Friday, July 15, 2011

All About Jake

We got Jake at four months old, we did not know at the time what an imipact he would have on our lives 13 years later.

He was a very happy lab as most are, but even our vet in California nicknamed him "Mr. Happy".  He was always glad to see us and just to be with us.  His favorite thing to do besides eating was playing Frisbee.  He would play until he was ready to pass out.  Before we had children he would sleep in our bed with us, then we had childrenhe spent more time outside as our priorities changed.  He went on almost every family vacation and really became a member of our family.

I named him Big Jake after John Wayne, one of my favorite movies it just seemed to fit him.  He was a fair weathered dog and did not care for cold, snow or rain.  When we moved to Oregon he loved it because we kept him inside all the time.  He had beds all over the house because next to eating he loved sleeping.

At age 13, not too long after his birthday, with lung failure, a swollen heart and his back legs going, we decided it was time.  The whole family went to the vet, because that's what love does.  We wanted to be with him to the end and not miss one part of his life.  As I write this with tears in my eyes, I can tell you without a doubt, that he was "the best dog in the world."

Thank you God for the 13 awesome years with our friend Jake.  You have a great dog with you now, just remember to play frisbee with him.



To:  Jake    From:  Brody
Jake was a great dog.  I've had him for most of my life.  Jake was a yellow lab.  He was always shedding.  He loved Beggin Strips.  We gave him one when we had to go somewhere.  He was really soft with big brown eyes.  At the age of 13 the family agreed that we should put him to sleep.  We had hated to see him suffer. 

Our dog Big Jake died a couple of days ago.  He was a yellow lab.  He shedded tons of hair and loved food.  He took sausage right off Brody's plate!
He got his name from one of Daddy's favorite John Wayne movies, Big Jake.
Mommy and Daddy got him when he was 4 months old.  Daddy said he looked like a doofus with a small head and a big body.  He loved food, and at the age of 12 he started eating his poop. 
He was definitely the best dog in the world.

A Special Gift

Almost 13 years ago when I was a sales rep for The Iams Company,  I received a special gift, that made an huge impact on my life.  I was making my rounds in the L.A. area and found my to Peggy Woods Pet Emporium, one of my favorite customers.  When I parked, I saw a pretty big puppy in an outdoor cage which I had never seen before.  I asked Ira, the owner, and he told me that he was a "return".  He sells puppies, and someone had purchased this yellow lab and got more than they bargained for.  It was hard to sell him again because most people wanted the itsy bitsy tiny puppies.  He said these words to me..."Do you want him"?  I am pretty sure that I laughed it off, finished a meeting, and went about the rest of my work there.  But something happened to get me thinking.  It could of been just the darn cuteness of that animal, or the fact that I felt sorry for him and it broke my heart that no one wanted him...whatever it was...I was slowly changing my mind.  I called Bryan at his job at Petsmart where he agreed that we had room and the love for one more dog.  That was that...I loaded him up in my car, left work early, and met Bryan at work to meet our new pet.  Jake was then 4 months old. 

This past Monday, on July 11th, we had to make the very hard decision to help that beloved pet die peacefully because he just wouldn't give up and leave us on his own.  He had arthritis in his back legs so bad that sitting and standing were very hard and I could see that it was hard for him to get comfortable, though he was not a complainer.  He also lost control of his bowels which was not fun for either of us,  had partial paralysis in his throat, and an enlarged heart that was making it harder and harder to breathe. 

In the middle were 13 years with that dog which was a  huge part of this family.  That is a long time to have someone by your side....and I do mean that literally.  When I was home, Jake was pretty much at my feet.  He came into the bathroom when I showered, laid at my feet when I was in the office, was on his bed in the family room or living room when I was in there, laid right at the kitchen sink when I was cooking, and slept next to my side of the bed.  I miss that.  He was a great, and loyal companion.  Before his hearing and eyesight went bad, he was a good guard dog too.  I felt safe with him around.  I miss that.  He always greeted us at the door, tail wagging, and happy to see us.  I miss that.  He LOVED to play frisbee and when he was able, would play until we had to stop him.  I miss that too.

 Jake went on family vacations whenever we could take him, cheered us up when we were sad or lonely, and loved on our kids too when they came along.  He never acted jealous, even though he got thrown outside during the day for a few years;)  When we moved to Oregon, he got what he always wanted...a permanent indoor position as an active member of the family.  We think he lived out his last few years in luxury:)

Here are some pictures we captured of us with Jake and his last few days here on earth...I will always be grateful for these memories.


