Our Crazy Acres

Life around our house

2011-05-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I put anything on my blog. I really kind of forgot I had it. Josh is off with the boys in Tillamook tonight and tomorrow. Megan is working and then off to the Hilger's to meet Amelia. She will be leaving to go to BYU-H in September and we will all miss her very much. Miss Mary and Izzy are running around outside being happy and enjoying each other's company. They are always busy and love to be together.
I think we have all had birthdays since I last posted, Megan started college at PCC, the boys played football and basketball, Mary played soccer, and right now we are gearing up for 4H. We lost our dog Sally (she got hit by a car) but we gained a new kitty named Cali. It's short for California and she is a frisky one. Max has begun selling eggs. He keeps working on different ways to advertise and I keep telling him when he gets organized with school work I will help him, but today he told me that will take way too long and he really needs my help now because he already has customers.
Josh is loving having his own company... mostly because he can sneak away and go fishing when he wants without having to ask permission. I am subbing, tutoring, and working at 24 hour fitness a few nights a week if I don't have meetings for church or school. Life is very busy and also very good. I just feel so blessed!

Megan's Graduation

2010-07-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

My baby graduated and is all grown up...

Detroit Lake

2010-06-29T23:07:00.000-07:00

We had a blast this last weekend camping at Detroit Lake. I got to watch my kids play, listen to them laugh, spend time with friends, play, read, relax,the list goes on and on. I just wanted to post some pictures and share my very happy weekend!

No Parking Tow Away Zone...You Moron!

2010-03-05T19:20:00.001-08:00

I keep waiting for something really good or exciting to happen so I can blog about it but I am beginning to think that I just have to find the good in some of the crap.

In the middle of February Josh was not on my good list. In an attempt to win me over he had grand plans for our Friday night. He lined up Ben and Stacey to eat with us at Red Robin and he even printed off a coupon for dinner and if you know Josh he never does coupons so this meant he was trying! I was working at the gym until 7 so I brought the kids into town with me. He came to the gym got the kids and traded me cars. He took all the pop cans in the van so I wouldn't have to, unloaded all the Goodwill for me and then went to go get us a table.

I came out of the gym at 7:00 and walked thru the parking lot pushing the clicker and looking for the truck. I called Josh asking him where he had parked. Went to the spot it should be only to find the sign posted saying NO PARKING!!!

I called to confirm that they had the truck. I was too mad to go back inside and ask for help so I just started walking to the closest bus stop. Missed the bus so I kept walking and figured I would get to the next stop just in time. Got there. Sat next to a teenager that told me how the whole city bus program works. While she was educating me a car was rear ended right in front of us.

I feel so bad for admitting this but I was so irritated that they would break down right in front of the bus stop and make MY day worse. I guess I know now where Mary gets it from.

Because of the accident the bus kept going so I kept walking to the next stop and the next stop and yes one more stop after that. When I finally got to 198th and realized I had to get to 170th I figured it was time to call for help but my cell phone battery died.

The bus finally came...I got in and put all my coins in. I had counted it out way back when I was sitting with the teenager but it only came up to $1.30 and the very angry bus driver let me know that I needed $2.00 at this point I just started to cry. I was throwing every piece of anything at the bottom of purse into the pot so I could sit down and cry in peace. I stuck paperclips and Chuck E Cheese tokens in there and finally got it up to $2 bucks. Sweet people from the back of the bus were hollering up to me asking if I needed a buck or two. I politely said no between sobs and then went to a spot and prayed the lights would dim!!!

In the midst of tears a sweet man put a $10 dollar bill in my purse.

When I got to my stop, I left walked to the tow place got my truck for $299!!! And then went to Red Robin to find my family. When I got there the Wolfe's were there with my children and Josh was off looking for me somewhere on TV HWY.

Ok...I have blogged!!! It's not pretty but it's my life. Maybe next I will let you know about evidence of my below par parenting or the flood of "09 nightmare. Stay tuned!

Where did December go???

2010-01-10T23:19:00.001-08:00

I keep thinking that I will quickly post all the random things that happened to us and that we did for December but then life just gets in the way. So here are some pictures and some quick notes on our really busy really wierd December.
The craziest part was how it all worked it self out and we and everyone got along. We had a car crash, a flood, a flat tire, broken dishwasher, civil war party, elder's quorm party, birthday party, lots of basketball games, lots of basketball practices, meetings, I subbed,daddy worked, meggie babysat, I worked at the gym, mitchie babysat, we played with cousins, krissy babysat, made gingerbread houses, wrapped presents for each other, the list goes on and on and on.
I took a picture everyday this month documenting the cold weather, the drama, and the fun.

