Christmas Cards

I need stamps! My Christmas cards are almost ready though. I was thinking how fun it was to see all the different states of where our friends and family live. Our furthest card is traveling to Florida......for the last year (yeah!) to my sweet sister-in-law who will be moving home in the next few months to we hope (cross our fingers) Idaho and our closest cards are sent here locally to great friends that we have now known for years.....I can't believe I have lived here for years. Enjoy!

This cracks me up.

I have been a terrible blogger lately, but I have wanted to blog about Reese's salad fettish. This kid loves green salad and vegetables. Last night I made a fresh salad and she ate it and today we ate salad for lunch and Reese ate two large bowels full. She eats the radishes, onions, carrots, lettuce and then snuck some out of my bowl.

Wakesters turns 7!

Oh my, where does time go. Johnny and Haley just had their new little one and he was born right around Waklee's birthday and so I have really been reflecting on what it as like to bring that first little bundle home, there is nothing quite like it. Now seven years later my sweet girl is not so little and sometimes not so sweet. Actually Waklee is so kind to her sister. It just makes me smile. Wakes is a very responsible kid and I can trust her and her actions, unlike the other one. She is quite the little smarty pants, Daddy teases her that she is "booksmart" and Waklee takes great pride in being "book smart".....wait until she knows what it really means. She is becoming so grown up and in the last year has asked (almost) all those scary questions. The most recent, this past week, was how is that baby going to get out of there? I really enjoy having Waklee in our home. She strives to do what is right and is always a top acheiver. For her birthday we stayed low key and hung out as a family, which is how I love it! A few weeks ago she and I went to Highschool Musical on Ice with her seconds cousins and then last night we went swimming at Mt. Scott so I think she could say she had a fun birthday. I was the fun Mom who bought the Highschool Musical c.d. and other "cool" stuff and Eric thought it would be funny to buy the pajamas with with feet that little kids wear and guess which was her favorite present?? Daddy-O! It was funny because she was wearing them and kept saying my feet are so hot. Happy Birthday Waklee we love you!

Election 2008

My first grader, Waklee, was learning about elections and voting in class. I got a chuckle when she informed me that her class held a vote. The results were: Obama 16, McCain 6, Nader 0. It was entertaining to hear a 6 year old speak the name Nader. I was proud of my little voter for raising her hand with the meager 6, but I think her teacher persuaded the kids a bit when she said they would have a party if Obama wins.......not too sure if I approve of what the teacher is putting into my kids head either????? Waklee also said that out in the playground the older kids were chanting Obama sucks and McCain rules. I really have enjoyed this election but am also really looking forward to it being over and done with! Oh and did I mention that the only good thing about Oregon politically is that we get our ballots mailed to us, it is so sweet!

Halloween!

Argh, Matey! or as Reese puts it, "argh, mate." We went to WSCC for the bouncy house and then the tradition of Bronson's Auntie Elaine's house to trick or treat! As much as I love Halloween I am always glad to have it over....I was beat.

What's this baby doing to me?

