Swimming lessons

I was so excited to get all three older kids in swim lessons in the same pool AT THE SAME TIME this summer. They went every weekday morning for two weeks and loved it. Grant was very upset (massive fit) the first morning when he found out he wasn't going to get to do swim lessons with the other kids (have to be 3 years old). He insisted on wearing his swim trunks and goggles and bringing his towel to the pool anyway. I consoled him with snacks and brought toys to occupy him while they swam. It all worked out very well, despite our rocky start, and all three kids made great progress in their swimming.

Furniture in our front room

 I realized when I was posting some other pictures that I hadn't taken any of our newly furnished front room. I've taken pictures of other parts of the house that we "finished," but not this one. This space, the room you see when you first walk in our front door, has been empty ever since we moved in almost two years. I didn't mind it being empty because #1-- we didn't have the money to do anything with it yet and #2--I didn't know what I wanted yet. I had envisioned a little "ladies sitting area," and that is exactly what I have now! I'm not much of an interior decorator, but it was a fun project for me, and I like how it turned out, which is all that really matters! The kids weren't thrilled that I filled their big, open play space, but it's ok. It's my house, and they do have a playroom. I don't feel sorry for them.

I started working on the room when some friends gave us the ivory colored piano back in November. The ivory piano looked silly against our white walls, so we painted the one wall a bluish/greenish color (it took several samples to get the right color) and the rest of the walls the same neutral color we have in the family room. My friend gave me the big mirror to hang above the piano (don't we have great friends?), and that's how the room stayed through Christmas and up until May.  I started shopping and looking around this spring, and my vision came to fruition! Curtains, two chairs, a big Ikea plant, a sofa, pillows, and a coffee table, complete with a set of wood coasters. I still would like to get a lamp for the corner with the mulberry chair and maybe something else for the wall next to the piano behind the brown chair, but it's pretty much done. I love my sitting room. I like to sit there by myself in the early mornings while I read my Bible and enjoy a quiet start to my day. With early little risers, it's not always very quiet, but if I get up early enough, and they stay in their rooms until they're supposed to, I get that time.  Oh, and Greg will sometimes even sit there with me. But he's glad he has his leather couches with the big TV in the other room, too. :)

I love the colorful buttons on the sofa.

 

Start of Summer

June 12th marked the end of school and the beginning of summer for us. We were all ready to be done with school for a while. It seems we always have a few days of adjustment with the kids and I all getting used to being together all day long, and this year we really only had one day that wasn't very much fun. It's been a pretty good start summer, even though the weather hasn't been very summer-like. Joel and Greg went "man-camping" with a bunch of other dads and sons the weekend after school got out. They had such a great time. I'm glad they get to do that each year and thankful for good friends to do it with. Grant was VERY put-out about not being able to go with them. He packed his backpack full of nighttime pull-ups and clothes and announced he was ready to go to "man camp." He was one sad and mad boy when we broke the news that he wasn't old enough to go yet.  Maybe next year, buddy, maybe. We'll see if you and Daddy are both ready for you to go. 

Last day of school! Happy kids.

Greg brought home some reject electronic equipment from work, stuff they don't need anymore that is free for the taking, and let the kids go at it with screwdrivers, pliers, and wire cutters. The kids LOVED it. The first night they worked on them for TWO hours!




Progress on day two. They worked on it for a couple hours that next morning and more later that evening and the next day, too. Joel was especially into it. He was determined to get all the pieces off, and he did it. Best rainy, summer day kid entertainment ever!




I found it interesting that these "strain indicators" were worth $1,275 at one point in time. Our kids destroyed, what used to be, some valuable equipment. It was a good reminder that today's "treasure" becomes tomorrow's trash.

 

Western Day, Crazy Hair Day, and Sick Day

Last week was "spirit week" at the kids' school, and they bought into it. They dressed up every day, but I only got photos of the last two days--Western day and Crazy Hair day. We've had this western outfit with the chaps for years. I found it after Halloween for $5, and it's been used by multiple kids on multiple occasions. I loved that Joel wore it to school, with his jean shorts. :) He and Kari looked so cute!

I laugh every time I see Joel in this wig. It's just so funny! Kari had fun with all her ponytails and ribbons, too.

We went strawberry picking on Friday morning with Grandma M and picked 37 lbs! And then we had to wash/prep 37 lbs of strawberries. I had help, as you can see. Grant helped me wash berries for a long time. He was a champ. Oregon strawberries really are the best--so sweet and delicious! Yum.