Us having fun at our Grandparents house. Just playing, eating, and hanging out.

Here are the kids Christmas morning waiting to come downstairs and see if they were naughty or nice! They were pretty good this year but Mary worried that she may have been a bit too whiney and might not get anything.

On Christmas Eve Krista and I took the kids to a service at the Bethlehem Luthern church. The kids thought it was pretty cool that they could clap after the songs and that they had real candles to hold. Krista and I had a lot of wax on us.

Mitchell took doughnuts to school for his birhtday.

Dad had friends over for the civil war game. The kids really got into it. This was the year Max changed into a duck fan!

This is our Grizzwald tree that was so big it almost didn't fit into the truck and we had to really cut it down before it could be set up without falling.

We went to zoo lights for Mitchell's birthday. It was freaking cold but really fun.

Mitch always prays for snow on his birthday and it always works. The girls played in the snow for about 10 min and then had to come take a bath to warm up.

The fender bender I had. Mitch was eating top ramen at the time it happened and I still keep finding noodles in the van, in my purse, and in really wierd places.

We spent many nights at the high school for basketball games. The kids love the hallway and the concession stand. I keep hoping they will want to come in and watch the game.

This is me attempting to make them watch part of a game. Sam looks like it is literally painful for him to watch Megan play!

Below is one of the fun things they get to do with daddy.

Assessing the damage that the broken sprinkler caused...yikes this was one big mess!

Free Digital Class

2009-11-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

I was really excited to see that this class will be free. I can't wait to sign up for it. I love Jessica's classes they are always full of great techniques and cool freebies.

Saturday Morning

2009-08-14T08:31:00.001-07:00

Here is the whole group. I wish everyone could have been here but with missions and work it wasn't meant to be.

Two sisters

The two that started it all...

We met at Dawson Creek for photos and they turned out great! It was fun to see everyone dressed up and looking their best. I am still getting the family shots together hopefully I will get those posted today.

Thursday Nite Kick Off

2009-08-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

We started the family reunion on Thursday night. We met at the park to eat dinner and listen to some jazz music. Everyone brought food and grandma and grandpa brought root beer and ice cream for dessert.
It was fun to see family that we haven't seen for years and reconnect with them. My kids were super excited to see their cousins. Jeremy came from Texas with his 4 kids, Mark and Loaralee drove from Idaho with their kids, and Aunt Mary Ann flew in from Idaho.

Grandma Merritt told us that we were having root beer floats because that was what her and Grandpa had on their first date. Since we were all there to celebrate their 50th anniversary it was the perfect treat to kick off the weekend!

New Photos

2009-08-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

I put some new photos up that were taken at the family reunion. Hopefully I can get a post up tomorrow with details and more photos. It was so much fun! I love my family and feel so blessed :)

14 Years Ago

2009-07-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

Last week Josh and I celebrated our 14th anniversary. I subbed in Beaverton and after work we met at Olive Garden for dinner. It was nice! I love that we still have stuff to talk about. I guess with 4 kids we will always have stuff to talk about:) After dinner we started to head home and then got the idea the Megan could take all the kids to the church for scouts and we could go home to a quiet house. It might sound boring to everyone else but we were really excited about a night at home alone. In fact we liked the idea so much we hid out at Dairy Queen until she passed by us in the van. Once we knew the coast was clear we came home and just hung out. It was a very nice uneventful anniversary! And it was pretty fun hiding out in the parking lot being sneaky.

Megan

2009-07-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

I just got done putting these pictures of Megan together. I think she is so beautiful!!! I can't believe how grown up she is and still how sweet she is with her family. I feel very fortunate that she still loves being with us and still plays with her brothers and Mary. Last night they all slept in the backyard in a tent and then this morning she took them all to open gym to play some basketball. I feel very blessed to have her as a daughter!

Summer is here

2009-06-19T17:17:00.001-07:00

I am so happy that summer is here! I love having my kids at home and not having to worry about catching the bus and having lunches made by 7:30.... I will have to get some pictures up soon. I just wanted to write something on here since it has been so long.

Max is 9

2009-03-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

We had a house full of sickies last week. All 4 of the kids got a nasty bug that was going around. So by Saturday for Max's birthday we didn't do very much. We celebrated by going out and getting a burger and then took a trip to the pet store to get him a new friend.... her name is Molly. She is a Russian Tortoise. I think it was love at first sight for everyone!

