Keeping up with the Kok's

Too Cute Not to Share

2009-09-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Sam and Josey sitting on the couch. Aren't they adorable!

Matt and Sam sporting their Husky outfits before the season opener. The Huskies lost that won but we got a win last weekend.

Desert Canyon

2009-09-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

Matt and I spent last weekend with our friends Brett and Michelle at the Desert Canyon golf resort in Eastern Washington. We bid on this package at the Boys and Girls Club auction earlier this year. It was a two night stay in the Penthouse Suite, four rounds of golf, and $100 at the restaurant. The guys golfed twice and Michelle and I hung out at the pool. We had a great deck overlooking the golf course and the weather was beautiful.

Abby's 7th Birthday

2009-09-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Abby turned 7 on September 8. She had her birthday party at the skating rink here in Lynden and invited a bunch of girls from school and some neighbors. It was so much fun. She also had a family party at our house.

She wanted a Blackberry pie as her dessert.

Kiley, Emilyn, Abby, Matt, and Faith hitting the rink.

Girls in Abby's 1st grade class. Abby, Arianna, Lucy, Kiley, and Katie.

The girls we so cute. As soon as Abby started opening gifts all of the girls crowded around her wanting her to open theirs next.

Blowing out the candle.

Pictures from Joy

2009-07-13T11:16:00.001-07:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Family Photos

2009-06-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the pictures that Becky took for us. If you would like to see more of them I can forward you the shutterfly album. She did a great job.

The Day After

2009-06-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

Abby had a quiet evening at home last night. One of the neighbor girls (who happened to be in the waiting room at the Doctor's office when we brought Abby in) came by with a get well gift. She had made her a card and bought her some note pads, a stuffed animal, a movie, and some otter pops. It was so sweet, thanks Paige! When she was going to bed Abby said to me that she liked having a fat lip. When I asked her why her response was, "Because I get to eat a lot of candy." I guess that was true because in the few hours since the accident all she had eaten was a few popsicles and a milkshake! This morning she woke up still pretty swollen and I think she will end up with a black eye. I took a couple more pictures. Even got her to smile in one of them.

You Should Have Seen the Sidewalk!

2009-06-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

We started out on a bike ride this afternoon but did not get very far. Abby fell off her bike and landed face first on the sidewalk. It was quite traumatic. Once we got home Abby's lip and cheek were very swollen. I called the Dr. and decided to take her in. They got her all cleaned up and said that she was very lucky that she did not knock any teeth out or break her cheek bone. It ended up just being a bad case of road rash. Here is a picture of her after we got back from the Doc's.

She had a milkshake for dinner and I rented her a movie. Poor kid.

Sam's 1st Birthday

2009-06-18T14:34:00.001-07:00

I know it was over a month ago but here are some pictures from Sam's birthday party.

Way Behind!

2009-06-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a very long time. I need to organize my pictures and get some on here but we did have our family pictures taken a couple of weeks ago. I changed my header picture to one of my favorites. We also got some great ones of Sam for his 1st birthday and ones of Abby as well. She is almost seven and just graduated from Kindergarten. Sam turned one on the 13th of May. I'll try and post some pictures soon.

Another Milestone reached!

2009-04-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

You guessed it. Sam is walking! He took three steps on his 11 month birthday (April 13). Since then he has taken a few steps here and there. His preferred method is still crawling but I'm sure it won't be long until that changes. Here is a video I got of him today. And...I blog in spurts so this is one of five new posts...keep reading (and don't forget to comment).

Ice Cream

2009-04-20T15:04:00.001-07:00

This Saturday I walked to the town candy store with most of the neighborhood kids. Along the way someone asked me if all of the kids were mine. I guess they could have been. I would have an 11 year old, twin 8 year olds, twin 6 year olds, and an 11 month old. The thought of that makes me very, very tired! I'm glad I just have my two but it was fun to spend some time with the others as well.

This picture is of Abby, Minnie, and Paige.