I don't consider myself overly organized, it's hard to be overly organized in a two bedroom apartment with four going on five people, but I usually have things planned out and can find most things in our home. That is until recently.........it started at about the four month mark when lets see if I can remember???? Oh do I ever rememer it started with my birth certificate that I really needed to go on vacation. I pull out my certificate two days before vacation,a Saturday when no ones works, and the certificate it's not what it is suppose to be it won't get me on the ship. I was freaking out and felt so bad about the money we had spent and wouldn't be able to enjoy. Two days later without any sleep from stressing my sweet husband, who never said an ill word to me about my huge mistake, drove to Boise during the night and showed up at 8 am at the state house and begged for a birth certificate to catch a plane an hour later to meet me in L.A......let's just say this was a very expensive mistake. Next mistake is my Timeout For Women tickets. I deliver all tickets to the girls and save my own and Gels in a safe spot for the next evening. Evening comes and I cannot remember where I put the tickets. Fortunately I had read that if you lose your tickets ( I thought to myself while reading what loser if going to lose their tickets) you can go to willcall and get new tickets. This is true but I did stress over it for two hours. I wouldn't stress if it only effected me but it didn't it effected Gel too. Oh and Eric found the tickets under the laundry basket sounds like a safe place right? Next brain freeze was just last night I lose my very expensive cell phone that I have only had for like three weeks and made three calls on. Yeppers I lose my cell phone. I apologetically come home to tell Eric to be nice to me because I am ready to cry and tell him I lost my new pretty phone. Yes he did make fun of me but alteast he didn't get mad. I was later that night reading on a blog of a past friends daughter who is sick with cancer and decided me cell phone isn't such a big deal anyhow.......oh and guess what the Rose Garden lost and found had it. What am I to learn from all this? I first of all am hoping it is the baby using up all my brain energy and this doesn't become a lifetime pattern, 2ndly I have learned that my husband is oh so kind, he doesn't say anything okay maybe after he makes fun of me but I can laugh then too. I haven't talked to my brother once that he hasn't made a birth certificate joke. Seriously Eric could have yelled at me I think I would have but he didn't instead he drove to Boise for me. 3rd and most importantly there are so many more important things out there than lost vacations, tickets, and cell phones. By the way has anyone seen my ?????

P.S. this is us in Ensanada at the restaurant with the dirty water that I washed my hands in the bathrooms with. Hence the bottled water and sodas. This was pre-Magnum P.I. too, I am not a fan of the facial hair.

What's Happening!

Just a few things going on around our house.

Waklee started drama club today. It will be good for her to be out of her comfort zone. Eric doesn't think she needs drama class because she is drama enough!

Reese is pretty much potty trained which means I get to listen to her grunts, groans, and cheers several times a day. Fun. We are also trying really hard to have family scripture in the mornings and Reese thinks we are having FHE and tries to open with E-I-E-I-O each morning.

Best Halloween Ever!

My best Halloween ever definately needs to be blogged and blurbed. When Waklee was three she and I flew home for a few days and it happened to fall on Halloween. This was the year Waklee was an Indian girl.....too cute. We went to my brother Chad's house in Arco, if anyone knows where Arco is that is scary enough. Chad was the middle school principal at the time and they were renting this old house that you had to walk up broken concrete stairs, I remember almost spraining my ankle going up those stairs. So picture small rundown town and old house. Alot of trick-or-treaters came and Chad would say okay this is one of my middle-schoolers and that's when things got real fun. Come on you remember being a I am too cool to dress up for Halloween but I want the candy middle schooler. Up the stairs they came to meet this:
















Pretty Scary Huh and we made sounds too! I did get permission from Taun to post this. Upon meeting us they also met JerBear, my dad, in his black coat holding a shotgun (hopefully not loaded, you never know). There was smoke & strobe lights leading them to the back room where they met Mern dressed as a scary old lady giving out candy. As they grabbed the candy one of Taun's brothers roommates from Ricks fell out of the coat closet as a Zombie and along with this our cute little girls were innocently sitting on the couch with pots, pans, and metal spoons banging them and out the door they would run where they felt the cool fall air and thought to themselves I made it. Just as this safe feeling enveloped them Tauns brother would jump off the top of the roof robed in a real bear head and skin and chase them down the dirt road. It was too fun and we didn't scare the tiny little ones unless their parents insisted. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants, okay I did just a little.

I just couldn't choose.........

It is impossible to choose a favorite. But my very favorite I didn't post because then Christmas cards would be spoiled!



It was pretty much impossible to get Reese to smile. This last picture was one of the firsts and there was no way she was going to smile. Got to love Reese. Thanks Heather for the wonderful pictures you are so talented!

What a cutie!

Congrats to my little brother and his wife on their sweet little new baby. Her name is Londyn Mineko, doesn't get much cuter than that.

Dedicated to my Big Brother Chad.....

IT'S A BOY!! or as Eric puts it our baby has a kickstand!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I love Fall! Everything about it. My favorite season and Halloween is my favorite holiday! I am such a sucker for all the decor and costumes. I had to chuckle when someone asked me if I knew what my kids were going to be for Halloween? I have known for like a year and a half, before last Halloween and I already know what Reese will be next year. I have been on the hunt for items for their costumes this year.....I can't wait! And if anyone sees Eric and the facial hair just know we are preparing for Halloween its going to be a kick. So in memory of past Halloweens enjoy!

