This year the boys are involved with indoor soccer at the Sportsplex. All three of them. Job plays on Mondays and sometimes Fridays. John plays on Thursdays. Some of his games start at 11pm. Yikes. Isaac plays Saturday afternoons and sometimes Thursday evenings. We are down there a lot. I don't always go, in fact I only go about half the time. I get too involved in the game and start shouting. I don't stop until the game is over. I would do that in outdoor soccer as well but John told me that I'm not allowed to. If I stick a camera infront of my face then I'm busy taking photos and I can't yell (as much). The problem with indoor is that my camera can't take the photos. Too dark, until now. John allwed me to save money and I found a lens on craig's list. I was able to purchase it with money saved and now I can take photos, not lose my voice and I'm quieter. The kids can't hear the parents yell anyways, there is a thick sheet of plexiglass between the crowd and the players. I tried out the lens last night with Isaac's team. John didn't really want me to take photos of him. He doesn't really like being the center of attention. I want to take a few of Job playing as well. I can also take photos of Lona at her dance recital and photos of the kids at their piano recitals.
Isaac has a broken arm. The ulna and radius are both crunched near the wrist, so he's been in a cast. The soccer rules are such that he may play soccer provided his cast is wrapped, the ref agrees, and he does not touch another player with his cast. If he touches another player even accidentally he's out of the game. If another player reaches over and touches his cast he's out of the game. I'm sure this is to protect both players. We wrapped his cast in an ace bandage and off we went to the Sportsplex. He ended up playing. At first he was a little timid with his arm but after 5 minutes he turned it on and really hussled. He worked on being first to the ball, passing and taking shots. It was a fun game to watch. They won 7 to 4.
Why did Beethoven get rid of his chickens?
Because all they said was BACH, BACH, BACH
The kids are studying Beethoven in their piano class. At their recital this year they will be presenting their research on Beethoven. Lona is making an ABC book about Beethoven and writing a story from the perspective of a neighbor. Job is writing a story as if he was a piano owned by Beethoven and trying to compose a piece of music in the style of Beethoven. Isaac is writing a script to be filmed. We have watched a film of someone talking about and playing some of Beethoven's pieces. Isaac watched a Japanese cartoon of a boy cellist. It was based on Beethoven's 6th Symphony. We have listened to Beethoven's music. The kids are learning to play some of his music. One interesting fact was that Beethoven wrote the tune to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. The words were added later by someone else. For the last two days, we put down our regular school work and just did research on Beethoven. We are in a process of making a large poster. I printed off a large sketch of Beethoven from this source. ( I had bought their history through the ages CD, he was on it). I just noticed that they have a composer package. I think that I'll purchase this. I love it when activities are already thought of for you.
Then Lona listed 10 pieces of music that Beethoven wrote (a small list in a long list of compositions). Isaac created a timeline of 10 events in Beethoven's life. Job colored a map and labeled where Beethoven was born and were he ended up living most of his life. He included black and white photos of Beethoven's birth house and an appartment where he lived. We found this site about Beethoven. We made a large tree on cardboard and listed the people (father side down). It has been a lot of fun but now we need to get to some other stuff. We have learned a lot and look forward to learning more. We may down the road have another Beethoven Day.
This is my gerbil Kesha. She is my nice one. The other one (Kia ) bites. They are only calm when A: they are sleeping or B: they have a nut. (by Isaac)
These gerbils are fun to watch. Kesha will take a nut while being held but Kia is too up tight. This is the longest we've had a rodent, not to mention two rodents. I've been impressed with Isaac. Every morning he feeds his gerbils some nuts and gerbil food. He keeps track of the days and makes sure that he changes their water every two to three days. Isaac has a stash of wrapping paper tubes and throws one in when the last one has been chewed through. It's a good age to have a pet.
We are going to learn about using the design element of triangles on our pages, having common margins and no margins between photos, journaling, using embellishments, pockets, flaps and turns, using paint and learning binding techniques. We may work with acrylic pages as well.
