Christmas2011

What a fun season Christmas is. Having our new house has truly made all the difference. I had a place to hide presents, and a place to have people over for our "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party. That was on the 23rd and it was pretty fun. I did a little shopping at Goodwill and Walmart and voila, ugly outfit. The really nice part was having enough room for kids to party and stay out of our way (but not out of earshot!), and having plenty of parking.

Rebecca, Cyn, Katie, Nasca, and Jenny.

Rebecca and Katie obviously weren't in the "ugly sweater" mood.

I also enjoyed decorating the house for the holidays. When we went to get out tree Darren figured our front room could handle a tall tree. We got it home and it's a whole heck of a lot taller than it looked in the u-cut tree farm. We had to drag it over to the staircase to get the lights and ornaments on the top. We estimate it's height to be at about 15 feet. Not looking forward to unstringing the lights.

Gavin and Darren really wanted their Christmas pj's to be "real tree" camo. I lucked out and found some that are pretty close to real tree (as far as I'm concerned) at Walmart.

Darren got me the coolest present ever. He bought a Weeping Willow tree. My favorite kind of tree and I've been talking about wanting one in my yard since we moved here. The tree company comes and plants it and everything and guarantees it for a year. Hooray! So thoughtful. Oh, and I got a new vacuum, but that was out of necessity.

And now for the present that the kids and I got for Darren:

He named her Shadow and she is an adorable 6 week old Lab. And yes, I know that makes 4 dogs for us. And yes, I know that's crazy. But Darren has wanted a Lab forever-- a "real" dog as he says. It was always in our plan to have a Lab but in our other home it wouldn't have worked. Then along came George, Holly, and Roxy. But Roxy is pretty much like a guinea pig. We even brought her to the mall the other day to get Santa pictures. So anyway, the puppy reveal went pretty well. D took the kids to church this morning and I was too "sick" to go (actually my stomach really did hurt). Then I drove 10 minutes to where the puppy lived, luckily I found one close, and had her sleeping on his pillow when they got home from church. I believe he was genuinely surprised, and I was very relieved that he was happy.

Drew had a 6th grade Fun Run on the last day before break and this was her outfit.

The Great Pumpkin Massacre

One of the benefits of living on 10 acres is that you can shoot on your property. Gavin has set up a gun range. Darren and the kids shot up the pumpkins that we never carved for Halloween. Beware any home intruders.... my kids are armed. All of our neighbors have acreage too so there is plenty of space between us. Still, Gavin's friend called him while we were in Utah and asked Gavin what was going on at our house. He said it sounded like Baghdad over there. So I called Darren and he said he had his friend Mike over and they were shooting Mike's guns and blowing stuff up. Gavin was sad that he was not home for that one. Now he wants explosives for Christmas. I wonder if Santa has anything against giving tannerite as a gift.

I'm almost an animal hoarder. I have 3 dogs and 5 horses. Yes, I am living out my childhood dreams. A few weeks ago our friend Bryan found 2 horses that were being given away and he wanted to take them for his kids. I said that he could keep them here. He ended up not being able to take them for now so I took them. They are beautiful. Both paints. Their names are Rodeo and Eli. I have hair envy over Rodeo's mane. His mane is long and wavy, it looks like it was just taken out of a braid. We quickly made 2 makeshift stalls in the barn and it works well. For the most part the kids love going out to the barn and cleaning stalls. Their chores have increased but so far no complaints. Gavin is especially loving it. In the evening we all go out to feed them and put them away for the night.

Gavin and Eli

Gillian and Rodeo

I am not one who usually likes to put signs up in the house. But this one, I just could not resist. It pretty much sums it up for me. Is it too much to ask for?

A Mormon/Muslim wedding

The week of Thanksgiving I took the kids with me to Utah to go to Ginger's wedding. A few years ago she was traveling in Egypt and met a man named Hesham and they fell in love. He is really awesome and I am so thrilled for them both. The kids were so happy that they got to go to the wedding. Ginger is like family to them. Gillian wanted to be a flower girl with Ginger's niece Hailey so we put some flowers in her hair, bought her a "fancy" dress at Walmart and voila, flower girl.

Gillian and Hailey

Who needs a clean car anyway?

Unless a miracle happens and someone paves our half mile dirt road, my car will never be clean again. I figure it's a small price to pay for living here. I've tried driving really slow. I've tried avoiding potholes and puddles. Oh well, I'm a dirty car owner.

Remember I said that Gillian had to act out Pippi Longstockings on Halloween for her book report? Well here is the darling picture of her that I forgot to post last time.

The kids are thriving here on our little parcel of paradise. I've been sick for two weeks with a cough and stuffy head. I'm on my second round of antibiotics and it better work this time. I think all the work of moving finally caught up to me. Our other house closes in the next couple of weeks and we have some work to do there so there is no more time to be sick. I'm so grateful that it sold so quickly though. A true blessing.