We are all adjusting to live without Jake and it is hard.  Going to bed the first night without him there was hard, waking up without having "Jake duty" was hard, leaving the house without taking him out and giving him a treat was hard, vacuuming up the last ton of dog hair aound the house was hard, even sitting in silence without his panting by me is still hard.  Brody cried the first day he did his chores and didn't have to get him water and Connor was sad when there was no one to throw his crust to.  We miss him a lot but each day does get easier.

We were lucky to have him as long as we did and are grateful for that.  He leaves a large hole in the hearts of all of us here and always will.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Where have I been? Part III!

At the rate I am going...my whole summer will be full of "Where Have I Been" postings!:)  Anyway, on to part III!

This year the boys took the stage at our homeschool groups "Delight Night" (variety show)!  I was very excited about that.  Brody put this presentation together all by himself titled "Bunnies at Home".  He designed the poster, what to put on it, and did all the writing and drawing.  I was very proud of him.  He got to take Dusty to the show which helped him get over any nervous feelings he might have had.  He also recited a short poem.  Way to go Brody!


At "Delight Night" Connor did two things.  He played three pieces on the piano and did a great  job and also introduced all the families to Sport Stacking.  He had a lot of fun and even got one of his new high records during the demonstration which really excited him. 

Brody participated in a local race called the Awesome 3000.  He ran 1 mile and really enjoyed it.  There were a lot of kids there....see him in the group shot in the orange?  I was grateful for that as I fought to keep track of him in all the frenzy.  It was so funny at the start because he laid ALL the way back and let all the crazy kids run off when they shot the starting fire.  He literally took off DEAD last.  I guess I should of emphasized the word "race" more, but he really doesn't like crowds and I heard some kids got knocked down, so it seems he made a smart choice!  He did real well, moved way up, finished the race and said...."I'm not even tired"!

The day before Brody's big race, Connor participated in Teen Pact.  This was a one day leadership training class in the government.  He even had homework to do ahead of time which involved writing a bill.  We did a prayer walk for all the leaders, a scavenger hunt, and learned all about the legislative process.  As you can see, he had to dress for the event.  I could hardly stand how grown up he looked in that tie;)  It was a terrific experience and we both enjoyed it very much!


Thursday, June 16, 2011

Where Have I been....Part II



 
When there was a dry day we tried to get out and get some work done. Here, the boys are loading up firewood....well....one is loading up anyway?:)  I just love this picture. 




We celebrated Easter.  Here are Connor's amazing eggs. He did a great job and even though decorating eggs is a lot of fun...it was clear that he knew we were celebrating something big!  We also went to a wonderful service on Good Friday.  Connor was happy to hear some of the same songs that we have been learning at home.  We also enjoyed a great story called "Amon's Adventure" written just for Lent.  It was a great way to keep us focused on the death, burial, and of course the Resurrection of Jesus!


Here are the eggs that Brody decorated.  We found a neat kit this year, with little rollers.  It made the eggs very sticky, but fun and very bright. 
This year Brody got a very special bible.  I looked and looked and decided on this NIV version.  He is always commenting on the small print in Connor's backpack bible in a negative way so I found a large print bible just for him.  He seemed very excited about it!


Brody celebrated his big 7 1/2 birthday!  Wow...is time flying.  They are both very excited to do the decorating all on their own.  I'm not sure what this was, but I have an idea.  See the grass at the bottom?


We visited a Buffalo Ranch with our FIGS group and it was a great field trip.   The best part was that earlier that morning, we picked up Aunt Lara from the airport!

 We decided to take Aunt Lara to the coast to see the ocean!  We ended up with a room in a little town called Seaside.  Along the way, we just had to stop at the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory!

 Did I mention they have ice cream?  YUM!!!  Aunt Lara and I enjoyed some real Marionberry ice cream....life is good!

We just had to show Aunt Lara Flamingo Jim's outside of Rockaway.  We always stop by when see the LeVesque's on their annual visit, what a fun place!

 Aunt Lara was VERY surprised to see people at the "beach" in sweatshirts!

 Connor and Brody had their first bumper car experience and boy was that a blast!  It was Aunt Lara and Brody against mommy and Connor.  I'm pretty sure it was a tie!

We stayed at the Shilo Inn and they enjoyed many hours in the pool swimming.  We also let them go into the sauna which reminded me so much of Grandma and Grandpa's condo in Florida!

