family photo....

Well, it has been a very long time since we have had all four of us in one picture.  My sister in law took this one of us on Christmas eve.  Tom and Jake are pretty stiff but still think it is a pretty good picture.  I even figured out now how to add pics to my blog.  You were right, Shauna - so easy to do.  I even managed to crop the photo.  Now I just need to find my cable for my camera so I can download my latest pictures.  

Today is such a cold and rainy day.  Jake and I did a couple of errands and went out to lunch at Red Robin.  He is not quite himself the past couple of days - nasty cold, but he was in the mood for a "good burger".  When that boys is hungry - he is hungry.  Tom and Lucas were off helping with the tree recycling for the boys scouts most of the day.  So if you have a tree you need to recycle.... boys scouts all across the state are collecting trees.  They are also taking donations if you have an artificial tree.  They just got home a few minutes ago and are now off again.  

Lucas made the honor roll this past trimester so he earned two tickets to a Blazer game.  I thought the game was tonight but turns out it is next Saturday night (need to get out the 2008 calendar and keep a better hand on who needs to be where....)  So that will just give us a night at home.  I can get some work done and maybe get Tom to build a fire.  I think he is even talking about making dinner....  Hmmm, wonder what is up?  But if he does the dishes, I won't complain.

Enjoy your evening, stay warm and dry and hug your families!

the holidays have come and gone...

Wow!  Christmas is already over.  We had a good day though.  Christmas eve, my brother and his family came (missed seeing my niece though) and my other brother.  Then my parents were here too so prime rib for all.  

Christmas day was spent with us just at home.  Santa tricked the boys this year and they thought they were jipped with just one present under the tree from Santa.  But boy were they excited when they opened that one box and find all the Wii stuff.  We spent the day bowling, cow tipping, playing pool and the other games they got.  I really like the cow tipping...  

Wednesday I went to work and Tom and the boys spent the day putting bunk beds back together.  The boys have had their own rooms for awhile now.  But they decided that making Jake's room into a game room (or man-cave, like Angie says...) and then they would share the bedroom again.  Worked out pretty good.  I was at work and didnt have to clean either room!  Now they have alot of space to play the wii.  I will get them some bean bag chairs or a futon or something in there eventually, but for now, it will work.  

Thursday, I went to work and Tom and the boys went to the archery place for the day.  They had gotten gift certificates in their stockings so it made for a good man's day out.

Today, we took the boys up in the snow.  I left the info with Angie and Vicki where we were going.  Didn't want to be one of those lost families on tv...  Packed a lunch (thank you Subway...  at first, the boys were going to make me lunch out in the snow boy scout style.  I was prepared with an emergency pb&j till I suggested we just get some sandwiches.  They were fine with that....)  So loaded up the Tahoe with extra what ever could you possibly need if you get stuck in the snow....  ( yeah, ok. so as we unpacked, I overpacked...)  We drove up out of Carlton and found some good snow.  Tom had fun driving in 4x4 and I just held on...  We found a good place to park and let the boys play.  We did a little target shooting and had a good snowball fight.  Lucas tried out his snow boogie board thing.  He didn't last too far before he fell down and then he didn't try again.  Tom tried to make some snow shoes and took those to try out, but didn't make it too far either.  He fell down and broke one shoe in two and that ended that adventure.  It was good till it started to rain and got so cold.  We packed up, ate lunch and headed for home.  It was a good day though.  The boys had a good time.

So that catches up for the week.  Going to make some hot cocoa or tea and start on some projects for work.  Lots of that to do this weekend.  

Hope you all had a great Christmas!  I hope that 2008 is full of everything you dream of.

Laura

Merry Christmas to All!

Well, it is Christmas eve already!  The prime rib is in the oven - only after a little chainsaw action.  Apparently a 16 pound rib roast doesn't fit into my roasting pan.  I had to cut a big hunk off of it and roast that in a second pan.  But it is going.  

But most of all, I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.  I am so blessed to have people in my life that are such wonderful souls.  Family and friends - thank you all for everything that you do for us.  We are surrounded both locally and across the country by people that bring so much to our lives.  Words can not really say how much you all mean to us.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tom, Laura, Lucas and Jake

and they are all nestled into their beds....

The house is quiet!  The boys, even Tom, are all in bed.  

I can't believe that I was out today in such nasty weather - cold and rainy - SHOPPING!  What a crowded mess.  No one had any patience left what so ever.  Even just trying to pass a smile on to someone was wasted.  Is this what this season is about????

I did manage though to finish my shopping.  If I forgot something, well, I guess we just didn't need it.  Then I went to the grocery store with everyone else in the area and shopped for the next few days.  I plan to now just be a home body for the next two days for sure.  

Jake was at the back of my car when I got out to unload.  He said it was because Dad told him to help unload the groceries.  I think he was there to get a sneak peak at anything I may of gotten for him while shopping.  Later he was very eager to help with any wrapping I may have...

