Movie Night

Tonight we had some neighbor kids over for a junk food dinner (hot dogs, tortilla chips, salsa, frozen grapes, rice krispy treats, and popcorn) and movie.  After gobbling down our food we settled into the family room with blankets, pillows, jammies and the remaining popcorn while we watched "Mirror, Mirror".  AFTER the movie is when the real adventure happened as the kids ended up in a full fledged pillow fight. 

The fighters:

Everyone survived and they even set their own rules for safe play.  What a great group of kids!

Gluten & Dairy Free

These past 9 months have been a series of experiments for us as we tried to figure out what is best for Mr. B.  Over the last few years he has developed a bit of a “belly” which I couldn’t fully understand due to our organic whole food diet that makes up the majority of our meals.  For a long time I just chalked it up to “that’s his body type” but in the back of my mind it always sort of confounded me.  Then this past summer Mr. B expressed embarrassment over his belly because kids were asking him why he was fat.  I knew then that it was time for me to really dig in and see what was going on.  I had suspected that the problem may have been created by his ADHD medication, Guanfacine, but after taking him off the medication for 6 months there was no change in his body shape or weight.  That ruled out Guanfacine as the culprit, which I am very happy about since he really needs his medicine and it is the only one that works for helping him control his ADHD without making him manic. 

Next AH gathered a list of nutritionist that are part of our insurance network.  Let me just say right now that I really truly believe that God does answer prayers and I have personally had many specific prayers answered, especially when they are about the welfare of my children.  As I sat down with the list from AH I reluctantly called the first number on the list.  Thankfully the person was not at that number because it just didn’t feel right to me.  Then I took a good long look at the list and felt guided to call Susan Gins.  Susan actually answered her phone and proceeded to spend about 30 minutes talking with me about Mr. B, my concerns and how best to help him.  She was warm, listened really well, had great ideas and made me feel really comfortable.  A few days later we went to see her and she was even better in person.  We talked about Mr. B’s ADHD, his diet, body shape and how all these things tie together.  She recommended a temporary gluten and dairy free diet for Mr. B to see if he had sensitivities that would not show up on an allergy test (though we did blood-work as well).  She recommended great foods that he could eat, had actual packaging of brands (so helpful) and recipes for us to try.  I met with her again three weeks later and she walked me through how to start adding foods back in, what to look for that would indicate sensitivity and so forth.  She has been wonderful, not overwhelming, held my hand, called to check in, emailed to check in again and just a pleasure to have help guide me through this process. 

This past week I took AH back in to talk with Susan about the elimination results.  We didn’t notice any sensitivities (behaviorally or physically) as we tested the wheat (gluten) and dairy food items with Mr. B.  I was feeling a bit discouraged because I didn’t know what the next step would be (it seems like we’ve tried everything under the sun) but then we decided to see where Mr. B was at on the scale because Susan said she thought he looked very different to her.  Well to my amazement Mr. B was 13 pounds lighter than he was just two months (nearly to the day) prior.  I never ever expected this because Mr. B has been eating gluten/dairy free macaroni & cheese, pizza, chips, vanilla soy milk, chocolate soy milk, cupcakes, bagels, cream cheese, sour cream . . . stuff we did not eat before!  She and I talked about why this works for his body and she recommended keeping him on a mostly gluten/dairy free diet (he can have a little of one or the other every 3^rd day).  Now that I know this is going to be his “normal” diet I can start getting the gluten free “wheats, etc.” and cooking more from scratch instead of buying premade meals for him.

Through it all Mr. B has been quite the trouper.  He LOVES the soy milk and said that even if he can have regular milk again he wanted to continue with the soy instead.  He understands that in order for his body to be healthy he has to make healthy choices and that for him that means limiting wheat and dairy.  Thankfully we live in an age and an area where I can go into many stores or restaurants and easily find items that fit that bill and taste delicious!

Blake Island

This weekend we did a quick overnight camping trip with most of AH's family to Blake Island.  AH's brother ferried everyone over to the island (about 3 trips) with all our gear and then we let the kids run wild for a solid 24 hours.  It's the ideal camping destination - no one can get lost.

