There isn’t too much going on around here. We’ve just been doing the homschool thing. The kids only have a couple weeks until spring vacation, and are getting excited about it. (As is Mommy *lol*)

We got some scary news yesterday … Remember last September-ish when there was a cougar sighting in the woods, right behind the house? … Well, turns out that the cougar is here to stay, because it’s been sighted again… While I like the quiet of this area, I wish we had found a house we could afford in town instead. I think I would feel a bit safer about letting the kids play outside.

I guess now we know why the stray cat population has gone WAY down… Poor kitties.

We’re not letting Buddy go outside right now, because I don’t want him to become Cougar-chow… Since we still don’t really trust him, we’ve set him up an area in the pantry, for when we can’t keep an eye on him… But while he seems to like his “room”, he wants to go outside, and is starting to get whiney about it. *lol*

On Tuesday, Alicia and Amanda had their last class at Dolce Dance… In some ways I think they are regretting their decision… But in the summer months, it will probably be for the best anyway, as we would have had a hard time getting there on time, because of Joe’s schedule… Thier bowling league starts in April… If they end up not liking it, then we’ll take them back to Dolce Dance in September. (The summer bowling league ends at the end of August)

Since the kids were done with school early yesterday, we took them bowling again. This time Joe wouldn’t challenge them… Which is a good thing, because he would have lost again. … Those boys are getting to be such good bowlers!

Joe will be late coming home today… He’s going to get new tires on the Durango. We’ve been needing them for a while now, and it’s going to be nice to have them done! … Then on Thursday a friend of Joe’s (John) will be doing some other work on the Durango… Something with the brakes, I think. Joe wants to get the Durango working well before all our summer camping plans, so he doesn’t have to worry about pulling the trailer. If he pulls the trailer as the Durango is now, we’d end up with a travel emergency! … Of course, the trailer needs some work too. One of the tanks has a leak, and needs to be replaced… Wish we “had a guy” who knew how to do that too, so we could get it done cheaper. *lol*

So, the girls only have a couple more classes left. This term at Dolce Dance ends at the end of the month, and we won’t be signing them up for the next one. Instead, the girls will be joining the “Summer Fun” youth league that starts on April 26th and goes through the end of summer.

Since they aren’t that good at bowling yet, they are going to join the bumper league. They are very excited to be able to bowl with their little friends, Cheyenne and Shelby. … Shelby is the owners daughter, and she is 4. She already bowls on the bumper league, and she and Amanda love to play together. Cheyenne is Alicia’s age, and they get along great too (Cheyenne’s dad does maintenance at the bowling alley).

They are going to have a hard time waiting for the summer league to start, but they are starting to bowl when we go on Wednesdays and Fridays, so that they can get some practice.

Before I go, I just wanted to give a quick shout out for hair growth shampoo… I wonder if that would help thicken out your hair? Mine has gotten awfully thin since having kids… I’ll have to check them out!

I hope everyone is having a decent sort of week. Ours is going well.

Jared and Josh playing basketball

The boys have been enjoying the fact that it’s starting to stay light out a little longer during the day. For the last week or so it’s been staying light until 5:30-ish, so they’ve been able to stay outside a little longer… Jared and Josh have been playing basketball at the little court we have here in the subdivision (that everyone can use). They’ve been meeting up with some other boys their age (from around the neighborhood), and have been having lots of fun…

I am glad because they are getting some exercise in… Now that they have outgrown toys (Jared never plays with toys anymore, and while Josh does sometimes, it’s getting less and less), I am glad that they’ve found something that they can do that doesn’t involve a computer or video game. *lol* … They even go out after it’s rained, even though the ground is still wet… Then they get all dirty from the wet, dirty basketball. … Oh well, as long as they are having fun and making friends.

Amanda’s ballet class was cancelled on Tuesday. I guess Claudine, Amanda’s teacher, had had a migraine for 2+ days… I hope she’s feeling better! … We had to go anyway, because of Alicia’s drawing class. Amanda chose to go with us, and she played with the toys they have there, while Alicia drew… Supposedly we’re going to be able to make up both the missed ballet class, as well as the missed art class (from a couple weeks ago)… But Alicia had to miss an art class a couple months ago (due to Jay being sick), and they never made that one up… So we shall see… I just hope we aren’t out anymore money from the classes. ($7.00 a class, paid in advance…)

Josh's new top bowling score

We found out that after school kids can bowl for $1.00 a game (with free shoe rentals) until 5 pm, so we took the kids bowling yesterday… Josh had an AWESOME first game, getting his all time high score of 157!!! (He also got 103 twice and a 133) … He has figured out his new ball, and has improved SO MUCH! We are so proud of him!