We really enjoyed our visit.  After Aunt Lara left things kept up at that pace for a while....more to come in Part III!


















Sunday, June 5, 2011

Where Have I been? Part 1

I think this is by far my longest "dry spell" since starting my blog. Wow...April 16th...what have I been doing since then?






The first place I have been is using an online journal called Cozi. This is so handy, and I can upload pictures and quick stories to go with them in a matter of minutes. I have found it to be a huge shortcut of keeping people informed and it even sends out a monthly newsletter to people that want that much information on my family:) However, I do realize it only does a few pictures and a small part of "the story" so I really do want to get back to my blog. After all I am three years behind on my photo albums, and I don't want that to happen here!


April and May were quite the blur...I have decided to keep this short and full of pictures then try to back into the swing of things.


In April I jumped on the chance to go to California for a week of "spring break" for us. I had a business opportunity to work a vendor fair for two days and the boys and I really needed some sunshine, some time with family and friends, and a break from school. (not necessarily in that order) We had a great time!



Shorts, sunglasses and sunscreen are pretty unheard of in April in Oregon, so it was a real treat to enjoy some beautiful weather. There was actually snow the day before we arrived and it knocked some branches of some of the palms...made for great toys!


A lot of hours were spent with Grandma & Pa watching movies, playing outside, and Yahtzee!



Of course some good times were had with Zack....


and the Barker clan at the park! We got see one of best buds Caleb play baseball...sorry no picture of that...but I did get to play a lot of "bear" with one of my most favorite little people on the planet...Ms. Lillie!We were very excited to meet our friends pony....I mean dog...Macy! What a beautiful dog! We enjoyed some play time with Morgan, Ryanne, and the whole Loomis clan!

It ended with a passel of kids on the couch watching "Tangled".


Fun, fun times. I am so grateful to for trips "home".



Stay tuned for part II coming soon to a blog near you:)




























Saturday, April 16, 2011

Hands Free Mom

Last week, the boys and I took a trip to California. It was the first time we flew there for a spring break and it was a blast! However, details of our trip will come in a future post.


I realized as I went through the airport that it was the first time my hands were totally free as we traveled. Connor and Brody are both growing up so fast and were extremely responsible on the trip. They almost packed all by themselves, they carried their own booster seats, and even insisted on carting around my backpack the whole way. After we checked in our bags, I literally had only my purse. It was such a great feeling and I loved seeing my boys rise up to being independent and even to serving me in that way. I was really on Cloud 9, then we got to Oakland.


While we were sitting at the gate waiting to board munching down some Annie's pretzels in the airport, I found I could not take my eyes off a young man and his parents seated directly across from us. He was probably about 15 and loved football, trust me, I could tell. It dawned on me how fast it will come for me to be sitting somewhere with teenagers! It made me a little sad in a way. It seemed like just yesterday I was in an airport struggling my way through with two little ones in car seats and diapers watching a mom with older kids, thinking how much easier it would be one day. It was an incredibly surreal moment for me.



So, I came down from Cloud 9 and remained a little stunned (for lack of a better word) for a while. Luckily, it didn't last too long. I decided to just enjoy the moment I was in appreciate this stage of parenting without dwelling on the future....sounds funny, huh? Don't we normally dwell on the past? I know the future will come fast enough and one day before I know it one of them will be driving me to the airport! I want to look forward to it, and embrace the process God has designed. I love being a mom, I can't imagine not having them around all day every day, but I am raising adults and that is what I pray they become; adults who can get themselves through an airport one day, and maybe help someone along the way. I have to admit, it is looking great so far!


Waiting to go through security with all the "stuff"!




They wouldn't even let me help them carry them up two flights of stairs! The escalators were not working anymore and without the stroller, we can't use the elevator anymore!





Hanging out in an airport....I just LOVE the looks on their faces in this picture!






Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Apple Pie Experience

One of the many things I love about our co op is that Connor and Brody are exposed to so many things that I would most likely not do on our own! A prime example of this was Apple Pie Day that took place last week. For our community service project one of the moms had the idea for the kids to work together to make apple pies to take to "Apple Pie Day" at the capital. The purpose of this day is for homeschoolers to gather at the capital to show our desire for freedom in home education and to take each member of legislature an apple pie. I had never been before and wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a great day. The event is sponsored by OCEAN Network which we are a member of, and who works hard to protect homeschooling freedom here in Oregon. It started on our regular co op day which was Wednesday. My friend Kim gave a great class and presentation on the basics of the process a bill takes through the House of Representatives, the Senate and on to the Governor. Then we broke the kids up into groups. There were three groups of pie makers...
Connor went with the kids that worked on the dough...

