File Folder Fun

I decided today that I wanted to do something other than being on the computer all day. I looked around at my various projects and tried to figure out what caught my interest. My eyes finally landed on my laminator that I bought several months ago and have only used once. I bought it with the intention of making games for my kids. I had found a website called http://www.filefolderfun.com that has templates and patterns for making your own file folder games. The first two games I made for the kids back when I first got the laminator had the pieces lost pretty quickly. I decided this time around I would only let them play with them in a structured sitting where I can keep an eye on the pieces.

I went to the website and started printing out all the games I wanted to make. I had forgotten how long cutting out the pieces and gluing them to folders actually takes. I had printed out enough stuff to make 6 games. I started out all cheerful in the morning and with only a quick lunch and a few bathroom breaks I was still cutting and pasting till late this afternoon. My hand is cramping and my back hurts. I don't know why I get so gung-ho and then usually bite off more than I want to do. Oh well. I finally finished at 4:00. Just in time to clean up and start a new mess with dinner. Now I'm going to let the glue dry completely before I allow the kids to play with them. But I am happy that I have 6 new games to occupy them for approx. 15 min. tomorrow. LOL

Parade is a Bust

Our little town this weekend is celebrating Oregon Trail Days and has a little Wine and Music Festival. Apparently this is a big deal around here and Dwayne and I just didn't know it. If I hadn't seen the newspaper insert that highlighted the festival and schedule, etc. we would have been clueless about what the noise was all about. I saw that they were going to have a parade in town on the main drive. Luckily, we live close enough to walk to the parade route without having to deal with trying to find parking, etc. So even though it was going to be way too hot for my comfort, I figured I would suck it up, put on sunscreen, pack some snacks and walk down with the kids. We even loaded the camera for those oh so perfect picture moments of our kids experiencing their first parade! We arrived shortly after the parade already started but it was ok because it is a small town. We found a nice spot right at the beginning of the parade route, parked the kids strollers right in front where they can see and started pointing and waving. At first, they just watched the whole thing with great big eyes not really sure what the noise was all about. Most of the parade participants started tossing candy and Sam showed a little interest but there was no way he was getting out of the stroller. So the dutiful Mom that I am, I ran out and grabbed all the candy for my two darlings even though I felt a little ridiculous being one of the only adults running after the candy. And I am large woman. I can only imagine what people were thinking. Oh well, anything for my darlings.

I gave them both a sucker hoping that the candy would help liven them up a bit and they sucked on those thinking it was pretty good. Evie almost immediately became a sticky mess which I hate but I stopped worrying about the mess and just let her enjoy it. Then the firetrucks and ambulances came. Sam pointed at it and said, "Firetruck." We smiled and said, "You are right! Smile and wave at the fireman." Sam started to do that and then they started their sirens. Both kids jumped and started bawling. They were freaked out. And there wasn't just one firetruck. There were several scattered throughout the parade. So we would just start them getting calmed down and they would see another one was coming and start up again. Evie and Sam both wanted to be held which led to sticky fingers all over my shirt and a sucker in my hair. (That is why I hate sticky stuff and little kids.) And in between the bouts of crying I was still running out into the parade route to get my kids their share of candy. About half way through the parade Sam looked right at me and told me that he does NOT like firetrucks. But we stuck it out to the bitter end. At the end they cheered up a little bit because there were a bunch of people riding horses.

We were going to go check out Trader's Row in the park but Sam emphatically told me he wanted to go home and I was tired and hot anyway. It sounded like a good idea to me. And through it all we forgot to take out the camera. Oh well. Apparently, this is a yearly event so I'm sure I'll suck it up and try again next year. But ya, this year was a bust.

Vacation Bible School

I have been busy this week helping out with VBS at our church. What an exhausting but also fun week. The church provided babysitting for the helpers children that are too young to participate. The cut-off age was 4 so Sam couldn't do it this year but I am excited for him next year. I decided to volunteer though because they need a lot of hands and it provides a great opportunity for me to get out of the house. I worked at the snack station this year. I think I liked that much better than being a crew leader. I was a crew leader last year and by the end of the week I was tired of chasing down the same kids day after day. With snacks it went really smoothly and the troublemakers are gone in 20 minutes. LOL. It was hard to get started in the mornings though. Evie still cries when Dwayne and I leave her so I had to go through that heartache every morning when leaving her with the babysitters. The workers told me that she settles down pretty quickly and has lots of fun but it sure does rip out the heart to hear her screaming as I rush out the door. Today was the worst because she started crying as soon as we pulled into the church parking lot. We didn't even make it to the classroom today before the tears started. I never had to experience that separation with Sam. He has always been "see ya" and off playing with his new friends. Luckily, they didn't have tears when I picked them up. They are happy to see me but also interested in staying and playing with all the neat stuff. It is only the promise of lunch that gets them to come to me and out the door. I'm really looking forward to next year. I'll probably be a crew leader again and see if I can lead Sam's group but we'll see. I have another year before I have to think about it.

