So a little catch up is in order...

Mike made it through his surgery well. He spent the next week on crutches and returned to work on Monday, with a few rough worn out sore days. He is still achy and hurting, but is trying to exercise to get his knee in shape. He is suppose to see his doctor next Wednesday for a check up and determine whether a physical therapy program is required or if he is progressing adequately on his own.
He starts his EMT class March 23 and it will run Wednesday nights and Saturdays all day until June 29th. This will make a long set of months/weekends for both him, and myself left at home with the crazy boys.

Caleb came down sick last Wednesday, feverish. By Thursday, he was throwing up, Friday just a bit too. Consequently, he missed school Thursday and Friday. Josh also was warm on Friday morning, so he stayed home too.

Monday, we went to the zoo because the teachers were having an in-service day. We invited one of Jockey's school buddies. We had a good long, decent weathered day... and Caleb fell right asleep at 6 right when we got home.
Jockey had a playdate on Wednesday after school so that I could get to work and get to my doctor's appointment. And the boys had Awana on Wednesday night.

Baby is growing well. Heartbeat was a strong 160 at the appointment, measuring right on schedule. Kicking away, twirling inside enough to cause near seasickness, and he's starting to feeling heavy. The biggest item of information. We have set a final birthdate/surgery date: Friday, June 17th, 2011. That is the offical day, most likely in the morning. Mike will be there that day, but is expected to have to be at EMT class on the next day, Saturday. And I expect to be released to go home on Sunday morning. So it is finally determined. Josh is out of school by then. Caleb will probably have to miss that Friday, and Monday's school. It is what it is. And then we cruise into the summer.

The next school year is shaping up to look a little different than expected. Jockey will be attending 2 full kindergarten days a week and every other week 1/2 days on Mondays. Strange. But nothing I can change. We have to get all of his immunizations by then however, that is the next big step.

I have SEVERAL hours of work next week that I have to find a way to get it all accomplished, and MOPS with a craft to put on. Whew!

So that's the lastest.

So last Wednesday, Grandma Bishop flew into town. The weather was nice the whole visit with the exception of a few minutes of spitting rain on Monday, and the snow falling on Tuesday the day she flew home. The boys thoroughly enjoyed the visit, and as always Caleb was very sad and almost tearful when I told him it was the last day. They did enjoy playing on her iphone all the games that she could find, playing games on the computer, having "movie nights", visiting for the first time the hispanic food/bakery store on main street in Monroe, the St. Vincent store where books were gathered for the reading times (as well as clothing for Nathan), going to the park where California Warm Grandma braved the brisk day and sunshine, and the Children's Musuem on their family free night. The boys did not have school Friday or Monday, so there was plenty of time together and we all wore each other out having fun.

Baby Update: 23 weeks as of 2/25. He is now about 11 1/4 inches and about 1 lb in weight. Kicking alot, but really he's turning into a night owl or late afternoon active guy. Caleb and Josh are just starting to be able to feel the kicking, but their trouble is a lack of patience... they don't hold still long enough to feel the difference between my breathing and heartbeat and the actual kicks because the kicks aren't strong enough to be undeniable (or later, visually seen). It's like waiting for lighting to strike and having your hand in the right place at the right time and waiting for it... they don't wait. I haven't been out walking with the weather and Grandma Bishop in town, but it's time to start getting back into the habit no matter how much or where it hurts. I'm tired alot, but if I walk in the mornings after dropping off the boys at school, I'm positively falling asleep in the middle of things by the afternoon. The boys keep asking when it is time, how much longer. And of course, the famous.... "is the baby naked inside?" I'm still only barely showing, most people I come in contact with don't know until I tell them, but being obviously pregnant is just around the corner I'm sure. Maybe then the new tube toppped pregnancy jeans won't just slide off my hips with an actual belly to keep them up. Next Doctor's appointment is 3/9.

This week, Josh only attended school on Wednesday. With the school delays 2 hours late for Thursday and Friday, Friday school was cancelled for Jockey. Caleb and Josh were sure that Wednesday would be a snow day, so they "camped" with blankets and sleeping bags on the floor at the end of our bed. But that was a normal day of school. Thursday, we slept in and still got Caleb to school. Friday, it was beautiful sunny and brilliant blue skies and DRY roads in the Fryelands... so we were a bit stunned to find that school was 2 hours late when we went to drop off Caleb at the normal time... it delayed out day a bit, but still a good day. (The boys were excited that that meant time to pick up "megamind" at Redbox, not so much the other errands I had to run with them.) Awana was also cancelled this week because of the expect snow fall Wednesday night. Honestly, when it was all said and done, I think the Fryelands (where our house is located) got the least of it like the eye of a storm... everyone else had 4-6 inches and we had a sparse covering that just melted off by 10Am. Oh well, too many snow days will delay Caleb's last day of school, which affects baby delivery/school drop off/pick up logistics.

Mike will be having knee surgery about 11:15ish (drop off/check in time) on Tuesday 3/1. They are presuming an orthoscopic surgery, but are prepared for a full incision if it look like they have to resculpt or dimple the bone or possible pin placement if the "micro facture" is bad enough. He is expecting to spend 48 hours off of it completely except the restroom runs, and then begin working on moving and strengthening it; they told him he'd be ready for "Strenuous" activity by 6 weeks out. This injury however, has pulled him out of the Fire Academy because of their physical requirements. However, we've landed on a back up plan, an EMT class begins March 23 and goes through June 29th. It will be WAY less strenuous (especially for the first couple "book work" weeks) and something he can work up to for the ride-alongs and ER service hours he'll have to put in. He will graduate having taking the State exam certifying him as an EMT, just a great skill and program to have completed and have in his bag of knowledge/tricks.

