Happy Halloween

I think if I went back and copied most of our blog entry from Halloween last year, it would be a lot the same! We went to the church last night for the annual chaos fest! It's really just me that has issues with it. Apparently I don't do well in large groups of people - and this party is always a LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE!!

Of course, as usual, the party was great! The kids always have a fabulous time - the decorations were great - the games were great. It's always just so much fun. In addition to the games and the trick or treating, we also had a chili cook-off! There was salad and bread sticks - and so much chili! It was so good - as chili always is on arctic cold nights...like, oh say, last night!

The kids dressed up in the old faithful costumes. We aren't a family that is very interested in venturing out of our comfort zone when it comes to dressing up. We pretty much stick to the tried and true costumes! I could put up last year's picture and I think we'd see the same costumes, just on different bodies!



Mom snapped this picture just because Joe is so darned cute and it was one of those rare moments when he didn't have a binkie stuck in his face! And it counters his not-so-happy face from the picture above.

The week in review...

Last Saturday was Taco Soup and apparently Joseph's serving had sleeping powder on it. Luckily, he saved a little soup on his cheeks for after his nap.



We sure enjoy Jaynie - she has such a little personality. She's very shy and quiet most of the time. But when she's home during the day w/ just Malorie, mom and Joseph, she turns into such an out-going, playful little girl.



One day during the week, Malorie goes to a little Play Group / Pre-School thing with a few friends from "the neighborhood". There are only about 6 kids, so it's a managable group. This week, they went and rode ponies. Malorie LOVED it!



This weekend was Megan's play, The Little Mermaid. She was a seahorse. We were very surprised when she said she wanted to try-out for the play. She's very shy, also and something like play try-outs seemed SO out of her comfort zone. But she did great and made a wonderful seahorse. This is Megan (right) with her cousin Marielle (left).



See, she's a little shy - always!



Here's a video of part of her play. It's about 2 minutes long, so it may take a while to download. Megan is at the far far right, on the end. Her cousin is the one next to her.



Megan's play was in the school gym. After the play we stayed and helped put chairs away. Jared decided he needed to play on the bleachers - dad had the camera and caught him being goofy.

Good Thing He's So Cute

So we've decided that Joseph is most likely never going to talk. Oh, we know it's our fault for keeping a binkie stuck in his face for the last 15 months of his life. He has been our only baby to take a pacifier, and it was HEAVENLY! However, he's now 18 months old and says nothing, except "Uh, Oh!" (And sadly, he say THAT a lot!)

So here he is being cute and using his sign language - really he just figured out that we think he's adorable when he waves HI so here he is doing it!



And just for fun, here was our view out the living room windows this weekend. Not a great picture, just a candid picture taken from the kitchen. It's definitely Fall - the leaves have all turned their yellows, reds and browns and now they're starting to pile up on the ground.

Happy National Boss Day

Brandon came home from work yesterday, after spending the day in Moses Lake with his co-workers and said "Hey, today is National Boss Day." Naturally, I instantly had a reply to that, but kept it to myself! He showed us a great card signed by everyone that works for him and then opened a wonderful gift from them - A Kodak Smart Picture Frame.



He said he's sure they decided to give him the picture frame b/c the family pictures he has up in his office are about 3 years old - I don't think Jaynie and Joseph are even IN the pictures he has there! LOL

I also wanted to share the card because, well, I'm just so happy to know that Brandon works with such great friends. It's never easy getting up and going to work every day - who wouldn't like to be independently wealthy or gainfully self employed? We're neither, so he drives in to work, every morning at 5:30 am.

I know he'd hate having to go in if it wasn't for the great team of people he gets to work with every day. He always speaks so fondly of every member of this group - what a blessing to be in such a great work environment!



(Inside)

Missing Grandma, still....

