Here she is. My last kindergartner. My baby girl. She did amazing. I did too until Rob hugged me as he left for work. I had my cry and I'm ok now. Not good but ok. His last words before he walked out the door?

"We could always have another."

Funny.

Her first day of school outfit including the twirly skirt that I made for her.

She decided during breakfast that she would ride the bus today. What?! Doesn't she know I am supposed to drive her to school? I tried to talk her out of it then reluctantly agreed. We took pictures then Rob and I walked them all down the street.



I forgot Hailey would be riding the bus too. It makes me so much more at ease knowing she has two brothers and a friend riding with her.

Here comes the bus. Think she's nervous? I am so thankful I got this picture. This is why God made big brothers. She may annoy him and cause him all kinds of grief, but when she needs him he's there for her and I am so proud of him for that.
Up she goes.
I tried to get one of her on the bus but the windows are dirty and tinted. Doesn't make for good picture taking.

3rd grade

7th grade...how is that possible?!

Rob and I went to school and met the bus there so we could help her find her class and just to see her one last time.

Walking to class.



Sitting in circle time. She looks really bummed to be there doesn't she.
My precious mom came and took me to coffee after we got home. It helped to take my mind off of Em not being here. I broke down again while I was waiting for my mom to get here because I am so used to Em walking in while I'm checking my email in the mornings. She comes in and sits on my lap for a while then I get her breakfast. It was weird not having that this morning. It will be hard to get used to. I am going to miss her so much but am so happy that she likes school. I know she is going to learn and grow so much this year.

After school she rode the bus home. She was so cute getting off and running across the street to me.

i. love. this. girl.

Ready, Set, Don't Go

I've been a little melancholy these last few days.
School starts soon.
Can't believe my baby is going to be there.
And not here with me.
Not quite ready for it.
Part of me is ready for some freedom.
The other would like to freeze time.

These two songs have been running through my head.

Ready, set, don't go--Billy Rae and Miley Cyrus


Slipping through my fingers--Mamma Mia Soundtrack

Just what I needed

My trip to Phoenix was just what the doctor ordered. I hadn't had a good face to face visit with Jen in a long, long time. We passed our days doing the following...

*lots of laughing. whenever we are together it is a non stop laugh fest. seriously, it is the best.

*getting pure chocolate ice blended drinks at the coffee bean. pure chocolate is pure heaven.

*going to the mall. we have most of the stores they do so it wasn't anything great although i did pick up a delicious green wallet and sunglasses at forever 21. I also got a good deal on a hoodie at macy's.

*going to the shout house. we went to one in portland a few years ago but because paul mccartney was in town there weren't a lot of people there. we walked in this place at 9:00 and it was packed with no place to sit. we went to eat dinner then went back and got ever so lucky to get a table. these places are so fun because the piano players know every song under the sun. you put a request on the piano with some money, they play it and the whole place sings along. so much fun.
*spending 4 1/2 hours inside this beautiful blue building. jen had never been here even though it is a mere 45 minutes from her house. i introduced her to it and now chris says i'm not allowed to come back. the only downfall was only being able to buy what i could get back home with me. my poor suitcase was bursting at the seams and i had to carry an extra bag on the plane but it was so so worth it.
*snuggling with this bundle of chubby goodness. my favorite thing to do was give him his binky and put him on my chest. in no time he would be out and i would be in heaven.

*watching all of the direct tv shows that i never get to at home. tori and dean home sweet hollywood became a fast fav.

*giving grayson gifts. i made him three onesies and six burp cloths. jen loved them.

Before I knew it it was time to come home. My visit was short but sweet. Thank you Rob for letting me have some time with my friend. She appreciated it and so do I. And thanks for taking such good care of the kids while I was gone. You da man! Love ya.

Thank You

I want to say a HUGE thank you to Chrisanna for taking pictures of us tonight. I wanted to get Rob's side of the family together while all of the brothers and sisters were in town at the same time and asked her if she could take some family pictures for us. I only saw one on her camera and am going crazy because I have to wait to see the rest. She does such fabulous work and I am so glad she is my friend and is willing to take on the task of 5 children and 9 adults. Thanks friend.

Oh My Gorsh

T minus 47 hours and 45 minutes till I jet off to Phoenix and I'm telling you I have slightly less than a million things to do before then and just a smidge under enough time.

We have been having lots of fun with Megan, Ben, Matt and Cole since they've been here.

We've been gold panning, eating, laughing, watching the kids play together, celebrated someones 8th birthday...

...played lots of train wreck, shopping and just hanging out together. A lot to pack into a week but we are managing.

Now before Friday I have to do my huge mound o' laundry, pack, get the boys ready for backpacking and Emily ready for a weekend at my parent's, figure out what everyone is wearing for pictures and who knows what else. Guess that means I better exit out of here.

More Stuff

*we played a three hour game of train wreck at rob's parents the other night. i lost both games. matt won one but i think he's a cheater. ha! just kidding. he won fair and square. i guess.

*i am making a velvet cocoa cake with buttercream frosting for taylor's birthday. sounds yummy right?