I didn't take too many photos but I did capture an evening football game between the dad's and the cousins.  Mr. B and Beeb were in the thick of it and loving every moment. 

Did I mention that this was tackle football?

 

After our fun time on the island we headed over to Tips house where we enjoyed steak and fresh caught crab for dinner - yum!  The kids played some more, swam in the pool and were completely worn out by the time we left.  As a matter of fact they are both still so exhausted today (and cranky!) that I sent them to bed at 6:45pm - Mr. B is already asleep and Beeb is soon to follow.

Let's Go Run 200 Miles in 24 Hours. . .

In July I joined a team of women in running a 200 mile relay race called RAGNAR.  The 12 team members are divided into two vans with 6 runners in each van.  The runners in the van would each run one leg (varying in lengths from 2.9 miles to 10.9 miles) of the race and then hand the baton off to the second team van of runners.  The runners in the first van would then take a 4-5 hour break/rest while the other half of the team was running their legs.  Once they were done they would hand the baton back to us and it would start all over again.  We repeated this routine three times over a 29 hour period.  Some people call this fun. . .  I would be one of them.

I was in van #1 (note to self . . . always be in van #1 in the future. 

The running schedule is much easier than van #2)

Our first runner is off in typical Washington rain.  She got to follow a guy running in his underwear for the first few miles . . . until she passed him!

Our second runner had a little reprieve from the rain (note how everyone is always smiling).  Our van would follow each runner and provide rockin music and water as needed along each route/leg.

This lady had the longest run of our first leg (over 8 miles), it was uphill the entire time, and there was no van support available.  (no dance music, no water breaks from her crew = not so much fun)

The last part of my first run was down hill and glorious.  I ran right past my mom (an awesome volunteer at the event) who didn't even recognize me despite my saying, "Hi Mom!" as I went by.  

There's nothing more peaceful than finding your stride along the route.  She rocked each of her runs by knocking several minutes off her estimated pace! 

This lady gets the cheer award - she always had a smile and she always had the water ready . . . even in the dead of night.

A nice exchange in the evening.  I learned to point my headlamp up a bit to keep the bugs out of my face and, after tripping and falling over a non-existent crack in the sidewalk, I learned to pick my feat up a bit more too. Luckily nobody saw me biff it - but I had the bloody knee to prove it later.

Our team captain and one crazy lady (she was the first runner for van #2).  This is her at the exchange when she takes off to run her very last leg (9 miles . . . uphill).  Words cannot express how organized she made us and what an awesome job she did in leading our team.

Our entire team at the finish line.  Overall we took 6th place for the women's division (out of 34 teams . . . not too shabby) and we beat our friendly men's team by 6 minutes.

What impressed me about the whole experience was viewing all the different ages and levels of runners out on the course.  You had the elite teams (I fantasize about being one of them but let's face it, I'm not willing to put in the time to train for it), the middle of the road runners (that's more my style), the lite joggers (this is me when I have to run by myself) and many teams with people who you knew were fairly new to exercise.  I was so happy and proud of them all (especially the "new to exercise" group) because it was hard physically and emotionally (I was so scared of my last leg that I cried right before it started) but it was also very fun and you ain't living life by sitting on the couch.

I can't wait until next year!

European Exchange

In July we had the most amazing adventure when we invited an exchange student from Spain to stay with us for nearly 3 weeks.  Rebeca came into our home, family and our hearts.

 We enjoyed a Mariner's game together (little did we know Ichiro was soon to be traded).

 We braved the new adventure zip line/ropes course at NW Trek.

 We took her to see some big ol' NW trees and a few waterfalls.

We taught her that in Washington we truly are tree huggers and even wrap them in sweaters too.

 What do hurricane force winds feel like?  We found out!

 We made her backpack to Glacier Basin on Mt. Rainier with 6 young children (3.2 miles, uphill the entire way).

She informed us that she got 30 mosquito bites that night . . . I'm so proud.

The kids found a pond full of frogs (I mean FULL OF FROGS) that entertained them for hours.

We wore her out (on more than one occasion).

And we cried, a lot, when it was time for her to go home.