Here are the rest of the kids. Cory and Andrew are the two boys at the end and you can see the tip of Sam's stroller behind Abby and Minnie.

New Neighbors

2009-04-20T14:59:00.001-07:00

Our new neighbors moved in earlier this month. They are a very nice family with three children. A boy named Kai who is a year younger than Abby. They play really well together. They also have a very sweet almost three year old girl named Amara and another girl name Brielle. Brielle is three days younger than Sam. I took a couple pictures of them and even though he looks like he is about a year older than her they are only three days apart.

Spring Break

2009-04-20T14:52:00.001-07:00

Abby had spring break a couple of weeks ago. She had a fun week. On Monday we watched one
of my friends little boy. His name is Alec and he will be two in May. I'm not sure if Janelle will let him come over anymore though becuase Abby decided to dress him up a bit.

We took Alec to the park becuase it was a beautiful day. I had to work Tuesday-Thursday but Abby had a sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's on Tuesday night. She spent all of Wednesday with them. Then on Friday we met up with Janelle and Alec and drove to the Tulip Festival. We were about a week too early as there were not a whole lot of tulips in bloom yet. But, we still had a good time and took a few pictures.

Sam's Frist Birthday Party

2009-04-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Matt and I took a birthing class before Sam was born. There were nine couples in the class and we have stayed in touch with a few of them. Logan was the second baby born of the nine and his birthday was April 14. We were invited to celebrate with him along with one of the other boys born from the class. Eli was born on May 9. Here are some pictures of the boys together.

Doll Museum

2009-03-30T14:20:00.001-07:00

We had the opportunity last Saturday to go with the other girls in Abby's class (all of the girls except for one were able to go) to the Museum of Doll Art. One of the mom's had bid and won a tour and tea party and she invited the class. We all got dressed up for the day. Everyone wore hats and each girl took their favorite doll. After having tea we went on a tour of the museum. The moms got carried away with our camera's and took a lot of pictures before the tea party.

ty.

Anniversay Trip to Vancouver

2009-03-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

Matt and I try to get away for a night or two each year to celebrate our anniversary. This year we didn't do it in February but were able to spend two nights in Vancouver a couple weeks ago. It was the first time we left Sam overnight. Both of the kids did great. They spent one night with Uncle Jess and Aunt Katy and the other night with Nana and Grandpa. We had a great time. On Thursday night we went to a Canucks game. Friday morning we went out to breakfast, did some shopping, and went to the Anthropology museum. The weather was not very good so we didn't do any outdoor touring. Then Friday night we went to a little Irish pub (since it was just after St. Patrick's Day) and watched some of the NCAA tournament. Here are some pictures.

I didn't take my coat off the whole time we were at the game. It's cold in an ice rink! The Canucks won 3-0.

How much do you spend....

2009-03-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

on groceries each month? I don't feel like I go overboard and buy extravagant food items but we spend so much money on groceries each month. I'm curious to know if other people struggle with this as well. Please tell me what you do to save on your food bill without eating Top Ramen every day.

Baby on the move

2009-02-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

Sam has hit the trail! He is so fast and is always on the move. I knew this stage was coming but I just didn't think it was going to come so quickly. The other day I stepped out of the living room to grab some more batteries for the camera. While I was doing that I heard a noise that didn't sound like Sam playing with his toys. I walked back in and he had reached up on the coffee table and dumped my full cup of (cold) coffee on the floor. You'd think I would know not to set it within his reach. This morning he sat up on his changing table and as I turned to put his diaper away he started to nose dive off of it. I caught him in enough time so that he didn't hurt himself but it scared him (and me) to somersault from the table to the floor. Later this morning he was playing on the floor in the living room and I went into the kitchen for a minute. The next time I looked up he was in the utility room dumping Dutch's water all over himself. Those are just a few of his latest escapades. Here are two more videos showing off his skills. Enjoy.

