings. Buffalo Wild Wings is known, obviously for their wings, but also for their 14 signature sauces that you can choose from to have on your wings. Tyler and Dennis like the spicier flavors.
I guess after that meal experience we can all say that we are a fan of Buffalo Wild Wings in Vegas.....not Boise. It is so surprising what a difference one restaurant can be from another. Tyler had to send back his wings three times...still they were overcooked. The waitress was so nice and she felt bad. She thought Tyler was the only one dissatisfied until she asked Dennis how his meal was. His response, "awful". The manager came over to talk to us, I might add he is not a "people person"---but he tried. He ended up giving us a 50% discount on our meals.

Even Colin was not thrilled with the restaurant experience, as you can tell from this picture!

Thank goodness we all enjoyed each others company...it made up for the terrible meal.

Family BBQ

The family BBQ was on Saturday evening and it turned out really great....family and friends came to see Tyler and to congratulate Dennis' cousin, Troy, on his graduation from BSU.

Since we had about 35 people coming, we decided to have it "potluck" style. Everyone brought their own meat item to have grilled and one potluck item to share. It worked out real well. We had made several dishes to serve ourselves...and everyone was very generous with the potluck dishes.....we had plenty of food for everyone! The weather was absolutely beautiful on Saturday we could not have asked for better weather. When the sun went down and a little chill was in the air, Dennis fired up our propane patio heater.

We actually had time in the morning to go shopping for flowers to put in our patio flower bed and a few pots on the porch and patio. I only had a little stress in the middle of the day worrying if we were going to get everything done. Everyone pitched in; Mom prepped all the fresh strawberries, Logen washed all the windows in the doors, Tyler ran to Costco for the cake, Dennis did the flower planting......I can't believe we got everything done in time...thanks for all the help from my family!

The kids had a great time playing on the trampoline, playing ball...and the little ones blowing bubbles!
Tyler invited his friend, Ryan, to join us. They have been friends since they were nine years old. He is basically family! It is always good to see Tyler's friends when he comes to town and get caught up on everything they are doing in their lives. Here is a picture of Tyler and Ryan from Saturday:
It was fun for everyone to see Tyler and get caught up on his life and happenings in Las Vegas. What a great time we had with everyone. It sure is a lot of work to get everything ready for something like this but it is always worth it.

I hope we can get everyone together again soon.

Update

Well, Tyler arrived safe and sound on Thursday night. He looks awesome....he still has a short haircut which I really like on him. He looks happy and healthy...... I have really missed him!

I cannot believe I haven't taken any pictures since Tyler got home. I will get the camera out today and get some pictures for everyone.

We were busy yesterday getting ready for our BBQ that we are having this afternoon. We cooked dinner at home last night. Dennis (with a little help from me) made a shrimp linguine recipe that is really awesome....and I may add...probably very fattening! Sunday night we are all going to dinner at one of Tyler's favorite restaurants, Buffalo Wild Wings.

Today is the busy day with lots of cooking. I would still like to get some flowers in the pots around the yard. The front patio needs to be cleaned. Tables need to be set up......and I am sitting here blogging....I better get busy.......

Weather update for today is high of 81 degrees...by Monday it will be 93 degrees!

Good Times

ImageChef.com Poetry Blender


Today is the day, or should I say tonight, Tyler's plane arrives at 10:25 pm. Logen is insisting on coming to the airport with me. He is so excited to see Tyler. He has school in the morning but he says he will not have a problem getting up....we will see how that goes.

We were planning a family BBQ on Saturday, the weather is suppose to be about 80 degrees--YEAH! It just so happens that Dennis' cousin is graduating from Boise State University this weekend too, so we have some extra family in town for that also. We decided to combine parties and have just one here at our house. Right now we have about 30 people coming. It will be the first official BBQ of 2009....its about time!!

Like I said the weather is suppose to be very nice....you could not tell right now, it is pouring rain. Colin and I got caught in the rain storm this afternoon. We walked out of Kohls and it was just starting to sprinkle, by the time I walked to the car, which was fairly close, we were having a down pour! Poor Colin, the wind was blowing in just the right direction and he got soaked just in the amount of time it took me to get him in his car seat. It was raining so hard, I jumped into the back seat with him and just left the stroller outside until the rain passed. About 5 minutes later I got out of the car to put the stroller away and the wind had blown it away from the car...thank goodness it was okay. Colin and I sang "rain, rain go away" all the way home....well I sang...Colin laughed at me!