Max is hoping for a day of paintballing for his party but we need to get everyone healthy and have a day with no snowflakes falling before that happens. Lucky for me he is a patient boy...and the turtle distraction is buying me some time.

Oh and here is the movie poster for the movie he has a small part in. It comes out on April 10th at the Hollywood Theatre. He is so happy! He has a spot on the poster and his name is in the credits.

A day of procrastinating

2009-02-11T08:43:00.000-08:00

I am home today with the task of getting taxes ready for tomorrow. I waited until the last day and so far I have done nothing. Well, I have checked out other people's blogs, checked all my emails, contemplated cleaning toilets and carpets, got out shampoo to bathe the dog, packed my gym bag, found my temple clothing....I keep coming up with so many things to do except what I need to. I guess I now understand why it takes my kids so long to clean their room. They just take after their mom!

Where did the month go?

2009-01-22T14:12:00.000-08:00

Max signing something to me before he got in the game

Mitchell making his free throw shots

Megan not getting a foul called...how did that happen?!

One of our favorite Christmas presents!

A shared birthday cake...Megan (17) and Mitch (11)

My favorite flower girl

Wow! I don't know how a month has passed since I last posted. Since then we have had 2 birtdays, a lot of snow, some holidays, a million basketball games, and last weekend Mary was a flower girl in Michael and Jaycee's wedding! I just figured I would post some pictures of the highlights. Life just seems so crazy! But I kinda love it that way!

Quote from my sis Chris

2008-12-21T12:30:00.000-08:00

QUOTE OF THE DAY... "Whatever you give a woman, she will make it greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her crap, be ready to receive a ton of s$%&!"

Sorry, but after being stuck at home with Josh all these days, this one made me laugh!

Update on the boys' igloo/snow cave

2008-12-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

Check it out...10 inches of snow in one night! I wanted to update the boys' igloo

that they started a few days ago. It has grown a bunch! Josh is getting the tractor to add

to it. They want a big ice cave that they can sleep in tonight...we will have to

wait and see what it turns into.

Our winter wonderland

2008-12-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

Here is our house from the front...

and here it is from the back...

Mitchell, Sally and Shadow walked up to the train trussel to help me get a picture. I realized that I am afraid of heights when it is frozen and windy outside!

Here are the kids yesterday looking for good places to sled...

Josh gave rides back up to the house after we went sledding.

Go Mary! She holds the record so far coming down the middle run. BTW

Crazy Acres has 3 runs for those that want to take their life

into their own hands...You may need to sign a waiver though I can't

handle anymore law suits at this time!

This is the best picture of these two. The other ones were actually quite scary!

So we are still watching movies, doing crafts, texting and hanging out. Some of the kids no longer like each other...I keep telling them Santa is watching but they are starting to not care. Mary told me "Good then he saw Mitchell being mean first and he won't be mad at me for hitting!"
I hope everyone is staying warm and having fun!

Snowman humor

2008-12-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

These just cracked me up! It might be the fact

that I have been home so many days with only kids

to visit with and my brain is turning to mush.

What to do when it snows...

2008-12-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

Bury your brother (but leave a breathing hole or straw)
Do some crafts with a friend
Bundle up

Eat snow...but only the white stuff!

We have also watched a lot of movies, taught the boys how to sew, texted (Megan), tried to make an igloo, and did lots of sledding! I think I have washed about 4 outfits for each of the little kids each day. They keep coming in wet and frozen. Max came in today crying because he fell through the ice in the creek and his feet were frozen. I asked why he was wearing crocks and he told me that I always make him wear crocks when he plays in the creek! I just keep reminding myself that he is Josh's son...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! I also told him if he did it again his toes would turn black and could fall off. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Our Christmas Bat