Growing Kids

2009-02-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple videos to show off Sam's new skills and one of Abby and Sam playing before bed. Abby is a great big sister. Sam is army crawling everywhere and pulls himself into a standing postion. He can also wave bye bye and shake his head no. Abby just lost her fourth tooth and continues to love Kindergarten. She can read a whole Frog and Toad book to us and is very excited about reading.

Bath Time

2009-02-23T11:19:00.001-08:00

Every kid has to have their picture taken while in the bath at least once in their life. Here is a cute one of Sam.

Christmas

2009-01-03T08:45:00.001-08:00

I'm going to combine all of my Christmas posts into one so this is going to be a long one. On Monday the 22nd we had Christmas with my family at our house. I made a prime rib which I was really nervous about but it turned out really good. My friend Amy gave me a great recipe. With it we had twice baked potatoes, green bean casserole, salad, bread, and my mom made burnt cream for dessert. It was a yummy feast. Here are some pictures of the evening.

Katy holding Sam with Dutchess looking on.

Grandma Loon

Matt and Boppa

Abby and Josey opening presents.

Grandma and Grandpa got Abby a Princess Kitchen...

... and a sleeping bag with her name on it.

Jess and Katy's gift to Sam.

Mom saw this sweater on a trip to LaConner a few months ago and loved it. While she was in another shop I snuck back and got it for her. She was very surprised.

The next pictures of on Christmas Eve. The first two were taken in our front yard. We had so much snow. The rest were taken at my parents house where we had a fondue feast with Jane and Michael and Shannon.

My cousin, Shannon, and her husband Michael.

'Ant' Jane with a plague that mom got her. It says, "No rich man is ugly."

Now on to Christmas morning. It was a beautiful snowy white Christmas and we enjoyed it with the kids. Sam woke up a little after 7:00. The three of us were downstairs a little before 8:00 when I heard little feet running across the hall and down the stairs. Abby came bounding down to see the cookies, carrots, and water gone. She had filled a bowl FULL of baby carrots for the reindeer. I had made an egg casserole and some Cinnamon buns so while those were cooking we opened our gifts.

Matt took this of our back yard. Isn't it beautiful!

I can't figure out how to turn this picture around but I thought it was cute. The kids each opened new pajama's the night before so they are posing in their Christmas pj's.

Sam opening his stocking.

Dutchy got a Christmas tennis ball which she quickly destroyed. I think it lasted about 20 minutes.

Me and my kids.

Sam loved his wooden duck from Auntie Sara.

Abby opening her big gift from Santa.

A Barbie party bus! Thanks, Santa.

I forgot my camera Christmas afternoon when we went over to Matt's grandma's but we had a great time there with the whole family (those that live in Washington anyway).

Our final Christmas celebration took place after Christmas at Nana and Grandpa's. Nana made spinach manicotti, garlic bread, and spinach salad. Grandpa got to choose the dessert so of course we had chocolate ice cream. It was another great feast.

Abby and Sam before dinner.

Sam needed a cap nap before opening gifts.

Aunt Lisa and Uncle JT got the game Guess Who for Abby. Sam just wanted to chew on the wrapping.

Nana decided to give each of her kids something old and something new this year. Matt's something old was this tool bench. I love it and can't wait for Sam to be old enough to play with it.

The big hit of the night for Abby was this High School Musical Dance Mat.

We had a wonderful Christmas. It is easy to get wrapped up in all of the gifts of the season but we also took the time to remember the best gift of all in the birth of Jesus.

Santa Train

2009-01-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

It has been a yearly tradition since Abby was two to drive out to Birch Bay for the Santa Train. It takes place at a go-cart,miniature golf park. In December it becomes a park full of lights. There are over 1 million lights in various displays throughout the park. The train ride takes about fifteen minutes and there are lights and Christmas scenes everywhere. Abby loves it. The ride ends at the North Pole with Santa welcoming the train. Abby sat on Santa's lap and when he asked her what she wanted for Christmas she said, "Fake heart earrings." I have no idea where that came from. The pictures don't really do it justice because it was pouring rain on the night we went.

Correctamundo!