Camping Weekend, Part 2: All About the Sand Dunes!

A little background regarding the Bruneau Sand Dunes: Bruneau has the tallest single-structured sand dune in North America which is 470 feet high. Bruneau is located south of Mountain Home, Idaho. This state park is well taken care of and they also offer a class or two that you can take during your camping experience. While we stayed there last weekend they had a Dutch Oven cooking class. I did not go to it but I thought it sounded like a great option to offer to the campers. They also have an observatory which is one of only two public observatories in Idaho. Just before sundown, Dennis and Logen went to see a solar observation through a specially designed scope. They said it was pretty interesting. They also have WIFI service so you can still access the internet while camping, nothing like "roughing it", but I could not seem to get the access inside the trailer. I was going to take the computer outside to see if it would work out there but I figured I could go without the internet for a day or two!

Of course the most fun for everyone is climbing the sand dunes and if you are a kid, digging in the sand dunes.













Halfway up the dune you will see Logen and his friends digging and finding the cool sand--under the surface of the hot, hot sand! They had a great time and spent a lot of time on the dunes.

Colin wasn't satisfied staying at the bottom of the dune he wanted to climb up to where his cousin was at. I would like to preface this next picture with a comment to let you know that the pictures do not depict how steep this dune is. It was a climb.


















And the dog that I had been making fun of all weekend because she is old (12 years old) and as lazy as a cat, sprinted up the dune like she was a spring chicken. WOW! I was impressed.

This is a weird picture of Chloe and I--it looks like my leg is amputated because of the way I am sitting! HA HA :o)
We walked the sand dunes also on Sunday before heading home. There is a 5-mile hike that is mapped out around the dunes. I am sure you already know the answer to the question you are thinking.....no-we did not do the hike.....someday!

Colin had a great time walking with us. I noticed he was a little afraid of the height when we got to overlook areas of the dunes. He loved finding little sticks to dig in the dirt with. Near our camp area we had a great place where there was soft dune sand and he spent quite a bit of time digging with his pail and shovel!
Some people walk down the dune, some people sled down the dune (which we did try this time) and some people run---just like Logen did.

Headline News!!

If you can't tell--we are all excited for Tyler's visit. I can hardly believe that we haven't seen him since Thanksgiving....he is missed here at home....

Camping Weekend-Part 1

What a great time we had camping! We stayed at the state park where we made reservations back in March. We weren't the only ones who had the great idea of camping at the Bruneau Sand Dunes for mother's day weekend--the place was packed! State parks are not my usual favorite place to stay because of the close proximity to other campers but it was nice. The picture above is our camping spot and in the back ground you can see our friend's camp area-we had this great big patch of grass between us that our kids enjoyed playing on--they had it all to them selves because of the way the camp spots are situated.

The weather was extremely nice. After the sun went down on Friday it was chilly outside which required us to build a camp fire and wear long pants and jackets. It did get cold while we were sleeping on Friday and Saturday also--but not in our travel trailer. We were all snuggled in warm beds with the heater on--no one complained of being cold. Saturday and Sunday it warmed up into the 70's. We all got a little red before we realized it and put the sun block on.

The friends that we camped with have boys that are close to Logen's age. What a great time they had together. The boys are on a Lacrosse team for the first time, so they brought their gear and taught Logen how to play. He says he is hooked and would love to play on a team himself. Logen introduced the boys, Cameron and Cayson, to a new sport also: sport stacking cups. They had a great time learning how to stack the cups with precision and speed!

For Dennis and I we actually got some relaxing in this weekend. We got to visit and get caught up with friends that we hadn't seen in quite a while. Don't you think that Dennis looks relaxed in this picture? Dennis takes very good care of us all while we are out camping---I could not do it without him, that's for sure!

Colin had a great time camping, he loves the trailer but he loves being outside even more. He slept great at night and played hard during the day. He brought the old binoculars along so he could check out all the sights!

Mother's Day

Happy Mothers Day to my Mom!