Brody got to be an apple slicer!
When they weren't in the kitchen working, they were busy writing letters to their Representatives and Senators. I am pretty impressed that Connor can tell you the names of the people holding those titles in our district. I couldn't do that before last Wednesday! They told them a little bit about themselves, something they like about homeschooling, and asked them to support our freedom that we currently enjoy. It was such a great thing and I am grateful to my friends Tera and Kim for organizing it all! Then the next day we were off to the capital! We went with our friends Kim, Sam, and Grace. We didn't have much to do until our tour time, but we had fun. The tour included a walk up over 100 stairs to the top of the capital which Brody decided not to do. I stayed with him, and luckily Kim took Connor with them, because he was thrilled! Older homeschooled kids had an opportunity to be volunteer pages for the day and a lot of people had appointments with their representatives and senators, which we just might do next time. Then there was a rally at 12:00 which included children performing and a special speaker that is with HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) and it was very informative and encouraging!

I tried so hard to get the golden man in the shot...oh well, the kids are much cuter anyway!


I don't know how many people were there, but it was a lot! Here is just a piece of the crowd that we were in...what a great thing! The rain even held off for us!


Oh....and there were baskets and baskets of the yummiest, juiciest apples;) Here is Connor's journal entry about the whole thing....


For Apple Pie Day, we went to the capital! There, we went (or I went) to the top of the building! That was really cool. We learned how a law is made and about the legislature. OCEAN Network supports homeschooling. If someone wants a law, a bill is taken to the House of Representatives. If it passes it goes to the Senate. From there, it goes to the Governor. The Governor can like, or dislike, and it will pass either way. If the Governor hates it, he or she can veto it and it goes through a process I don't know about. Our trip to the capital was really fun!


Turns out all this interested Connor a great deal and now he even wants to participate in an event coming up in May called Teen Pact. They offer a one day "class" for 8-12 year olds where they can learn more about the legislative process, which I am looking into!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Ugghhh....the "classics"

After reading the book, "A Thomas Jefferson Education", I was impacted in a number of ways. One of those was an encouragement to continue to pursue my own education particularly in one area. I really want my kids to be thinkers. I want them to read or learn something and be able to discuss it rather than "parrot" back some details. In order to teach that, I have to learn to do that myself to be able to teach them and participate with them. I am such a classic example of a "typical" public education. I didn't even take advantage of the education I did receive. I memorized what they told me to, read really fast, and just happened to be a great test taker (then forgot all those pesky little details)! I was real good at finding the "answers" and got great grades all through school. Every day as I teach my kids I am embarrassed at what I didn't retain, but excited to be learning along with them. Part of me thinks that every almost 40 year old mom should take an elementary history class;) So...I threw the idea of a book club out to some friends and we have quite the little group going. We have committed to pick books from the reading list and get together once a month to discuss these books. We just finished "A Tale of Two Cities" and I will admit, it was quite painful for me. I read it out of duty and accountability more than desire, but it turned out to be a great experience for me. I have to re-train my brain as I read and learn and it was a good first step. We had some great discussions and it made it worthwhile. Our next assignment is "Jane Eyre" and although I was dreading that a little bit as well, I am loving it so far! I also realized that as much as I embrace most of the new technology, I just can't get excited reading a book on screen yet. I had to go get the hard copy after downloading it for free to two different apps. I thought it would be so convenient, but it just isn't the same. Bryan teases me because he reminds me how much I was opposed to the digital camera saying that I would never make that switch;)

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Weather Woes

A few years ago when I would tell people that we were moving to Oregon, the only feedback I ever got about it was the weather and it was all negative. The truth is...it is a huge topic of conversation to those who live here as well.

I truly enjoy the fall season and the winter is very tolerable, as far as winters go! Summer is beautiful, although I am more used to hotter days that last much longer, it is a very enjoyable summer as well.

Spring is a MUCH different story for me. It is really only the time of year that I have a hard time. I know spring is here, as there are many signs. The birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and trees are starting to bud. I guess it is a little warmer and the grass is starting to shoot up.

I on the other hand, am still lighting a fire every morning in the stove to take the chill out and feeling like without the sun shining, it just doesn't feel like spring to me. I am surprised to admit that I don't mind the rain and even enjoy some of the rainy days, especially when I get to be home. I have hit my limit though for now!