Jared, on the other hand, didn’t do as well… He got a 94, 61, 105, and an 87 … Though I thought a 94 was a pretty good game, and normally he would be OK with it too… But when Josh got a 157 on the same game, that didn’t help… Jared is happy that Josh got a good score, but not so happy that he scored that much over him. (He admitted to me that he was a little jealous) … Then I think that since he was a little discouraged already, he lost his concentration and bowled the 61 … Not good in Jared’s eyes at all… He then got VERY discouraged and started crying a little… He even said he felt like giving up… He’s always been so sensitive about these things. *sigh* … He felt better after getting a 105 on the next game, but he still seemed to think that it wasn’t good enough. He’s so hard on himself!

Jared and I did have a talk about it later. He admitted that he was a little jealous (but insisted that he was glad that Josh was bowling better). He was also embarrassed that he had cried. I told him that everyone is going to have a bad game once in a while (it just doesn’t help that he didn’t bowl very well last Saturday either, so now he thinks he will never bowl well again)… I think the fact that he gets upset with himself, makes it harder to bowl well. The more stressed and worked up he gets, the worse he bowls. I told him that too…

I also think he still needs to learn his new ball… He had wanted a reactive ball, that hooks on the lane. When we firts got it, Coach Mick said it would take around 20 games for the ball to start hooking correctly… Well, Jared never really hooked the old balls, so he’s having to learn now… Josh, on the other hand, has always done some hooking, so he’s used to it… I just can’t convince him that he WILL get better.

On Tuesday Amanda was coloring David and Goliath for her Bible lesson in school… In Amanda’s world Goliath wore pink socks.

Well, not much else going on… But before I head out, I want to give a quick shout out for metal buildings… I know we could sure use a bigger shed (since we don’t have a garage).

Part of me says, who cares? We’re getting school done, and the chores done, and that’s what matters, right? … Another part of me doesn’t like getting done with school later in the day… I feel like we’re behind or something. Maybe it’s the OCD in me that feels like we should be on a schedule, and if we’re not, we’re “bad” … But the lazy part of me wants to stay in bed an extra hour (OK, sometimes even 2 hours *lol*) … Gah! What to do!

Not much else going on… The girls had their ballet/art classes last night… I had a killer headache (like usual), so Joe said he would take them… This is big, because he HATES sitting in there with the other moms, waiting for class to be done. *lol* Poor Joe! … I am thankful he did it, though now he says I owe him big. *lol*

Yesterday was the cat’s birthday too… Our little Buddy is a year old now. The kids gave him (and Cuddles, to be fair) some soft cat food as a birthday treat (they usually only eat hard cat food), and sang him Happy Birthday. While the kids were singing, he looked at them like they were all off their rockers, and tried to squirm out of Josh’s arms… But then he happily accepted the treat (once Jared blew out the birthday candle and removed it from the food… He was a bit scared of that candle *rofl*).

Before I go, I just wanted to give a quick shout out for weight loss supplements… Something I really need to look into!

Remember how Amanda used to say that everything is FANTASTIC! … Well, she seesms to have gone past that stage. She now has a new “word of the day”… And that is “cha-ching!” *lol* … Whenever anything goes her way, you can hear her all through the house, “CHA-CHING, CHA-CHING, CHA-CHING!” … When we were bowling on Sunday, she bowled one game too (with bumpers). Everytime she would get even 1 or 2 pins down, she would call that out. It was sooo funny!

She is now playing with imaginary friends now too… I remember when the other kids went through this phaze, but Amanda was just a wee one then, and not old enough to play along. *lol* Anyway, on Sunday she was playing Battleship by herself when she put the game away in disgust and said, “My imaginary friend cheats! It was the boy one. My girl imaginary friend NEVER cheats! I’m going to play with her instead!” … So cute!