1st Grade...Wow!

Oh my sweet Waklee started 1st grade. She was pretty excited and really likes school. Mostly because she gets to eat there and gets three recesses. I did pretty good with only a few tears coming to the eyes. But here we go again another year of early mornings and driving Waklee to school, can't wait for Summer already. I do enjoy having more structure in our life though.

Her new teachers name is Mrs. Leabo who is super nice! And yes it is a uniform school, which is easy on my pocketbook, so our outfits aren't too exciting.

Reese keeps walking around and asking where Sissy is? But has actually been pretty good, as good as Reese can get.

My camera, I don't know how to use and so the pictures didn't turn out to well so I took another after she got home. I do have to brag because I am a Mom but my little whipper snapper gets to attend 2nd grade for math and reading, she works really hard to be there though and I am proud of her!

Lex Comes!

Lex & Family came for a visit. After years of saying they were going to come to Portland for a visit they did! I had to admit I was a little nervous about touring around with their many kids but we had a GREAT time! Too bad G-Ma Jan didn't come..... We started out touring in the Gorge at the Bonneville dam and saw the large sturgeon. Stopped at Multnomah Falls & then at a viewpoint showing off our beautiful Gorge.


Day Two we went to the Zoo, to the crazy Saturday Market downtown, Pioneer Square and Melissa just had to hit Voo-doo donuts (don't take your kids). Our downtown adventure was pretty fun but at one point Lex informed me that he had crossed the busy street to find a bathroom for one of his kids to look back and see Aysia chasing after a pigeon far away from the rest of us near busy traffic. Not funny, but oh my goodness that freaks me out.









Day Three we went to Astoria and saw the Goonie house , checked out the sea lions down at the docks...very cool and crossed the really big bridge in Astoria and crossed right back and then went to one of my favorites, Fort Clastop, and learned more about Lewis & Clark. Next we hit the beach in Seaside and buried a few kids, built a sandcastle and bought out the Seaside lifeguard sweatshirt store. Starving we went to Mo's in Cannon Beach and then built a fire on the beach and chilled. If you ever get a chance building a fire on the beach is one of the most fun things ever! Wow we were tired after all of our playing but it sure was fun! Can't wait for some new visitors.

My kids are on one!

My kids have been cracking me up. Tonight for Family Home Evening we had a lesson on sharing. This was geared for a two year old. We talked about how Jesus wants us to share and then I pulled out some Starbursts. I gave one to Reese to give to her Daddy and then one to Waklee, went well. Then I told her they were all gone and she needed to ask Waklee to share her Starburst. This all went as I hoped. Next I gave a Starburst to Reese and told her there were no more for Waklee and asked her to share. I opened it for her and gave it to her to bite in half and as quick as she could she popped the entire Starburst into her mouth and shut her mouth tight! Oh well. We did try to let her think that Waklee was sad but we were all trying not to laugh.
Later tonight we were watching a music video and this car almost hit a person. Waklee turns to her Dad and asks if you get points for hitting people and animals? I thought to myself what? That is such an Eric thing: to say you get points for hitting people and animals. Next out of her mouth she says well Devin said you get points if you hit people. Oh Devin we caught you! We were sure to give him a quick call to tease. My girls love love Dev. Waklee spent Sunday afternoon at the Simpsons playing guitar hero and shared some family secrets with them. Nice. So I guess the moral of this story is to watch out for Dev and his red pickup truck in case he short on a few points.

What do you do......

During Prayer? Reese sneaks broccoli off her Dad's plate.

Reese deserves her own posts....often.

So last night Reese has a Starburst wrapper, no big deal. Next thing I know she is stuffing it up her nostril hole. I get it from her before it becomes a problem, silly kid, and tell her not to do it. Well, ten minutes later she comes over to me and is pointing to her nose. I look and don't see anything but that's because she has pushed it so far up her nose. I think I cursed, okay I did curse. Luckily this kid knows how to blow. It took Wakes years to figure out how to blow. So she gives a really good blow and out comes the Starburst wrapper. She got a huge scolding from her Daddy so we'll see how long before we are fishing something else out of there.

