This year we have decided to go to Mount Baker a couple of times to ski.  Job is in the 5th grade and can ski free with a paying adult.  Still expensive but we've decided that we can go some; not every weekend.  The boys went opening day and it was great.  Then because we didn't get to visit John's mom for Thanksgiving we decided to head to the Mountain.  The kids are coming along.  They need practice just like anything else.  They can ski pretty much any run that I can go on but John does like to have a few more challenges.  He took off in the afternoon to harder runs and then met back up with us for the last run of the day.  I love that the kids like to ski/board together. Oh sure comments are made like soeo them are better than the others but really not true.  Each of them have different strengths on the mountain.  I remember learning to ski and being taken down a run that I thought was too difficult for me and just ending up in tears and a parent being frustrated.  That doesn't happen with our kids.  There weren't any tears this day and they just went down any run that we asked them to go on.  It's great because we all have a possitive outlook.  It really doesn't matter how long it takes us to make the run just as long as we are all having fun.  One thing that does help is toe and hand warmers for Job.  His hands and toes get so cold even being outside for 30 minutes they are like ice when he comes in.  Who ever invented those had a child like Job.
Parce que Job peut faire du ski libre au cause de son age, nous decidons d'aller quatre ou cinq fois cette hiver.  C'est cher mais nous pensons que c'est un vacance pour nous.  Les garcons deja vont une fois avant que Lona et moi.  Nous ne pouvons pas visiter la mere de John en Novembre alors nous faisons du ski.  Isaac, Job et Lona pouvent aller presque tous que moi sur le montagne.  John est plus advance que nous.  Nous aimons aller tous ensemble et je suis agreable avec ca.  J'aime que nous restons une famille.  Quand j'etais petite et commence d'apprendre de faire du ski il y a plusiere de temps que j'ai commence a pleurer. Nous avons aller au place trop difficile pour moi et mon parents est frustre avec moi.  L'annee passe les trois ont pris des lessons alors maintenant nous pouvons aller presque tous et il n' y a pas des larmes.  John est vieux que nous alors il va tout seul dans l'apres midi et rendevous avec nous au fin.  C'est parfait.  Nous prennons des réchauffeurs de main pour Job.  Ses mains sont toujours froid alors avec ca il est content pour la jour.

Our Christmas card this season.  When I look back at some of my old photos from when I was a kid, I've noticed that many of them are actually postcards.  I've really liked the feel of and thickness of the paper.  Last year I was looking around and found this cool website called Gotprint.  I purchased 100 postcards for $32.00.  That included shipping and rounded corners.  It was comparable to greating cards from Costco.   Now I'm waiting for the card to arrive so I can send them out.

C'est notre carte de Noël.  Quand je vois mes photos quand j'etais petite, je realize quelques photos sont cartes de postale.  J'aime le papier alors je trouve un site ou je peux acheter des cartes postale.  J'achete 100 cartes postale pour le meme ou mieux prix que Costco.  Maintenant j'attends les cartes postale.

John has been asking me to paint the entry way.  We've talked to painters and wanted this done for over a year now.  We've had someone come in and give us a quote and then never heard from him again.  I saw the color I wanted from a fellow photographer classmate.  I purchased the paint called some painters and had them paint everything I couldn't reach.  So that brings us to the next project.  ohn was trying to figure out what to do next.  I opted for new carpets.  I have stains in the carpets from when Job was a baby.  He's 11 years young now.  Also there were stains in our brand new house when we moved in from the realtor.  Smoothy stains from the kids.  I have borrowed my neighbor's steam cleaner and cleaned the carpets but could never get out the stains.  So I pleaded with John for new carpet.  It's old and dirty and driving me a little crazy.  The kids are older and we have definitely used the carpet.  We priced carpet for just our family room. Yikes, $2000.  I wasn't looking at the top of the line or the bottom of the line.  I quickly realized that wasn't happening soon.  So I started looking for a professional carpet cleaner and I found Bellingham Carpet and Floor.  Yes, I'm promoting his business. I moved most of the furniture into our school room, kitchen and dining room.  Here are the results.  The front room was pretty good it was the family room that was bad: berber carpet.  I was impressed.  The area around the computer desk couldn't totally come clean but 90% is impressive in my book.

Before, Avant

After, Avant

Apres nous sommes finis peintre le porte d'entree et le couloir nous avons decide de remplace les tapis.  Mais quand nous voyons le prix, nous trouvons que c'est trops cher. C'est juste $2000 pour une chambre.  Ils sont tres sal.  Quelques taches de tapis sont la depuis Job etait un bebe.  J'ai nettoye les tapis chaque annee mais les taches sont restes.  Je trouve un personne professionel de nettoyer les tapis.  Il faut que je deplace les meubles et il nettoye les tapis.  Apres trois heures il y a un grande difference.  Je veux dire merci. 

Before, Avant

After, Apres

Before, Avant

After, Apres

Another trip to the endocrinologist in Woodinville, another activity in the Seattle area.  It is the perfect opportunity to do something in that area that is fun.  Last year Isaac heard about this place called Sky High from his gym teacher.  She was probably his favorite teacher last year.  I had wanted to take the kids sooner but life gets in the way and I kept putting it off, kind of like the Space Needle and the Kangaroo park.  Anyhow, we headed to Woodinville, after seeing the dentist and played around at the river side park until the appointment.  Since it was a long appointment we had just an hour to play at Sky High.  First it was a little pricey but they allowed my to walk around and take photos.  I just couldn't go on the trampolines without paying.  They jumped for the hour and then we left in order to make it to Lona's soccer game later that night.  By the end of the hour Job was doing front flips and back flips into the foam pit.  Isaac was doing front flips and Lona was doing flips and hand springs. They jumped no stop for a whole hour.  Of course within 5 minutes Lona made a friend.  It's amazing how many "friends" this girl makes. 