Jared had a nice birthday. He said it was really fun. … We didn’t get to surprise them with going to the bowling alley though… A friend of the family (Joe’s Mom’s best friend), Sheila, called Jared to wish him a happy birthday. While she was talking to him she said, “I heard you were going to the bowling alley for your birthday. Are you there yet?” … Oops! *lol* … That sort of let the cat out of the bag. *lol*

After they bowled 3 games (the Mewings were there too), we all went to the newly opened Molalla Mainstreet Pizzaria for dinner… The building used to be Ricky D’s, which was also a pizza place. Ricky D’s had TERRIBLE pizza. We were hoping that MMP would be better… It wasn’t. … And now they don’t even have spaghetti or lasagna anymore, so I can have something better to eat… I doubt we’ll be eating there again.

Alicia’s art class was a no-go yesterday… We went to Dolce Dance, as usual, and Amanda had her ballet class, but Jay (Alicia’s teacher) didn’t show up. We found out that Jay and Lindsay’s son was sick, so Jay was home with him. Lindsay said that she meant to call us, but never got to it… It’s a good thing that Amanda had her ballet class anyway, so it wasn’t a wasted trip (but Alicia could have stayed with the boys, instead of being bored there…)

Well, I have to eat breakfast and then start school, so I guess I’ll catch ya on the flip side! … But before I go, I just wanted to give a quick shout out for accutane. Check it out!

I didn’t do much of anything on Monday… Oh, I had big plans for cleaning, but those never happened. I had a visit from mean ole AF, and let’s just say it wasn’t a good day. Much pain was had, so it was a good day to wrap oneself in a quilt and watch TV. *lol* … Which is exactly what I did.

As for yesterday, I caught up on the laundry and since Joe FINALLY took the ornaments (that I couldn’t reach) off the top of the tree, I was able to finish getting the Christmas stuff packed into the totes… Now I have to wait for Joe to get into the mood to put the totes under the house (because there is NO WAY I am going into that crawl space filled with bugs to do so)… You know that song, “Waiting on a Woman“? … My version would be called, “Waiting on a JoeBob”.

The girls started their new session at Dolce Dance last night… I wrote Lindsay an Email and told her that Joe had trouble getting home from work in time to make it to Alicia’s class at 4:45, and asked if Jay would mind having it at 5:45, which is when Amanda’s class is… Since Alicia is the only one in this class, they were OK with it… That’s a relief! We have an extra hour before we have to be there, and we only have to wait for one hour, instead of two. Very nice!

Yesterday there were 3 other girls in Amanda’s ballet class, but they were all new. None of the other girls who had been in her class were there anymore… Weird! … Maybe some of them will be back next Tuesday… I was hoping that Kyla would be in class, because her mom, Lisa, is really nice. *lol* It was fun chatting with her while the girls danced… I also wouldn’t mind seeing Lisa’s new baby. At the ballet recital Lisa was 3 days over-due on her pregnancy, and I’m sure that baby Ava came before Christmas.

Jared recieved his first non-mom and dad phone call yesterday… The other day Jared created a quiz on facebook called “How well do you know animals” (which I only got a 60% on *lol*). Well, I guess his cousin, Jamie, wanted to make a quiz too, and was having troubles making one. So she called up Jared and he spent 15+ minutes trying to explain something to her. He told me that he would have to show it to her when he saw her next…

That kid sure LOVES that phone! *lol* He’s learning things on it quickly… A lot quicker than Joe learned his phone, when he first got it. *lol* Jared is even putting things into the event calendar, and has learned how to add contacts… It’s cute to see him with it, but it’s hard for me to see him growing up so quickly… He’s been very responsible with the phone, and isn’t abusing the priviledge.

Well, not much else going on around here… Plan on doing the bathrooms and floors (as in mopping) today… No fun, but it has to be done. I usually like to do that on the weekends, but Jared and Josh’s friend, Marshall, is coming over for the afternoon, after bowling on Saturday. (Marshall is their bowling league teammate… He’s a great kid. Always smiling, cheerful, and sweet. ) … Jared and Josh are looking forward to his visit.

Catch ya on the flipside!