Notice all the medications on the windowsill, though. This last week was a very strange one and kind of scary at times. I got sick Tuesday night with a sore throat and woke up, after a fitful night, feeling achy and miserable. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I tried to do the elliptical like I usually do in the mornings and could hardly move my body. It took me longer than it should have to realize I had a fever over 101. I managed to make Kari and Joel's lunches, drove them to school, and then came back home and crashed on the couch. Grant and Aubrey were pretty much on their own for the morning. They got their own snacks and played nicely together.

By noon, I was absolutely miserable, could hardly swallow, and knew I probably needed to go to the doctor. The ibuprofen I'd taken hadn't touched the fever.  My doctor's office couldn't get me in, so I drove myself to Urgent Care with Grant and Aubrey in tow (not the best idea--I know that I should have called Greg at that point, but I didn't. I was feverish and wasn't thinking clearly.). Turns out I had a "peritonsillar abscess," an fairly serious infection that requires immediate attention and antibiotics. They gave me an antibiotic shot (which really hurt!) and sent me home with three prescriptions, telling me that I got any worse before morning I would need to go to the ER. I was a mess. I ended up calling my mom from the parking lot of Walgreens pharmacy because I was feeling like I was about to pass out and was worried because I had the two kids with me. (Again, I know I should have called Greg earlier, and then I wouldn't have been in that predicament.) Mom went and picked up Kari and Joel from school and got me home just before Greg got home from work. I had a fever of 102 by then. I'd forgotten what it feels like to have a fever that high. It was awful! By the next morning, though, my fever was gone, and the throat pain was bearable. I went back in to the doctor for a follow-up that morning, and they gave me another shot! I was thankful to be feeling better, though, so it was ok.

The prednisone they had me on made me a little crazy (cleaned three bathrooms and my whole kitchen one evening) and kept me awake at night, and the shots affected my sciatic nerve and had me limping, but I guess the medications all did their jobs. I'm better now. It's taken longer than I expected to feel back to normal and to have energy again, but I'm better. Thank you, Lord!

Brothers

Grant thinks Joel is the most amazing person in the world. His first question when he wakes up in the morning is, "Where's Joel?" He wants to dress like him, play with him, and pretty much just be with him all.the.time. It's cute, and Joel does pretty well with his little shadow, but we're finding we have to rescue Joel sometimes and allow him some space and time in order to preserve their relationship. Grant adores him. Someday the four years between them (and between Aubrey and Kari) won't seem like such a big gap. I hope they'll always be best buds. We pray that our kids will grow up loving their siblings and enjoying each other. This photo warms my heart.

Memorial Day weekend

Kari and Joel didn't have school Thursday or Friday (in-service and budget reduction day), so they had a extra long Memorial Day weekend. We got to see Grandma Andy who was in town for the weekend, got to see her a couple times actually. Greg and I went on a dinner and movie date Friday night, which hadn't happened in a while. It was nice, and we enjoyed our time out. We finished painting our bedroom on Saturday. It's been white since we moved in, and now it's a nice latte brown color. And since we'd been painting and working around the house, we decided to go to Arby's for dinner. That's where this happened.

She slipped/tripped (still don't understand exactly what happened) on the way to the restroom. Big bloody mess. Her lip was split in a few directions, and a sizable chunk of her tooth was missing. Yes, it was traumatic. I called our family dentists' emergency number and sent him this lovely photo. He said as long as she wasn't in horrible pain, it could wait a couple days. So, we iced her lip, gave her some ibuprofen, and convinced her it would all be ok. She even went to the church the next day.


On Sunday afternoon while Eric and Leah and cousins were over, our dentist called and offered to come in on Memorial Day (Monday) to fix Kari's tooth so she could go back to school in good shape. Such a nice dentist (and nice dental assistant) to come in on a holiday! Here she is--all put back together.

On Monday afternoon, after Kari's face was un-numb, Greg took the oldest three kids to Skateworld and met Eric and Sam and Maggie there.  Greg helped Aubrey learn to skate, and he said she was getting the hang of it by the end. They skated, played air hockey, and ate cotton candy. We had some very happy kids that afternoon! I stayed home with Grant who fell asleep just before they left and enjoyed 45 minutes of peace and quiet in our house. I sat in a chair in our newly furnished front room that I call my "ladies' sitting room" and read a book. It was a wonderful little treat!

 

Losing my marbles

It's official. I'm losing it. I forgot to pick up my kids on a Friday two weeks ago (story to follow), and then yesterday I went to pick them up, only to get to the front of the drive through pick up line and hear (from the principal, no less) that they weren't there and had gotten on the bus! I screwed up twice in two weeks! Bad mom, very bad mom! The second one wasn't as bad as the first because at least I remembered about the kids, just didn't remember that it was Tuesday, not Monday. Tuesday is a bus day. The holiday weekend screwed me up. They beat me home just by a minute, but they know the garage door code, so they just let themselves in. Kari actually saw me in the pick-up line as they passed on the bus. She hollered, "Mom!" and I do remember hearing a kid yell that from a passing bus, but it didn't register that it was MY kid.