2008-12-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

The tree this year came into our home on Sunday the 7th. We usually get it the weekend of Thanksgiving and enjoy it all month long.
I told my kids that I wouldn't put up any Christmas stuff until they could clean up after themselves and put away what they get out. So 10 days later we get the tree and I begin to put on lights. The tree is tall...maybe 12 feet. I get the lights on the first time but when I go to plug them in I did it backwards. So I take them off and redo the strands. Plug it in. There are two strands not lit. Take them down replace bulbs. Put them up. The top strand won't light up.
Take it down again trying not to fall from the ladder and I just went to bed. It was too much. Mary was crying because everyone except her had cleaned the house in hopes of decorating a tree. So on Monday I take the lights off and redo all the strands with new bulbs and make sure that they all work but as they are lit up on my lap I can smell a smokey scent and decide that with all our bad luck I wasn't going to put 15+ year strands on our tree and risk our house burning down.
Tuesday I head out to buy new lights. Costco was out, Freddy's only had clear, Target only had pink or purple, the 2nd Target had 3 bulk packages so I grabbed them.
Finally, Tuesday night I get to put the lights on the tree careful to do it so I can plug them in when I get to the bottom, when out comes the scariest bad ever! Kids are screaming, I am tripping over stuff, boys want me to shoot it, pure and total chaos! Look at how big it is...it came inches from dive bombing me as I ran for the door. After the bat left I took the boys to scouts and then came home and at 11:34 on Tuesday night I finally got the lights put on the tree. Only 48 hours after I began.

Trying to get a Christmas Card Photo

2008-12-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

Guess what Mary wants for Christmas?

2008-12-04T22:25:00.001-08:00

Her 2 front teeth!!!!

2008-12-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to do a quick list of things I am thankful for....

My family

My home

My friends

Good Health

My Savior

Knowledge

Life Experiences (Good and Bad)

Health Insurance for when I don't have good health!

Wacky Flossers

Texting

89 cent soda at McD's

Redbox!!!

Music

Just wanted to focus on the positive! I know that I am very blessed and am thankful for the people in my life that inspire and motivate me!

Time for a little change

2008-11-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

So now that Halloween is over, I am ready to change up my blog a bit. Since Christmas is just around the corner I thought I would go for the snowflakes. I am working on posters and invites for our ward Christmas party and the Elder's Quorm party and I think I might just get out some decorations and get to town on decorating around the house. I usually wait until Thanksgiving weekend, but if the stores can start putting out Christmas stuff with back to school stuff then I think half way through November will be just fine.

What do you think of this Mountain Dew Redneck tree? Pretty funny! No, it is not going up in my house but I had to laugh when my sister in law sent the link to me...along with directions on how to assemble your own.

The grown up party

2008-11-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

Ben and Stacey

Mike and Krista

Josh and Me

Tammy, Jamie, and Jenny

Chris and Jim

Brooke and Nate

Jessica and Guy

Amy and Curtis

Linda and Delbert

So these are the pictures of some of the couples that made it to our Spook Alley. The guys had way too much fun making the woods scary. I couldn't even look at Josh while he was acting crazy and waving a chain saw. I kept waiting for him to trip and cut off someone's arm. I closed my eyes on that part, but was caught totally unaware when Ryan jumped out with a shotgun! I almost wet my pants!

The food was good but the company was great! I wish I would have gotten more pictures of all the costumes there were some really great ones. I had so much fun!

Halloween...

2008-11-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

Here are my kiddos on Halloween! We got lots of candy and had a bunch of fun. I will post pictures from the party Josh and I went to on Saturday. It was a lot of fun also!

Our Cursed October

2008-11-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

So...some people were wondering about our bad luck last month. Let me tell you a few of the biggies and then you will see why I am so thankful for November!

Oct 2 was a busy day. We had soccer, football, and concession stand to do for the girl's basketball. This was also the day Josh was leaving with the kids to go hunting. As he was loading up the trailer a car pulls up and delivers papers to him. The window washer that fell two years ago is suing us...again. That was the night that the trailer was totalled and the truck smashed. I also got a call this same night and when I returned the call it was a calling to serve in the stake young women's presidency as second counselor. I joked that bad things come in threes. Ha Ha the joke was on me.

This month I hit a deer in Stacey's van....not my van with the scraped bumber but her new van! Josh got a letter from the county telling him to close the track because proper permits were not filed. We got a letter telling us to lisence our dogs or pay a $634 fine. Meg got a ticket, Josh got a ticket, I applied for a job and didn't get it. On Thursday I fought with a friend, Megan was puking, two kids had the runs, we were carving pumpkins when our water in the house quit working. The tank was full and the well was fine, but no running water to flush the toilet or get a washrag wet. These are just the biggie things that stand out right now. I am sure that there was more but I have blocked those things out. I just kept saying my prayers and hanging on in hopes that November will be better. It has to be.

So these are yuckie things of October. I am so happy it is done!

