Grandma Afton has arrived!

It's official!  Grandma Afton has moved out of her home and into our home.  We made sure she had many of her own things around her to make her as comfortable as possible... her own bed and bedding, her lamp and bedside table, her own incredible lift chair with its side table and lamp, her cassette players, photos of her and Grandpa Joe, etc. -- and, of course, BB - her beloved cat!  We also made sure the Blind Commission was notified of her change of address so she can continue to receive her books on tape.  And we are especially grateful that 3 of the 6 caregivers that she had at her home agreed to continue on at our home.

Michele loaded up Mom in her car to bring her over this afternoon, and as they were backing out of the driveway, Mom murmured, "Good-bye, house!"  That comment always brings a tear to my eye when I think about it -- after all, that was home for her since 1965 - nearly 50 years!  WOW - lots of memories there.  I transported BB in my car in a pet crate, and she traveled pretty well.  Sprinkling catnip inside the crate on top of her blanket helped!  You know ... feline valium!  Ahem.

We are settling into a good routine, and Mom seems to be pretty happy - she's had her good days and not-so-good days, as to be expected.  I asked if she missed her old house, and she said no.  I suppose it's because she doesn't worry any more about the furnace or the air conditioner, or other things that may break down from time to time.

The master bedroom suite is so perfect for her.  Not only is her queen sized bed in there, but another queen sized bed is in there as well, for her overnight helpers, with lots of room to spare.

We also have a drop-leaf table and chair, a TV on a stand, and a comfy chair-and-a-half for TV watching (if the caregivers opt to do so).  

And Mom is just steps away from the bathroom.  We installed a couple of grab bars, which makes her feel very safe and confident to take care of business.  The walk-in shower is working well, too.  Just a matter of getting used to it, and talking Mom into showering a couple of times a week.  Still spunky and stubborn!

It took BB about a week to get used to a different space.  But she finally came around and was up on Mom's lap, as usual. 

 

All in all, the move has been positive, and we feel so blessed to have her in our home now.  Be sure to give her a phone call, or come to visit from time to time!  She still loves company - always the party girl!

Winners!!

This last Saturday Jayson, Shane and their friend George Risenmay participated as a team in a 6 hour motorcycle enduro-race. They traveled up to Goldendale, Washington to Starvation Ridge and arrived in the afternoon. The race started at 4:00pm. The guys decided to each take turns doing a lap and they ended up doing 4 laps each. Each lap took about 30 minutes to complete, racing on rough desert trails. George took the first lap and didn't get a very good start and was about second to last. Then Jayson was up, rode hard and passed a bunch of guys. When he got done with his lap the board said he was in the lead! Shane went next and they continued on into the night and we're able to stay in the lead and they totally WON 1st place in their class!!!! They all did amazing and each  guy got an awesome trophy. I'm so proud and happy that he had fun and did well! 

They didn't take any pictures, but here is Jayson with his trophy! 

...so the race website just posted final results and out of 36 teams that participated in all, our guys came in 7th!!!!  They'll definitely be moving up in their class and I'm so proud of Jayson! He's awesome.   😉

Slimer!

I have a love-hate relationship with this teether-feeder.  Suzy loves it!  It kept Ethan fed when he refused to eat from a spoon.  But...the slimy-ness...I love that she can feed herself somewhat-- her coordination still needs some work!  Yes, she likes to wipe her banana-slime hands off in her hair.  The gooey mess is cute in pictures....Haha. Trying to stay positive:). 

Pure Joy

She would be on the swing set at the park all day if it were up to her. She loves it!

Bike Ride with Nana & Papa

Today was such a pretty day we decided we needed to go for a bike ride.  So I called Nana & Papa and we loaded up the bikes and headed downtown.  We rode from Ann Morrison park to municipal park.  Then we walked through the MK Nature Center.  It was the perfect afternoon.

After our ride Nana and Papa treated us all to dinner.  What a fun day together!

Mr. Chub

Best in the West

So Josh has been wanting to get get back in shape and thought that signing up for something would be good motivation. Then he wanted a buddy. So he decided to sign himself and Jayson up for a TRIATHLON!! Okay, it's a triathlon sprint so not as long, but that is still a 500m swim, 12 mile bike and 5k run. Josh trained a little bit, last month? Jayson had decided not to do it ... and then the weekend came (Sept. 6), Josh did some begging and they ended up doing it!! I am SO impressed with these guys! swimming isn't their forte and it was LONG but they made it, then they killed it in the biking - passing tons of people, then ran the 5k with only a little walking!

Way to go guys for completing a triathlon!

Canning season

Just finishing up canning season.  Mandy and I did 41 quarts of peaches and 14 quarts of grape juice last week and today I am canning pears… Dad says Yum

Braden is FIVE!!

I am so grateful for all of the people who love our kids and make them feel special. Bray has really been counting down to his birthday this year. It can be tough for this kid-- he's the middle child, the only one whose birthday is not in July, and Bray is only just beginning to understand time. (Tomorrow can mean forever and if he's talking about the past, yesterday was "when I was three.")  But HIS birthday finally came and you could not have found a happier guy!:).  Braden got all dressed in his favorite skinny jeans and dinosaur sweater (even though it was still triple digits outside!). We opened presents with the aunt and uncles, ate the cupcakes he picked out, and had a great time. One comment I remember grandma  making is how sweet and grateful Bray was for each present. He got up and have hugs to everyone after he opened each gift. Love this kid. 