 A few weeks ago, the bus route changed so that our stop was one of the first ones rather than the last one, as it has been all year, and even though I don't like the bus, I decided it was ridiculous that the bus was beating us home after school. The pick up line is very long. Kari didn't want to ride the bus, but Joel did, so we compromised. Pick-up Mondays and Fridays, bus Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. It had been working out pretty well...until two weeks ago Friday.

It wasn't a typical Friday for me. That's my excuse, anyway. Soon-to-be-sister-in-law, Lindsay (Blake proposed on Mother's Day, and she said yes! Wedding is Nov 16th.) came over for lunch, and we were still chatting away when I looked at the clock, saw 3:15pm, and realized the kids weren't home yet. They usually walk through the door around 3:15pm on bus days. But Friday is not a bus day. Lindsay was in the middle of an enthralling story about her time in inner city LA when I jumped out of my chair, interrupted and screamed, "I FORGOT MY KIDS!" then immediately went into panic mode, trying to find my keys and get Grant and Aubrey to come inside from the trampoline and get their shoes on. Lindsay suggested/kindly offered she stay with them so I could take off to the school ASAP. Good plan! Yes! Good idea! I drove, probably too fast, to the school, pulled up to the curb, and saw the kids standing in the front office. The secretary was just picking up the phone to call me. School gets out at 3:00pm, and it was now 3:20pm. Flustered though I was, Kari and Joel were calm as could be, at least on the outside. They thought it was funny! I was glad but still so, so sorry, mortified actually. I made my apologies to all, and we came back home, my heart still racing. Talk about humble pie! Lindsay, who doesn't really know me yet, got quite a picture of me that day! I'll have a lifetime to show her that I'm really not crazy. :)  I have reminders in my phone to make sure I don't mess up again. I think school just needs to be out now. Summer's almost here!

 

End of preschool

Aubrey had her last day of preschool last week. She had a great preschool experience but wasn't sad at all that it was done. She is very excited to go to kindergarten next year "at the same school as Kari and Joel." Isn't this photo cute? We'll be comparing it to her high school graduation picture someday.

This was at the end of the year. I liked her sock choice that day.

This was her first day of preschool at the beginning of the year--just wanted to compare.

 

First Piano Recital

Kari did so well in her first recital. We were proud of her! She's been playing for less than 5 months (started in January), and she's already surpassed me in my childhood piano endeavors. The one song I can still play is "The Riding Mule," and she mastered that one two months into her lessons. :) She is really enjoying playing and is self-motivated. We don't have to remind her to practice. I hope she continues because I love to listen to her play. We absolutely love her teacher, Katie. She is an accomplished pianist and an amazing teacher. She's so positive and encouraging, and the music from her students last night was impressive--a lot of talent and hard work displayed. Kari is in good hands! We enjoyed some yummy strawberry shortcake afterwards, too. It was a good night. I'm looking forward to next year's recital already.
Thanks, Dad, for the video!

playing "The Pet Shop"--adapted from Schubert and "Waterfall Jewels"--Vogt

Her teacher is the one in the middle in the red.

 

Kari Moffat Piano Recital May 19, 2013 from Barry Arnold on Vimeo.

A new sport

Joel is trying baseball this spring and is enjoying it so far. Their team is the "A's." We're not sure we can be a baseball family, but we're giving it a try. We'll see what Joel thinks by the end of it. The first couple games were downright miserable, sitting/standing out there for a long time in the cold and wind, but we've had great weather for the games since then, and it's been more fun. The team's skills are getting better, and they understand the game better now, too, which helps. I'm still learning, though. :) Kari, Grant, and Aubrey like that there's a concession stand nearby (they bring their own money to spend--well, not Grant, but the others), and they like hanging out in the grass and playing with friends. They pay attention to the game when we tell them Joel is up to bat. Then they cheer him on.

Amazing spring weather

The last few days of April and these first two weeks of May have felt more like summer than spring. Are we really still in Oregon? It doesn't seem like it! But we'll take it, for sure. The forecast calls for rain on Sunday, but we've had highs in the 80's--supposed to be 88 on Friday, 82 on Saturday. The kids have been outside a lot--eating watermelon in the grass, jumping on the trampoline with water ballons, and even swimming in Grandpa and Grandma's pool. They opened it early this year, and the kids got to swim on Monday night--in May, in Oregon!