2008-10-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

20 years ago...1988
1. I was in High School

2. I lived in Lincoln City with my mom and my two brothers

3. I was playing volleyball and working as a waitress at Salishan Lodge

10 years ago...1998
1. I lived in Hillsboro, OR in our house on 33rd Ct

2. Was in the Brookwood Ward (which I LOVED!)

3. Mitchell was only 11 months old. He had 3 inhalers that he needed and I color coded them so I could remember what I was doing. Megan was only 6. She was in first grade and was losing her teeth at an alarming rate because she wanted money!

4. Josh had sold probably less than 5 containers of nails and thought the clock in the office was incredibly loud.

5. I was teaching 2 sessions of kindergarten every day and had a total of 56 students, and I pumped breast milk in the corner of my classroom in the dark between the morning and afternoon classes.

5 years ago...2003

1. I had 4 kids and lived in our little trailer in Buxton.

2. Mary was one year old...Max was 3 and in preschool...Mitch was 5 and in kindergarten... Megan was 11 and getting ready to join young womens.

3. Josh had sold a bazzzillion containers of nails and never checked the clock to see if he should maybe come home.

4. I didn't work in the schools, but always seemed just as tired as when I took care of 56 students even though I only had to worry about 4.

3 years ago...2005
1. We were one month away from excavating for our house.

1 year ago...2007

1. I was loving being the nursery leader.

2. I was subbing for Mary's preschool.

So far this year....2008
1. I started this blog

2. I read the Twilight Series and other grown up books!

3. Started substituting at my kids' schools.

Yesterday I...
1. Went to the gym and got my butt kicked.

2. Dropped by and visited with Chris and Krista, two of my sweet sister in laws.

3. Rented 2 movies from the Redbox.

Today I...
1. Need to find one of the movies so I can return them

2. Need to finish the laundry and ironing.

3. Have Max's football banquet.

4. Signed up to sell Arbonne.

5. Went to the gym.

Tomorrow I will...
1. Get my visiting teaching done before the end of the month!

2. Help out at Mary's Halloween party.

3. Take dogs to get their Rabies shot.

4. Go to the gym.

In the next year I will....
1. Attend the temple more often.

2. Renew my teaching license.

3. Get out of debt.

4. Lose weight.

2008-10-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Today is the day my "good luck" starts! I hope! So I will post some good news very soon.

Coming Soon

2008-10-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

Loralee did a cute post and I want to do it also...but I have no time today. So coming soon, I will post info about me 20 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago...you get it!

I am excited to give it some thought and look for some pictures...

2008-10-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

This year we went to the pumpkin patch for Mary's 6th birthday. We did a combined party with the Wolfe's since Jack and Mary have the same birthday. It was so fun to be with a large group at the pumpkin patch. The kids had a blast on the train, on the boat, in the hay and out in the field. I loved it so much more than Chuck E Cheese or any of the usual places we have done in the past. Of course if it had been pouring down rain, I would not be saying this!

Taking pictures at the pumpkin patch and the tulip festival are my 2 favorite things to do. I love that my husband and kids humor me and are willing subjects. I always go into it reminding them of all the things I do for them all year and the only thing I ask is that they be pleasant and clean for pictures twice a year. Sometimes I have had to yell this message to them on the brink of tears... however, it has always worked!

Me and Josh!

Check out this handsome boy. I give him crap about having long hair so much, but then I see a picture like this and he is just so darn cute. I love that he has his own style and doesn't let me influence it...no matter how hard I try. He is a good boy with a huge heart and our family is so much better because he is in it!
Me and my BFF Tonya....I love this girl!

Josh's Crash

2008-10-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

Dan sent me pictures from Josh's crash last week. It happened on his way out of town with Megan, Mitchell, and Max. They were leaving to go hunting and were in an accident that shut down the highway. It totalled the trailer for sure and we are still waiting to find out about the truck. Megan re-injured her shoulder, but no one else was hurt. I was so scared when Josh called to tell me what had happened. It was phone call I never ever want to get again!

And I do need to say thank you to so many friends that called to check on us and offer help to us if we need it. We are blessed with great friends!

Sport's Highlights

2008-10-05T16:17:00.001-07:00

We have been playing football and soccer this fall. The challenge has been that Mary has soccer on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is when Max has football practice. Of course they are at the same time in different cities!!! Thank goodness I have Megan and Josh to help...and thank goodness Megan has basketball conditioning on Mondays and Wednesdays. Here is her team the fireballs...I think she has the cutest coaches and they are so sweet with the kids.