Then Tom and I made a big pot of clam chowder for dinner and I even let the boys hit the brownie stash for dessert.  

The boys went to bed early so we could wrap the "Mom and Dad" gifts.  But I actually got the santa gifts wrapped too.  I hope to stump the boys a bit this year by putting all their santa gifts into one big box.   We will see if it works.  They are so hoping for a Wii.  Every time we go anyplace, I have been asking if they have any Wii's in stock?  So the boys are seeing first hand how rare they are this year. But a few weeks ago, I did manage to find one.  So I wrapped it up with some extra accesories and another game and put them all together in one box.  Each wrapped separately of course...  Now, where do I hide this big box for another day?  I usually wrap the night of Christmas eve so I don't have to worry about that part...  Oh well, we will figure that out..  I had them all stashed in my luggage for the past few weeks and Lucas has only moved that luggage around now at least three times trying to find the presents...  Hmmm - think I have found a good hiding place.

Well, tomorrow is a busy day.  Prime rib is on the menu and a house that needs to be cleaned before any company comes.  Tom has to work so it will be up to me and my little helpers to get it pulled together.  But hey - I am no Martha Stewart!  So I won't need to go to any extremes, right?  We will go for the illusion...

 

time to call it a day....

because I am exhausted.  It was a busy day today around here.  I got a start on the baking with brownies, almond roca cookie bars and seven layer bars..  Ok, yeah, yeah, yeah.  I used some mixes this year (thank you Costco!) but just need some time savers this year.  Tomorrow I will make ginger snaps and fudge.  Somehow the batch of fudge I already made has disappeared.  Gee - that is a mystery - what three boyz in this house have chocolate on their hands????

And we crossed a couple other tasks off the list.  Yes, we have the tree up finally.  I even put out the other decorations too.  We don't go too overboard with the decorating but it is looking a little more festive around here.  I managed to get a few good pics of the boys.  I still need to figure out how to add pictures to this blog.  

Now after making some cards for a work assignment, a few loads of laundry and even a couple games of Go Fish, I am ready to call it a day.  Not sure how it is the boys can still be awake and watching a movie...  Jake tells me, he is trying to sleep less now so he can sleep in more on Christmas morning so Dad and I can sleep in....   Oh ok!  I don't see that happening.    

 

Tomorrow will be the grocery shopping day and last minute gifts.  So off to bed for me so I can be gracious and curtious when fighting over those last minute deals...   

today was a good day...

Even though the morning was filled with errands, today was a good day.  I was able to get some gifts delivered and even one returned back to me... 

My friend Angie has gotten me hooked on Grey's Anatomy.  I think the last straw was when we were in Bellevue and she was trying to watch an episode and I had only seen a few epsiodes here and there.  During the whole thing, I kept asking, ok, so what happened to that one guy, weren't they supposed to get married, why is she with him and when did they get together.  So she thought I better get caught up.  One day at work, she brought me her copy of the first season on DVD.  And then later she brought me Season 2 and she hadn't even opened it yet.  It was still in the plastic wrap.  So I have been having Grey's marathons while working late into the night.  I got through Season 2 and then Ang said that Season 3 was on her Christmas list. Cool - this is good for me too.  I bought it for her, wrapped it up, delivered it to her today, let her open it and then borrowed it back so I can watch it!  Thanks Ang!!!!!  I am sure that I will have watched it by the time I come to work on Thursday.  

So after taking the boys to get haircuts and getting them some dinner, my friend Katrina and I went to see a movie tonight.  Katrina is not a late night person so when I got an email from her this afternoon saying that she was going to take a nap before the movie, I thought for sure she would bail on me for the movie.  But I called her to make sure we were on and that she shouldn't take too good of nap, she won't want to leave the house.

We went to see PS I love you.  What a great movie.  Makes you cry, makes you laugh and made me want to go to Ireland.  Oh that reminds me, I need to get my passport for going to Calgary, Canada in April...  There were three gals sitting in the row in front of us and one of them could of really  used a tissue...    I was ready to pass up my popcorn napkins to her...  Anyway, it was a great movie!

So now it is the end of my day - and the boys are still awake..  Tom rented a movie so he is watching that and the boys are camping in the living room again.  This has turned into a weekend ritual.  I hope they don't actually think this will be happening on Christmas eve....  

Tomorrow is another day...  Do I dare set a goal to get the tree up?  We will just have to wait and see.  But it could be a good chance that there will be some baking done and a tree up over the day tomorrow.....

one more day closer to Christmas....

and we still do not have the tree up, cards mailed, cookies baked, or all the shopping done?  Let's see, if I bake, make cards and decorate at the same time, I could cross that off my list.  If I could bring the mall to my living room so I could shop while I bake, make cards and decorate, I may just be able to do it.