I have three girls in class all seven years old. We talk about our project and then get our hands dirty. It is a lot of fun for both me and the girls. Once they get going, there doesn't need to be a lot need for direction. I occasionally help them with adhesives or lining up their paper. Sometimes they need help cutting or measuring but they can do so much on their own. This time they just laughed, talked and giggled. I love watching their relationships grow and develop. I love listening to their conversations and hear what they are thinking. This is a such sweet time for them and I love having this. It is more than learning about scrapbooking/design it is about learning about friendship, sharing and being a girl.
BTW: I have no idea why they wanted to pose on the stool with their cards but they did.
We moved into this house 9 years ago this February. Ever since we moved in there are a few things that I wanted to change. In fact I have an ongoing list. Some are major, some are minor changes.Major changes: Fireplace surround with built in bookcases (John will never go for that one)
Granite counter tops in the kitchen. (possible but way down the road)Built in desk in the family room (slim to none and slim's out of town)
Different faucets in the house (over John's dead body)
French doors instead of sliding doors (yeah, right: dream on)Minor things: crown molding in living room, dining room, our bedroom (check off living room)
replace light fixtures in our bathroom (when I actually get a job)
replace the carpet (maybe in my life time)
paint the entry way (need some tall ladders/scaffolding)
Install pullouts using the existing cupboards in the kitchen.
I am very thankful that Rod came over to help John or really have John help him put up the molding. Rod told John how to stain and varnish the molding. They set a date and Rod brought his tools over. Then he measured, and cut and coved the molding. Then he put the molding up on the ceiling and shot 2" nails into the molding and ceiling and walls. John said that it would have taken him a couple more trips to the store and a few more board stained and maybe even a week to get it done. Being a new house you'd think that it would have nice straight ceilings but it doesn't. There is a five inch difference in the ceiling from corner to the middle and back to the corner. Rod made the molding curve to the ceiling and it doesn't look like it curves. It just looks so good. I now have just the little touch ups. I am very thankful for this and am excited to get to work on another project. Hmmm. John did bring home an organizing handyman magazine. I think that I might have to save for a table saw for him. I can think of a ton of projects to add to my minor list because of that magazine. Sorry John.
So we've signed up for Dog Obedience classes at Cedarwoods. I really like his philosphy and his teaching style. It is so good. The kids are learning about consistency and it is great practice for us as well. Our motto around the house is "Say it once and then make him do it." So if we say come, then we'd better make sure he'll come or make him come. We are in week 2 of our 8 week class. Every day we have to work our dog on the lesson of the week. This week is heeling. We took him on a long hike and ended at Whatcom Falls Park on Sunday and then today we went to Whatcom Falls Park again. It was beautfiul on Sunday so I brought my camera again with the purpose of taking photos. Back to dog training. We are supposed to provide distractions to our dog so that he learns to focus on us and not the distractions. Being a retriever I thought that the distractions would be the ducks, and other dogs. He looked at the ducks, but wouldn't get his feet wet. He ate feathers instead. Other dogs he'd wag but wouldn't actively try to meet them; in fact sometimes he'd ignore them completely. That's what we want. The biggest distraction for him were the kids. He loves little kids. He gets his tail wagging so hard that his body goes with it. This was a good working session. The other distraction was the garbage truck. It scares him. He tries to run or hide between my legs and he hates the noises of clinking bottles and rumbling parts. Again it was good to get him to focus. We as a family are learning so much. Sometimes I wish that I had this training before I had kids. Say it once and then make them do it. Of course you can't zing-pop your kids but sometimes I think that a training collar would help. Seriously though, the consistency is key in dog training and in parenting. 
The second one was ISO 100, f/3/5, SS 1/160. This was the one that the camera said was correctly exposed but she was side lit by strong light that I wanted to lighten it up a bit. Now this last photo, I had her take a couple of steps into the shade and turn towards the light. I love the light in her eyes. It's better. Just wish she would brush her hair.
And this is my favorite of the day. I like the kids blurred in the background and they are focusing more or less on the dog and Skagit is so mellow.
