Argh! I really hate blogs. I can't get the text to go up by the pictures. It worked the time before. Go figure. Bleck.

The kids are OFF to school! Sarah started the 8th grade today, and Spencer started 5th grade. Wah! Next year I'll have a high schooler and a middle schooler, yikes! They were both raring to go and excited. Sarah gets to take high-school level geometry because she got a high score on the MAPS test (an assessment test given in Washington State), and Spanish, which she's excited about. Oh, and science. Not sure how excited she is about that one, LOL. Oh, and another year of honors English. Spencer has a teacher that Sarah had when she was in 3rd grade and just starting in the gifted program. Mrs. Devine moved up to teach 5th grade two years ago and seems to be really good with the older kids, too. Here are the pics: the kids chose their (new) outfits, both have new backpacks, and Spencer has a new lunchbox. Sarah wanted to have lunch in a plain brown sack this year because she has to carry her books around the whole time after lunch, and the actual lunchbox was awkward. That's okay by me ...

We are back from the Oregon Coast trip. Tired, cranky, and I'm sick. Sinus infection, ear infection, and bronchitis. Lovely! I didn't sleep much the whole time we were at the coast. The bed was too squishy and Alan's every movement made it shake. LOL. Oh well! At least I got into the doctor and hopefully will be feeling better soon. I certainly have enough to do to keep me busy without being sick on top of it all! Apollo (the royal cat) missed us horribly. Emily came over and kept him fed and his litter box cleaned out, but still, he missed his people! (He owns us, don't ya know.) Sarah is off to Beehive Camp at Ensign Ranch for the whole week. I miss her already and she's only been gone one night! Hope she's okay. I think the whole week long vacation and leaving the day after we got back was a little much. I tried to convince the gang to leave on Saturday so we could rest a day but I was overruled. Figures!

Oh, and the picture is of the kiddos on our last day at the beach! They had a good time, so I'm glad for them. Me, that's another story, but oh well. Save that for another post!

I am so horrible at this blogging. I really need to do better!! My sweet kids are out of school now, have been for a month. When does it start again?!! I love them but they are not doing exactly what *I* had planned for the summer. Here's a picture of Spencer with his teacher on the next-to-last day of school. They were pretending to be grumpy! We will really miss Mrs. Bales, she's been a great teacher to both Sarah and Spencer! She and her husband are taking a year off and having a sailing adventure up the Canadian coast. I'm just so glad I got to know her better this year when I volunteered in the computer lab. She's a great lady!

My sweet Sarah got glasses late in February. Here's a picture of her in them. I think she looks pretty cute ... older too! Which I'm not all that happy about, actually. But she's doing great in school and church and is turning into a great young lady!

You Are From Neptune

You are dreamy and mystical, with a natural psychic ability. You love music, poetry, dance, and (most of all) the open sea. Your soul is filled with possibilities, and your heart overflows with compassion. You can be in a room full of friendly people and feel all alone. If you don't get carried away with one idea, your spiritual nature will see you through anything.

What Planet Are You From?

I really do mean to post more often than this. Just isn't happening right now! It's been a busy summer and the start of school makes it worse, I think. Plus today the kids are both sick. Well, Sarah went to school, but Spencer started throwing up last night and so I kept him home. He's had it the other end too, lovely huh? Plus I don't feel really great either. I was up with him most of the night and got about an hour's sleep, maybe. Bleh. He seems to be doing a bit better. He hasn't thrown up for about 4 hours, so fingers crossed this is the end. He's really pale for him, though, and that worries me. But I've been giving him Pedialyte and some Sprite to drink and so far he's kept it down okay.

Other than that, same old same old. Sarah started 7th grade and Spencer started the 4th grade. They are growing up so fast! I don't want my babies to get so grownup! Here are some pictures of them on the first day of school.

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted! It's July 2, and I am so far behind it isn't funny anymore! The kids got out of school on June 9 and it seems like we've just been going and going since then. Next week they're due to start swimming lessons (a 3-week session), then we're going to the Oregon Coast for a week on the family vacation. Then Sarah goes to girl's camp for the first time, and then school will be starting shortly after that! Where does the time go?

It is absolutely POURING here today. Reminds me of the weather on Saturday when we drove back from Seaside. Thursday and Friday in Seaside were absolutely gorgeous, warm, sunny, wonderful spring break weather. Saturday morning we woke up to weather that made me wonder when Noah was going to pull up with the ark. But we had fun anyway. We went to the aquarium which is just a small aquarium but it was neat to look around. The best part was the opportunity for the kids to feed the seals! Then we went to Pig n' Pancake (a local restaurant that I can't say enough good things about!) and had lunch, then headed home. It was good to get back, to see Apollo (the king of the household) and to sleep in my own bed. Hotel beds are really horrible!