This weekend and coming week:
I expect to blessedly use a 40% off coupon at Ben Franklin on a coveted resin for projects I want to do, church, new coupon cycles, normal school days for the boys, two days of work for me, getting into the walking habit again, Mike's surgery and 48 hours of laying around, MOPS Friday, a trip to the huge consignment sale at the Fairgrounds next weekend, and maybe I'd pick up some treat for myself for my March 5th day.

That's all for now folks.

Caleb and Jockey are just crusing along in school, pre-k, Awana, and life. They've made it to the park on nice days, and even met friends on occassion. For the Super Bowl, we all went over to our friend's house where they played the entire duration of the football game! Caleb went to Anacortes last weekend with Grammy and Papa Dahl, inspite of the weather. They even hit a few garage sales, places to eat, and did some homework reading. Jockey has been going to Grammy and Papa's house Thursday afternoons for tennis lessons and a stay overnight and being returned in time for School on Friday. It's a treasured time (and limited time, with him in 5-day Kindergarten next year). He comes home and "practices" his tennis by playing the Wii. He's silly, and surprisingly good... on the Wii. While he is gone, Caleb and I get time together. Today, we both did "homework"; Caleb read and I did my Bible study. Caleb's reading has now earned him minutes on the Wii... a new system of earn and reward to balance responsibility (homework) and play (Wii/TV/Friends/Park). I'm hoping to be consistent with him, at least long enough to get the point across and the lesson learned. Work before play, healthy food before dessert and the rest of those adages.

The "Big" day for us was Tuesday.... We had our 20 week ultrasound (techincally I was 20w+4). Healthy. GOOD sized at the 86th percentile, which per my doctor, means I'm on my way to having another 8 pounder. My response: good thing it's coming out the front then. The ultrasoundist looked for 2 hemispheres in the brain with both ventricles, 4 chamber heart, nose bones, the absence of a cleft palate, measured femurs and other arm bones, the insertion point for the umbilical cord, by turning on the "color" she could see the blood flow, looked at the spine checking for any gaps, 2 kidneys were found, and a bladder. The heart was beating at a healthy, normal 146 bpm. And it was a HE.....the long awaited, much prayed for, God foretold BOY. And thus the name Nathan Kai (Meaning gift of and messenger of God respectively). So being told ahead of time, and confirmed with "wait for the glory of God to be revealed" actually did reveal our intended and desired gender. And if you know about ultrasounds... parts are present= boy or the absence of parts =girl. We have a picture of parts. Again, like Caleb... sitting on the camera! We even came away with a DVD as the technician went through the exam. Little Nathan was ACTIVE, she was having a hard time catching him, and he kept facing my spine which made getting a traditional "profile" ultrasound shot impossible. But healthy. Weighed in at 14 ounces, and is approximately 7 3/4" long. He is kicking up a storm just about all the time, but I notice it went I finally hold still... or it's my bladder he's kicking. Last Friday, 3 people actually asked me if I had lost weight, a dozen other's (mostly pregnant themselves) complained that I wasn't or barely showing... all of which bely the 5lb gain(still below their curve of expected gains)... but I'm chalking that up to the 14 oz baby, fluid, placenta, and the doubling of my blood volume. And I have gone for 2 walks this week inspite of the below freezing temperatures! I'm going to kick and claw my way against gaining the quantities I did with the other two boys!

So that's the baby update. In other news, next Wednesday, Grandma Bishop flies into town for about a week. The boys have next Friday and the following Monday off of school which means they will be around for the majority of her visit. Jockey has a birthday party to attend on Saturday the 19th. Grandpa Bill's birthday is also coming up pretty darn quick, and GG Dahl too.
Mike goes in tomorrow for his MRI to confirm the actual condition of his knee and then the doctor will make a decision on a course of action. For the praying to God folks, all prayers are needed and appreciated for healing, miracles, best-case scenarios, quick scheduling in, quick recovery, and mercy/grace in the Fire Academy administrators that he isn't dismissed from the program... whatever you feel lead to pray, we thank you because it is only in our God's hands and power now!

So it's been a couple of interesting weeks...

We had a snow day last Wednesday. It was fun to have a mid-week break, but Jockey missed a day of school, and when you only go 3 days a week 1/3 is big. And then again with Martin Luther King Jr Day off, again he missed 1/3 of his school week. Next time, snow day on a Thursday!

We got together yesterday, Jockey and I, for a play date at the park and braved the cold for the sake of a hour with his friend. It was good until he slipped in the mud and the rain started, luckily only 15 minutes apart from each other in occurrence. We came home and he warmed up with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Caleb was out sick today from school. He came down with a fever Tuesday night, and despite only have a tickly throat Wednesday morning... the rules still state that if it was within 24 hours then keep them home from school. He and I did errands today and had breakfast together. He did feel well enough to harrass and argue with Jockey.

However, Jockey was a little jealous that he didn't get to skip school and threw fits ALLLLLL day long. He had problems before school, to the point I had to tell him we were leaving in 5 minutes and if he wasn't wearing any clothes then that was how I was going to put in him the car and that was how he was going to go to school. Surprisingly, if I could just press Mute on the tears, he actually DID get dressed. But he had problems at school. He had problems with Caleb at home, He got a bad report from Awana tonight. And let the C-O-N-S-Q-EN-CES begin!!!! I hope he's learned something today, but I'm sick too and I can not repeat a day like this with my health tied behind my back and a bad kid too!