In January the company Joe works for, CRinc (Container Recovery Incorperated), changed their name to OBRC (Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative). They bought out all the other bottleing companies in the state, which created more hours… For a while… We also entered the world of Tweens, as Jared celebrated his 11th birthday. He tells is that he is no longer a “kid”. *lol*

In February we finally got Jared’s room painted… While he had had his own room since the previous July, he had been sleeping on an air mattress (without complaint) on the floor. So anyway, we painted and decorated his room in a Jimmie Johnson theme and bought him some new bedroom furniture. He LOVES his new room! … We also spent the 21st at the farm to celebrate Joe’s Grandma’s 90th birthday (which was on the 17th)… I had an unpleasant experience when a breast cyct became infected, and I had to have it drained/removed… Don’t want to do THAT again! *lol* … And sadly, we lost a dear friend. On February 25th our friend, Gina Mewing, died of a massive heart attack… We still miss her.

In March we got a new kitty! Buddy, though while he can be a stinkpot *lol*, he the sweetest, cutest little thing. We’re all (with the exception of Joe) very attached to him, and love him very much. … Joe took a vacation in March, and we were finally able to find time to get all the kids in to see the doctor, dentist, and eye doctor… I don’t think the kids liked that spring break much! *rofl*

In April things were slowly starting to warm up, and we were able to go on our first picnic of the year, at Silver Creek Falls. The kids also worked hard and finished up their homeschool lessons for the year, and started their summer vacation early. That was nice! We also started taking weekly trips to the local swimming pool in town, hoping to teach the kids to swim… That wasn’t successful, but the kids loved going to the pool!

In May we were able to work on Josh’s room, and get that painted. We went with a forest green/wolf theme, which he picked out. His room looks great and Josh loves it! We also had Jared, Josh, and Alicia tested (using the California Achievement Test), and they all tested 3-4 years above grade level! We are so proud of them!… Our kitty, Cuddles, (who DOES NOT LIKE Buddy) celebrated her 5th birthday… We went on a couple more picnics, this time at Feyrer Park with the Mewing family… At the end of the month we went on vacation. We took a week long camping/road trip to southern Oregon, and visited 5 different animal attractions. It was exhausting, but we had a blast!

In June we finished up our vacation trip, and came home to recooperate. *lol* Then, while poor Joe worked, the kids and I just lazed around the house enjoying our summer vacation and the warm weather… We LOVE summer around here!!!!

In July we changed our usual Independence Day routine, and spent the day in Estacada with our friend, Earl, husband to our friend, Gina, who had died in February. While we liked the celebrations in Molalla better, Earl needed is then… We went down to Lebanon, Oregon to camp at Sunnyside for the Johnson Family Reunion… As for the rest of the month, we did things to keep the kids cool, like going to splash parks, the river, and the lake to swim… The boys also joined an 8-week free kids’ summer bowling league at Molalla Bowl, and were bitten by the bowling bug. They are now COMPLETELY, 100% addicted to bowling. *lol*

In August Amanda celebrated her 6th birthday. I had a hard time accepting the fact that my baby was 6 years old! She wanted to go camping at Feyrer Park, so that’s what we did, and we had her birthday party there too. At the end of the month, over Joe’s birthday, we spent a week at Detroit Lake, which is our favorite campground. The kids spent a lot of time in the lake, and enjoyed playing with their cousins, who were also there. It was a great vacation… I also spent a lot of time getting things (like lesson plans) ready for the new school year to start.

In September we started our 7th year of homeschooling. So far it’s been one of our most successful years yet, and things couldn’t be going more smoothly in that area. Jared and Josh joined the USBC junior bowling league for the first time, and are really, really enjoying it. Bowling has become a staple in our house… Who knew?! *lol* … We also found a new dance studio in town (that opened in March), and we were able to sign Amanda up for ballet again. Dolce Dance also offers art classes, so we got Alicia signed up for that. The kids all love their new activities, which suit who they are… Joe and I celebrated our 15th anniversary on the 10th. We had wanted to do something special, but things didn’t work out. We ended up just doing dinner… Maybe we’ll be able to do something special on our 16th. *lol* … Oh, also the boys and Joe went on a “boys only” camping/hiking trip with Scott and Jacob and went on a 6-7 mile hike around the 10 falls at Silver Creek… They LOVED that!