It truly was a wonderful 3 weeks with her; she was a perfect fit for our family.  We miss her a lot already but hope she'll come visit again soon.

Sasquatch

*I* made this all by myself out of fabric! 

I love my Silhouette Cameo digital cutter.

The Boy Scouts will add their personal details (hand prints, names, etc.) to it soon but in the meantime I am basking in the awesomeness of it. 

That is all.

Birthday Island

In June, on my birthday weekend, we went up to San Juan Island to help a good friend of AH move into his new farm house.  I *heart* SJI - it's so beautiful there!  Needless to say it was pure torture for me to spend my birthday in one of my favorite places. 

The kids helped out with the chickens and turkeys .

 

The men assembed the coop.

Mr. B and Beeb made several new friends with the young chickens and turkeys.  The turkeys were named "Thanksgiving" and "Christmas". . .  I'll let you figure out why.

We got to hang out with their darling little girl.

 Mr. B did some target practicing with a BB gun. 

The island has a fox who is quite famous.  He literally just sits along the side of the road and causes traffic jams as cars suddenly stop to photograph him.  We happened to drive by him on our way to a beach - he was still there on our way back.  Thankfully no cars were behind us = no traffic jam caused by my need to get his photo.

 Waiting for the ferry. 

I'll miss you SJI but at least we now have a place to stay when we come to visit. 

Lunch

This morning we all slept in a bit after yesterdays excitement.  I am sure Rebeca is still adjusting to the time difference.  When we were all up we took her with us to feed our friends' dog and horses while they are on vacation this week.  Mr. B helped me muck up after the horses while Beeb and Rebeca jumped on the trampoline. 

When we got home Rebeca had a little bit of time to get her backpack together and her hair done before her first group outing started (two days a week all the students get together to tour various area sites).  As I went to prepare her a lunch to take with her I asked what sort of sandwich she would want in her lunch. I gave her the options of ham, chicken, peanut butter & jelly. . . she said, "What is peanut butter?" WOW! I always thought PB & J was the universal lunch food. I made her half a sandwich with PB & J to try and she LOVED it so I put two in her lunch.  I love seeing everything new again through her eyes, it's so fun.

Our Summer Guest

This summer we decided to dip our toes into the international world of hosting an exchange student.  Our student is only staying with us for 2.5 weeks but now that she is here I wish it were longer - we love her already! 

Yesterday all the host families gathered at a beautiful park for a welcome BBQ and to meet the students.  I was so nervous that I kept getting a little teary (I'm such a girl sometimes) as the anticipation built up.  I've been communicating with our student, Rebeca, by email for a few months and she just seemed like the "right" person for our family. 

 

As it got time for them to arrive we all gathered around the parking area, every family waiting excitedly.  The bus finally pulled in and as the doors opened we cheered while the first few students came off.  Rebeca was one of the first ten off the bus and as I saw her stepping down the stairs, her eyes eagerly looking for us, we waved frantically to catch her attention.  When she saw us her face lit up with a smile and she ran right.  We hugged, kissed cheeks and cried together (see she's a crier too - perfect for us) with relief!  We were so happy to finally see her in person. 

AH and Mr. B arrived soon after and we all enjoyed lunch together.  AH had fun practicing his Spanish with Rebeca while we ate.  Her English is really excellent but there are a few words that she is learning while she is here and so I think it was good to have AH there to help, and also to see him struggling a bit with his rusty Spanish.

After lunch I took her into town to Costco and PCC to get a few items.  She loved seeing the differences in the grocery stores (markets) and had fun telling us about how the shopping worked in her town.  We loved learning the cultural differences.

When we made it back to our house she stared out the car window at all the houses in our neighborhood.  She had looked at our house through Google Earth before her trip and I think she was trying to compare how she was seeing everything from what she saw on the application.

At home we showed her the house and her room.  She was wide eyed during the tour over how different it was from her own home (example: our house is made out of wood).  We had dinner together and then took her up to a local park to play ultimate frisbee with some friends of ours.  She picked up the game quickly and did very well for her first time! 