Sometimes I look around and am in awe of how perfect this place is for us. There are drawbacks, such as a perpetually dirty car, but all in all it has been great for all of us. The kids clean stalls together, shoot Gavin's gun together, play outside and in the barn and generally don't ask to go to friends houses all the time anymore. Now we have friends over on weekends and I don't see the kids until they come in for food. The dogs are in absolute heaven. However, a white, fluffy Bichon Frise is not the right kind of dog to have on a farm. He smears his face and body in horse poop every chance he gets. His feet are constantly dirty and I am considering getting him some dog booties. Yes, that's right, dog booties, sounds like a good idea.

We have a 400 square foot room above the garage that is unfinished. We want to some day finish it but for now we are making it into an art studio/sewing room/x-box playroom, and storage. I got out my sewing stuff the other day and it was so nice to have a place to actually set it up and have it stay out. I am taking one of the little bay window areas for a dedicated sewing space. No more dining room table sewing projects! Then, I figured that since we have no carpet and no texture on the drywall we could just paint the walls, floors, and whatever else we wanted to graffiti. It has been a fun thing for Gillian and I to do together. In fact, that is my new ploy to get her to sleep in her own bed. I told her I won't paint in the art studio with her if she doesn't sleep in her own bed. Yes, it's been bad again with her sleeping habits. Now Darren and I are on the main floor in the master bedroom, which still doesn't deter her from coming downstairs every night to try to sneak in bed with us.

My new sewing nook

"Art Studio"

and chaos.....

Someday I will have everything unpacked, sorted, and put away. That day is not today. And it is probably not tomorrow.

Cowboy, Cavewoman, and Pirate

My Halloween morning started off with a Twix candy bar. Somehow I eat really crappy when I'm sick. I can't seem to help myself. I haven't exercised in a week and a half and I've been eating whatever I want. And I want candy. No wonder I'm not getting better. Life goes so much better for me when I exercise every day. I just haven't exactly figured out how I'm going to get to my CrossFit gym more than once a week. Timing is not working in my favor.

The kids were excited for Halloween as usual. Gavin is definitely pushing the age limit on trick-or-treating but he figures as long as his friends go then he goes. I don't mind, gives me more candy to steal for breakfast. Drew is also pushing the age limit, but she looks so dang cute dressed up that I can't say no. Plus, her friends all go out. And Gilli, well she's always going to be my baby and she can pretty much get away with anything.

Earlier on in the day Gillian had to do a book report at school where she acted out a scene from her book. She was Pippy Longstockings. She got pretty nervous and talked really fast but she did well. She wore her braids sticking out with the help of wire, and mismatched stockings with Gavin's shoes. She looked adorable.

I am quite certain that we will never get trick-or-treaters at our house. We live at the end of a half mile private dirt road. You have to go through a gate and up past our barn to get to our house and you can't even see our house from the gate. Thus, we decided to keep with old traditions.

After school we went to Woodinville to have dinner at the Gregson's and trick-or-treat with friends. Gavin wore his new cowboy hat and carried a feed bag to gather his candy. When people asked him if he is supposed to be a cowboy he said "I guess so, I'm just going as myself." He is really embracing his whole new lifestyle, and that suits me just fine. Drew dragged out an old cavewoman outfit and Gillian wore a pirate costume that we had. I didn't buy any halloween costumes for once. Hooray!

The kids all like to dump their candy on the floor, count it, and then do trades.

Settling in

Wow, it's been a whirlwind of a month. So much has taken place in such a short amount of time. New house, new town, new schools, new ward, new friends, new pets, new everything. It's been exciting and it's also been hard. This place is all we hoped for and more, yet it is still hard to leave other stuff behind.

We just got internet installed yesterday-- yes, we've gone a month without internet, weird. The company that we were told to use couldn't make it out here until mid-November, and since it's satellite there aren't a whole lot of options. I was able to find another company that had no problem coming out sooner. So, I'm back in business. Hooray!

Gavin's new high school, Snohomish High, made national news this week when one student stabbed 2 other students. One of the girls almost died and remains in the hospital. The school was on lockdown for the morning. The girl who did the stabbing has had a history of mental problems and she just randomly picked two freshmen girls who were in the bathroom to stab. So scary. It had Gavin pretty upset, as well as everyone else.

The girls go to Dutch Hill elementary. They catch the bus which is new and exciting for them. I have to drive them to the bus stop which is a half mile down the private dirt road. After school they tell me all about the boys on the bus and in their classes that have crushes on them. One day Gavin and I rode the horses down to give them a ride back home after school. They are living out my childhood dreams. And so am I.

Gavin has set up a shooting range and taught the girls gun safety and taken them target shooting with his 22. They actually enjoy spending time together and I don't see them inside so much any more.

We are about exactly 30 minutes from our old house. Our house is on ten acres, fully fenced to keep dogs and horses in. There is a big barn with a hay loft. The kids have stall cleaning added to their chores, but somehow I end up doing it most days. They love to climb the rickety metal ladder to get to the hay. At night we all go out to put the horses away and they climb up on Breezy and Jay and just sit there while they eat in their stalls. Last night Gavin fell asleep while laying on Breezy. Chuck is being a bit crazy and I'm the only one that can ride him for now. He's still adjusting to his new place I guess.

Last Saturday night we had our friends over for a party. In our old house there wasn't enough room for people to park on the street to come over and our house wasn't very big so we never had anyone over.