In October Alicia celebrated her 8th birthday… Since it had worked out so well before, we had Josh and Alicia celebrate their birthdays together. We were going to have the party here, but then Joe’s niece and her fiance bought a new home and wanted everyone to go there for a party. So we combined forces and had the birthday party over there… We were so busy with school, ballet, art classes, and bowling, that time got away from us. As a result we never made it to the pumpkin patch or the Howloween celebration at the zoo… But the kids didn’t seem to miss it too much. *lol*

In November Josh turned 10 years old. My second child is into the double digits… Someone bring me a tissue!.. We got the house decorated for Christmas, which is always fun! … It was another busy month of bowling, ballet, art classes, and homeschool… We did take two weeks off for Thanksgiving vacation, which sped by… We had a lot to be thankful for this year!

In December Amanda had her second ballet recital… While I’ll admit that the one she was in last year was better, she still looked cute up there, in her bunny costume, amid the chaos. … The kids spent the first part of the month working hard so that they could enjoy an extra week of school off for Christmas vacation (which we are currently enjoying)… We also had a very nice Christmas, just staying home as a family.

Yes… I’d say that 2009 was a good year for us. The Lord has been good to us! … Here’s to 2010!

I hope that 2009 has treated everyone well?! We’re all doing fine and dandy over here in our neck of the woods… We’re still enjoying our country living out here in Molalla… Though I have to admit that I did question it a bit when there was a cougar sighting in one of our neighbor’s yards in September. It took me a while, but I finally was able to start breathing again, though I am still nervous about letting the kids play outside. *lol*

We’ve been keeping pretty busy lately… Joe’s still driving truck for OBRC (they renamed Crinc this last January), and he’s also working for a Safeway gas station on the weekends. Sometimes working 7 days a week can take a toll on him, so he requests a weekend off every now and then, so he can get some sleep. Poor guy!

The kids and I are still home schooling. Things have been going really well. We had the older three tested in May, and they are all testing 3-4 years above their grade level. We are so proud of them for working so hard! … Last year they talked about maybe wanting to try public school, but one by one they all changed their minds. They just don’t like the idea of being in school all day. *lol*

Jared and Josh have joined a junior bowling league… Who knew that they would love bowling so much?! *lol* … They are really, really enjoying it, and want to go bowling All. The. Time. They have league games on Saturday, and we take them to Cosmic Bowl at least every other Friday evening. Jared has become obsessed, and talks about bowling practically non-stop. They even go onto YouTube and look at videos with bowling tips and things. So funny! (and so cute!) … Jared will be 12 next month, and Josh just turned 10.

As for Alicia, she has always loved drawing, coloring, and anything crafty, and she seems to have a talent for it. So we were able to find her an drawing class in town, which meets every Tuesday. Her teacher, Jay, it great, and a very good artist himself. Alicia is learning a lot, and is loving it! (Alicia is now 8 years old)

Last year Amanda was taking ballet classes through the Molalla Community Schools, but they stopped doing those kind of programs. Luckily for us, a new dance studio opened up last March, called Dolce Dance (that’s actually where Alicia’s drawing class is too). So this fall we signed Amanda up for ballet there, and she loves it. Her new teacher, Claudine, is really wonderful with the girls and seems to have a soft spot for our little Pixie-girl. :) She has a recital coming up on the 18th, and we can’t wait to see it.:) (Amanda is 6 years old now… My baby is growing up! *sob*)

Joe gets 3 vacations a year now, so we spent a lot of time in our trailer this summer. :) … In August we spent a week camping at Detroit Lake, which is our favorite campsite… In June we took the kids on a road trip/camping trip through Oregon, and we visited a bunch of animal parks. We visited the Wildlife Safari, Wildlife Images, the Sea Lion Caves, the West Coast Game Park, and the Oregon Coast Aquarium… As well as a few other non-animal stops. It was an exhausting week, but it was also quite fun! We even stopped off in Roseburg so I could show the kids my old stomping grounds, as well as my favorite park, and while we were at the beach, we spent an afternoon at Sunset Bay state park, where we would go when I was a girl. It was so nice to see it again!

Well, I suppose I’ve jabbered on long enough… Here’s wishing you all a very Merry CHRISTmas! Hope 2010 brings you nothing but happiness!

Love to you all!

Joe, Julie, Jared, Josh, Alicia, and Amanda
(and the cats, Cuddles and Buddy, too!)