Here I am, back again. Lots of things going on around here. I've been sick (still!), had a bad cold and possible sinus infection but I'm trying to fight it off without a doctor's visit. We've had a winter storm sweep through and have had winds gusting (today) up to 35 mph. Lovely. But it's a fact of life living here. Years ago when the Hanford Site was first operational, the workers used to call these winds "termination winds", because so many of the workers would quit after the first big windstorm. Of course back then there was much less development so there was a lot more dust and dirt that blew around. I admire the women who stuck it out, I really do!

I'm a scrapbooker, trying to organize myself. I'm also a quilter, sewer, crocheter, and cross-stitcher. Do I have too many hats on? (Probably.) I really need to get cracking though on some projects that I have started for gifts. I have a ton of things in progress (unfinished objects aka UFOs) that just need a touch more work to be done. Maybe I'll use this blog as my motivation ... Here's a digital layout I did of my daughter Sarah and her cousin Kathryn. We were at one of the local cemeteries on Memorial Day last year and the girls just spontaneously posed for me. Cute kids, huh?

This is the year of mysterious illnesses, I guess. I ended up in urgent care last Sunday after two days of itchy scalp, swollen glands, and high fever (up to 104 F at one point). I don't normally even hit 98.6 F for my "normal" temperature. Turned out I had TWO things going on; I had a bad case of seborritic dermatitis on the scalp. Something irritated the scalp and the itching was a result of the irritation. The doctor gave me a prescription strength shampoo (Nizoral) and told me to take two Benadryl every 4-6 hours for the itching. Good news, it's much better. Bad news, Benadryl does *not* help me sleep through the itching. I had several sleepless nights until the irritation went down. The second thing I had was the swollen glands and fever, unrelated to the itching as far as we can tell. I just got really lucky (insert sarcasm here) and got two for the price of one! Anyhow, after nearly a week on antibiotics I am finally feeling better (finally!)

Went to lunch with my sister Diane on Friday. We went to this sandwich place called Brucchi's. Yum-OH, as Rachael Ray would say (my favorite TV chef)! We both had the manager's special which was a marinated chicken caesar sub, with the most delicious fries, and drinks. Really, really good! Diane knows all the good places to eat. Funny that I've lived here for 14+ years (well, really in the area all my life, just in this city 14+ years), and she and Sam have been here since what, October, yet they know all the good places to eat. Tells you what a boring life I am living, LOL.

I don't think I mentioned it yet, but both my kids are smart little buggers. Sarah is in the 6th grade and is in the enrichment program, which means she's in higher-than-grade-level courses in English, Reading, and Math. She got a 3.90 on her semester report card that came out a week or so ago. Before that, she spent three years in the elementary school gifted program in our school district and did great there as well. Spencer tested for the gifted program last year, and started this year (third grade). His latest progress report says he's doing well both academically and socially. We worried about the social aspect because he went into the program without knowing anybody else there. (Sarah had a good friend from church who was there already so she had somebody to hang out with.) But he's acclimating well, and has been invited to a "boys movie night" this weekend at one of his classmate's house. Should be *very* interesting. LOL. Better her than me, I say! All those BOYS!

I would hope I post more often than this, but things have a way of ganging up on me lately! Thought I'd write a short bit today about our beautiful cat, Apollo. He was named by the animal adoption group we got him from in August of 2004. The woman there told us they named him Apollo because he was the most handsome kitten in the litter and he knew it. LOL. He still does, by the way. He's quite a character, and quite the mama's boy too. I'm his favorite human in the house. I think DH scares him (big, bad man, you know), Sarah is pretty good with him but he's not altogether sure about her sometimes. Spencer, well, he's an almost 9 year old boy so you can guess what his priorities are! Nice and gentle and kind to the cat are not high on his list. Here's a pretty recent picture of Apollo on one of his favorite chairs (note the towels providing extra cushioning. They were clean before he decided to plop on them.).

Our Family - This is the picture we used for our Christmas cards this year. Taken in late November 2005 at MIL's house.

Well, this is my very first blog post. Yikes! I don't really know where to start. I guess I will just say that I am excited to venture into this new world and hope I don't make a fool of myself, LOL.