October 13 - it was on this day, 12 years ago, that my grandmother passed away. I still miss her so badly! I can still hear her voice and I can still remember some of our conversations. I remember the things she liked and the things she didn't. I love flowers and birds because of my grandmother. Nobody appreciated the beauty of the world the way she did. What a wonderful thing to pass on to your children and grandchildren! I know how much she'd love to see the changing colors in our forest right now. Because of grandma, my kids and I spend a lot of time pointing out the beauty and the changes that we see.

I know I've said this before - but today is one of those days that I'd give anything for just one more day with her. A day to look into her eyes and a day to hear her voice. An opportunity to ask her questions and to tell her "thank you" for so many things. A chance to feel the love and tenderness and strength in her hands - a day to see her meet the seven children she never had the chance to. I guess then I'd just have to say good-bye again - maybe that's why we get memories instead...saying good-bye a second time would probably be worse than the first. I miss you grandma.

Our Fall Family

We had hoped to get real pictures taken last night, but that didn't work out - so we were stuck with mom's handy work. Next time we'll schedule better and go earlier in the day so we don't have to fight with lighting...and hopefully there will be a couple of warmer, sunny days left before winter - last night was just miserable!

Joseph- can you believe he will be 18 months in October! Man he's growing up so fast!



Jaynie - she's 3 1/2 going on 15.



Malorie - I think she really is 15...no wait, she'll be 5 in January.



Jared - 7 1/2



Megan - 8 1/2



Jacob - 10 1/2



Madilyn - 12



Jason - 13 1/2



Dad and the kiddo's -



Mom and the kiddo's -



Dad & Mom - 14 years and still tickin'



Mom says, "Say cheese!" and this is what she gets...

Happy Birthday Grandma Lee

Happy Birthday to YOU, Happy Birthday to YOU, Happy Birthday Dear Grandma...Happy Birthday to YOUUUUUUUU!!!

We sure do miss you. Have a wonderful day and know that we wish we were there to eat cake with you!

Happy Birthday, Mom

"Are you going to put YOUR baby picture in the blog today, mom?" Ugh - sure, why not. However, if I thought finding a digital picture of Madilyn was hard - imagine finding one that was 3 times her age. I'm not sure if I can upload a picture chipped in stone?

Today is the big 37. Madilyn said I could tell people I'm 29 - geee, thanks! LOL

The little kids and I have spent the entire day in our jammies - not because it's my birthday, but because Malorie was kind enough to share her cold with me. Oh SHE is fine now - full of pep and energy - I, on the other hand, would be very content crawling under a rock until Spring.

I don't have a current picture of myself, and I promise nobody wants me to take one today! But here I am 30-ahem years ago...



(I think I'm more like 6+mo in this picture - if I come across any pictures that are more "baby" than this, I'll add them later.)

Happy Birthday Maddie!

Right now, 12 years ago, my baby girl was only a couple of hours old! I had spent the day before canning and juicing plums and I was SURE that the pain in my back was from standing at the stove all day. Actually, it was Madilyn Joy, planning her grand, early entrance! She wasn't "scheduled" to arrive for three more weeks, and after having Jason come just one week early, we weren't considering having a baby for another couple of weeks!

I remember making Brandon fix our vacuum before we went to the hospital at 1:00am so we could vacuum the floor before we left. I wanted to come home to a clean house and his sisters were coming to stay with Jason while we were gone. I think we got to the hospital around 3am and just after 6am, Madilyn was born. I remember the nurse asking me all of the tedious admitting questions and in the middle of it all, I said, "My water just broke." She paused and said, "I'll check and see if it really did." LIKE I WOULDN'T KNOW!? "Oh, it sure did Mrs. Lee." I figured since I'd been potty-trained for the past 23 years, I knew what I was talking about!

I was only in the hospital for about 13 hours so we don't have many "in the hospital" pictures. And since Maddie was "pre-digital" I don't have many baby pictures readily available on the computer. But here is our baby. She's 12 today. Holy Cannoli, how did THAT happen???

Maddie Coming Home From The Hospital



Birth Announcement Picture



Maddie 12 years later