When I was little I loved going to Vacation Bible School. I would spend a week with my Aunt Vieth and Uncle Charlie at their ranch. Every morning we'd drive into to town for VBS. Then in the afternoon I would play with a flannel board, check gopher traps, and run around the ranch yard. Then in 4th grade I read a book about a missionary and for 2 years I wanted to be a missionary. My mother made me a flannel board, and ordered some flannel board people. I had the color them, cut them out, and then told Bible stories. Things changed, we moved and I forgot about that. Years later, I am now cutting out flannel people for Sunday school. As I sat there cutting out people, thinking about what stories each of these people, items, animals went to, my mind drifted back to my Aunt and Uncle's ranch, back to listening to stories told by the VBS teachers, back to the songs we sung. These are special memories and I hope as I share these stories to this new group of kids, that it will be something that touches their hearts and they will pass on as well.
Sometimes things just don't work out the way we plan. We have some idea in our head and that somehow it doesn't quite work out the way we had visualized. The other day I decided that we would have a PE day on the ski hill. I thought strike while the iron is hot. We had a virtually empty day on Thursday. John had to work but we've taken field trips before without him so why not go skiing/snowboarding. We arrived on the hill around 10. Signed up for lessons, bought lift tickets, checked out rental gear, suited up, let Skagit run around. Found out the bindings John bought for Isaac's board are too small for the boots. The ski rental guy, who was wonderful, tried to make them work. He also showed me how Isaac's boots work. The hero of the hour. The bindings wouldn't work so we rented bindings and bought new base plates for his old bindings. We had everything switched out just in time for lessons to start at 11:30. I am so thankful that we had 1 1/2 hours to get everything done. Isaac and Job had a guy named Dain and he was young. I can say that because I'm sure that I'm old enough to be his mother. Away they went onto the chair lift. Lona met up with two other kids and her instructor from last time. She loves him, and away they went on the chair lift. I met my instructor and he was great. the first thing he said that I didn't look old enough to be 37. Some people have issues with their age but I love my age. I don't mind who knows. So a little flattery goes a long ways. He analysed my abilities on the tow rope and away we went on the chair. I learned a lot. It was a great refresher course. Skiing is a little different since I first learned and I'm learning all over again. Bob knew everyone on the hill. He has been a ski instructor director for two different ski areas and has been instructing forever, or so it seemed. We made about 4 or 5 runs. I was able to view Lona in her class and Job and Isaac in their class. Bob told me that in the beginning it takes snowboarders longer to get the hang of boarding but once they get it they can be on harder hills faster than skiers. Lona was doing great, she just needs to practice keeping her arms up and shins kissing the tongue of her boots. Me too. I saw the boys being able to complete turns and link turn after turn. Bob took me down the half pipe and showed me how to ski it so that I could go with the kids. We all met after 1 1/2 hours down at the lodge, stored our skis/ boards and had lunch. Still everything was fine. We let Skagit run and play in the heavy falling snow, gave him a drink and back up on the slopes. (Note to self: leave Skagit with someone at home, go inside the lodge for lunch, and buy handwarmers for Job, make Job wear mittens not gloves). They slowed the chair lift down for us (mostly me I think - the kids did great getting on) and up we went. I messed the boys up getting off the chair and they crashed up we had time to get organized. It was so windy at the top you could barely see. Around we went. Lona could just cruise so fast, but always in control. Job and Isaac were heel sliding and toe sliding and doing great. Then they wanted to ski the half pipe. So in we went. My rule was that we all had to stay together. Things were going great guns until the bottom of the half pipe and Isaac fell backwards. He started shouting "I can't get up". I had heard this the day before when he went down in the house trying to take a corner too fast. I told him he could and made him stand up. Job was cold, Isaac was crying, and Lona was ready to go again. I had Lona and Job go to the lodge and wait for us thinking that they could warm up and Isaac and would come down, collect them and take another run. I thought that he might have jammed his arm but that by the time we got to the bottom (which we were almost there) he would be fine. I was not going to call for a snowmobile for a child that might have hit his funny bone and was just being a wimp. I made him snowboard to the lodge, take off his board and we went inside to find Job and Lona (it took us about 15-20 minutes when it