Baby #3 update... last week they called me and the official DUE (not birth) Date is 6/24/2011, which more than likely means a birth date of 6/15-6/17, but that will be decided in March generally speaking. That adjusts how far along I am. As of today (1/19), I am 17 weeks AND 5 days, so nearly completely through 18 weeks. Still having sporatic morning/evening etc sickness, but also an increase in appetite. (I really need to get out walking again, but hard with all this rain.) I haven't quite felt consistent identifiable movement, just occassionally when I'm holding still long enough to wait for a movement. And definately not feeling anything outside yet. Still not into pregnancy clothes, but those regular jeans are feeling snug, but it's more about the uncomfortable pressure sensation because they are still buttoning fine. The list of aches & pains is growing almost by the day, but I won't complain, bore you or provide Too-Much-Info (TMI) on them all. And lastly, the days are being counted down in this household and mind until Feb 8th when we find out the gender. The last times were desires, even strong desires one way or the other, but this time I feel even more passionate about what I want. I know there will be a huge mental adjustment if it isn't the Nathan we expect, the boys only refer to the pictures and baby as HE. But that's all in God's hands. Still, the much anticipated date is on countdown!

Mike starts his academy officially next Wednesday evening and it will go Wed's and Sat's (all day) through June! But it is a huge/difficult step for this path!

School has started again. (I'm already ready for a snow day and sleeping in.)
Awana has started again. Caleb is going to recite the whole 23 psalms and earn a "green Jewel" this Wednesday. Jockey is still doing well on his verse and extra credit.
Bible Study has started again... I'm already loving it one session in, and Josh likes the socialization and the "mommy" food afterwards.

Funny saying of the day:

Caleb- "Mom, how did the dinosaurs die?"
Me- I think they froze to death. None of them have fur.
Jockey- "And they don't have FLUBBER either."
Me- You mean blubber, like whales.
Jockey- Yeah. That stuff too.


Doctor's appointment today.
1) healthy baby heart beat at 150
2) good BP for me
3) NO weight gain yet for me (Stressing the word YET!)
4) blood drawn to check Thyroid and for fetal spina bifida
5) Doc and the Maternal Fetal doc are going to debate their ultrasounds to determine a final due date... which matters in terms of correct, healthy day to C-section.
6) next appointment is Feb 8th, This is also the day we find out the gender.

Caleb is doing way better reading and doing so every day. Although reading has had to become the baragining chip to play wii, or punishment for bad behavior... which I dislike doing, but it IS a button for him and I have to use what works.
Jockey is the "Friend of the week" and is loving all the attention. He got to take in a favorite game, stuffed animal, toy, book, and pictures of himself from birth to now. AND it was sharing day too.

This last weekend we bought off of craigslist and GREAT, beautiful, STURDY bunkbed! It is completely reliably safe and is very attractive too. A great deal @ $450! The Bunk came with the mattress (easily $400 new), 6 sheet sets since they said they wouldn't have a twin bed in the house after the bunkbed was gone, 2 valances for the windows, 2 comforters, 2 matching large sized stuffed bears... all this in addition to the bunkbed (regular retail cost $749). We can't wait to show it off to the grandparents, especially those with a vested interest! Caleb came home from school saying he can't wait to see his bed. Of course in the two nights of using it, the boys switch who sleeps where, and often trying to end up in the same bed even though the other mattress is only 4 feet away! And since all lower bunks suffer from being a bit dark, I've strung some rice lights under the top bunk so Joshy bottom bunk is lit up and special feeling. He likes having the control of turning them on and off and to which ever setting he wants.

Well, we are looking forward to the "major snowfall" predicted for today.... but I'm seriously doubting it will amount to more than a bunch of hype. I WISH it was significant because I could use a sleep in snow day. Only God knows, I suppose I should pray for what we want if we want it.
That's all for now.

In bullet points for the sake of brevity:

* The 12/14 doctor's visit and ultrasound (and follow up phone calls) indicate that we have very positive numbers, meaning low risks, of Downs or trisonmy 13 or 18 in the new baby. Praising God for that. Healthy! They could identify arms, legs, hands, briefly feet, bladder, stomach, brain, nose, and heart which was beating at a strong 167 bpm. We have a 15 minute DVD as a result.

* We made it to the Lights of Christmas at Stanwood/Warm Beach. It was so nice to see a concentrated dazzling of lights, even on a bit of drizzly night. The boys liked the pony rides, petting zoo, the Polar Express tractor towed "train", the fresh hot donuts, the lights and the toy making work shop. They weren't so sure about talking to the Bruce the Spruce. It was worth the trip, and the coupon deal was awesome.

* We made it to Leavenworth for their town lighting. The sledding is what drew the attention fo the boys the most. They just love zinging down that hill again and again and again. (Perhaps next year the tubing hill at Snoqualmie, just a thought.) The chestnuts were a special treat as we listened to the town crowd singing. One side note, Jockey had to go to the bathroom every 5 to 15 minutes and asked to go home before they even lit the lights... kind of a damper but it seems like a legitimate medical problem and just not feeling good.

*Jockey went to the doctor for the first time ever for an illness. Not bad in 5 years, however, he was completely shy and would not hold still for the doctor's exam. And for his specific complaint, using the restroom successfully would have been a help too. End game, no infection, still took the antibiotics, and we have to come back and see the doctor to find out WHY... unfortunately they said it isn't completely IMPOSSIBLE for him to have kidney stones. Sorry son, I'm at fault for this one if that's what you have.

* We made it to the zoo for a bit of a mid-week trip. Rather than get things done at the house, I elected not to let them get worse with crazy boys running around inside all day. We met Cousin Tessa and Auntie Kristina. And followed the zoo up with a visit at their house for a movie and fun.

* We met my nephew (the boys cousin) Kyler for the first time ever. He just turned one this month. He has been walking about 3 weeks at the time of our visit. He was sure active and expressive, and totally into balls. All boy. Caleb and Josh now have a face to go with the "you have a cousin" claim.

*Christmas Eve we attended church services where Caleb bravely sang on stage with the other kids. He was great, but highly motivated by the bribe of a present from the Children's Pastor. Afterwards, Grammy and Papa Dahl came back to our house for casual dinner of the traditional German wieners and herring salad. Some of us abstained and went with the alternatives.