I know the sun is coming...I know things are going to get better which is one of the best things about living with the seasons. There is so much more to living here than the weather, but I most likely won't blog about those until summer.

Right now, I am drowning not only in the rain, but in a little bit of the rainy day blues too.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

They can look that up!

I read the best article the other day from the owner and creator of my favorite homeschool curriculum; Sonlight. Sarita Holzman shared a great story about a conversation she had with a friend that went like this.

Cheryl was mortified, she said, when "someone asked my children what the capital of France was, and they didn't know!"

I told her: "Kids can look that up anytime. In the total scheme of things, it is not important for our kids to know what the capital of France is. How much better that they learn to get along with one another."

I can't get that out of my head. I am so grateful to have that little gem in my "arsenal" as I homeschool day in and day out. What a blessing to be reminded of one of my goals in this journey.

I thought of this last night as my boys spent close to 20 minutes agreeing on a movie to watch. Connor had a little sore throat so it was a treat for a school night which they did not want to lose by arguing. To make everyone happy they ended up watching an episode on 2 different Magic School Bus videos and an episode of Shawn the Sheep. All those together totaled the time of a movie....trust me, they did the math! It was a little agonizing to watch, but they did it. Sure, I could of let one of them watch on a laptop, but what lesson would there be in that? I tell them all the time that these skills of comprise they are learning will really come in handy when they get older! I am thrilled that they have each other as brothers, friends, and classmates. They have a lot of other friends and I often wonder who will be in their lives when they are older, but I know they will have each other.

I am currently STILL in the process of writing out my homeschool mission statement, and you can be sure that family relationships will be a part of it. I say every year that I am going to do it, but I never quite get it done. However, things are a little different now. I shared that goal with a friend who encouraged me even to the point of having a deadline for a first draft! (you know who you are, my friend and I thank you) I happen to work well with deadlines and accountability so I have high hopes on getting this done!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Contest Entries

We heard of a contest that the Humane Society in Portland was running. It is the, "Be Kind to Animals Poster and Photo/Story Event." They assign a theme for different grades and both Connor and Brody wanted to participate this year. They made a lot of different entries, but decided on a few in the end. It was a lot of fun for them to do and we mailed them off earlier this week. I had to catch a couple of pictures before sending them!

Brody has been practicing drawing rabbits a lot lately! His theme for the posters was, "Be a good friend to a pet."

Here are the two posters that Connor decided on. His theme was, "All Pets Need Love and Care their Whole Lives."


Brody also decided to enter a story which I was real excited about. He wrote this all on his own about when Dusty broke his leg, and the goal was to write a story about how you love your pet. I think he did a great job and don't worry...I checked...a grammar lesson on commas is coming up;)


It was fun to see them participate in their first contest of this kind, they really enjoyed it. Of course I would give them my vote, but I'm not on the judging panel..darn!










Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Bye Bye Busy-ness!

Today is a special day....it marks the start of Lent, 40 days before the celebration of Easter. I have decided to participate in Lent really for the first time. I think I might have "given up" something in the past for 40 days, but realize that is not what the season of Lent is all about. I know my words will do a poor job explaining it, but I think now for me that it is supposed to be a time of redirection, of reflection, and focus on Christ and what Easter represents. Going 40 days without something is a discipline in self control for sure, but it has ended there for me. I believe that if I search my heart and find something that replaces God in my life, then give that up, and give that time back to God, I can truly participate in Lent.



I have also done some very basic surface skimming into the history of Lent trying to figure out why more Christian churches don't participate and it is one complicated topic that I know very little about. It seems to come down to rituals and routine and trying to avoid anything that promotes it. Bryan and I have decided that anything that helps turn your heart to God is not a bad thing and we are doing this together.



In the last month, God has brought two "classes" my way on Spiritual Discipline and I think He might be trying to tell me something. They were completely different in what they taught, but I took a l ot from both of them. So...I'm sure you are wondering what I am letting go of. In a way it is my fancy iphone. Sounds cheesy, right...feels cheesy anyway. I absolutely love my iphone and it has been such a blessing to me in so many ways. It keeps me organized, and has so many great things that I use every day. Some of those things are good things like a calendar, a shopping list and even my daily devotion by Greg Laurie which I really enjoy. But then, there are some things that aren't so good; facebook, scrabble, even access to e-mail. These things aren't bad in themselves, but having so much access to them, has occupied many little "free moment" minutes to really add up during the day. Also, I have been communicating less because I check messages quickly and don't respond because it is not fun to type on my phone long messages back. So, my plan is to use my phone for the basics and not for fun in a way, but more importantly...it is the busy-ness that I have fallen victim to. It is the inability to sit still and enjoy some peace that I long for. I remember hearing this and I loved it though I have not lived it...