But - that isn't going to happen.  So cards aren't going to be mailed..  I will put together a newsletter and hope to have it mailed by March.  (But of which year????)  I have been saying for the past couple of years that I was going to do that....

Jake says that I have till Sunday to get the tree up.  "People are coming on Monday, Mom, so we have time."

Today was the boys last day of school before their winter break.  So I took a couple hours and did a little shopping this afternoon.  I actually got a few things on the list taken care of and a couple gifts delivered this evening.  Tomorrow will be another day and plan to finish all the shopping.  I think once that is done and I can focus on the house stuff, it will start to feel like Christmas.  I need to do something to get into the spirit.  

One thing happened today that brought a smile to my face.  I got a package from my good friend Kathy Jo.  I met KJ when I attended a CKU in Provo, Utah back in 2001.  She lives in Chicago but she is one of those friends that it feels like she lives down the street.  We chat in the mornings over coffee and emails (ok, before this crazy holiday stuff came up, we tried to chat every morning)  We try to see each other when we can.  We have another friend - June - from Utah, and the two of them came out to visit this summer.  We went on a lighthouse tour up and down the Oregon Coast.  It was such a fantastic time.  But of course, we are scrapbookers so we had to stop at a few scrap stores on the way.  We also stopped at Boxer and shopped the warehouse and then stopped at Hot Off the Press and shopped.  June and Kathy Jo have both been featured in samples I have done and they ended up in the catalog.  Stan even had them autograph his copy of the catalog - it was pretty cute.  Anyway, Stan took a great picture of the three of us with the catalog and KJ put it in an awesome frame for me.  It is now on my desk in my scrap room.  I am going to have to figure out how to share photos through this blog.  But just a picture can bring back such fun.  That weekend the girls were here, was such a fun time.  We laughed and laughed.  I will remember those laughs every time I look at the picture now.  

Oh wait - maybe I wasn't suppose to open that til Christmas....  If that is the case, then today was really just a boring shopping day and I will tell more about Christmas gifts after Christmas....

PSSST....  Thanks, KJ!  I love the photo and frame.  You are the greatest.

School binder mystery solved and was he really singing?

Lucas came home from school the day after he left his binder in a classroom (ok, so I don't remember what day this happened...) - to let me know that another kid in the class picked up his binder and took it home for him.  He told Lucas that he didn't want it to get stolen or misplaced and thought that would be the best safe keeping for the night.  So there are some good kids at his school - Lucas just needs to meet them....  He is just having such a rough year in 6th grade.  Every morning he is trying to pull the sick card.  The funniest one yet was when he told me he had cramping....  I told him that one didn't work except for girls.  So he changed it to his shoulders, back and ankles were cramping - I haven't quite heard of the ankle cramping ailment yet.  Ok, so I caved and let him have the day off.  He ended up going to work with me for the day and watched movies on the laptop.  Have to give him credit for creativity, I guess...  This morning he is trying to get out of school again, but besides a stomach ache, there will be "no education of any kind today" because it is the last day before winter break.  Nope - sorry kid.  It is off to school for you today because this is my last day to get any shopping done with the boys off to school.  Apparently there is some big holiday coming up next week and these boys of mine won't let me put it off til March when I can be better prepared.  Jake says that I won't be able to find things in the stores in March...  Maybe not decorations, but I am sure the shopping for gifts would be less stressful.

Last night, Jake's cub scout pack went to sing carols for the elderly at a local nursing home. Jake isn't much of a performer to a crowd so I always wonder if he is really singing or just mouthing the words.  I know he sings in the car, with his iPod, and in the shower (they aren't always the right words...), but put him in front of people and you can never really hear his voice.  But it was fun to watch and neat to see the boys interact with the residents.  He was to take cookies and a small gift so we hit Fred Meyer before we needed to be to the nursing home.  (Because you know, we have known about this for a month and why be prepared when you can do the shopping 15 minutes before the party...)  What one earth do you buy an elderly person that you don't know.  So Jake picked out a small stuffed dog that was wearing a santa hat and a striped scarf.  It was pretty cute and I was so proud of him how he interacted with the resident that was chosen for his gift.  He was polite, respectful and made this old mom proud.  The lady wasn't quite sure why this kid was giving her a stuffed dog and there in her house making all that noise, but it was great to see how Jake wished her a Merry Christmas and said, "I hope you like your gift."   Then Santa came in with his "Under Armour Elf" as Jake called him.  This guy that was carrying the present bag was wearing an under armour shirt under his felt costume and Jake just thought it was the funniest looking thing.  He couldn't look at the guy without giggling.  Jake was one of the last of the boys to sit on Santa's lap and I could just imagine the conversation going on....  Not sure what they were saying but Jake had the look on his face like it went like this....  