* Christmas Morning was at our house. I actually had to wake the kids up to open their stockings. They are the only kids I know that have to be woken up on Christmas morning. It was a good morning of conversation and hot breakfast with Grammy, Papa Dahl, Grandma Judy, and Papa Bill. The big difference this year is that Caleb can read the names on the presents and Josh can at least identify the first letter of a name... which means he got confused only with Grandma Judy's gifts and his own. So because of the reading thing, they were sifting through the gifts under the tree on their own trying to read everything to dole out the gifts themselves. Their enthusiam to read almost outmatched the gifts themselves... except Mario for the Wii, and Mario Kart with steering wheels. The Hot Wheels were also a huge hit.

* Christmas Night was at Grammy and Papa Dahls house for dinner where we saw all the morning people but also the Surfaces and GG Dahl. The kids played outside for a bit, and the Wii alot. That was what made it quiet enough for a nap...for me at least.

* The kids are recovered from the excitement of Christmas and on to being wild and crazy again. We met some friends of theirs at a Burger King and let them play on the equipment for 3 hours... hey, at least it's not my house being messed up. And another day we had Emily and Brittany over to give them their presents. Emily was so interested in a new environment to explore.

We have no set plans for the rest of the week or New Years. Just birthday party for one of Jockey's buds on Sunday afternoon. But that is the catch up to start fresh for the new year.

Ok... It's been a while, and I'm still exhausted so this will be brief.

Thanksgiving was great. Good food, kind of co-op prepared. The boys were well occupied with the Wii and didn't destroy Papa Bill's house.

Thanksgiving (take 2) was on Sunday at Papa and Grammy Dahls, add GG, and Surfaces. The boys like the wii there and Cousin Tessa... and re-arranging the Christmas tree ornaments. Jockey insists that the lamb is called Sheep. And later that our new toothpaste is green "like than green stuff on the sheep".

We had 2 snow days right before Thanksgiving. I thought it was great. The boys were playing the backyard or playing Wii... no middle ground. Although, Jockey at one point asked "do I have school?"... no. "Do I have Bible study (ie childcare)?"...no. To that he said "When is someone going to teach me something! I'm bored."


Lastly, officially annoucing the life altering news.... we are PREGNANT and expecting a little bundle in June 2011. Due date is 6/24, but we will be c-sectioned about a week earlier. As of November 17 when we visited the doctor... it is just one baby with a very healthy heart rate of 182 bpm. And on that day we were 8weeks 5 days.... which puts us not on December 6th to be 11 weeks 3 days. This is a long story and huge blessing, not that we knew God wanted this definitively, but we had been praying "Is this what you want for us?" since April/May. So I guess we have our answer and God has been in control and blessing us from the beginning... Just some examples: I went to the doctor in July to get Clomid (fertility med used to conceive the first two boys) and was given birth CONTROL; turns out July and August I laid hardwood floor to include smelly glue, painted walls & cabinets after TSP-ing, cut/installed molding and chair rail, NONE of which I could do if I was pregnant and sick, sensitive to chemicals or exhausted already. I went off the birth control after being sick and prayed that it was all in the Lord's hands. We NATURALLY (no clomid) conceived what seems so far to be a sucessful pregnancy... any other naturals we've lost. Per the ultrasound, if we had been "trying" and aiming for ovulation specific days... we would have missed it by a week! All the more proof that it wasn't in our timing/control but God's because usually a late conception is a "weak" and therefore unsuccessful conception. THEN, during the snow days before Christmas, I got a call (by the way, one week after getting the cost estimates on what this whole ball of wax is going to cost us) and it is from DSHS, turns out the boys now qualify for free medical (less than before) and now I qualify for Pregnancy Medical (since on the off chance I wrote in the margin of the income review form that we were expecting!) I just had to put my application in, and I just got off the phone to find out it was officially approved last FRIDAY! So between the private insurance (which I can drop for the next 8 months and save even more) and the DSHS... I shouldn't have any out of pocket expenses! A gigantic huge blessing to pay for the other blessing that God sent! THEN, the timing of the delivery will be in the last days of the boys' school, which gives me the whole summer to recover from surgery, get off pain meds, and get use to a demanding schedule before I have to get up every morning and get 4 people ready for school/dressed/fed etc; if it had been in "MY" timing I would be hitting the ground drugged and running kids to school with a new baby in MARCH/APRIL. So too many good things to be a coincidence, and it's all God.

We are hoping for a boy. It hadn't occurred to us that it would be a girl until everyone else brought it up. The boys are very excited and are already anxious to see their new brother, and I'm sure the excitement will grow and *I* do. We have a boy name picked out. We didn't even talk about girl names... in fact, we didn't talk about any other boy names other than the ONE we picked out and decided on. It means "gift of God", which fits perfectly all of what God has had us traverse in the past months. But we find out 2/8/2011 what gender for sure, assuming that he holds still and lets them take pictures!

So that's the news. We'll keep you posted.

Last week was Parent/Teacher conferences.

Caleb is a "very hard worker, he works very hard on all of his papers" and "he is always willing to partner with other kids to work as teams for help them learn". These are great things to hear. He is reading at grade level, but will need to work are to continue to be there. He is doing great at math, especially addition and patterns. Subtraction and writing are the areas we are going to be working on, but overall the teacher had many positive things to say about Caleb.

Jockey is "quite a leader", of course it is making sure where he leads is appropriate and not on TOP of the playground's play house roof. He knows MOST of his letters and sounds, all shapes save a rectangle on the day of testing, and can write his name to include lower case letters. They are going out of their way to challenge him with Kindergarten papers occassionally to make sure he is learning and not bored. He is still squirly and has difficulty holding still, and giving other's a chance to talk at circle time, but they are working on it. Also, the school is very willing to do anything that will prepare Jockey for school, like practicing lining up and being quiet in line.