I think by the time she went to bed she was completely exhausted.  It was an excellent first day!

July is Crazy!

July is turning out to be a crazy month and we're only a third of the way through it!  Come to think of it June was crazy too.  Let me go back and summarize June. 

June came in with a roar as we ended the school year with many class field trips, school parties, family birthdays, Beeb's baptism, Beeb's "friend" birthday party, and my wedding anniversary all happening in the first half of the month.  In latter half of the month Beeb and I spent a week in bed with the flu, Beeb's summer art lessons started, and we celebrated my birthday on San Juan Island helping some friends move into their new farm. 

It appears that our regular summer weather pattern has finally returned after a two year absence.  We had doom and gloom from mid-May until July 5th wherein the sun and warmth finally made its traditional appearance.  We've enjoyed our beautiful PNW mild summer weather ever since (all 5 days. . .  in a row!).

We spent a fun afternoon and evening at the lake on the 4th of July.  The kids enjoyed playing with cousins and friends who came out to party with us.  The kids all went swimming despite the frigid water temperatures and they all had purple lips after they were done playing!

Last Friday, July 6th, AH and I were enjoying a quiet evening at home when a car parked at a problematic neighbors house rolled over the block holding it in place, down their driveway, through the street, through our fence, down our yard, into the back of AH's car and off our retaining wall where it got wedged on its side between the wall and our mature cedar trees.  The owner of the car does not have insurance (of course) and now we are responsible for paying $1,500 in deductibles to have our property and car fixed.  The people in this house need to move away.  They have been squatting in the house for 3 years now and you have no idea how hard it really is to get them out.  We are hoping to help accelerate that process.

Here's a video AH put together that expresses his feeling about the matter:

Mr. B started his camp this week.  He was not very excited about it but when I picked him up he literally said to me, "Mom you were right, I had a good time today."  I am still basking in the glory of it.

I went to the doctor this week for a lingering cough I've had since the flu in June.  Doc told me my flu turned into pneumonia.  She complimented me on my being in such good physical shape that my body was strong enough to keep the pneumonia symptoms mild (knew all that running would pay off some day).  Thankfully she prescribed some good medicine and I hope to be fully recovered in time to run RAGNAR in about 10 days.  With less gratitude the doctor reminded me that I am not that far off from starting menopause (just what every woman wants to hear) and that I should keep running because it will help my body stave off the belly fat that accompanies menopause.  Not sure how I feel about being near menopause age or the idea of having to keep running for the next 10 years. :-)

This week our exchange student arrives from Spain.  We are so excited to meet her and have fun with her the rest of the month.  Let's hope the weather continues to show off, that we all stay healthy and that the neighbors eviction notices get enforced!

Beeb Turned 8!

Last week was crazy busy.  Beeb turned 8 (yay!) and we went to a favorite fun restaurant to celebrate:

Saturday we had a big extended family party in the morning and Beeb's baptism in the afternoon.  She was thrilled to have her girl cousins all around her (esp. those who came all the way from Montana - the triplets reunited!).

Prebaptism - AH & Beeb.  She was very nervous!

Our family!

A rare photo of me with my mom and siblings (I think the last one was when I got married).

After the baptism we went home for a bit and then joined AH's family for a dinner at his parents.  Beeb was so thrilled to have her cousins to play with until late into the evening.  She said it was the best day ever!

This week I've been preparing for Beeb's "friends" birthday party.  We decided to do a carnival theme.  Here's the invitation that went out:

This week I've made two coordinating birthday banners and last night I made these super cute carnival big top gift boxes for her guests:

She saw me putting the treats in the boxes this afternoon and said it was very cool!  She is so excited for Saturday.  Good thing it is the final day of all her birthday celebrations, I don't think she can take much more excitement!  I know that for me, I am about done with it all and ready for some normalcy to our weeks, though it was all worth it. ~

Man In Training

Mr B. turned 9 earlier this year and along with age comes responsibility (it's all a part of training him  to be a "man") .  Tonight Mr. B was thrilled to be able to help AH with some yard work, using the big boy tools.  Here's Mr. B using the weed whacker for the first time.  He did a pretty good job!