At age 5 Braden:

Favorite color: blue

Favorite cereal: almond honey bunches of oats or as he calls it "seed cereal"

Favorite games: zingo, playing spy ninjas with his brother, riding his new bike-- he never takes his hand off of it haha! Bray can be very possessive at times!

Best friends:  Davis Wisan, Calvin, Ian, Zackary, Ellie, Rode

Favorite foods: pizza, quesadillas, salad with ranch, candy, his "special milk" -- vanilla almond milk 

Favorite movies: loves his new Wallace and Grommit and Tarzan movies, The Incredibles, Ratatouille

Costco

I have recently discovered that when I need an ego boost, I can just take the kids to Costco and suddenly I am the best mom ever!  A bite of foot-long hotdog and a sip of soda has an amazing affect on my children!  Yesterday I hauled all five in the enormous shopping cart, we had some lunch, bought diapers, wipes, spinach, etc. and it was actually pretty fun.  The boys ran around a little, but stayed close to me, Suzy was happy in her car seat, and everyone loved the free samples!  With a mouth full of food Ethan exclaimed, "Thanks mom. Dis is da BEthST!"   

My favorite part though was this sweet old man just as we were pulling up to the check out line. The boys were getting on my nerves and I'm sure he could tell I was beginning to tire. I apologized for being in his way and he just smiled and said, "No problem!  I have four of my own and 10 grandchildren so I know how it is."  Then the lady just behind us in line struck up a conversation with Brooklynn and commented on how cute they all are. Little kindnesses like that are just the best.

200 miles self supported...whew

This past weekend we had a great ride from Plummer Idaho up and over the continental divide staying in Harrison and Wallace and riding the Hiawatha Trail

Great ride… Great friends… Great time

Thanks to Lisa...I will try to catch up and do more blog entries.  Didn't know I could do this from my phone... 

First day of school

Whew! We made it.

First day of school was a success! Jett is in 5th and Tucker in 3rd this year and both were excited to go back to PHA to see old friends and teachers and enjoy their new classes and make new friends. Dallas is in  kindergarten this year with his twin cousins, with Grandma as their teacher! He has been sooo excited for school! This year I also get to teach the last 2 hours of school at PHA doing 4th grade math and 3/4 history. So our schedule is crazyish but it's amazing how
things work out. The boys get up early and get a ride at 7:10. Then Karen swings by after teaching her history class, at 9:30 to pick up Dallas and Charlotte to take them to Clarissa's where they have the cutest little school room set up for the boys and Clarissa watches the girls. Then I take off to teach my classes and carpool a load of kids home and then pick up my littles. I'm missing the nice easy summer days, but having a schedule will be great and all these cuties are excited for the new school year! 

(Charlotte's pic was last minute as she reminded me that she needed a picture too!)

Stealin' Away to Cali- Labor Day Weekend

Jason has been working 14+ hour days and Saturdays the last three weeks. So, we decided we needed some family time. The cabin was already claimed, so I found some killer deals for hotel rooms (new fan of booking.com!!), we packed the van to the hilt, strapped two strollers to the roof, and headed for California!  This is the first vacation we've taken with just our family. It was so fun to be together and make memories with the kids.  Ahhhh...

When we arrived at the hotel the kids were super excited. Trying to stretch our dollar and having such little ones, we got one room with two double beds and squashed all seven of us in there!  It was a mad house but the kids loved it. 

Our first adventure was the San Diego Zoo. Jason and I both love zoos. Whenever I go to places like this I find myself in awe of the glorious and beautiful earth we have the privilege to inhabit. It makes me want to be a better steward.

Two strollers and five kids-  yeah we can pave our way through a crowd. :)

After "WOW"-ing our way through the reptile house and finding the king cobra for Jake, next stop was the flamingos.  Flamingos are so funny. I always remember how grandpa Joe used to tell us that "their knees are on backwards!"

I love the great apes. There is something so noble about them. 

My favorite is the orangutan. Yeah, he knows he's sexy.  I imagine that he's a wise old man but doesn't take himself too seriously. One of the zoo volunteers told us that his name is Satu, which means #1 in Sumatra. 

I love how close you feel to the animals in this zoo. Their enclosures really are amazing. 

Are these Santa's reindeer??

Nap time. By this time the kids were pretty well worn out. We saw a few more things, but when Braden started begging for a nap, we figured it was time to find a place to eat dinner and head back to the hotel. 

Day two was the beach. The last time we went to the beach, Jacob was not quite walking. Needless to say, the kids had a blast!

Braden and Jacob spent the majority of their time chasing and screaming at the waves. Everyone got sooo sandy and had so much fun. 

Ethan did a face plant at one point and got sand up his nose and stuck to his scalp!  Chips made up for it though:) 

Suzy knows how to enjoy a day at the beach.

We wore the kids completely out!:)

First Day of First Grade

I was actually a bit lonely this week--Jacob is in full day school now!  But it was really nice to just have time with Bray, not in competition with his older brother. :). Jake was a little nervous at first, but once  he saw a few familiar faces he jumped right in. Jake is in a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd mixed class and his teacher this year is Miss Rivera.  I'm excited for him to be challenged and I have heard only good things about Miss Rivera.  Regardless of all this, when I picked him up from his first day, Jacob exclaimed, "I didn't like school, I LOVED it!!"  Love this kid.