We went to Cascade Church' Harvest carnival on Friday night, but left at 7pm to make the "trunk 'n' treat" at Jockey's school because their buddies were there. Then Sunday night, we spent at our friend's church for their elaborate and vastly fun Trunk or Treat which the kids loved and dressed in their nearly authentic looking fireman costumes. They had a blast! And we have enough candy to keep a small army wired for awhile. It's hiding in the garage to be slowly doled out.

Saturday night the boys stayed at Grammy and Papa Dahl's house for the first time in their "new" house. They loved it. Especially the new downstairs with a tv and a bathroom on the same level. And their bunk beds are back!

This week, Jockey didn't have school Wednesday or Friday, so he has gotten lots of fun time at home. Holding rabbits, going to parks and having a play date, and going on walks. However, it was Jockey's first bee sting at the park yesterday, and we've learned that he has a bit (not fast or major) but in the course of 30-45 minutes his stung finger became a tight feeling, puffy hand. So Mike ran and got him Benedryl... which worked fine to include making him so sluggish he stayed home from Awana. He knew his verse, but he will still know it next week. It will be fine and we know more about the Jockey-bee combo than we did before.

No huge plans for this weekend. But next Wednesday, Grammy Bishop is in town, so the obvious house prep and getting Jockey's room ready is in order.
Well, that's it for now.

Another one bites the dust.... ACTUALLY.... Biting is going to be a little more difficult for Caleb now. He was biting onto a towel and wrestling with Daddy and then Daddy pulled on the towel and pulled that tooth right out. Lots of blood and panic, but the reality is that it wouldn't have come out at all if it wasn't at all ready. Explaining that began the calm down process for Caleb, but now he is still self-conscious. I told him he is an excellent SHHH sound maker. He can say SHHH be quiet, SHort, SHape, Shoulder. That kind of helped him on the morning of his first day of school attending as a jack-o-lantern. I told him to look around an there will be other kids with missing teeth.


Jockey had his field trip to the pumpkin patch yesterday. What a great day, especially compared to the bitter cold or rainy days in the years past. He loved rolling in the corn bin, going down the tunnel slides, and RUNNING uncontrolably through the pumpkin patch. I finally pointed to the coming tractor and said that if he didn't have a pumpkin by the time the tractor stopped we were getting on without a pumpkin. THEN he got down the to business of picking out a pumpkin, which was completely different than the one he initially said he wanted to choose.
He was so wild and crazy that I couldn't take him home that way to tear up my house. We ended up at a Burger King letting him play while I worked on a bible study. It was sunny and beautiful, so when we picked up Caleb... we all headed off to the park to play and then walk around the lake. Back to the lesson of grass whistles... On this trip, Jockey's second attempt, he found decent success. This was Caleb's first trip and so I hope on his second trip he will find the same success Jockey did.

One more day of school this week, 3 jobs to work tomorrow and then we can all take a deep breath for the weekend. Mike works all day Saturday (IF he is feeling any better, he cancelled going to fire training today and is struggling to get to the regular job through nausea visits to the bathroom). It's suppose to be raining, so I suppose that will cut down on what we do, but I have hope that we will find fun things.

In Loving Memory

5/30/1925- 10/15/2010

Another quick update....

Caleb is doing AWESOME in school. He's bringing home completed and 100% correct math homework. His teacher tells me it is his own work and he received a 100% on his last math test. He received 100% on his spelling test too. He is reading his "decoder" pamphlets consistently and learning to count by tens etc.

Jockey is enjoying sharing day, although there are never enough sharing days for him. His teachers say they are trying to challenge him a bit more than most the other kids because he is ready for a little push. At home he is working on some sight words, patters, beginning and ending sounds. He can tell me 20 of the 26 sounds in the alphabet. He can count into the +3's so far.

A very good start for both this year with conferences coming up to confirm progress at the end of this month. Also, MOSTLY they are both excited and feeling positive about homework rather than a war each night. Much to my relief.

Awana continues and they are both learning their verses consistently.

This last Saturday we made it to the Monroe Fire Station for their Open house. The boys were able to get a hat, stickers, watch a video on fire alarms, eat popcorn, meet the fire sniffing dog, ride the fire truck, crawl through the "smoke house" trailer to practice getting out of a house, saw a car cut into pieces, spray water at traffic cones with the actual hoses, and lastly eat free pizza. It was a FULL day, and luckily 90% INSIDE on a rainy day. (Better than the alternative, which was a visit to "Bob's Corn Maze").

Caleb did not have school this Monday, but Jockey did... So he used the nice weather to scooter around quite a bit. When it was time to pick up Jockey (2.5 hours later)... he said "oh, good. I miss him. It's been like 10 minutes or 2 hours." I asked him what he wanted to do with his brother... "I don't know". Crazy.

For those of you who don't connect on Facebook... I'll share this funny story of Jockey's.
One day I waved good by to Caleb with an out of the ordinary finger-waggling wave. Jockey asked me what was I doing. I told him that I was waving good by. He promptly tells me that I was not waving.... UNLESS I was waving in CHINESE!

Last Tuesday, Papa Bill came down and spent time hanging out with Jockey while I had to work. They cruised on the scooters all around the extended neighborhood area. Jockey was on the foot pushed razor scooter, and Papa Bill was on a motorized scooter. Amazingly, Jockey did not take a nap that afternoon... we were figuring he would be wiped but no.

Last Friday, our family of 4 ate with Papa and Grammy Dahl and Auntie Kristina and Cousin Tessa at Grammy's "new" house. The kids are in LOVE with a "fort" (aka wrapped around under the stairs storage area). It is the only carpeted place in the whole house and they just play and play in there. Silly Grandparents... Forts are for kids, not storage!