She has gotten so much better. She no longer cries or goes for the other teams goal. I don't see any scholarships in her future but at least she is having fun!

Max is liking football. He is my little #62. He almost quit because the helmet didn't feel good, but we suggested trying a new helmet before quitting the sport altogether. It was his coaches idea he really wanted Max to keep playing. Josh was frustrated watching the first game because Max was always the last one to take his position. He thought he was being slow or lazy, but I explained that Max waited until everyone else took their position so he could figure out where he was suppose to be. I just love watching him, he is so cute with all his pads on!

Our Little Movie Star

2008-09-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

This was a fun week for Max...he spent Tuesday filming the movie The Bicyclist. It is a 2 year series on the web and a 90 minute film for the big screen has just "wrapped". I learned that lingo on Tuesday! In fact we are invited to a "wrap party" tonight but it is Cory Zaugg's birthday and he is having a party and BBQ at the track that I wouldn't miss for anything!

Ok...back to Max...He spent 9+ hours on Tuesday shooting 8 scenes for the movie and he was amazing! It started out bad. He had to ride a very old school bike with funky handlebars and a banana seat. While he was practicing on the bike he wiped out. I didn't think anything of it until I saw that he was crying. If it was any of my other kids I still wouldn't think anything, but Max doesn't cry!

He was really hurt. He had blood dripping off his elbow and a scrape at least 8 inches long and 3 inches wide, which is pretty much his whole arm. His chest was scraped up and the handlebar stabbed into his thigh leaving one of those really deep bruises. He still hurts and it has been a couple of days.

So after he was cleaned up and his nerves settled, they figured he wouldn't be able to work. But his Dad's genes started to kick in because he worked hard the rest of the day. He shot each scene like a champ. Some of the scenes he had to do over 50 times. One of them was done with bare feet on a gravel driveway. He had a cuts between his toes from the kickstand and the soles of his feet were cut up. I told him next time he should request a stunt double!

Natalie, his 8 year old co-star was really cute and a bit fiesty. In order to act out the movie he said he just pretended she was Kimberly Jordan. She had learned how to ride a bike last week. When he was shooting the scene where he saves his bike from being run over by her furious dad, I asked him how he was able to look so scared. He told me he wasn't acting he really was scared. Jayme told him that Howard had learned to drive last week while Natalie was learning to ride. The makeup lady was irritated that I didn't explain to him that they were kidding about Howard, but I figured the motivation was working for him and I would clear it up later.

By the end of the day Natalie had fallen in love with Max (who wouldn't, he is such a charmer) and she kept writing "I love Max" in the gravel. I told him it was so awesome that at only 8 years old he was already an action star with a love story! He just smiled.

A night to remember

2008-09-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

If you want to read a good story, then check out Stacey Wolfe's blog. I have it posted on the right of the screen it is the oregon wolfe pack blog.
I didn't want to steal her thunder and write about it before her, but we had a very exciting night out on the river with her family. Let's just say my "date night" with Josh has not been quite so exciting as it was this night. You know when you have to call the babysitter and warn her that you will be picking up kids, but you don't have any pants on....well, it's going to be a good story! Have a fun read! Thank you Stacey for posting it!

Fun Website

2008-09-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

I was playing on a cool website it is http://wordle.net/
I think I love it...or it could be that I love not cleaning the floor of our house right now and this is a fun distraction. Anyhow, you type in words or names and it arranges them into a cool work or art! Well maybe not a work of art but it does arrange them pretty cool. I did one with our family names and nicknames (it is on the right). How fun would it be to do a class list or primary kids or family reunion names....hey even a fun homework aid for spelling words!
So if anyone wants to avoid housework and play on a fun website, check this one out!

Where Did This Name Come From

2008-09-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

When we talked about buying property in 2002 I told Josh I didn't want to be out in the middle of nowhere. I liked North Plains and maybe a little bit west of there would be good, but I was not that excited to drive kids all over and I really liked how centrally located to everything we were in Hillsboro.

Well, Josh was super excited when he saw a sign with property out in Buxton....Where? I had never heard of it. We proceeded to look into buying it, sold our house, and found out we were buying property from a crazy woman. Not just a little crazy, but a complete loon who is hopefully in a special hospital getting the help she so desperately needs.

