Random fact #11

Ok so this more of a real confession than random fact #11.

I was a high school cheerleader. I did both football and basketball. Most people when I tell them hardly believe me on this. Mainly because I am sooo not a cheerleader type. I am not proud of this, but it is what it is.

So there I have come clean :)

Some nights to this day I wake up in a sweat because I can't remember all the moves to the fight song. Theres something very wrong with me.

More Father's day stuff

Ok I know I already did a big Ode to Father's day, but some of the pictures I put on didn't show up, so I had a couple more I wanted to put on. So think of this as an extension of the last post :)

Happy Father's day

Because I had so much fun digging through old pictured for my Mother's day collage, I wanted to do the same for Father's day too.

So here's to all the fathers today. To my own Dad who taught me how to bait a treble hook, splice a cassette tape, start a campfire using only lighter fluid (Don't try this at home, his eyebrows are just now beginning to grow back), create an entire meal using only red meat products, and correctly install a home theater system.

Also to my Father in law, Grandpas, uncles, but most of all my own Husband. You all have done an incredible job at providing for your families and heading up these families in the best way that you know how. I thank you for taking care of us all so well!

Happy Father's day!!

Movies in the park

 

 

So last night I promised Bug that he and I were going to do something just the two of us. As anyone that has more than one child, it is really hard to find one on one time with each child without there being hard feelings of "why did you take them and not me?" So bug and I sort of had to do some sneaking around so that Sunshine wouldn't feel left out.

We went to a movie in the park. It is something that community services are putting up all over around here. It is a giant inflatable movie screen . Much like a drive in screen. They set up in parks or in this case in an elementary school field. Bug and I just brought our lawn chairs, some blankets and a flashlight and set up. The movie started at dusk, which for us was about 9:30. We got there pretty early, so Bug found other kids to play with instantly and took off for the playground. That left me in total solitude. Luckily I brought a book. It was fantastic. I got to read a book (without pictures) without interruption for well over an hour while sitting in the setting sun. It was really nice.

The movie they showed was "Bee movie". It is always a family friendly movie. We had a really nice time. Although it was a bit nippy. Next time we need to pack more blankets.

We will be seeking these out and going to these as often as we can.

Oh and did I mention the entire thing was free? I guess that goes without saying.

To find out more about this program click here

Ahhh! The sound of rushing water...

 

 

 

 

So the past couple days we have noticed this sound in our house. It was very faint, but got more and more noticable. It sounded like someone had left a sink running or something. As the water consumption in this house is staggering, we usually just write it off as "oh it is the dishwasher or clothes wacher or someone just flushed the toilet" Water is in constant use around here. (we are horrible citizens of earth, I know but work it out. I'm trying my best here)Usually those things are the culperate.

But yesterday morning we awoke to "the sound". It sounded like someone had turned the outside hose on full blast and then just walked away.

My husband got up and got ready for work at normal time. By 6:30 he was walking out the door , when he heard ...."the sound". He pinpointed the source of it and realized we had a bit of a problem on our hands. He then called in to work, changed his clothes and got to work digging up the front yard.

It turns out an "on/off" valve has broken it's seal and was spraying water. Problem with this is....it was about 4 feet under ground. So he spent the better part of his morning digging a giant hole in our front yard. Then came the hard part. The actual plumbing issues. Considering we can't really afford to pay some plumber $200 an hour just to come out and fix a valve, he went online and learned how to do it himself. He also called his Dad out for a second opinion. Between the two of them, they figured out the problem, fixed the problem and even got to work a blow torch. How cool is that?

Only problem with all of this, is that we had no water for the better part of the day. You would think that Bug was in heaven. Being able to pee in the back yard and not get in trouble for it. AWESOME!!!

Anyhow, problem is solved. No more leaks or sprays or anything like it. Also water is back on and we are just going to have to pee indoors again.

Just when the fun was beginning.

Done pooped out

 

So a couple days ago I met up with a friend and we took a trip up to the zoo. It's one of the nice perks of zoo membership is that I get in 2 people free when I go with them. So I guess in a way it is sort of bribery to get people to hang out with us. But whatever it takes :)

We had fun though. We packed a lunch and just made a day of it.

The ride home however got really quiet. I looked back and saw one of the best sights a mom can see. All three of them were crashed out and catching flies. This is not something that I see very often. Peanut, sure. Sunshine, sometimes. But Bug never sleeps in the car. Well, I guess never say never. It does happen sometimes, but it is very rare. Of course as soon as I pulled into the driveway, the spell was broken and they were all cranky and at each other's throats. But I at least have this picture to show that every now and then when the stars allign just right, all of them will sleep. All at once I mean :)

Last day of school

 

Well here begins our summer without the buffer of school to work (with) around. Bug was really sad to leave his teacher Ms. Keizur. She really spent a lot of one on one time with him through out the year and sadly won't be here next year. Bug had a hard time saying good bye, but this just a normal part of the school experience. She will be missed.

The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree

 

 

 

So today Bug had a big "end of year" award ceremony at his school. They gave out special awards for kids that have gone above and beyond in specific areas. Bug's area of expertise...no surprise here, achievement in Technology. He has been the class "webmaster" for the whole year. He has been in charge of getting the computers set up and helping the other kids in his class navigate their way through the computer programs that they use.

He got a certificate and got to go up and shake the principal's hand. it was a big honor and he was pretty proud of himself. I am proud of him too.

Although it really is no surprise his instant knowledge of technology. Considering his Dad is a programmer and in this house someone is on a computer at all hours of the day. I guess it is no wonder.

Unfortunately because of this love of his, I see a 20 sided die and not a lot of dates in his future.

It's almost here!!!

 

Ok I really don't have anything profound to say here. I just realized that we only have 13 days left until we leave for Hawaii!!

SQUEEL!!!!

So excited!!

The big work day

So Sunday was the first day in about 3 weeks where it hasn't rained. Apparently we have somehow stumbled into bizzaro world where the month of June-uary reins. We have had an unusual cold spell the past several weeks. In fact the news tonight predicted snow in the foot hills tomorrow. Whatever. In Oregon, you just never know what you are going to get. So when a nice weekend day comes along, you pack as much yard work in as you can into the time you have because who knows when the next opportunity will come along.

So that is exactly what we did on Sunday. We had a giant juniper bush that we have hated since the day we moved into this house 7 years ago. So it was time to give it the ax. Literally.

As you may or may not know, juniper is a beast to get out. The roots are big and run deep. But with a whole lot of pulling and some digging and when all else failed, some whacking away with an ax, that dumb thing finally gave way. We planted a bunch of hydrangeas in it's place. They look a whole lot nicer. We actually had a pretty nice time working outside. Go figure. The kids ran and played and dug for bugs. Sunshine felt the dire need to sweep every inch of our driveway. It kept her busy for about an hour. Whatever works I guess.

Rock star husband even got up on the roof and trimmed one of our trees. It's a big deal for him as he hates heights. I think he's only been on our roof once before to hang Christmas lights. (It only happened one year and they stayed on for three years) So I certainly felt the need to document the occasion :)