Lesson learned.... These are boys. Aka Future Men. In listening to (and remembering back to when I read the book) an author being interviewed, it occurred to me that the primary way men feel love is to actually be respected. Well, I have future men that I'm trying to foster up right now and I had better build a foundation for the relationship between myself and them now so that it is a respectful one when they are teenagers and in a time of natural coming of age tension. And as one of my mentors pointed out to me today, these efforts will be building into them an expectation or establish a norm in their hearts of what a respectful mom/wife is so that when it comes time to marry this respect is something they will find and gravitate to in potential spouses. It's hard to understand "boy", but it's worth my effort if when they get to be teenagers and we get along and the still give their mom hugs (even if it's at home when no peers can tease).

Getting on to boy level today... I attempted to teach Jockey how to "whistle" with a blade of grass. Hey, it's noisy, odd, "fart-like" or shrill, did I mention loud.... all things boy. One of the still dear and precious things that I love and still cling to about Jockey are his soft and not all the way leaned out child hands... However, these are not the greatest for holding tightly a blade of grass and thus his success was about 2%. We found a compromise though where I held the grass and he blew to make the loud bird-call, fart like sounds. Fortunately we were on the other side of a lake and weren't near anyone to annoy.

I'll try to post pictures soon. Time seems to be a precious commodity, and hardly ever lined up with energy.

So school has begun.... Awana has begun.... MOPS has begun... Bible Study has begun

Caleb is liking school. He thinks that the three recesses a day is the best thing about the entire 1st grade. He still sees his buddies on the playground, but gets to buckle down during class without those buddies he might be tempted to talk to. He is doing very well with all day school now. He isn't coming home exhausted, class weary or hungry. He's coming home ready to do just about anything, he runs to us when he sees us, he goes through the backpack right away to get out the papers, and he has remembered his sandwich holder EVERYDAY so far. I'm so proud of him for his smooth adjustment from summer play to the stiff school routine. I actually think Caleb flourishes with routine... not something I enjoy, but for the next 9 months... I can do it since it is good for him, as if I had a choice. ;0)

Jockey is loving school. Today was his first sharing day, and this first time he took his new birthday present Fire truck. It was kept a surprise under a towel until sharing time, and I'm told that it was a HUGE hit. Well, I'm glad that Jockey loved being "on". So far, the teacher has already told me that he is quite a leader. My concern is (after a big to do with a friend and her son in the same class with the school) that this class is truly Kindergarten PREP... aka Pre-K, not just a repeat of last year's preschool cirriculm. Not that I have many choices if I find I'm not satisfied with his class; really there is only one other school that we could afford... 15-20 minutes away, strict brand name lengthy supply list, $25 fees for just about any excuse possible. So, what that means is I choose to remove him from class and do work at home, or add work at home. The first option doesn't offer him intangible benefits like socialization, routines, following instructions (and selfishly, time for me to go to work). The latter option, I'm not a teacher and never claim to be, so I'm not sure if we could both survive the learning process. Although working with him this morning, he was already starting to understand a BASIC analog clock and digital read out. We'll see.

MOPS went smoothly the first meeting. The next one is the first craft... still working on the prep. But I'm confident we'll be ready.
Bible Study, good, lots of reading in the first week... but I think I'm finally caught up since I received my book late. Now I can pace myself and savor.

Awana. It's at a new place for Jockey (Caleb went to this church one year 3 years ago). Jockey's got two buddies in the class so I'm sure he'll acclimate quickly. And we were very happily surprised when Caleb found a familiar buddy in his class, so of course we are optimistic that he will have a great time too. They are both beginning to memorize verses and are showing promise. It's going to be a good year for them (and for Mom and Dad who will actually get 1.5 hours of alone, peaceful time TOGETHER once a week!!! Having our regular church cancel Awana and have to come to this one has GOT to be a blessing straight from heaven!)

I'll post pictures soon, I'm just too tired to search and post.
But hopefully soon.

So a little catch up....

The boys have had the bouncy house up several times, they've enjoyed several campfires, and of course holding the baby bunnies. They have had a couple playdates too.

Grammy Bishop drove up from California for a visit. It went really well and the boys kept her really busy. She went to the fair, sat on the curb for the Fair Days Parade, and we cruised over to Leavenworth too for brats. The weather cooperated 80% of the time which was nice for someone not used to our kind of rain/gray. The boys cuddled around the campfires and had lots to say about everything. They were very excited to show her the bunnies and paint things to show her.

Jockey's birthday came and we had an informal party. With such a busy summer (remodel, house guests, fair, etc) the date just came upon us before we could blink. We ended up with 4 buddies over for a little bouncy house action, ice cream cake, mini pinatas, and a little craft. Jockey spied the craft and burst it open before I could prepare it. While it didn't go quiet as planned, at least I know my son's interest in art/creating. The other hiccup... the wind blew out the candles faster than Jockey could! The wind was helping him make a wish.

We've made it to the fair twice now... The boys had a day of rides and later a day of eating. We rode on the rides until I was sick, which is REALLY hard to do. (I had to accompany them so that Jockey "was tall enough" to go on). I'm so glad they had a good time and I could help bring it to them. Eating is Dad's favorite past time and they leapt into that too... alligator, seafood crepe, mini-corn dogs, pickles etc later.... We've DONE the fair. My scrapbook pages earn two common 1st place stickers, and one of them gone a Merit award. Not at good as last year, but more than the standard sticker. Better luck next year.

Grandma Bishop's birthday is today and I asked the boys what we should get her (I did ask earlier in the week)... Caleb said "we should get her a gigantic Giraffe"... Jockey said "Maybe a Platypus"... then Caleb said "or maybe a pretty plate or necklace". Wow, was a span of ideas.

