Lovin' it!

We are having a blast with all this snow! We have been sledding every day since it started a week ago. Last night we went sledding at 7:30pm with a bunch of neighbors. The kids thought it was the coolest, sledding at night. I just sat and watched them and Eddie and relished in the memories we are making. It was so great just having fun and laughing together!! We went out again bright and early today at 10am. I think Hunter and Hailey had the most fun playing in the bushes making snow forts.


Our front yard.

Hunter catching some air on a jump!


My friend Trish, Jack and Claire.

Bonding moment

Nothing like a little quality time perusing the gossip mag! They were debating who had the worst tattoo!

White Christmas??

It seems just about everyone across the country has been hit with severe winter weather...well, maybe not our son in Arizona (although he did say it was raining). Our area has had the coldest weather in 20 years...in the teens. It snowed Sunday night and was pretty icy Monday but they didn't cancel school much to Ashley's disappointment. However, it snowed more Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so school was closed Wednesday through Friday and now we're on winter break. It's actually kind of fun having the white stuff around. The new elementary school that Hunter and Hailey go to has AWESOME hills in back that go down to the track so there's nothing to hit. We've been out there four days in a row! Today, on Eddie's day off, I drug him there. Yes, drug...heels dug in. He wasn't too excited about it. So after about his 10th ride down the hill I said, "Admit it, you're having fun, right?" He just smiled. Sometimes he just needs a little encouragement. :) Tonight is supposed to be the BIG BLIZZARD...6-12 inches for us. I guess we'll see. I'm just glad I'm done shopping and baking so I don't have to leave my warm house.


Day 1, not much snow


Day 2 a little more snow - Claire and Hailey


Hunter and mom


Day 3 - Thomas, Hunter, Jack & Hailey


Day 4 - Hunter and a new friend


Hailey decided she didn't need a sled!




See, he's enjoying it!

Dana's update

I'm happy to say Dana woke up from her coma last Monday and is neurologically intact! She's the normal Dana! Woo Hoo! She has a long recovery ahead of her, but at least broken bones will heal.

She needs prayers

I got a phone call Tuesday morning at 6:30am from the supervisor at the YMCA asking if I could cover the Cardio Funk class that day. Dana, the girl I share teaching with, had been involved in a head-on car accident that morning. She was hit by a drunk driver who crossed the center line. She has serious injuries, a skull fracture, two broken femurs, broken hip, and hand as well as other injuries. They operated on her skull to relive the swelling of the brain and have her in a medically induced coma. My understanding is they won't bring her out of the coma until she can follow simple commands. She's only 25, young, vibrant and has her whole life ahead of her. Please pray for her, her family and her roommate Katie who also works at the Y. Here is a link to photos of the accident. It's amazing that she's even alive. http://kirotv.com/slideshow/news/18235423/detail.html

Yesterday Santa was in our neighborhood. Hunter brought his list to show him. He's cut out pictures of everything he wants. Hailey wanted nothing to do with Santa. She knows mom brings the presents anyway (just kidding)!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's....?

Twice this week I've seen two guys riding bikes through out neighborhood. On the back of the bike is a small trailer with boxes inside. I"ve been trying to figure out who they are...the milk delivery company? Door-to-door salesmen? Then yesterday my doorbell rang and when I opened my door...VOILA! The UPS guy...ON HIS BIKE!!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

What's Christmas without gingerbread men? A few pics of their fun with their friend Blake.




Hard at work




He gets it from his dad!

We tried...

Tonight I was bound and determined to get a picture of all of us to put in our Christmas card. The kids suggested we add the cats for our last shot. Ashton is scratching the #@* out of my arm. Hunter and Hailey had been holding Cougar but he escaped before the camera clicked. I think Tigee (with Ashley) is just too scared to do anything. This will definitely not be arriving in your mail box.

Weekend fun

More fun from our weekend...



My sister Tiffany and her hubby Elliott ready for a night on the town!

Snuggling with Mommy

My mom wanted me to teach her a dance from the Cardio Funk class I teach. I'm not sure what she's doing with her hands!

Helping Papa

Our family

Thanksgiving in Wine Country

On Friday, we went wine tasting with our good friends Kim and Eric. It was a special wine weekend. For $25 you could visit wineries all across the Yakima Valley. The wineries paired numerous wines with appetizers and dessert. We had a great time.

The "queen" chairs!