I have Air Conditioning!

My mom came up this weekend to say hi to the kids and return our van to us finally. They had borrowed it to take with them to Idaho when they went camping on the 4th of July. It sure is nice to have it back! I never thought I would miss having a mini-van but I really missed all the room. Melody and Mom also realized that they had a small air-conditioner sitting in the garage. It actually belongs to Melody but she said we could borrow it since she doesn't know if she will ever move out. LOL. It works perfectly! I am so so grateful because we are staying so much cooler now and I am soooo happy.

Saturday, Mom and I finally went to Wolf Haven. I have had some passes from my birthday and haven't gone yet. It was really fascinating and I learned some things about wolves that I didn't know before. There gift shop prices were also outrageously low and I intend to go back there to get a couple things for the house when I run into a little more money. After that we ran to Home Depot to pick up a piece of plywood for our window and the air-conditioner. Mom also graciously agreed to babysit and Dwayne and I went to go see Harry Potter. It was very good but definately not the best of them. You can tell that they are just laying the foundation for the big finale. But it was so great to finally go on a date with my husband. It has been a long time since we have done anything alone.

Sunday we just relaxed in the house most of the day. I had a meeting I had to go to at the church around 2pm. Mom left about that time too after waiting long enough for Evie to get up from her nap so she could say goodbye. I'm volunteering at Vacation Bible School again this year. I had a great time and they are offering babysitting for the volunteers so I can go and help even though Sam and Evie aren't old enough to participate. So Sunday they had a volunteer meeting to go over the last details. Last year I was a crew leader and actually herded a group of kids around. This year I was placed at the snack station. I'm not sure which I like better. They both have their pros and cons. I'll probably rotate every year to give myself some variety. Especially since I like parts of everything. I'm excited for next year as Sam will finally be old enough to participate. I'm really proud of Evie too. Usually she cries when we leave her but I ducked out when she got occupied with something and she didn't throw a fit at all. Apparently, she had a great time playing with all the kids and toys. I'm so happy. Hopefully, she will continue to be so accomodating the rest of the week.

A hot one

Yesterday was a hot day! I know I shouldn't complain but for someone who finds 75 just perfect, 89 degrees was way too hot. Today is supposed to be another hot day. Luckily, the forcast for next week is back in the upper 70's which is supposedly the average temperature for this time of year around here. I'm finding I like the summers up here in Washington better than in Oregon. We are consistently about 10 degrees cooler than in the Portland area. If yesterday was hot for me, I don't want to even think about how miserable I would be down there. But, of course, down there I had air-conditioning but we aren't going to think about that. LOL.

We started the day going to the park with a friend. I'm so excited that I think that I have made a friend finally. We have gotten together every Thursday for the last few weeks to let the kids play. She has a 12 year old from a previous marriage and a one year old. Her kids are great and we are even talking about exchanging babysitting so we each can go out occasionally. This would be a wonderful solution and an answer to prayers. Please pray that our friendship continues to grow and we find great value in each other.

There is a new Trader Joe's opening up in the Olympia area. I'm planning on applying for a job there today so please think extra thoughts around 2 or 3pm that I will do well and leave a good impression. They are only allowing in person applications so I'm hoping that will mean I get an onsite and immediate interview. I know I have the skills it's just getting people to get past the physical appearance. It shouldn't be that way but I know that my weight has factored into people's hiring decisions. Hopefully, my personality will outshine everything. I'm getting a bit nervous. It has been a while since I've had to interact with other adults in a professional manner. I hope I'm not too rusty today. Anyway, I'll let everyone know how it goes.

A few Cute Pictures

We caught Sam actually falling asleep with his teddy bear. So cute!

"Get the camera Mom! Look I have THREE hats!"

This one is my favorite. Dwayne and I all of a sudden hear Sam yelling at the top of his lungs, "Yee Haw!" We turn around to see him like this.

Help with my soup.

Evie is getting so big. She seems to have gained even more personality these last couple of weeks and I'm always amazed at her vocabulary for her age. She rarely makes mistakes with her words. She doesn't do complete sentences most of the time and her words can be a little slurry or hard to understand but the sounds are always in the right order. So it made me giggle to hear her asking for help with her soup at dinner. We weren't having soup today. It was fish, rice, and corn. I finally realized that she was wanting help with her fork! All utensils apparently are spoons which are pronounced soups. I hope I can remember these small things when they get older. I'm amazed at how quickly they are growing.