*i think one of the worst on screen kisses is between ralph macchio and elisabeth shue in karate kid. we watched it the other day and i thought he was going to touch her toes with his tongue. seriously disgusting.

*i am almost done with taylor's quilt. it turned out really cute. i just have to sew on the letters and my mom and aunt are going to quilt it for me. i hope he likes it.

*i have been a crafting fool lately. i did some onesies and burp cloths for jen and finally put on the handles to the purse i made her 18 months ago. bad. i know.

*i am doing a love album from ali for renee and jeremy's wedding. i hope it turns out half as cute as hers.

*emily is in love with the mama mia cd. instead of strawberry shortcake she now wants to listen to that at bedtime. she belts out
"mamma mia
here i go again
my my
how can you reshishta"

the actual words are:
"mamma mia
here i go again
my my
how can i resist ya"

her and i were having an ABBA party last night when she was supposed to be going to bed. i would sing the verse of the songs and she would sing the chorus. we had so much fun.

Really. Great. Finds.

My mom and I went out yard saleing Saturday. I had some birthday money and didn't want to spend it on just anything. We had been out for a while and my mom had some luck but I hadn't. Then we stopped at a house and I saw this.

It's an old type case. I saw Ali's project she made with one and was wanting to do one myself but hadn't the slightest idea where I would find a type case. I was so excited. My mom and I kept looking around and there was a lot of cool stuff there. I found a galvanized bucket that I had to have and we were getting ready to pay when I saw two boxes with suitcases in them. Something told me to take a look so my mom helped me pull them out. Inside were these beauties.
Two suitcases in perfect condition. And the boxes they were in are the original boxes that they were shipped from the company in and have the keys with them. I opened them up and about died when I saw that fabric. The couple having the yard sale were probably in their early to mid seventies and he said these were his mother's. When they weren't being used she would put them back in the boxes for storage. Fabulous. We have been trying to figure out how old they are. I am guessing at least 70-80 years. The company is Continental Vogue Luggage Company and each suitcase says Vogue Custom Made of San Francisco California. The smaller box even has the shipping address in Berkley. I think they are so fascinating. The best part of the whole thing is I got all four items... the type case, bucket, and two pieces of luggage...for $17.50. A total steal.

Besides all that excitement we have been having fun around here. Last week Steph came over and brought Sonic drinks for us and we went to the park. Thursday we met her at the pool to swim for a couple of hours. We've also been having fun picking raspberries at Rodger and Terry's and hanging out with Matt since he got here Friday. Yesterday was Hailey's birthday so it was pizza, swimming cake and presents at mom and dad's. I am a little excited about having the kids in school again (can you say fighting like cats and dogs?) but I am going to miss the laid back ways of summer.

Day 10

June 15

Today is Sunday. We did the drama twice in the services and since we already heard the message Keith was preaching once at home and on Saturday night Alisha and I went to help in the nursery. When we walked in I spotted a wee one in the crib and immediately went and scooped him up. I rocked the little guy til he fell asleep and snuggled with him till service was over. During the second service I played with some girls that were a little older and they were precious too.

After church we were invited to the Lyon's house for the afternoon. The Lord has blessed them with a beautiful home. Because they live in a large city that has a lot of crime they have an eight foot wall around their house with razor wire on top of the wall. They also have a slew of dogs and bars and locks on every door and window. It feels a little like a compound but it keeps them safe. For the first time since we arrived in the Philippines we got a home cooked meal. Spaghetti, garlic bread and salad never tasted so good. Ever. I heard the angels singing when I took my first bite.

We spent a relaxing afternoon lounging at their house and the evening doing last minute shopping. Tomorrow we open the youth center. Can't wait!

me and baby g

today

...i finally folded the four loads of laundry that had taken up residence on my couch.
...austin left for a week of camp.
...i used my first passport at Dutch Bros and got a decaf iced mocha for $1.
...i must do the dishes. this summer i have been bad about getting them done.
...jen is coming over! she is in town this weekend so she is dropping by for a little while so i can see baby grayson. i would be bummed about not seeing her longer but i am headed to phoenix in 2 1/2 weeks so i don't mind waiting till then for a good visit.
...my dad took my brother, lowman, hailey, taylor and emily out his new boat. can't wait to get out there myself.

Day 8

June 14

Today we got to help out with the fun trucks. It is a ministry that goes out into the city every Saturday to share Bible stories with children. We split up into teams and got in the trucks and they were teeny. We had nine people in the back of ours and not enough air flow. Darryl and I sat in the front and held up the cover so we didn't die of heat stroke.

When we got to our first stop I didn't know what to expect. We got out and since they do this every week the kids expected us and came running. Just in case some of them forgot we were going to be there they blasted a hand held radio as we walked around. Yep. Everyone knew we were there now.

This was our first stop. Not a huge amount of kids but they were happy to see us. They prayed, listened to a Bible story, sang "one way...Jesus" (which turned out to be a song we heard A LOT while we were there), had a snack and then it was on to the other two stops we were to make.