With school so close, I have broken out the Kindergarten practice book for Jockey and the new 1st grade book (thanks Grammy Dahl) for Caleb. Jockey's excited, Caleb's grumbling as he pushes through. He does get distracted and inventive when he should be focusing; today, I caught myself saying "Caleb, stop drawing poo coming out of the animals."

Jockey woke up this morning with an unusual rash. I'd be really worried since it covers thickly, except it is only on the TOP half of his body... as if he didn't get an exposure while wearing pants. Thus, I'm thinking it's an allergy not a viral type of thing. We washed him up, popped a benedryl, and slathered hydrocortisone cream. Now we are just waiting and hoping for the best. It's not bothering him, but it does look disturbing.

Today, we attended a birthday party to one of my MOPS friend's little boy. He turned three today, and I can't express the relieve that they had rented a bouncy house and I didn't have to wrangle the boys INSIDE someone else's house all afternoon! One of Jockey's school/awana buddies came too. Jockey came away saying "That Curry(the birthday boy) is a nice boy". So I'm glad it was good day for the boys too.

Jockey is all set up to attend Little Doves again this year in a Pre-K class. MWF, in the AM. He will have classmates that he knows so it should be very fun! Caleb is going to be a big time, full-time, take my lunch with me, first grader! I should remember to call and find out the teacher and the classroom#... since Caleb can't remember at all from last year's pre-orientation. School starts for us this Wednesday.

We also got word that our church has lost so many leaders that they have suspended the Awana program. So as to not be idle, we have registered them for the Awana program at the church down the street, the First Baptist church..... the church Caleb FIRST attended Cubbies at. He has begged me to return and finally he will get his wish (we had wanted to find some continuity from Sunday AM class to Awana for peers until this point.) The good news is that it will be on a Wednesday night and Daddy will be home to help get the boys prepped and taken/picked up/parent help WITH me rather than being a Thursday formerly and it all came onto my plate. It was often hard to juggle their program and my other obligations to MOPS craft team leading. Now we will be able to walk as a family to this other church while the weather is good and it's light enough to see safely. Good family time, good God times, and good exercise. Starts the 15th.

MOPS starts the 17th, with a Leadership retreat on the 11th for me as the craft team leader. This will be an interesting year having to train not just lead since it will be my last year (I think) in MOPS due to graduating out. Mike has fire training on Thursdays (and Tuesdays) which has shifted my work hours often to Fridays... so it will be a fine line balancing act this year. Well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I'm not ready to say good bye to Summer, and neither are the kids. They still think every night is the perfect night to stay up and have a campfire. I guess when it is dark by 5:30pm, it will be a great time for campfire... and a blanket, and a hot cup of hot cocoa... Hmmm, I wonder if an electric blanket would work if I stretched out an extension cord. Well, in 20 years, I want them to remember the great times, not how cold it was for me.

We have just 7 baby rabbits left now. One found a home yesterday with the daughter (for her birthday) of one of our town's council members. It is possible that little "Streaks" as we had been calling her, will become a 4-H bunny! So 2 boys and 5 girls left.... However, 2 little girls will be going to one of Mike's co-workers on Tuesday. So really just 3 girls and 2 boys left. We are undecided if/how many of the girls to keep. And the boys change their mind nearly daily, I'm hoping for the same answer to "how's your favorite?" to occur two days in a row. They are adorable, soft, friendly, and getting to be near Rosie's size more than Shooter's this time around. Maybe summer bunnies eat more and grow faster. Either way... there is a special fondness for each regardless for who we keep.

There is just one thing I wanted to do this summer and it's not yet done... get Jockey to ride a bike without the training wheels... so that clock is ticking and I'll be squeezing that in, in the next week! And birthday pictures for Jockey, and maybe a zoo trip since last Thursday turned into "clean the whole house" day.

So that is the update. Sorry it has been so long. Somehow the time flies and there's never a great time to sit and just type especially with nice weather, guests, parties, bunnies, and a home remodel going on... ok, luckily that last one is done!
More again as it happens, and hopefully sooner than 3 weeks between posts!

Just a few pictures:

A couple of the bunnies right now and their visitors

And the Cat who has adopted us... he still lives outside.. but we feed him and he sleeps on our front ledge and occassionally darts inside and finds a nice spot to curl up. No manners.

Our backyard campout:


The best way for a 4yr old to paint:

We had a campout. At the campfire last night I came up with the idea of sleeping outside. Mike brought out the tent, and we all piled in with blankets and pillows. So we had our campfire, held our bunnies and slept outside. I read them a bed time book and it was lights out.

We woke up to the sound of birds and garbage trucks. But I leapt out of bed when Caleb cried "the rabbits are out"! One of the doors didn't get all the way latched last night in the dark... and 5 bunnies had jumped out of the hutch and tried to explore. We discovered 2 behind the couch (the backdoor had been left open to the house), 2 under the wagon next to the house, and the last (after looked for another 15-20 minutes) Tigger lead us to him ... he was behind the stack of firewood next to the house. So they were all rustled up this morning and put back because I'm sure they missed their water and mom-food. All safe and calming down now, and it's only 9 AM.

Still more painting today. Ran out of paint yesterday so today I have higher hopes. Unfortunately, once all the red is done.... I have all the ceiling to paint WHITE... sigh. But then REALLY, I'm done. oh, except the new moulding will have to be painted before being installed. And the rest of the kitchen subflooring will have to be ripped up so that the hardwood can get laid down on Saturday... and the last edges will have to get glued down since the pnuematic nailer won't reach those areas.... AND THEN, we have new lighting to install. It's alot. I'll be relieved when I no longer live in a construction zone, then I can actually have friends over who have smaller children.

So a little update post "flooring weekend"...