"We all say we SEEK peace but we avoid silence." (As I type this I have a piano lesson and a guitar lesson going on in the background...hee...hee:)

So..to replace my wasted moments with my "play toy", I have been creating prayer cards to truly spend time praying for things that are close to my heart and for people that I love and care about. They will be on nifty flip rings and almost as accessible as the touch of a screen;) I also have a book that I really want to get through called "Respectable Sins" by Jerry Bridges. I believe it will be a great tool for me to focus on sin in my life that I easily overlook.

There you have it...my 40 day plan. So far this morning, I am still alive without playing scrabble, or checking all the irresistible online specials like woot and groupon. I feel good. I have to admit, slightly anxious, but good.

I guess that my focus on self control certainly won't hurt, I wish I was a little more experienced there, but I guess I am getting a crash practice course!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Our Annual Trek to OSU Lambing Barn

I am sure this will be a family annual event around here for awhile. Every year during lambing season the Sheep Research Center at OSU opens up the facility for visitors to see all the babies. It is such a good opportunity for our Brody to be around a whole lot of sheep. The rest of us pretty much tolerate it for his sake. It was freezing cold in there this year but Brody didn't mind one bit.



He has always had a special love for the black sheep and this year there was plenty of them to see when we were there. They are darn cute little things though, aren't they?


Even Grandma Louise flew out from Missouri to brave the cold and stinky barn to witness Brody in a state of pure happiness!
So little lambs, grow up and big and strong and we will see you all again next year!





















Thursday, February 24, 2011

Just the facts mam....

I have often commented on the fact that I can see Connor with a future as a wikipedia writer or something similar. He loves to report the facts! He does not really enjoy creative writing assignments unless the idea is totally his. When he does have an idea that is not a school assignment, he gets excited for a little while then fizzles out. I think he currently has 5 or 6 "books" in the works;)

This past week a new opportunity came up. Sam, one of the kids from our co op, had a brilliant idea to start a newsletter for our group. I am excited to see what happens with it and think it can be a really good experience for the kids that get involved in it. I know Connor thinks it is a great idea and he decided to do a restaurant review for his first submission. He loves to go out to eat and felt this a perfect fit for him. He did this today, all on his own, with only a little help setting up the initial document. I think he did a terrific job and may even give him a "free pass" on Language Arts for tomorrow:)


Wednesday, February 16, 2011

A Whole Lotta Love!

I just love our co op group. Last week we had a Valentine's party and we all had such a great time. God has brought together some amazing families and it is so neat to see the kids gather each week developing friendships and learning things together. I am grateful that we have an opportunity to participate in such things as a Valentine exchange even though we do not participate in traditional school. It is one of those things that I would not want them to miss. They went through each one when we went home and were excited to have treasures from their friends at "class" (okay and some candy too).


Daddy had some cards waiting for them witha HUGE sucker attached and I showed my love to them by slaving over banana chocolate chip muffins which is their favorite breakfast...or at least one of them. By request I also made them some chocolate goodies they love, AND we enjoyed a nice day at home with no errands which is always one of their favorite "treats"!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

BIG Smiles :)

It seems that Connor and Brody have a lot to smile about lately;)


Connor got his braces off after just a few months and what a difference in that smile! I am so happy we went ahead with the partial set now and feel it was totally worth it. He was so happy to get them off and kept saying how much older he felt. I remember driving home almost going off the road looking in the rear view mirror at that handsome boy! This is my new favorite picture of him even though the quality isn't that great! (indoor at night with my iphone...what do you expect?)

Brody and I went to his first 4-H meeting on Saturday and he really enjoyed it. Some of the older kids were working with him to pick up Dusty by himself and he is so excited to learn to do that. He also learned how to clip his nails and do quarter turns for showing. Not the greatest picture either, but the smile was SO precious!
Any time you can go to the Oregon coast without huge gusts of winds and a parka puts a smile on my face! On Sunday, daddy took us along with Grandma Louise visiting from Missouri, out to Newport where he has been working. It was a great time for a run around in the sand and I just love this picture I grabbed of the boys together having fun.



After that we headed to a great old fashioned diner for lunch and real ice cream malts and shakes. Big smiles there too, but no pictures!