I have been sick the past week with a nasty cough and stuffy head. Darren has been gone to Baltimore for the past few days so things have ground to a halt for a bit. Still a few boxes here and there but mostly moved in. And the greatest miracle of all-- our house sold within a month of listing it. We didn't get what we wanted but I guess nobody does these days. I still have some work to do on it before it closes next month. I thought that I would be more sad about leaving but our new circumstances are so nice that I'm getting over it pretty quickly. I do miss neighbors and friends and schools, etc... but I'm not that far away that I can't see them. That was our first house though and it is a great house. I will always have such great memories of that place. It is fun making new memories here too.

Drew riding Jay in our yard

Gavin, Roxy (in her new sweater), and Holly.

Moving on

It has been quite a busy month since we've gotten back from California. We bought a new house, the kids started school, and now we have to move this week and re-start school in our new town. We are finally realizing our dream of moving to the country and having some privacy. Privacy comes in the form of 10 acres, a barn, and a beautiful home. I know that our whole family feels that this is the right move for us, even though it is a big leap and pretty scary. We have loved living in the Bothell/Woodinville area for the past 10 years. We have such great friends here and love our schools, CrossFit gym, and church. I'm sure we will love Snohomish too. It's only 30 minutes away.

More about the house....

We had the opportunity to meet the owners last week. So cool. They have lived there for over 20 years. Their house burned down in 2008 and then they built our home in 2009. It is beautiful and I feel very blessed. They even have a sun motif throughout the house, on the tiles and inlaid in the entryway mosaic of rocks. It is awesome. They must have known that I am a California girl who needs some sort of sun. At least I have it in the house if I can't see it in the sky. They also have two horses that get to stay with us--Breezy and Jay. So now I have a 3 stall barn, 3 horses, 3 kids, and 3 dogs. What am I thinking?! It will be great. I'm going to have the busiest week of my life. So, I'd better get dressed and get to Home Depot to buy some boxes. Wish me luck!

Twelve

Drew had a tubing party this past weekend. It was the last warm day of the year. So much fun. And then today my little girl turned 12. I can't believe it. She is now a young woman. And such a fantastic, responsible, beautiful, and sweet young woman she is. I am so lucky to be a mom to this fabulous girl.

Catching up with California

Since I am a month behind in blogging I figure it's about time that I write about California. I drove to Castro Valley with the girls, Gavin stayed behind to go on a High Adventure scout hike. I even made it there in just one day. That's the first time I've driven that long without another driver. It went amazingly well.

Bruce and Roxy. Same color, different size.

Suzy and kids were at mom and dad's house. After a few days we drove to Suzy's. Me, Suzy, and our 5 girls. It was pretty good until about LA, then it got pretty loud. But all in all it was pretty mellow.

Our week in Huntington Beach was fabulous. It consisted of swimming, surfing, and swimming. Gillian was very insistent on swimming. Gavin and Drew took up surfing and loved it. I was amazed at how many waves they caught and their ability to stand up and surf all the way to shore.

It was sad to leave. We all enjoyed our visit so much and the kids all want to move to California. Pretty sure that is never going to happen but we can always go and visit.

Banks Lake 2011

The Rig.... all ready to leave for Banks Lake

Banks Lake happened one month ago. Yep, I'm very very behind in my blogging and in everything else too. So to briefly sum up the trip..... it was awesome as usual. Mom, Suzy and her girls traveled up here and came with us. I've always wanted some of my kin to join me on our annual extravaganza. Laura came about 4 years ago and this time I got 5 extra family members. Score! And most importantly we added a new baby to our family. Darren picked up a baby Chihuahua on the way to Banks Lake. Gavin and Drew named her LaFawnda and Gillian re-named her Roxy. Gillian begged and begged and BEGGED for a baby Chihuahua ever since her friend got Lightening, so we picked up his sister. Now we have 3 dogs. Now I feel like crazy dog hoarder lady. But she is pretty cute.

We visited the Grand Coulee Dam. First time we've taken the tour in the 7 years we've been going to Banks Lake.

Georgia made friends with the Valentine girls, Veraty and Xela. She didn't know their names, just called them her friends.

Our beloved Buzz Bomb tube was fun for all.

Darren the Dog Whisperer

Nasca, Jenny and I all got up the courage to jump off of a 45 foot cliff. Crazy, scary, fun. That's me in the middle. I always make sure I plug my nose way before I hit the water.

Gavin spent most of his time jet skiing. He got pretty good at it.

Drew also picked up jet skiing pretty quickly too.

Alice cracks me up. She's always doing something. Always into something. I love it. Yes, this is a paper bowl on her head. I don't know why.

Cute, sweet Mary

I didn't get many pictures of Suzy so this is proof that she was there at the lake. It was so nice having her there. I love that people always say that we look so much like sisters, it makes me happy.

For the past 2 years I have convinced Darren to shave a big long mustache. I think he looks very very handsome. I think he IS very very handsome.

Everyone at camp fell in love with Roxy so the Pedigo's picked up the last pup of the litter on the way home and named him Coulee. This is Brooke, Coulee, Gillian, and Roxy.