Une autre visite chez medecin, une autre activite a Seattle.  C'est parfait parce que nous devons aller la, c'est intelligent de faire quelque choses amusant aussi. L'annee passee, un professeur d'Isaac lui dit d'une place qui avait des trampolines.  Je voudrais prendre des enfants la plus tot mais nous avons ete occupe.  Je veux aller au Space Needle et un parc pour des kangourous mais un autre temps.  En tout cas, nous avons chez dentiste d'abord et puis allons a Woodinville.  Nous avons joue au parc pres du riviere et aller chez medecin.  Apres nous avons a la place avec des trampolines.  C['est un peu cher mais il m'ont permis de pris des photos.  Mes enfants sautent pour une heure.  A la fin, Isaac, Job et Lona font des retour des retournements, ressorts, et retournements à main.  Ils veulent retour encore.  C'est amusant parce que nous sommes la pour presque cinq minutes avant Lona a trouve une amie. 

Nous avons un arbre devant la maison.  Les enfants aiment de montre l'arbre.  Lona et Isaac montrent l'arbre juste de penser.  Ils ont passer plus qu'un heure juste dans l'arbre penser.  L'autre jour Lona mont tout en haut dans l'arbre d'attacher une corde pour balancer.

So over here at the Parks house hold there is never a dull day.  This day was no exception.  Job was in charge of dinner.  The menu was grilled chicken, steamed green beans and rice.  The green beans and rice are easy.  Put some water in the steamer and add green beans.  Rinse the rice, add water and push cook on the rice cooker.  The grilled chicken is another story.  We are trying to teach the kids how to cook before they leave home so their dinners aren't cereal or McDonalds.  John took Job outside and showed him how to turn on the gas to the grill.  Then turn the knobs to high before using the firestarters.  The grill starters don't work so we have to manually start it.  Job is a little on the small side so he's really close to the grill.  He was holding the fire starter and clicking and clicking and clicking.  Suddenly the spark caught and shot out this ignited cloud of propane that went past Job's head.  It quickly disappeared and Job was just standing there no longer clicking.  He ws chaperoned the whole time.  John was standing right next to him and watched the whole thing happen.  It took less than a second.  He brought Job inside and this is what I saw.  Look closely at his eyebrows and eye lashes. 


Il y a un accident avec le bbq.  Job essaye de demarrer le bbq.  Il ouvrit le gaz et quand il commence le feu, le gaz vite est en feu et bruit les cheuveux, les sourcils et les cils de Job.  C'est le nuit de Job cuire le dinner.  John est avec Job quand tous ce passe.  Il entre la maison avec des grands yeux et je vite pris un photo.

First off, this post is not about a girl. It's about a fruit.  Yes, a small spherical orange fruit.  The saga of the cutie began the day I put a cutie (with a smiley face drawn on it) into Isaac's lunch for school.  This is how it played out.
Day 1:  Cutie stabbed by Nick in 5th period science with a pair of scissors.
Day 2:  Cutie thrown against the gym wall by Kaiden in 3rd period gym.
Day 3:  Cutie squashed by Ben.  "Ben, look my cutie made it lunch!"  Isaac exclaimed excitedly.  Ben looks at the smiley face on the cutie and smashes it with his fist.
Day 4:  Cutie is stolen by friends.  They drop it and it rolls into the girls' bathroom.  Happens before school.  Mom has drawn her usual smiley face on it but added "U R A Cutie" to it.  The saying is the only thing visible from outside the girls' bathroom.
Day 5:  Isaac brings two cuties with him to school.  Cutie 1 gets ran over by the bus at the bus stop.  Friends hold chips hostage for Cutie 2.  Thief "friend" drop kicks the cutie onto the school roof. 
That ended the Cutie Saga.  No more cuties are going to school.
















Je mis un Clémentine dans le dinner je donne a Isaac pour l'ecole.  Il a des problemes avec des clementine, ils ne sont pas la pour son dinner.  C'est comme ca.
Clementine un:  Nick (son ami) l'a coup avec des ciseaux.
Clementine deux: Un autre ami le jette contre le mur.
Clementine trois:  Ben l'ecrases quand il l'a vu.
Clementine quatre: Ses amis sont vole son clementine et son clementine a lamine dans la WC du femmes.
Clementine cinq:  Il a couru par autobus.
Clementine six:  Ses amis sont vole encore et le coup de pied sur le toit.
Maintenant je ne donne pas des clementines a Isaac pour son dinner.

The kids were very creative in what they wanted to be for Halloween.  I had a small party during trick or treat time.  The ladies stayed home while the dads took the kids door to door.  Lona's idea of patience is posing for photos.  I made the kids dress up earlier in the day for a costume photo shoot.  I love the colors that are on display on our street and it was a perfect backdrop for the costumes.

Jenga Fett

Athena, Greek goddess

He's a democrat for Halloween