should have taken us 5). I couldn't find them. Great, I have a child that hurt his arm and I can't find my two youngest. Back outside I look around for their skis and board. Don't see them. I went down to the rental shop and Lona and Job had turned in their gear, Job was behind the counter whimpering having his hands warmed up by the rental guys. They have some equipment that is heated metal made for warming gloves, boots and hats. He was warming his hands up and Lona was just chatting away to the guys there. I took another look at Isaac's face and decided that we needed to see the first aid station. I grab Isaac and take him over to the first aid station, came back to pick up Job and Lona. I heard the guys say welcome to the rental shop, part-time child care. I was glad that Job and Lona had the presents of mind to go some place that they were comfortable with the people instead of just being by themselves. We then all head over to the first aid and Isaac has the nurse Melanie take a look at his wrist. Sure enough it was swollen. She pushed on it in a couple of places, made up a splint of cardboard, ducttape, and paper towels. Job and Lona head to the car, I turn in my equipment and Isaac's bindings and away we went. 20 minutes down the mountain, I asked Isaac to check his blood sugar. Couldn't find his coat. I left it at the mountain. Back up the mountain, by this time the snow had gotten deep and I wasn't sure if I was going to make it back up. Got to the top, found his coat in the rental shop, picked up a hitch hiker (wanted someone else to help me if the van slipped off the road) and down the mountain we went. (If I would have known I could have picked up Job's helmet and gloves from the first aid place at the same time.) As it is, they are still in the first aid place. Back down the mountain, drop off our rider at Maple Falls (he works in the rental shop and was there in the morning when we picked up our gear). And finally arrived at home just in time to send our SLP our weekly email. I dropped off Job and Lona, and headed to the walk in Care clinic. We had a nurse who I'm sure was just out of high school (skater shoes and all) and a PA who may have been 3 years older. They were very nice and funny. They x-rayed Isaac's wrist. Sure enough he fractured his left arm. It's actually a buckle fracture and it's both bones, the ulna and the radius near his wrist. Mark the PA gave him a temp splint, wrapped his arm up and sent us home. Justine the nurse gave me the x-rays to take to his doctor that I need to return next week. Oh joy. You can clearly see where the buckle is in the x-ray. Very amazing. So for the next six weeks, Isaac is done with soccer, snowboarding, computer games, and piano using both hands. He thinks that he needs to take time off from school and chores (like pooper scooping), but since he is right handed and broke his left hand I don't think that his teacher (me) is going to go for that. He is looking for a little sympathy and he did admitt that on the slope he wanted the snowmobile to get him. My mother talks about the time my brother complained for three days about not feeling well and she still made him go to school. Turns out that he had strep throat. My Mom and I are cut from the same cloth. Make the child prove that they are truly sick/broken bones before believing them.
As far as Isaac's wipe out the other day, he may have broken his nose. It is still very sore and now a little swollen and a touch discolored. Oh well.
John entered a 10k race this weekend. On Saturday he raced around Lake Sammish. It was his first race in Washington. He has always wanted to run a marathon. He encouraged me, helped me train and figured out my training schedule. I couldn't have done it without him. Now it is John's turn. When we were dating in Montana, he ran the 1/2 marathon in theGovernor's Cup in Helena. He ran the ridge run as well in Bozeman. Then after we got married, he started to train for a marathon but went up in mileage too soon, too fast and hurt his knees. After 12 years or so he decided to try it again. I am so proud of him. He has increased his miles safely and slowly. He runs intervals, he cross trains, he plays soccer, and he keeps track of his time and how long he should run the marathon. I am thankful for his running partner, a gentleman from work who has run 4 different marathons in 3 different continents in 4 different countries. Wow. This weekend was the Lake Samish 1/2 marathon and 10K run. A 10K is little over 6 miles. His goal was 50 minutes and he came in 50 minutes 13 sec.
Place Name Gender Age Time Age Group Placement in Age Group
31 John Parks M 41 50:13 M 40-49 8
I think that is stellar! There were 170 people who ran in the 10K.
John I love that you run and play soccer and work out. I love that you stay active and are always doing something. I have enjoyed the last 20 years and look forward to many more years being active with you. I am sorry that I wasn't able to be at that race, (Kids and their activities) but look forward to the next one. We'll be there in Vancouver cheering you on in the marathon for sure. Love you.