We have 95% of the Living-Dining room completed. The area by the stairs, closet and all of the kitchen are what we have to work on next. Mike and I have a system... I measure and install/place the flooring, Mike cuts with the saws and runs power nailer gun. It's working out prettty good. And here is a mid-project picture of the room... and the boys. They have been mostly good while we work on this big project. They are so eager to help, despite there bing only a limited number of things that they actually can help with. But the bouncy house in the yard and the bunny rabbits for holding have been excellent distractions for them. It is just a blessing that things have worked out the way that they have.

And due to requests, despite still being in "mid-project" condition (so a little grace please as we are "project jugglers" right now) here is the kitchen in red (still needing 2 coats of paint, white cabinets, and new granite).

And of course, bunny bonding moments (including bunny holding at a playdate this last week):

So that's it for now. Have a good week.

This morning the boys were awakened "early" to get ready for VBS. They have VBS all week. While both of them expressed being tired and Caleb says he doesn't want to go.... I know that this is a great time for them to see their friends. Our house is too torn up to have too many people over so a pre-arranged get together time is great.

It was so hot in the house last night that the boys ended up sleeping in our air conditioned bedroom on the floor. They were so cute this morning cuddled up at the end of the bed sleeping through the alarm clock, the shower and me walking around the bedroom. They are deep sleepers, which is advantage right now... we'll see about it when they are teenagers and have to get up to their own alarm clocks.

The bunny rabbits are adorable. The perfect size/age to watch them explore and discover. They are starting to eat "real" food, and they are loving the dandelions and Timothy hay. They are starting to show personality. We have some lickers in the bunch, which is what we were hoping for in this litter. They are still a bit young for an untrained person to be sure what gender they are, but we look forward to knowing. We've named them, although a couple of them we are not sure that's the final name... and the solids are hard to tell apart so the names rotate on which solid gets the name. Names are: Sparkler, Streak, Indy, Dash, Boom, Freedom, Bottle Rocket, Jet/Parade (see what I mean about the undecided names). We've had lots of warm evenings holding them in the backyard, a great summer activity.

We've also had more campfires in the last month that we would have in 1-2 seasons of camping. The boys are loving it. Roasted hot dogs and smores often... and lots of reasons to poke at the fire. The little pyros in training.

Mike is in his fire training twice a week at Index to become a volunteer. It's hard training, very physically challenging and there are also book tests. Lots to think about.

I've been working alot too. I work 8 hours over 3 days this week. I'm fortunate with that # of hours that the boys do have VBS so I can get the hours done.

The kitchen cabinets are 75% done, we have an experimental first coat of red paint on the walls in the kitchen, and the t-moldings etc arrive this Wednesday so the flooring will be laid this weekend. Lighting is due to arrive early next week. LOTS changing. Mike fought hard and finally got the faucet and sinks hooked up, which is great after a long week and a half without water in the kitchen.

So that's the latest.

Summer feels as if it is flying by so quickly...

For the fourth, we attended a community party. Not ours. Caleb and Jockey loved the park and the natural areas to rummage and boy around in. They watched the early fireworks in the cul-de-sac. Later, we came home and sat on the curb out in front of our house and watched the huge fairgrounds display and our own neighboorhood's worthy attempt to exceed the display at the fairgrounds.

We've dragged the kids around a bit to the showrooms for flooring and granite. They've had their good times and their not-so good times in said places. It won't last forever.

We've taken them to parks a few times. One day, after walking to the park, Mike drove down bringing the swimsuits and the boys hit the water just before the afternoon turned cold. And they happened to have run into a few school buddies for a impromptu playdate.

We've had a campfire again. We've held baby rabbits OFTEN. They are at a perfect age for being held. Their eyes are just coming open. They sleep and hold still. Just today, Jockey and his bunny fell asleep together on the couch for a little nap. I didn't get a picture of that. :( But it was adorable. And Jockey is again proving his Bunny-Whisperer abilities. (Can he get a TV deal too?)

Caleb left this morning with Grandpa and Grammy Dahl on their excursion and adventure down to Newport, Oregon in the motorcoach. He has been talking and, yes, even dreaming of "Georgie's" restaurant. He's so excited, it sounds like a higher scale-seafood oriented- Mcdonalds because YES there are toys involved! Hence Caleb's facination. He returns on Monday (or Tuesday, I forget). He was equipped with clothes, swimsuit, bike with helment, $10 and 3 kinds of allergy medications (you'd have to know my son to really understand the NECESSITY of these) and the bidding of be obedient and have a good time. His excitement has been uncontainable for the last 3 days!

Kla-hi-ya Days are tomorrow in Snohomish, and we will be strolling around starting mid-morning to see what there is to see. Maybe Jockey can get some chalk art done.

So here are some current bunny pictures:

Day Three of INDY DAY Bunnies.

They have their little teeth, little toe nails, peach fuzz/light silky coating of the fur indicators, their colors are showing. They are getting warm in all this heat and spreading out in the nesting area for their own space and cooling down. (Last litter they were a balled up heap for warmth). I put a fan out to move air around the hutch for Rosie-Mama. Absolutely, the count is at 8 babies, at this point they all should survive. We do a have one that is a bit smaller than the rest; it's about 1/2 the size of the largest, but there are all the sizes in between, so if it can just get a couple good solid feedings in there will be no worries. (This time the "pee-wee" is barely speckled/mostly white.) Caleb keeps calling these bunnies by the last litter's names. Jockey insists there is a Sparky and a Dash among them.


Well, off to get ready to close the house (paperwork on the refinance). The kids aren't all that excited because that means shopping for laminate flooring. But they are going for walks, getting to parks, wearing as little clothing as we let them get away with, and hello... we have baby bunnies.

Bunny Birthday pics

Still unknow HOW many, we'll check tomorrow.