Been Awhile

Well I just haven't felt like blogging so now I gots to catch up! Summer is winding down and I am not sure if I am happy or sad. I am sure not looking forward to Waklee being gone all day long, what a sad day that will be. We have been doing some school shopping which can't be too exciting when you go to a uniform school but I don't spend very much money either. Waklee has a plugged tear duct that has been festering for the last few months. We now have a really good antibiotic for it but it is getting quite large and red but I think it is coming to a head, I secretly cannot wait for it to pop....all that white puss coming out, the dentist I used to work for would so get this. Waklee has become a pretty good swimmer this Summer and over the weekend learned how to use a snorkel set and had a lot of fun with that. Geesh I need to take some pictures of the girls swimming. And on to Reese. This girl keeps us going. Her latest adventure is she loves make-up, particularly mascara. I have found her a few times quietly sitting in my shower with the door closed applying her mascara in the dark. The scary thing is she is pretty good at it. On Sunday we had another mascara incident and so off to church we went with Reese wearing her mascara. This girl also inherited the incredibly long Williams eyelashes. Johnny said she is going to be the girl in highschool who wears too much make-up, I told him I was fine with that as long as she can spike a volleyball. Reese has also loved swimming this Summer, suprise suprise she has No Fear. We just put her arm floaties on and away she goes. A few weeks ago Eric got the crazy idea we needed to go watch some PBR. I wasn't too excited but he had both girls talking about the bulls constantly, I told Reese she couldn't go and see the bulls and she started crying. So we went and saw the bulls and I think I had more fun than anyone. I actually got all teary eyed because I got really homesick. I am such a country girl and spent my entire childhood being the little girl of a rancher. I started riding horses when I was two and always had my very own. I saw these cute little girls with their Wrangler jeans, straw hats and cowboy boots on and had to point out to Waklee that that was me when I was a little girl. I have such fond memories of being that little girl. Waklee loves to hear the stories of me and my horse Sunshine and I love telling them. What a fun time! Isn't the a pretty cute face eating corn on the cob...she loves that stuff.

Campaignin

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STARRING ERIC KUNZ...look for his debut.

Summer Break

Our Break Started off with a camping trip to Cape Disappointment near Long Beach, WA. I had great expectations for this trip. Such great hopes that our bags included swim suits, shovels and buckets. Our campsite was really large and bordered the beach, one of the better places I have been to on the coast. But once I opened our car door I got a reality check and wished I had packed winter coats and gloves. WE FROZE! At one point I was so cold, during the day, I went in our tent and bundled up in our 30 below sleeping bag just to get warm. The kids did do some sandcastle building but not in their swimsuits and lucky us the day we packed up to come home the sun was shining and it was warm outside. But all in all it was fun and definately beautiful!

We spent the next few days hanging out in Portland. We did some swimming, slash park, movie, BBQ and I really can't even remember what we did. Next we headed to Seattle for a few days. We had a really great time but I am such a small town girl I get a little claustrophobic in the big cities. We went to a Mariners game and had really great seats and sat by some hecklers which I secretly wish I was one, they make the game so much more entertaining. We took the kids to Pikes Market and watched them throw some fish and ate on the pier.

Oh and I think the best part of the trip is Summer and I took the kids to a science museum and they had a butterfly exhibit which was really cool. We walked into this special room and there are butterflies flying all around us. As we were getting ready to leave we were waiting in line to be checked for hiding butterflies and Waklee says to the Mom in front of us, "watch your step, there is a butterfly on the ground." I thought to myself what a nice little girl she is and then what do you know Reese takes a step over the butterfly and then another step and smashes that poor little thing. Both Wakes and I were like, "Ohhhhhhhhhh Reesie." Poor thing, the butterfly that is. The mom in front of us commented that is was just an accident, let's hope so. And then the butterfly caretaker came back and the lady told him there was an injured butterfly that needed attention. I was thinking probably more than injured. But that little mishap was so typical of Reesie girl.

