14 Years Ago

Fourteen years ago I had another little boy named Matthew. I can hardly believe where the time has gone.Today we celebrate his birthday with a few friends spending the night in the tent he put up in the yard. They all want to fish so that's what they will do at our lake all day tomorrow. Happy Birthday to my little boy- he is never going to be a big guy to me.

Isn't his cake adorable. My friend Ashley M just started her own business here in our little town.  All the other things are what the birthday boy requested to eat.

 

He asked the all birthday money from the grandparents & mom/dad be put towards an Ipod touch because he knew that was THE only way he'd ever get it-lol He was really excited.

Reflections Lake Hike, Mt. Rainer

Saturday came early with me trying to get the boys up & moving to head to Mt. Rainer for a little day hike. Everyone finally loaded into the van & off we went, excited for the moment. Once we caught up with Sam & her gang we where on our way to Mt. Rainer National Park which is only about 2 hours from the house or even less. It was a beautiful sunny but cool morning- great hiking weather! We had six children and three adults to start the hike to Reflections Lake. Off we go down a little ways then all the sudden straight up some super steep hills! This was suppose to be the easy path but on a scale of 1 to 5 , 5 being the hardest for little people under the age of 9 - I give it a 3.5 in spots. We where all trekking along at a pretty decent pace with only one melt down along the way. This mom wasn't having it! I told the child to buck up & keep walking. He would be excited once we got to our final destination. Mom was so right! Once we actually got to the lake there was some snow. Of course the boys immediately started pelting eachother with snow balls & having fun. Laughter ruled for about thirty minutes until it was time to head back.

The walk back was a little easier as most of it was down hill, we had done all the steep climbs heading to the lake. Now my calves where burning a bit by the time we got to the waterfalls where we started. But it was a nice 3 mile round trip hike, that any family can enjoy. Even all the kids agreed after it was over they had fun! It was a little rough in the beginning but with a little "attitude adjustment" from mom & a "no quitting" allowed motto we all made it! We got some great pictures  had some good giggles along the way & I can't wait to do another hike again some day!

 

The beginning when we where ALL SMILES....

 

Finally Sam & I at Reflection Lake

 The kids with dear ole mom who made them HIKE,oh- the Horror!!!

  The "STUD" who did the 3 miles with NO -COMPLAINTS!!

Last group picture of the day of my young men - it was a good day!

Last picture was of Matthew being silly- we all ended up having fun!


Now my husband & his group of soldiers gathered today to honor the memory of their Fallen Comrades in Arms. 31 Minutes of giving your all in Crossfit- 
In honor of our 31 lost in the helicopter crash. Way to go guys & everyone around the globe that joined in! So far close to $300,000 in money has been raised for the families affected by this tragedy- USA!!!! 

Our Fallen

My soldier during the workout 

Just Keep on Running & Running

"Holy Smokes Batman" was the last thing I remember hearing last night as I fell asleep in my husbands comfy chair around 9:45PM. Yesterday was a day where I literally ran from one activity to the next with only minutes in between to check in with my husband so he knew all was well. I knew ahead of time it was going to be a crazy busy day, but it wiped me out!

I took our oldest to the Orthodontist, dropped him off ran to Rite- Aid to pick up medicine refills for kids. Then headed to the Post Office to mail my man his care package & three other items filled with books I was swapping. I found a great site called Books Free Swap  but that is a whole different post in itself.  From the Post office I ran to Safeway with all my coupons in hand & list ready to shop. I made it through Safeway in record time & saved $53.48 I believe on my groceries- YAY ME! Then I ran back to pick up Hunter from the Ortho & headed home. Got to the house had boys help unload the van & we all changed into our swimsuits. We headed to the pool for an hour to just try to relax. Then we ran home showered, ate & headed to the Junior-High for Orientation for the older two boys. Hunter my oldest is still considered a Freshman but they stay at the Junior High until 10th grade which is fine with me. Much easier having two kids in the same school then across town from eachother.

I really thought we would be in & out of orientation in thirty minutes like last year- boy was I WRONG! They had total CHAOS going on when we arrived. I even came early! Unlike last year there was no real direction so we ended up in two lines that we shouldn't have been in until last! Finally my friend Sam who was volunteering stirred us to the front of this super long line to get the boys ID cards they use for everything. An hour & a half later we left ,UGGG! I raced home to get the youngest fed,dressed & out the door for soccer practice. At this point I was DONE! Just ask my older two. I was "that" mom who totally embarrassed them when two girls tried to cut in front of us in one of the really long lines- yep I told them to GO TO THE BACK NOW! I am pretty sure my head spun around backwards as I said it too! The boys where like "NO MOM!!", I so DID NOT CARE! I laughed later as I recalled all the girls who looked like they had spent hours preparing for that one afternoon of orientation. Make-up, hair, & inappropriate clothes ruled the day. Only to have almost zero boys pay any attention as the giggled & tried to get their attention. About 80% of the male population where to busy high-fiving each-other  & comparing schedules to even notices the girls-LOL Anyway, back to running out the door to soccer.

