Spokane Trip

I have completely gotten out of the habit of blogging. What am I talking about, I have gotten out of the habit of being on the computer. Unfortunately that means I am really far behind.

The first week in October the kids and I headed up North to visit the husband in Spokane. I braved the drive with the three kids and I must say, I think it went fairly well. It is about a 10 hour drive. I broke it up on the way there by staying the first night at my parents in Idaho. The only thing that made me think twice about the drive was this:

And not only this on the way there, but on the way back as well! Terrible road and visibility conditions. Made my knuckles a little white.

Brett had school while we were up there so we were left to find some things to do by ourselves. The first day we headed up to the local zoo called "Cat Tails". Just writing this makes me laugh. It was one of the most disappointing zoo trips I have ever been on. I had to drive about half an hour to get there. It was up this gravel road. It was one row of cages on both sides with just a bunch of different "cats". It was fun to see the cougars and tigers but the whole thing took us half an hour and that included us sitting down to eat our lunch. Oh well, at least it got us out of the bachelor pad for a little bit.

The next day we went to the Riverfront which is where the waterfalls are by downtown Spokane. We loved it! The waterfalls were a lot lower than Brett and I's first trip but the kids thought they were pretty cool. There are a ton of different trails we went on and fun little parks throughout. There was a Carousel that we rode on as well. We stayed forever.

The next day we went swimming up in Hayden, Idaho at a park called Triple Play. It was a fun indoor swimming area with three fun slides. I was disappointed when they limited the little one to this tiny play area, but we managed to let the bigger kids have fun. The water was less than warm and we found ourselves in the hot tub quite a bit of the time.

We had fun hanging out and meeting some of his classmates, visiting the school and just seeing what dad does from day to day. His apartment is a decent size but we didn't have much to do there. Luckily, I took the Wii and it kept us all more than entertained. We did manage a hike right up the hill from his place and got to see a train go by within feet of us.

Spokane Trip, Part 2

The drive home was brutal. I needed gas and decided to go an extra 20 miles to a city that said it had gas. Well, when I got off the exit it routed me the other direction for about 10 miles. I was starting to sweat it and told the kids they were going to have to get out and push. They all started crying, "We don't want to push". Luckily, the gas station showed up in time and I put the most gas I have ever put in my gas tank. I was so worried because it was 32 degrees outside and snowing. I learned my lesson. We must have worn the kids out, because this what they all looked like for a good portion of the ride home:


This was an enlightening trip. I was glad I went. I decided there isn't a whole lot to do in Spokane and I felt like we did it all in the few days we were there. I guess if we move up there next year I am going to have to learn to be a lot more creative. The weather was less than pleasant so I am sure that put a slight damper on things as well. The kids had fun and we were all glad to get to spend more than 2 days together. Hooray!

Princess for Real

This little girl just doesn't mess around. She really is convinced she is a princess. To prove my point:

Last week my parents were in town and my mother was trying to coax P to catch up with the rest of us:

Gma: P run up there with the rest of them.

P: Graaandmaa, Princesses DON'T run, they walk like this!

She then very precisely and slowly put one foot in front of the other with her hands grasped in front of her, her head held high and her shoulders back. Just like a princess would.

Then, this week while Amanda was helping me with the kids one morning, she was reading them "Skippyjon Jones". P wanted to know about this cat.

P: Why is Skippyjon Jones a cat pretending to be a dog?

Amanda: Haven't you ever pretended to be something that you aren't, like a princess?

P: Well, yes, but I really am a Princess!

The New Crush

P: Mom, I want to give T a picture tomorrow.

Mom: I think you have a new crush on T.

P: Mom, how do you know, yes, I DO! I need a new dress to wear to church tomorrow so T will notice me.

Mom: Excuse me, you need a what? You are only FOUR! You should not be thinking that way.

P: Maybe I will wear my new polka dot dress. T will think it is so cute.

Next day,

Mom: Did T like your dress today at church.

P: Yes, mom. He said he thought my polka dots were cute!

I can't believe that my four year old already knows how to work the system. It SCARES me.

Oh, and School Started

School for the kidlets officially started. I guess you can say I am somewhat relieved. I love having a long summer break, but by the end, I find it harder and harder to entertain the kids. I can't believe how excited little T-man was to get back to school but what can I say, this kid loves to learn. He truly eats it up. He hasn't complained much about having to go a full day and is even at times excited about his homework.

We also sent little Miss off to preschool. This has been such a blessing for me because now on the nights that I work, I can actually get a nap in while she is at school with my baby. It helps so much to get a little sleep before work. She loves school as well but more than anything she loves a chance to play with all of her little girlfriends.

Unfortunately, with the start of all this other school stuff, Brett also started school, in Washington. The morning he left, I thought about throwing myself in front of the moving van and telling him he couldn't go, but instead curled myself into a little ball with the kids all around me and covered my head with a pillow. I have come to grips with the fact this a decision we made and as hard as it may be at times, I am going to make the most of it. We are on week #4 and he has already come home twice. I can and will handle this. By the time it is time for him to come home, I am waiting with open arms, droopy eyelids and 3 very eager kids to see their daddy. Then for some reason, I have some sort of exhaustive collapse where I am in a stupor the rest of the weekend catching up on some zzzz's, among other things. Brett is working hard, studying, reading, watching football. I am sure he is bored to come home to an empty apartment every night, but luckily he has just a little homework to keep him busy. Oh, and talking to us on the webcam. I am sure it must be agonizing for him to watch the kids wrestle and fight over the mouse because they can't wait to send dad one more wink....

The work thing is going ok. I must admit it isn't as horrible as I thought it might be. It is bearable. I do feel bad leaving the kids and at times have to pry my crying, sobbing two year old away from her death grip she has on me. But I must say I think the kids are faring well. And as for me, let's just say I am hanging on, strong.

Cherry Hill

This summer we went camping at Cherry Hill with my family. It was so much fun and a great way to hang out with so many kids! We went to Lagoon, Cherry Hill and then the Hill Air Force Museum. There are a ton of pictures, this isn't even all of them. I am only a few months late, but finally....I can start to get caught up.

Summer's Almost Over

This summer has been one where I am not exactly sure what I have done, but I can't remember being home much, so I know it was a busy one! Things have been crazy around here. I am back to work at Primary part-time, nights. I used to hate nights but it makes the most sense to work them now. I can actually see my kids this way, I get paid more, and it is usually a slower paced shift.

Brett is off to school in Washington. It was difficult to say good-bye to say the least. The weird thing is I knew I was going to see him in just a couple of weeks and it turned out he came home yesterday for a surprise visit. Yay! I know this will all work out. I just worry about me being a walking zombie from lack of sleep. I guess I will have to start going to sleep when I put the kids down.

The kids are doing well. School starts Monday. I can't believe I am going to have a first grader. Gone ALL day. I really think having him gone and having the other one off to pre-school a couple of times a week will help me keep my sanity.

We had a great summer playing, and swimming and trying new things out. We have now almost officially completed our basement. We finished it so my bro and sister in law could move in to keep an eye on the kiddos while I work and Brett is away at school. Dan and Amanda had to put up with bringing a brand new baby home to a place not quite put together down in our basement, but they are being troopers. Their baby is darling and I hope I don't drive them crazy running down to hold her so I can have my baby fix. That, and the kids being up in her face!

This is just a quick update. I really need to get some pictures to show some of the things we have done. Until then, this will have to work.