So fastforward to two years ago after Josh and Dan created their track...it needed a name. We had talked about a cute name for our property for years...maybe "Merritt Meadows" or something with our initials. We had a couple of ideas but nothing ever stuck and none of them seemed right. Then we remembered the crazy lady that wanted to live in the "Bunk house" down on the other side of the creek for a year for free...yes, she tried to live with squirels and mice in a shack that had a microwave two feet from a toilet, I told you she was crazy! So we decided to go with Crazy Acres because that part of the property was coveted by a crazy lady.

Dan thought it was Crazy Lady Acres for a day or so and I am pretty sure he might think I am the crazy lady and not the freak we bought the house from. I immediately set him straight, but who knows what Josh says behind my back.

Anyhow, in my mind the crazy is for the previous owner and not me.

Anyhow, that was how the name came to be and it cracks me up that we went to dinner a few weeks back and guy asked Josh if he was the owner of "Crazy Acres". It just seems so silly! And then there are days that just seem so crazy around our house. That I am convinced that the name totally fits, not just for a moto cross track but for a family mission statement or something. I don't know how we could thrive in this environment if we were not all a little crazy in the head!

This is a pic from Aug. it was a fundraiser for a young man who was paralyzed from a crash. It was a fun day.It was called "a ride for Paul" and they earned about $5,000 for his medical needs so it was a success. My boys loved the big Monster truck that was there. Max won a case of Monster drinks and about had a heart attack trying to down them before I could take them away.

I Didn't Cry...

2008-09-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

I was feeling a bit like a bad mom last week. I got my boys to school on Tuesday and my girls went on Wednesday. I left the school with dry eyes. Mary was content...no happy to see me leave. She was so ready for kindergarten. I felt a little bit annoyed that she could just wave goodbye and send me off without a so much as "I'll miss you mom".

So with my dry eyes I went to the gym, Costco, Target, and a few other places. I came home and got things put away and did some laundry and dishes and still now tears. The kids came home with reports on friends and teachers and I was happy for them. Then I started to hear about other moms and what a hard day it was to see kids off. Then I remembered seeing parents tearing up as I bolted from the school to run my errands...I must be a horrible mom. I thought about it all weekend...and felt really bad for not missing my kids.

Then I thought about the last two weeks of vacation... they all quit listening to me and would not pick up anything! I was relieved that for 6 hours the floor I have to clean could have a break from their stuff. The sink would not be filled with 5 cups each and two straws for each glass of choc. milk! I was thrilled to be able to drive past McDonald's and not hear crying from the back seat for happy meals or ice cream cones. So I decided it was normal that I didn't cry or feel sad, and if they had been more helpful then maybe I would be a better (more tearful) mom.

Then today came and I didn't get kids up on time so I had to drive the younger 3 to school. Mary cried because she didn't want to go...and then started to feel bad. Why didn't she want to go? Was someone mean to her? Was she being ignored? I started asking her a million questions and started telling her all the boring stuff I was going to do today. School would be way more fun that boring ole' mom. Then she told me she just didn't want to leave me. She wanted me to be there with her today. She asked if I could stay and then I did start to tear up and cry. I think when I saw how confident she had been the last week it was easier to wave goodbye and leave, but seeing her so unsure and hearing her worry about not finding her classroom, and knowing that she did still need me...made me just break down as I drove off.

So now I don't know if that makes me a good mom or not. Was it better to leave with dry eyes and fake assurance that I wasn't needed? I don't know but at least now when people ask if I cried when Mary went off to kindergarten at least I can honestly say I did!

School is in!!!

2008-09-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

So for the first time I am home all day without kids...they are all in school!

Mary started kindergarten today and goes all day for 3 days a week. She woke up and was worried she had missed the bus. Then after going to the bathroom 3 times...as soon as the bus rounded the corner she had to go again. She was more than a little nervous. I drove to the school to meet the bus and then ate breakfast with her, Mitch, and Max. Mitch is in 5th grade this year and Max is in 3rd grade.

Megan is a Junior!!! How crazy is that! She is starting to think about colleges and what she wants to do. She was anxious to get to school and get some classes changed around. Her and Mitch are my basketball players so we have a few months before that starts but Max is doing football this fall and Mary is signed up for soccer....but we don't know if it is going to work out. She claims that the coach was very rude to her and she might not be able to play. I was there and unfortunately the coach didn't get the memo that Mary rules most things she does and when Mary tried to change up the coaches plans it didn't work. So now she doesn't know if she can play. I almost laughed out loud when the coach sweetly told her she didn't have to do the drill she could sit with me until she was ready to play. Mary's jaw dropped and then her little fists balled up and she was off the field and ready to go home. So I guess we will work on being a team player. She had the same reaction on Monday. She came running to me with tears and said the kids were beng rude to her (her favorite phrase if she doesn't get her way). I asked her how and she said they wouldn't let her have 5 turns on the rope swing! Imagine that! I am afraid to find out who was rude to her at school...

