Just Me!!

Monday brought about lots of hype. Vals appointment for her braces was scheduled at 1010. We made it there in time for her to brush before application. I love the ladies there. They have a Keurig, a stocked fridge of water, iPads in the waiting room and a brushing station. They are all very pleasant and helped Val relax through this stressful time! She did great. I could tell she was nervous so I took her shoes off and massaged her feet during the application. She wanted both Mark and I to be with her so we sat there for 2 hours. She said that having them placed on didn't hurt, but later she asked for Tylenol because they started hurting. My poor baby! After that ordeal, she was still smiling so we took her over to the mall and bought her some much needed bra's , britches , and boots !

Traditions are out this year. Our family loves October but for some reason the much anticipated month has been a complete bust sans (except for) Charles' visit. We bowed out from this weekends pumpkin patch meet up with Mike and Shan, and cancelled the yearly Halloween costume party. The kids have been extremely moody, ungrateful, and just lazy. I have been at odds with them, and on occasion Mark. We did our best to shake the bad vibes and head out to Museum of Flight for a spooky Halloween time. We did have fun! I rode on a haunted SIM flight with the kids, and we walked through several historic aircrafts. We boarded Air Force One from Kennedy and Eisenhower's age, and quickly walked through a retired Concord (which made me extremely claustrophobic). We left the various Halloween activities to the other little kids and spent most of our time viewing the aircrafts of WW1 and WW2. Interesting!!! The kids got in for free since they wore their Halloween costumes. We grabbed a qu...

Yes, my daughter was named after our friend in Arkansas as well as my Uncle and Grandfather. Funny to have them both in the same room. At times, we were confused by who a person was talking about, even though my Charlie is four;) We had a wonderful time visiting with Charles and it took no time at all for the friendship to pick up right where we left it in 2004. Charles hadn't seen Charlie at all, Val and Ethan were 6 and 4 the last time he came to Monticello for a visit! They both remembered, and have missed him as much as we have! Family created when your away from your own family is crucial, special, and irreplaceable! He was here for four short days during which Mark and Chris kept him thoroughly entertained as well as dizzy from the transitions between our place and theirs. We were grateful for every moment we could spend with him! We were able to spend some time revealing Seattle's history to him by taking to The Underground Tour and then had lunch at The famous Crab Po...

Our first trip here! What a beautiful place to get away from the hustle and bustle of life, even though it is located minutes from the very busy I-5. The park is open to the public and costs $3.00 for a family of four. We spent a small portion of our Sunday hanging out walking the trail and searching for animals/birds that dwell there. We happened to see some sort of fowl along the waters bank, and a family of raccoons. In the back part of the trail, we stopped and looked at the two old "natural" barns. I managed to take a few pictures of my own but, we might choose this spot as our next family portrait location.

Preschool helper day for momma! Charlie loves it when I come and participate and help at her Preschool. She is involved in a co-op preschool so parents are required to help out. Although sometimes I grumble about it, I really do enjoy it when I am in the middle of it. These kids are learning so much. They sign language the weather, calendar, and everyone's name. They have a math table, language arts table, and an art table where they work independently to complete their assignments. Silent reading time, snack time, and time in Mrs Snowden's backyard listening to the chickens and watching the bunny, complete their exciting day at preschool. Why I qualm at paying tuition is beside me! All this and spending quality time with her cousin seals the deal! Helper always gets to participate at the art table. We started off October with apple prints and applesauce!!

Every year we go to the fair on arm band day because it is cheaper for us! Our kids love the rides! This was the first year we let Val and Ethan wonder off on their own. They made me extremely proud because not only did they make sure that they met us on time, but they also made sure that they spent their money wisely when they were away from us. Charlie stayed with grandma till about 5p and met us later at the fair. Once she got their we pretty much stayed in kiddie land till we left. We enjoyed all the eating, walking, chatting we were able to do together! It was an awesome fair experience all around. Definite memories were made. Last stop out of the fair is always the foot massagers...

Happy 40th! We didn't get to celebrate in the fashion I hoped, but that's because I was relying too much on others to help me throw an overly awesome birthday bash for my love! Next time, we are going to party like it's no ones business and whoever wants to join can;) We did end up meeting for breakfast at Panera and finishing off the night at Red Robin for dinner. My gift to him: tickets to see Linkin Park (which we will never tell the kids;)