Without You

Mom, without you, there would be no me.
Your love, your attention, your guidance,
have made me who I am.
Without you, I would be lost,
wandering aimlessly,
without direction or purpose.
You showed me the way
to serve, to accomplish, to persevere.
Without you, there would be an empty space
I could never fill, no matter how I tried.
Instead, because of you,
I have joy, contentment, satisfaction and peace.
Thank you, mom.
I have always loved you
and I always will. By J F

I did not write that poem but it said exactly how I feel about my mom. We are so blessed that God gave her to us (or is it us to her?)! She has not only been the rock in the family but also the cement that has held us all together. I can't imagine I will ever meet anyone else in my lifetime who is as strong and independent as my mom!

I hope she can always feel the love, respect and admiration I have for her.

circa 1970
left to right: me (Tina), my grandmother, my mom, my sister (Sandy)

My miss my other mom, my grandmother, each and everyday. This month marks six years since she passed away--and joined my grandfather. I am sure my grandmother is celebrating on this mothers day in heaven and feeling blessed for the wonderful children she had!

I have to say that I am also very thankful to my mother-in-law, Jackie. She raised a great son, who is not only a great husband to me and a great father to our children, but is also my very best friend.

I feel privileged to have all these great moms in my life!!

Camping Weekend is Finally Here!

It is finally here.....YEAH...our first camping trip of the season!

We are heading to a beautiful Idaho State Park--Bruneau Sand Dunes. The park is only 1 1/2 drive, so it will be an easy first trip of the season. As you can tell from the picture above and the name of the park, it is desert land. The desert is ideal camping for early spring and late fall.

The weather is suppose to be high 60's, low 70's here in the valley so we are hoping for a few degrees warmer in the desert. But I am sure it will be getting cold at night....bringing lots of blankets and we will be turning the heater on! ;)

We are also bringing our snow sled to the sand dunes this weekend. So I guess it will actually be called a "sand" sled. Logen is looking forward to sliding down the dunes! Hopefully I can capture a good picture of that.

I just found out that there is WIFI (internet service) at the state park. Hopefully I will find some time to post some pictures on the blog while we are there.

I have been scrubbing and organizing the camp trailer all week but there is still plenty to do so I better sign off and finish with my chores.

Cheers to a great fun filled, relaxing weekend!

Lilac

The Lilacs are in full bloom in the back yard! Aren't they beautiful?

This is my absolute favorite plant that I have in my yard. I love the scent of the lilacs. I bought a lilac candle, it will do in a pinch but it is not much of a substitute for the real thing. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, the blooms only last for a short time in the spring.

Too bad the weatherman was right with his prediction of 90% chance of rain today--make that 100%--it rained! I wasn't able to spend much time outside enjoying them so Dennis trimmed some off to put in the house on the dining room table so I could enjoy them just the same.

Text Messaging

I am sure everyone is aware of what "text messaging" is (sending a note via your cell phone). I started using text messaging with Tyler because it was easy just to send a quick note to see how things were and not worry about interrupting a recording session he may be in. When Tyler and I got new cell phones with the built in key boards it made the process so much more easy.

In December we decided to get Logen a cell phone for Christmas. It was THE gift on his wish list. I had putting off getting him a phone for awhile. I did not really see the need. He could borrow ours if he needed one. Of course he saw the need and the want and explained them all to us! :) When we decided to get the phone I changed our phone plan to include unlimited text messaging. I knew that "texting" was the latest thing with the kids...and knew that is something that Logen would want to do with his new phone.

On Christmas morning he was surprised with THE gift....and a list of rules. He has not let us down, he has been responsible with the phone. Of course the thought of losing the phone for any amount of time, I am sure, is the motivation for not breaking rules!

When I get my bill, I always check to see how many phone minutes everyone is using. Tyler is on our phone plan because we get a good rate on the "family plan". Everyone does really well about not going too crazy on their phone time. Then I look at the amount of text messages that have been sent. Thought I would share with everyone just how popular this form of communication is:

• Dennis had under 100 texts sent during the month
• Tina had 126 texts sent during the month

Now the boys:

• Tyler did 707 texts during the month
  

I thought that was incredible UNTIL:

• Logen did..............are you sitting down?............... 8460 texts during the month!!

Boy am I glad I had the foresight to get the unlimited text messaging on our cell phones.

In Logen's defense he says that over 8000 texts really is not alot. He has friends that text much more than him. ;o)

The Gig: Bunkhouse, Las Vegas 4/30/09

Here is a slide show of pictures from the Nothing With Numbers show last night. Looks like everyone was having a great time! When I get more details you can be assured I will share them!