A week in review!

This past week has been a real mixture of experiences for sure!!

Where do I start?..... All six of us came down with "the crud" as it is affectionately know here. During that time, my washing machine broke, the VCR broke, the van is still "broke", the dog ran away only to be picked up on the highway by a concerned citizen and taken to the pound. I dropped an open jar of mayonnaise on the floor (you can imagine what my kitchen looked like after that), I scorched one of my nice saucepans cooking rice, then let it scorch again when I was trying to get the original burnt stuff off!! The dog had a serious case of diarrhea......do I need to go on? I really really REALLY miss my MOM & DAD!!

BUT after all the trials we also have good things to report... good friends who will go and rescue the dog from the pound (thanks Kristina!). New bunk beds, play time in the snow, good news from the pediatric cardiologist that Adams heart murmur is nothing to worry about, nice family walk on Saturday, coffee with friends, a couple of sunny days, time at the playground, time alone at the grocery store, Auntie Chris who looked after the kids so I could go to the grocery store, a wonderful husband who is always there with a hug and a "it'll be OK honey"!!

"I just need a break, just two minutes.."

Ok, for all of you Moms that just sometimes need 2 minutes break, here are some creative way to safely contain your children......

Dog Kennels work well........

but if that doesn't quite cut it.......

the dryer is an effective place.....

and if all else fails....

...stick them in front of the TV and let Bob the Builder babysit!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY GRANDPARENTS WHO HAVE BEEN MARRIED 60YRS TODAY!

I have so many great memories of my growing up years. David & I would spend the summers with Nana & Nandad down in Wales. Horse riding, trout fishing, picking fresh vegetables, playing games, visits to the beach and picking blackberries..... We have been so blessed to have such a great relationship with our Grandparents. They are a perfect example of sticking things out, even through tough times. We love you and wish we could be with you to celebrate today :)

Snow Storm

Well, things are pretty wintery here in Ketchikan. We are expecting a big snow storm tonight, that is expected to dump up to 18 inches of snow. Here is my deck railing right now, we'll see how it looks in the morning!! The wind is really picking up, and the sky is really gray, so maybe this time the weather man will be right.

Big Helpers

Saturday was a good day for the kids. The boys went to the job site to "help" Daddy dig!! When they arrived home we had to peel their clothes off, but that's ok, they are boys!! As for the twins, they are VERY helpful in numerous ways, as you can see, they love to help feed the dog (they sometimes get it in the bowl), they also love to help finish up their borthers dinner leftovers.

Time Away

As most of you know, my parents are in Florida for a 3 month sabbatical. It will be good for them to have time away. We are blessed to have Paul & Wanda Radford here for that time. Mom & Dad have a pretty busy schedule for the first few weeks. My Nana & Aunt are currently there, visiting from Britain. After their two week stay, my Mom & dad are driving up to DC to fly out themselves to Britiain to celebrate my Grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. They fly back to DC and spend a couple of days with the Maloneys, and then drive back to Florida making a couple of stops on the way. Whew!! I think after that packed 4 or 5 weeks they will be staying put for the rest of their time. We are going down to visit them at them end of April.

So, in light of the fact that they are gone for so long, I will probably be posting lots of kids pics on the blog!! Hopefully you don't get too bored, but the Grandparents interests come first :)

The Boys

Blogworthy pics!

Things have been pretty quiet here over the last week or so, well, as quiet as things can be with 4 children running around. All four were sick with the cold cough yuck bug, but are doing better now. Jaden ran into a little trouble last weekend, when he fell and split his head open. Thankfully we know a wonderful nurse that makes house calls, so she came over and glued it together!

I put Leah's hair in pigtails for the first time! They stayed in for about 30 seconds, at least long enough for me to get a picture. Of course Evan wanted his done too, I obliged much to Daddys dismay!!

Jenn left this week for Chicago and then on to D.C. to visit with her parents, Dave is joining her there. Mom & Dad leave for Florida this week, for 3 months. We are hoping to go down and visit at some point, it would be nice to get some warm sunshine.

Anyway, enough rambling, enjoy the pics.

:)

Sunny Day!!!

YAY!! We finally saw the sun today after many, many, MANY long days without a peek!! We took advantage of the day and spent some time outside in the yard. The twins didn't quite know what to do with all of the open space and fresh air :) It was very refreshing to be able to take them outside and do something different!

Ooka Doo!

Last week, Evan came up with a new word "ooka doo". Of course as most parents know, trying to translate toddler talk into the English language can sometimes be a challenge. Finally after much pointing on Evans part and much frustration on ours we figured out "Ooka Doo" is Uncle Dave!!

David has been called a number of things over the years, "Da" "D" "Uncle D" and finally Jaden & Adam settled on plain old "Uncle Dave". I have to say that Evan definitely wins the prize for most original pronunciation of Uncle Dave.

Young Adults

Over the last four years Jasen & I have had the privilege of being involved in leading the young adults group at our church. When we took over leadership, the majority were single, and there were no babies in the picture other than Jaden. My, have things changed!! It has been such a joy for us to be involved with these people, they have been so much fun, and have all grown so much. As a group we have fund raised, retreated, had fellowship over meals, traveled to Mexico on a missions trip, had lots of laughs, seen some tears (mostly on the girls side!) and made lasting friendships.

So, now we reach a point of "we are not young adults anymore"!! We figured once babies started appearing in bulk, it was time for us to move on. Jasen & I prayed over this decision and sought council from leadership. Many of the young adults were also beginning to feel the need to really get plugged into the church body, commit to bible studies and prayer meetings, essentially "grow up". Jasen & I will always be available to this group, and they all know that. We are praying the the older people in our congregation would step up and encourage these ones in their walks, and give them the support and encouragement they need. There are so many that already do that and we are very thankful for them.

Tonight we all got together for dinner at our house, and formally "disbanded" the current young adult group. Unfortunately, the Cookes were not with us, but they have been such a big part of things, they can;t go unmentioned!! We pray that one of these young couples may feel the burden to take on the "real" young adults of our congregation, those without spouses and children!!

FUDGCICLE FACES!!!

IT'S GREAT TO BE A KID!!

It's Official!

Well, effective February 2nd Jasen will no longer be a State of Alaska employee. He officially handed in his notice today. This step is a huge one for us, but one we know is right and will be good for our family. Please pray for us through the transition, I'm sure there will be some "moments"!

Jasen has been on leave for the past month working on an extensive project for my parents. It will take him through the end of February first part of March. We are getting everything lined up for his business, there is alot to think about, but it is coming together :)

Happy Birthday Adam!

Four years ago today, I was laying in a hospital bed totally shocked that we had another little boy....we all thought Adam was going to be a girl! He has been such a joy for us to watch grow, he is such a sweet boy, with a tender personality, and quite the character too!!

Party pics to follow tomorrow!!

Tennessee (just for Ted!)

Two weeks before Christmas, Jasen headed down to Nashville Tennessee for his friend Ted's wedding. The breeder we bought Macy from was also in the area, so he picked her (the dog, not the breeder!) up the same weekend.

It was Jasens first visit to Nashville. There is such a huge emphasis on music which he enjoyed, and the people there were very warm and friendly. I think it is definitely a place we will put on our "places to consider moving to" list when the time comes!

He got to do a little sightseeing, he toured The Gaylord Opry Hotel, which was incredible. He also took a couple of hours to walk around downtown Nashville at night and listen to the different live bands play. Next time, I get to go!!

Welcome to Wickerts Salon!

It has definitely been a stylin' weekend at our house. The twins got their first real haircut, and the dog got her first bath!

Before...

During...

....and after