Black Friday

4a.m..."Wake up mom, it's time to go." Much to her chagrine, my mom agreed to get up in the middle of the night and head out with all the other crazies on Black Friday. Eddie and I did it last year and SWORE we would NEVER do it again, but I have to say this year wasn't so bad. We fueled up with Starbucks (of course!) and arrived at Toys 'R Us at 5:15. We missed the huge rush through the doors and didn't have to stand out in the cold so we were off to a good start. It was pretty busy inside, but we knew what we wanted and we headed off in multiple directions filling our cart with bargains. My mom was headed for Razor scooters and I HAD to get a video camera for Hunter, it's all he's asked for. SCORE! We both got what we wanted and headed to get in line...which started at the back of the store and wound up and down through all the aisles. I was able to snag a lone, empty cart sitting in an aisle which made our wait in line much easier. We even shared the cart with a couple behind us whose arms were spilling over with goodies. The only bad thing about winding through the aisles is you keep adding more stuff. Buy one get one free safety cones? Great! Wii sports kit for $9.99? Super deal! $4 movies...a must have!

I didn't really need anything at Old Navy, but we headed there too and I found lots of goodies. Cute jeans, a scarf, sweater for Hailey, undies, socks...my bag was so heavy my arm was actually sore the next day from carrying it all over the mall. Sad.

Next stop...Fred Meyer. Mom and I refueled with another stop at Starbucks. Fred Meyer had one item I needed for Ashley. Can't mention it here in case she reads it, but I was able to get it...yea! I also ran into a friend who lives in Portland and was in town for the holidays. Fun to see her and her kids. All in all it was a successful and relatively painless morning. Mom came straight home and took a nap. I got geared up for Thanksgiving in Wine Country. See my next post.

Happy 40th Old Man!

I can say that...for about 6 more months and then I'll catch up with him! I'll enjoy it while I can. Eddie always talks about getting golf clubs. I think he's probably golfed 4 times in the 11 years we've been married, but every man needs a set of clubs, right? So, I figured he deserved it on his 40th. He also got new, spiffy shoes to go with the new, spiffy clubs. I surprised him by setting up a golf game with 2 of his good friends from highschool. I know Eddie really isn't into big surprise parties so spending 4 hours on a golf course with his buddies and beer was the perfect solution. We also enjoyed dinner at PF Changs with his friends, their wives and my sister and her hubby.

We usually celebrate his bday on Thanksgiving so his cake was pie...lots of them...pumpkin, pecan, apple, peach and a berry mix. Yummy!

The best thing about his birthday gift...was the box! It provided HOURS of fun for the cousins. Now I know what to buy them for Christmas.

Turkey Day

We travelled to Kennewick on Wednesday night for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, we couldn't leave until after Ashley's vball banquet so didn't arrive until about 1a.m. However, everyone slept the whole way and it was very peaceful! Tiffany and I cooked everything on Wednesday so that my mom only had to do the turkey. "This was one of the best Thanksgivings ever," my hubby said after we'd finished eating. My mom said, "Oh sure, because I didn't cook anything!" Actually, it was because we were able to relax, enjoy visiting, let the cousins play together and not spend the whole day in the kitchen. It really was a great day.

I kept trying to get Ashley's picture but she wouldn't let me.

Excellent turkey, mom!

Patiently waiting for dinner...

The cousins

Joshua really doesn't like to eat, but Hunter must have a gift!

It's a God thing

I don't really believe in coincidences. I've had too many moments in my life where unexplained things have happened - some life changing, some seemingly minor. My bi-lateral tubal pregnancy in 2001 - the doctor said if I wouldn't have come to the ER when I did I would have died since I was bleeding internally. After having the twins I was visiting my dr just to show off the babies and mentioned I was having trouble breathing - turns out I had pre-eclampsia and was immediately admitted to ICU. My dr said my blood pressure was so high that if I would have been at home and had a seizure I probably would have died. Then there's the time we were a little short on money - I kept wishing there was some "magic" money that would appear but knew we weren't expecting anything - then to check the mail and find a refund check from our overpaid escrow account! I don't call these coincidences, I call them "a God thing".

Eddie and I were explaining this to Ashley about a week ago. We were trying to decide as a family what we should do as far as moving next summer. Should we move? Where? Or stay? (As if we really have a choice with the military!) Anyway, we came to a concensus and then Eddie said, "Whatever happens, whether it's what we want or not, it's what God wants." Ashley questioned his comment. How do we know it's not just a coincidence? I told her my different "God moments" and how I feel like he always has a plan, whether we feel at the time it's for the best or not.

Okay, my story is getting long...here's what I'm getting at. Ashley had her "God moment" after her accident yesterday. It was really late last night and just she and I were up. She wanted me to sleep downstairs with her. She said, "Mom, I didn't put my seatbelt on when Corey picked me up today. Then, we stopped to pick up Eric and for some reason I decided to put it on." It was about 2 minutes later, after leaving Eric's house, that the accident happened. I said to Ashley, "Do you think that was a coincidence?" "No", she said, " Mom, I was talking to my friend about that earlier. I think it was God."

I'm glad she was able to see this for herself. She's really questioning why she was the only one hurt. I'm sure mostly because she's in so much pain. I just keep telling her we're thankful all it is is a broken bone. It will heal. Had God not stepped in, it could have been tragic.

Praise God for seatbelts!