We are home and back in the swing of things which I like it that way!

I Love Summertime!

Now that Summer is sort of here, it's not that warm yet, we have been on the go. This past week we haven't been home before 9 pm once and I just love it! We have been going for walks on the Springwater, gone swimming, made a trip to the zoo, had one too many barbecues, visited the splash park, went to storytime and joined the Summer reading program, played some crochet and are desperately trying to find the best park in NE Portland.

The girls got their haircut. Waklee just got a trim because we are growing it out a little and Reese got her cute scraggly curls cut off but I think she is pretty cute with her new cut.

And I got adventurous and pulled out my sewing machine. This only happens like twice per year which I wish I would do it a lot more often. I made some headbands and logo'd the girls tanktops with material. Fun times and I didn't even cuss which usually happens when I pull out the machine.

Oh and this is where I SHOULD be. My family is there right now and are still begging us to come. Oh how I wish we were there. Summer 2010!

So much going on!

First off on Friday we were woo-hooing and boo-hooing over the last day of school! I am so excited to have Waklee out of school. No more getting up early and driving her to school and then just when our day is going we stop to go and pick her up and I am going to save lots of gas pennies too plus we just kinda like her. Waklee had a great year in Kindergarten. When people ask her what grade she is in she matter of factly tells them she is in Kindergarten but first grade math and reading. Waklee loves to learn. Her teacher, Ms. Arnold, was great and had a great sense of humor. She would give the kids squirrel food (Skittles) as a treat and taught them how Texans pronounce "said". She told Waklee once and swore her to secrecy that she was her favorite student. Ms. Arnold was also great in that she organized a special early morning class so that Waklee could progress into the first grade math class and still get all of her Kindergarten lessons as well. Wakes can read very well and I am amazed the math skills she was taught. She can add numbers in the 100's and use a decimal point, tells time, she knows how to count by 2's,4's,5's,8's,10's which basically means she can do times tables and can figure out some pretty tricky story problems without realizing she is doing addition,subtraction, or multiplication. We have been so impressed with her school, Arthurs' Academy. Now for the sad is that the last day of Kindergarten means that 1st grade is one day closer and I will be so sad for Waklee to be gone ALL day. We love having Waklee around and I think I will cry more on the first day of 1st Grade than I did Kindergarten. We love you Wakes!

This past week Waklee had her second cousings Taylee & Addi come and stay. What cute girls! These girls are girly girls which was fun to have around here to teach my girls how to play Barbie and dress-up. My poor girls get blocks, tractors, tool sets for Christmas instead of all the fun girly stuff.....I need to do better. We played very hard and hit many local parks. Poor girls were exhausted by the end of their stay. It was great fun and we can't wait to play again.

Fathers Day! We had a fun and busy Fathers Day! I so appreciate the Dad we have around here. We recently had a ward activity where we took personality profiles. Eric's colors were yellow and white, which is so Eric. When the speaker described the yellow and white colors she commented that these parents are fun and take time to spend with their kids or family. That is SO Eric. After the activity we were walking out to the car and I said Waklee I am a fun Mom aren't I! I wasn't asking I was telling her ( I am a red personality) She says, "uh yah." Eric asked her who was more fun and remember how I was bragging about how smart she is, well she tells us that we are both fun the same amount. I get the kids buckled in and shut the door and in the time it took me to open my door and hop in she utters to Eric, "You are more fun, Dad." We got a good laugh out of that. Back to our Dad, I am never the wife who complains that thier husband doesn't spend time with her or is never home. Sometimes I think that if he spent more time studying he could have better grades but just theses past few weeks I thought to myself you know you are doing fine in school, fulfilling your church calling, and spending time with your family....how can I complain about that? I love how "fun" Eric makes our home and he keeps me laughing ( I am such an old soul and needed a really funny guy). His girls adore him and he teaches me so much about kindness and how to treat other people. Eric genuinely cares and loves other people and they don't have to be the "popular" people. We love you EICH!