Stop number two.
Stop number three.
I admire Greg and his team so much. I found that after today that I was getting discouraged. There are so many people in Manila. So many. How can they all be reached? If feels like such an overwhelming task. But they keep going. They do what they are called to. Mark 16:15 Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

After a week in the hotel we finally made it up to the roof top pool. I have always wanted to swim in one. Seriously, for as long as I can remember. It could possibly make the 'things to do before I die' list. They are just so cool to me. Chrisanna and I stayed up there for a good long while soaking up the rays, relaxing...and we got a shot of a few other things too didn't we Chris?

We hadn't planned on going to church tonight but Greg wants us to do the drama so we will be there. I can't believe we only have three more days before returning home.

you have to try this

Here are the instructions for the apron. You will need a tea towel and 2 yards of twill ribbon. I went cheap and bought plain towels in brown and teal but you could get towels like these and have a super cute apron. Find the middle of both the towel and the ribbon and pin. Fold the ends of the ribbon over twice and zigzag them. All you do after that is sew the ribbon onto the towel. Sew at the top, down, back over and up and voila your apron is done. Seriously easy right?

long time no see

we have been going like crazy around here. this is what's been happening.

*our computer died last thursday. oh the madness! it got a virus somehow and went crazy. it took them several days to fix it but we have her back and she's good as new.

*we went camping with the whole family last weekend. There were 16 of us and we had a fabulous time. we went to bonneville again and minus the horse flies and the unusually cold overnight temperatures it was great. we want to try someplace different but it's hard to when we have such a good thing there.

*my mom, aunt and i took an acrylic album class at archivers. it was a little intense and there was a lot of stuff to do on it but we now have a really cute album done. now i can say it was all worth it.

*i started taylor's quilt on saturday. at a lock in. with older women :) just kidding. there were six women there and i was the only one under 50 but it's always fun hanging out with more mature women. i love their sense of humor, their love for one another and most of all that they have been quilting long enough to help me through the *#$@! pattern i am using.

*i got quite a bit done on saturday and went to terry's to work on it again yesterday. i almost have the top done. i am so excited. i think taylor is gonna love it!

*i am feeling very crafty and bought stuff to make the easiest apron you could ever imagine. i will post a picture when i get it done.

*megan and ben and matt and cole will be here in a couple weeks. that means lots of family time. woohoo!

a birthday wish

HaPpY BiRtHdAy MeG!

We love you!

Independence Day

We had a FaNtAsTiC fourth of July. My cousin Lizzie and her husband live on a farm in Melba and they invited the whole family out to celebrate.

The day started with a small town parade. Everyone and their brother were out on tractors, lawn mowers and old cars. So cute.

Back at the house...we played bocce ball,



Austin got his first driving lesson,


My brother and I got a ride,


Dusty rounded up the sheep,


we played more bocce ball,


cousins and second cousins played together,


Em took a gorgeous picture of the sunset,


and, of course, we had a few of these.

Day 7

June 13

In preparation for Mondays grand opening of the youth center we did one thing today. Clean. When we arrived this morning we were told there were several things that needed to be done. Since I didn't want to get stuck with bathrooms(great attitude I know) I immediately said I would do windows. I also figured it would be a pretty easy job.

Wrong.

They were filthy. They were covered with, what looked like, years of dirt and grime. I had no idea we would spend the next five hours trying to get them crystal clear.

Other cleaning that needed to be done was washing walls, washing chairs, bathrooms, moving boxes of books and other reading material into a small room, and the biggest job was clearing away a huge pile of stuff that had accumulated over several years. Time to get busy.


Washing walls.

It's early and he already looks like this.

After many hours, lots of water buckets and even more sweat they are finally see through.

Working hard.

This poor group spent all day washing chair after chair after chair.
We finally made it to the outside of the windows. It might not have taken so long if we didn't have to wash each window four-six times just to get it looking decent. We were to the 'throw water on it and try to loosen the dirt' phase of the outside windows. After it was loose we would go over it several times with more water and a squeegee then we would go over it with window cleaner.

While we were cleaning the last of the inside windows we were next to the junk pile. They were getting to the bottom of it when they moved something big and hundreds of cockroaches came running out. They aren't my favorite thing but we were still far enough away that they weren't bothering us. We Chrisanna and I were watching all of the commotion when out popped one and then another of these lovely creatures.


No these aren't small spiders that look large because of the camera. They were very large spiders that don't look quite big enough in the picture. I was OK because they were still far enough away that I didn't feel threatened. Then one started scurrying over towards us and I jumped off the chair, squealed like a little girl and soon almost everyone was looking at them. Greg even grabbed one of them with a rag so we could see it up close. Without getting close enough to measure I would say they were between four and five inches across. This little sighting brought all work to a halt for at least half an hour. Once we were able to get back to work we were done in no time.

There is a spa around the corner from the hotel that gives an hour full body massage for about $12 including tip. After our work day the Harrington's and us walked straight off the bus and headed to the Green Spa for some relaxation. The massage was a little more painful than I expected but it felt good anyway. After this it was dinner at a rib restaurant called Racks(yum!) and off to bed.
These are the get ups we had to wear. We went back a couple days later but you'll have to wait to see Rob and Keith in theirs :o)