Doing Better

The last few days have been a trial of patience. I have been off emotionally and that doesn't leave much room for patience with the kids. I am happy to report I am doing much much better now and I'm feeling like my old self again. Thanks to everyone who listened to me and offered words of wisdom to help me get by. I've been doing a little soul searching to figure out why I am disastisfied and have come to several conclusions. I also asked myself, of those things, what are the items I can control and do something about? One of the big pressures for me and our household is our financial situation. We are just getting by. All the bills get paid and we have food on the table but there is absolutely nothing left. Most often I can't fill my vehicle with gas so I'm stuck at home. I can't spontaneously bring home pizza for dinner or take my kids to the pool or buy ice cream or any of those small things that are enjoyable. If something drastic should happen we are screwed. I realized that I can help with this and having a little extra cash would be very helpful. So I'm going to start to look for a part-time evening or weekend job. I have already put in an application with Wal-Mart and will be sending more applications out there soon. I have decided that the kids are still my first priority so if I can't find a job that will work around my being home with them then it wasn't meant to be and I'll keep trudging on. I think a part-time job will help with my sanity a bit too. I have been feeling so isolated and alone. I don't have any girlfriends or other adults to talk to or hang out with. I recently met a woman at the church that I feel comfortable with and we went for a walk yesterday. It was so nice to get outside and I hope that we develop a good friendship. Keep us in your prayers as I pursue this new avenue for work and that the right position will fall into our laps.

The Tattling Has Begun

Yesterday was one of those days that Mommies are so glad when they are finished. It started out bad enough when I had a dentist appointment at 7 am in the morning. I'm grateful our dentist has extended hours so Dwayne doesn't have to miss much work but it sure does make an early morning. Luckily, there were no new cavities so I don't have to worry about new dental work for another 6 months. I got home and did my usual morning chores and then sat down on my computer to check email, etc. All of a sudden behind me, I hear Sam screaming at Evie to get off him. I turn around to see her lying on her brother and ignoring my instructions to get off him. This behavior continued all morning long, with one or the other picking on the other one just to hear them scream. This isn't an unusual occurrence but my patience yesterday was non-exsistent. I was about to pop. So I started calling around to all my cousins, family, etc. just to do something to distract me from doing something I would regret later. Unfortunately, everyone was busy. Don't you realize that you must drop everything when I call and need you? *Sigh.* It did finally calm down when I put Evie down for her nap. I stuck Sam in front of the TV and I vegged in front of the computer for a couple hours. (Yes, I used the TV as a babysitter and I have no regrets!) The afternoon went much more calmly and I was able to take their antics more in stride. I think they got over most of their obnoxiousness towards each other because I didn't hear screaming half as often as the morning.

I finally regained my sense of humor towards dinner time especially as I had convinced Dwayne to bring home good ole Mc D's for dinner. I was busy folding laundry when all of a sudden I hear from across the house Sam yelling at me, "Mooooommmmmmyyyy! Evie is not being nice to the cat!!!!" I chuckled to myself as I realized Sam has reached a new milestone. The tattling has begun!

4th of July

Sorry I'm so late updating this blog. I've been really busy getting ready for the holiday weekend and I haven't been feeling well the last couple of days. I tried to do an update last night but the website was acting up and I didn't have the patience to give it another shot. We had a wonderful weekend though it was a bit hot for our tastes. Dianne and Terry came up Friday and we spent the day doing as much precooking and prepping for the BBQ as we could so we could enjoy ourselves on Saturday. Dwayne was able to have Friday off as well so it was nice to have him around for 3 days.

Saturday, Dave and Charlene and their boys came up to visit and stay the night. We spent time just trying to stay cool and watched a couple movies. We BBQ'd some hamburgers and hotdogs with all the fixins and I made a huge potato salad. I always plan too much food but that is ok because now I won't need to cook for a couple of nights. I just have to find a couple new ways to serve leftovers. I tried to have Sam take a nap in the afternoon and he stayed in his room but I'm not convinced he actually napped. He gave those up a long time ago. But at least he relaxed for a little bit. We let them stay up extra late to see a few fireworks for us. We didn't do anything special. Just some snakes, sparklers, and groundblooms. Sam wasn't sure about this whole thing. He thought they were exciting but you could tell he was a little nervous about them. Especially when one of the groundblooms shot straight towards where he was sitting. He asked to be held pretty much from then on. I was going to try and keep them up even later so they could see all the big ones being shot in the sky but they (and Mom) were pretty much done after our little bit. So into a bath and bed. They went straight to sleep and didn't even move most of the night even when all the other fireworks were going off around us.

Watching the fireworks from the sidelines.

Sunday, I got up and made everyone a large stack of pancakes and then everyone took off pretty quickly after that. They wanted to hit the road while it was a little early and before the worst of the holiday traffic hit. We all had a great time and I am grateful they stopped by to come and see us. Hopefully, next year we will have a little more money and take advantage of living in Washington with some cool fireworks we can shoot in the air.