Remember the girls’ friend, Darian? She lives in a house that is behind ours… Anyway, Darian and her mom stopped by on Friday and gave us this little gift of homemade jellies… Plum jam and grape jelly. Alicia claimed the candycane, and I hung the little star ornament on the little tree in the classroom.

The kids have another little friend, Hunter, who lives a few houses down. We don’t know his Mom’s name, but she always stops and chats if we are all outside at the same time. She is very nice. … Anyway, they brought over a plate of homemade cookies and fudge. (I should have taken the saran wrap off before I took the picture. *rofl*) … Between Joe and the kids, there is not many of that left.

I am going to make them (along with Thelma, and our other neighbors, Roger and Theresa) some cinnamon bread and some cookies. I’ll probably do that on Thursday, along with the rolls I’ll be making for Christmas Day… I’ll make our pumpkin pies on Thursday, before we head over to Joe’s parents’ house for Christmas Eve (though the pies are for us, on Christmas Day )

Amanda had her ballet recital on Friday @ 6:30 (at the Catholic church in town… Dolce Dance rented their fellowship hall for it)… It was… Interesting. This is the first recital that Jay and Lindsay (the owners of Dolce Dance) have put on, and it was quite unorganized. For one, the room was too small, and there wasn’t enough chairs… We got 2nd row seats, but we were on the side, so we really didn’t get a good view… Also, there wasn’t a stage, so only the people in the front row could really see much of anything. (The video that Joe did manage to get was awful.)

THEN, Amanda’s ballet teacher, Claudine, combined three different ballet classes, and they only practiced together 1 or 2 times. It was chaotic to the point of being embarrassing. It didn’t even look like a dance. Just a ton of little girls in bunny costumes wandering around the stage chaotically… But they sure looked cute in those costumes!

When we first got there someone told me that Claundine wanted their hair pulled back and that she wanted lipstick and blush on them (none of which I carry, since I don’t use makeup)… So I went over there, and Claudine was letting the girls use hers… Don’t think too many of the moms were thrilled with the sharing… Anyway, I was thinking, “You want me to put make-up on my SIX YEAR OLD?!” … and then I though, “Oh no! You want ME to put make-up on my six year old!” … They were asking the WRONG person to apply make-up! *rofl* (I think I did OK on the lipstick, but there was no brush for the blush, so I had to use my finger… And I got more of it on my finger, than on her face… No one said anything though, and Amanda was THRILLED to have lipstick on. *lol*)

The boys’ bowling league had a Christmas party on Saturday. The bowling alley was decorated for Christmas, and they had a buffet lunch for the bowlers and their parents. They even bought all the bowlers little gifts (from the local dollar store). They all got a ticket, and when their number was called, they got to go pick out a gift from the counter. Jared ended up with a little chess set, and Josh got an outdoor thermometer (you should have seen his face when he opened up that one *lol*)… Anyway, it was fun and the food was good.

Since we had known that the boys would be getting gifts (and we figured that they would be from the dollar store), we had picked up something for the girls too (from the dollar store), so that things would be fair…

We gave each of the girls a Madagascar coloring/activity book and these popsicle maker things, so they can make their own popsicles out of juice or something… They sure liked those! *lol* I think we’ll be going through more orange juice than usual.

Yesterday we planned on having a quiet day (Joe got off work at 1 pm)… “Planned” being the key word… At around 2:15 the girls’ little friend, Darian, stopped by, asking to play. She said she could stay until 3 pm… At 3 pm we told her it was time to go home, and she and the girls were making these plans to have Darian ask her Mom if she could come back and play longer. Well Jared said, “Well, you probably can’t because we’re going to have dinner soon.”… Well, that got Darian all excited and she said, “I’ll ask if I can stay for dinner! Can I, can I, please?!?!?!” … How could I say no to that?! *lol* … So she ran home, and then came back with her mom’s phone number, and Joe talked to her Mom… Darian ended up staying for dinner, and then Joe walked her home at 5:30 (it was dark by then, so she couldn’t walk home by herself).

Who knew that one little girl could giggle THAT much.

I admit that by the time she left, I had quite the headache. *lol* But some Tylenol and some quiet time helped that.

Well, before I go, I just wanted to give a quick shout out for philadelphia pa jobs. If you live in the Philly area, check them out! … See ya! (Only FOUR days until Christmas!!!)