Lucky for us the other kids are not as dramatic.....ok never mind they are all that dramatic who am I kidding!

Summer Highlights

2008-08-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

We began the summer with a trip to Disneyland and California Adventure, then got on the cruise ship and headed to the Mexican Riviera! We made it to Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. The kids were able to play with dolphins and lots of other fun things.

Then we got home and went to our family reunion for the weekend of the 4th of July!

After the reunion the boys both had Day camp. Grandpa and I were volunteers for a day that week and it was a blast. I am so happy that my boys get along with each other.

Then Megan was off to basketball camp.

Our next adventure of the summer happened the day Megan got home from camp. We went to the Ward Campout and Grandpa Lynn came with us. Dad was the MC and put together a great little program about the pioneers. Curtis Updike may have been a little too happy when it was done...as you can see from the big kiss he planted on Josh's cheek.

The next week Megan left to go to China. She stayed with our good friends David and Judy Chen. While she was there she learned a little about the language, a lot aobut the culture, and made some very good friends. She was able to work in David's office and had a lot of fun.

That was the same week we took our little piggy Earl to the Washington County Fair. It was Mitch's first year at fair and we learned so much. Wow! We are doing things way different next year. It was a blast. Mitch worked really hard and our good friend Lorretta let us put a tent up next to her trailer so we could be there to do barn duty and take care of Earl. Saying good bye to earl was much harder for Mitch than we expected it to be. He shed a lot of tears, but still wants to raise a pig next year for fair again. Max raised a pig and she went away 2 weeks ago. He hasn't asked any questions...

Let's see that takes us up to August. Ok this is so long. Sorry about all the details. I am going to leave it here for now and maybe tomorrow or Monday I can put in the pictures and details from August. I really can't believe how quick the summer went. I am going thru closets and dressers getting school clothes and supplies ready for next week and it boggles my mind that the kids are going back to school already.

Family Reunion 2008

2008-08-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post highlights of our summer, but we have done soooooo much. Then I thought I would break it down into months and do June, July, August....Then I realized that I have too many things to get done every day so I will just post when I can and whatever it is I will be happy with. I hate reality!!!

In June we had a fun trip to Disneyland and then went on a Disney Cruise. On the trip home our flight was canceled and the kids and I made it home from LA in a little over 18 hours. However, Josh was not so lucky. He got bumped and then kicked to the curb and landed in a hotel (thanks to United) and made it home the next day. Poor guy...he could have driven home quicker than it took him to fly.

When we got home we did some laundry and some quick chores around the house and then went on a family reunion to a fun little place just 20 minutes west of our house. I forgot the name!! I hate getting old. Everyone had a great time. It was very low key! On the 4th some of us went to Seaside to play in the sand and let off some fireworks. This was a fun weekend with frisbee, whistle making with Uncle Brian, crafts with Grandma, we made a new tree swing, did some rafting, and just hung out. I have to say it was a "10" as far as reunions go. I think the best was that it didn't cost a lot of money!

Megan Is Home

2008-08-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

I am so happy! I went on line Sunday night to check out her flight status and couldn't find it anywhere...I started to worry...and then panic. But I knew that she was in good hands and David would make sure she was safe.
When I woke up Monday morning she was on a flight heading to LA and made it home last night. It was a relief to see her and everyone was so happy that she is back here with us. She looks amazing...as beautiful as ever. I didn't get any pictures yet but I will today and post them. We had pizza and mock pina coladas at Mike and Krissy's house. We got to see Jim and Chris and Donnette and her sweet boys. It was the best FHE so far this summer! I am so thankful Heavenly Father was watching over my Meg and got her back to us safely!

Goofy Kids...Goofy Family!

2008-08-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken at the beginning of the summer. We started the summer off on a Disney Cruise with our good friends...The Zauggs. We had a blast! I would do it again in a heartbeat. I love that they can cater to a family with a teenager and a preschooler and then all ages in between. It was a great start to a great summer. I will post more pictures highlighting what we have been up to and what crazy things are going on around our house. I really can't believe how fast summer has gone!