Santa asked him if he had been good this year and what would he like for Christmas.  So the response was.  "I have done this now twice for my mom." says jake.  Santa asks, "You did what twice for your mom?"  Jake responded, "Sit on your lap whether I wanted to or not.  We even did the photo thing at the mall."  Santa wasn't quite sure what to say.  He looked at me a couple of times and then to Jake with a puzzled look.  So Jake says, "Then I think it is appropriate that I get a Wii for Christmas.  I know they are hard to find this year but maybe you could contact Nintendo and use your connections to get one. "  Santa said, "Good suggestion.  I will give them a call."    

So if I was a narrator for a silent movie - that would be the conversation between Jake and Santa.  It is a mystery of what was really going on though...  

But that is one thing about my kid - he will say what is on his mind and what he thinks is fair, to his benefit, and APPROPRIATE!  How many times have I heard that from him?  What 10 year old talks like that?  I guess mine, because I am always telling him, his brother, and his father, that what ever they are doing - boylike - is not appropriate or appreciated....   

But we finished off the evening by watching Frosty the Snowman.  It is just not feeling like Christmas so anything to get in the spirit helps.  

Time to get my "stomach ache, no education day" kid off to school and me off to do that last minute shopping...

morning coffee....

Well, Lucas tells me last night at 10:00pm that he needs to be to school early to work on a project.  Doesn't say what time and I think it is 8:30 like every other time he needed to go early.  Then at 7:30 this morning, he tells me that he needs to be there at 8.  Jake tells me he has a field trip and needs a sack lunch.  Have I been to the grocery store yet this week - no.  so poor kid has peanut butter and apple butter sandwich on french bread (left over from Sunday morning's breakfast.)  Luckily Tom and Lucas made cookies so he could take a couple of those.  So I run around here to get ready in 30 minutes so I can take Lucas to school.  I get out of the shower and the boys say - bye mom and are walking out the door with Tom.  Um..... ok...  so I guess that leaves me with a little time to just enjoy a cup of coffee and maybe even have breakfast before I head off to work.  

So we will see if his binder shows up today or if he will have a new one when he comes home from school today.  They have a school store that has basic school supplies.  Hopefully Tom will think to give him money when he drops him off...  

Ok, a second cup of coffee is needed.  Hope this day gets better and my iPod is charged for my day at work, because Jake is already off to school and he is my iPod maintenance man....

kids these days!

Ok, so I have checked google, ask.com, websters and there is just not anything out there for me as a manual for pre-teens.  Lucas is definitely a pre-teen!  Someone told me when he was little that if boys give you a hard time when they are young, you will have it easy when they are teens.  Ok, so when is this supposed to get easy?  Not too long after his birthday, he bought a PSP (Portable Play Station) and was told not to take it to school.  But he took it anyway and got caught...  Well, apparently when I say don't take it to school again, in pre-teen that translates to it is ok to take to school as long as mom doesn't see it..  And sure enough - it was stolen.  The talks about taking responsibility for your belongings, yourself... I think I am talking to the wall half the time.  Today he comes home from school and is in a mood.  I knew something happened. He has always been one to tell on himself - I think he has just found it is easier to tell me what I don't want to hear before I find it out on my own.  Mom's see and know all, right?  Anyway, at some point during the day, he lost his binder at school.  This is the second binder for this school year already.  The first was broken the first week of school.  Now we have a lost one.  And yes, all the homework for the trimester and basic school supplies are in this binder.  He has one thing to carry around all day - you would think if he is walking out of a classroom - this would be noticed..  Apparently it wasn't until a few classes later he noticed..  So back to school we go so he can go check in all his classrooms.  

Am I going to make it through these teen years?  I still have Jake to be a teen too?  

But tonight Tom and the boys are off to a scout meeting.  Jake went because he heard cookies were going to be involved.  That boy hasn't met a cookie he doesn't like yet, I think.  Really - I think they all just thought mom could probably use a quiet evening at home.  The carpets need to be done, but not tonight.  I am having some hot cocoa and just going to snuggle up in a blanket.  It is a cold wet night and I am going to take the quiet house as it is.  Everyone has clean clothes for tomorrow so the laundry, dishes and whatever can just wait another day.

What is the saying - Don't do today what you can do tomorrow....  ok!

it is beginning to smell alot like Christmas...

Well, today has been a day of baking.  But not by me.  Tom and Lucas are actually baking cookies for the boy scout cookie exchange tomorrow night.  There will be plenty though to have here around the house, Tom to take to work tomorrow and Jake to take for his scout visit to the nursing center Wednesday night.  This is a "manly" sized batch of cookies, and they actually smell pretty good.  Where is the milk...

I did it!

I have started a blog.  I wasn't really sure this is something I would ever do or be computer savvy enough to do.  But I am going to give it a shot.   So hang on and we will see how it goes...