Headed to soccer where at least I was able to sit down & breathe for an hour. I met another nice set of parents & chatted the practice away. After  we left & headed home I was more then happy to let the older two boys go spend the night with friends. I knew the house would be super quiet with those two out of the picture for the night. I snuck out to the little community store at our front gates & bought some yummy ice cream for the little guys. I let them make a fort in the living room & fed them ice cream. I finally got a quick chat in with my husband as the kids watch old TV shows. Batman & Robin was the last I remember hearing. I woke up around 10PM turned off the TV & made everyone go to sleep. What a day to say the least! I knew it was going to be a crazy day- but I had no idea how worn out it would make me feel. So glad today is gym time for me & the pool with the boys if the sun pops out. Nothing else at all! Saturday I am looking forward to the day spent hiking around Mt. Rainer with my friends family & my boys. I hope everyone has a safe holiday weekend & get's to rest.

Now for the picture I took before orentation so my husband could see how much both older boys had grown. They are both taller then me now & it's a little strange for us all.

  

My Freshman in the white & my 8th grader in purple. Where did my babies go?

Kites,Sand, & a Wet Pup

We decided to hit the beach today at Ocean Shores! The weather called for 80 degree temps here at home so we knew this was our best bet of "warm" weather on a Washington beach-lol We got up fairly early & got out the door. It only took about 2 hours from our home right next to Mt. Rainer to be on the Washington coast- it's great! The sun was out, but it was super windy. So of course as we played & got wet we got cold! But not so cold we weren't KNEE DEEP in the water !! It was great! Jeremy flew his kite for awhile. Jacob ,Hunter, & Matthew worked on sand castles while I tossed the Frisbee for Panzer over & over. Panzer absolutely had NO FEAR! He loved the waves, the water, & the sand! He was so well behaved with others playing or walking by us. Never barked or growled at another dog. If this had been Heidi she would have not been so nice! We even had a little yellow lab pup who looked just like Marley come over to chase Panzer's Frisbee- he got to the Frisbee first- but Panzer was so nice. He looked at me, like "mom, he has my toy! HELP!!". 
It was a great way to spend our morning instead of the pool. We have enjoyed the pool & the lake but where excited for a change of scenery. Most of the crew slept on the way home- now mom needs a nap!! But nope we have a night swim at 9PM they have been looking forward to going to all week. So just a quick break then back at it to wrap up our summer. Hope everyone else has a great weekend as well!

Little Video that made me wish we where someplace just a tad warmer for a tad bit longer....

All Things MARVEL

With four boys in my home not including the husband I have always had tons of Gi Joes, Batmans, Spiderman, Hulk,& Captain America toys laying around. I never once while I was growing up imagined this in my "plan" for my life. I pictured two twin girls maybe a boy for good measure, but definitely a lot of PINK! Well God had a much different out look for my life & gave me a lot of CAMO-LOL My friend always says " tell God what your plan is & then he will give you His Plan- as a joke!".

Today as a treat for my boys for not having any cavities at their dentist appointments I took them to see Captain America. I have seen a few of the Batman movies. All of the Spiderman series as well as The Hulk & Ironman. I wasn't going in with a bad attitude because I actually liked a couple of the other superhero movies. The X -Men series is GREAT! But I left smitten with Captain America. I knew whoever they picked would be good looking but once the transformation was made from the skinny looking dork to Captain A- ahhhh so cute! It doesn't hurt that after 5 weeks away from my man, the eye candy was NICE!

If your wondering if you should go see the movie you should. It had very little profanity which I thought was a huge plus since all four boys hang onto every word these days. No sexual situations that I had to explain at all! I give it 4 Stars in the family category & I can hardly wait to see if they make a sequel. I love all my men & once in awhile I don't mind giving up a good girly love story for a handsome superhero <3

This is last Halloween & my super handsome Captain America - Jeremy

New Uniform,New Unit, New Deployment

Yesterday we kept all the boys home from school which made them extremely happy. It was time for Paul's unit to have their Deployment Ceremony & Case the colors. Like I mentioned before it was the first time we ever took our younger two with us to watch. They really sat nice & quiet the whole hour. They enjoyed the band , the flags, & the firing of the cannons the best! I was very pleased that they asked questions & seemed to understand the significance of it all. After the Casing of the Colors we had about an hour to waste until it was time for the family bar-b-que. That portion of the day was a lot of fun! They all enjoyed the bouncy houses, mobile video games, climbing wall, & Famous Dave's bar-b-que. I was thankful that the rain held off & we all enjoyed some much needed family time. This Memorial Day weekend will most likely be our last that we can spend together with out  my husband working. I hope you enjoy the pictures from yesterday's fun & everyone has a very safe,happy weekend.

 

 

It was a great day for the whole gang & I am so thankful we had that time together to create some new memories. Hopefully all the fun will help carry us threw the next year while our soldier is away.


Here is a video link up to the Deployment Ceremony:ICorps Deployment Ceremony 2011