Today we tried something with the kids that we have held off with for a long time. Mostly because of cost and partly because of age. Today we took them to Mount Baker to go skiing/snowboarding. Isaac's friend sold Isaac a snowboard for cheap and for the last three years, everytime we went to the library Job always checks out books about snowboarding. He is always talking about it and dreaming about it, trying it out on sleds by standing while going down the hill. We figured that this may be the year to try it out. So up we went. This is Lona's thoughts:
"I liked the chair lift a lot. (Big smilely face) I told my teacher that my brother said snowboarding is easier than skiing (like he would really know). My teacher said, 'skiing is easier than snowboarding." We're both against the brothers. I liked to go on the chair lift and ski around the half pipe. I learned how to do the wedge. I learned how to get off and on the chair lift (very important with skiing). I learned how to make really steep turns. I liked my teacher a lot. He taught himself how to ski and now he can ski backwards. The towrope was harder than the chair lift."
"I think it's pretty hard. I learned how to heel slide, toe slide and stop. I think the chair lift is easier than the rope tow except for the getting off . On the tow rope you don't have to jump to get off. I like the speed and the feel of wind on my face when I go face. I like the chairlift a lot."
"It was really fun and I thought the chair lift would be a lot more scarry. I had a really good teacher because he demonstrated stuff for us, he told us how to do it, what muscles to lean on and what feet to lean on. He made us have a lot of effort with it. I'm goofy footed. Goofy means if you are right footed and your right foot goes forward."
"I liked the chair lift a lot. (Big smilely face) I told my teacher that my brother said snowboarding is easier than skiing (like he would really know). My teacher said, 'skiing is easier than snowboarding." We're both against the brothers. I liked to go on the chair lift and ski around the half pipe. I learned how to do the wedge. I learned how to get off and on the chair lift (very important with skiing). I learned how to make really steep turns. I liked my teacher a lot. He taught himself how to ski and now he can ski backwards. The towrope was harder than the chair lift."
These are Isaac's thoughts:
"I think it's pretty hard. I learned how to heel slide, toe slide and stop. I think the chair lift is easier than the rope tow except for the getting off . On the tow rope you don't have to jump to get off. I like the speed and the feel of wind on my face when I go face. I like the chairlift a lot."
These are Job's thoughts:
"It was really fun and I thought the chair lift would be a lot more scarry. I had a really good teacher because he demonstrated stuff for us, he told us how to do it, what muscles to lean on and what feet to lean on. He made us have a lot of effort with it. I'm goofy footed. Goofy means if you are right footed and your right foot goes forward."
John and I hung out in the lodge watching Lona and her teacher work on skills on the rope tow. It was virtually empty. It was just Lona and her teacher Tom. Job and Isaac and their teacher Jesse. They had private lessons and learned so much. I don't think we'll ever go on a weekend. I think we're going to go next week and I'm going to take lessons too. I haven't skied in 15 years or so. They have a beginner's package (lift, lessons & rental) for $47. This sounds like a lot but if you were to rent and get a lift for an adult it would be $75. I think that after that long I could use a refresher course. I brought my skis up thinking that I would try but my bindings are too old and they can't adjust them becasuse of liability issues, but my boots are good. I am very thankful for MP3 who make this possible.
The only sad part was that it rained. Good for the kids it makes it a little slower skiing though but they were soaked by the time they were done. Also Isaac spent 40 minutes on the rope tow and had a bad low with 2 units active (which means that he had insulin still in his system). Three cuties and a handful of jellybeans later he was ready for his lesson. He was popping jellybeans the whole way down the mountain today and he had suspended his pump. Snowboarding really uses the sugars, it's almost like being a regular kid, eating without insulin. He is super careful though and carries his meter with him and food.
Now for some big news to me. Skagit almost slept through the night. John told him to be quiet at 1am and I thought I heard him at 3:30 but he remained in his crate dry until I let him out around 5am. I am hoping for another good night. I think we are on our way. And no accidents today. I'm going to get a steam cleaner for the house soon. I weighed him last week and he was 16 1/2 lbs. Then a couple of days ago I weighed him and he was 18 1/2 lbs. Tonight he was 21 1/2 lbs. This dog is growing quickly. I had to loosen his collar. I think within 1 1/2 months we'll be getting another collar.