2009-01-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

This goes back to December 12 but I had to write about it. While we were in Arizona over Thanksgiving my mom bought Abby a book called Correctamundo, Prickly Pete's Guide to Desert Facts & Cactifracts. It is a great book and we have read it many times. Here is an example. "Lots of people think javelinas (hav-uh-LEE-nuz) are wild desert pigs. What do you think? FACT or CACTIFRACT?" Then on the next page it says, "If you said CACTIFRACT, perfect, professor porkologist!" The rest of the page goes on to explain all about Javelinas. There are 11 of these. After we got back I talked to Abby's teacher about having my mom come to her classroom to read the story to the kids. She thought it was a great idea. Abby was so excited. She had a t-shirt from Arizona that she wore to school that day. When my mom and I got there we wondered why Abby still had her coat on. Well, it was because she didn't want any of her classmates to see her shirt until it was time. :) My mom did a great job. She would read the question and all the kids would vote by raising their hands and then Abby told them all the right answer. It was very fun. Here are some pictures.

So Many Posts...So Little Time

2009-01-02T16:11:00.001-08:00

I just uploaded a bunch of pictures off of my camera. After looking through each one of them I came up with 8 blog posts that I want to do. So I'm sitting here ready to post...and Sam woke up. So all you get right now is a pictureless update on our broken pipes. The fans are gone (thankfully) and we are waiting for Lynden floor to come next week and give us an estimate on the hardwood. We were very thankful that the fans could be turned off before we had my parents and Jess and Katy over for Christmas dinner (one of the 8 posts I want to get to). Sam calls so that is all for now...

The Reason We Pay For Homeowners Insurance

2008-12-17T17:55:00.001-08:00

This morning at 3:00 Sam woke up. I'm so thankful that he did! I was in his room feeding him and I heard Dutchess whining in the laundry room. I wondered why she was whining but thought maybe she just had to go to the bathroom. After I put Sam back down I went down to check. I got down the stairs, turned the corner, took a few steps and knew why she was whining. I stepped in a puddle of water. Our outside facet had frozen and burst and was filling up the laundry room with water! It was beginning to spill out into the entryway as well. I quickly ran upstairs and woke Matt up and we spent the next 45 minutes cleaning up the water.

Matt called his cousin Travis (a plumber) and he came over to fix the pipe. We also had someone come out to assess the damage. I didn't think there was going to be that much damage because it hadn't gotten very far onto the hardwood and carpet. But, there is water damage to the hardwood. Right now there are two ways this could go. We are drying everything out with really loud fans right now and then if the damage isn't too bad we will have to have all of the hardwood refinished. That is the best case scenario. The worst case scenario is that we will have to have ALL of the hardwood replaced! Those of you who have been to our house know that there is quite a bit of hardwood. But, it would be an all of nothing deal since they won't be able to match the pattern. Here are som pictures of the living room, bathroom, and laundry room. Needless to say, we are spending the next night or two upstairs.

Thanksgivng in Arizona

2008-12-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

I'm still behind in my blog posts. We went to Tucson for Thanksgiving. My parents have a condo there and they go every November. This year we decided to go and spend Thanksgiving with them. Abby, Sam and I flew out on the Friday before Thanksgiving. We had a few days there and then Matt came the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We had a great time hanging out at their place, swimming in the pool, Christmas shopping, and going to the Desert Museum. Matt got to play golf twice with my dad (even though it rained both Thursday and Friday). We had a great Thanksgiving dinner. On Saturday we drove to Phoenix to spend our last day with Amy and her family. It was fun hanging out with them and Abby loved being about to see Ashtyn and Kylan again. Rick and Amy have a Wii so after the kids went to bed we played that for a while. We played tennis and bowling. It was very fun but my right arm was sore for about three days after leaving! Here are some pictures of the trip.

Abby sporting the sombrero Grandma and Grandpa got her in Mexico.

Boppa with the kids.

Sam and I in the condo.

We spent quite a bit of time in the pool and hot tub.

It was nice to see the sun again...

One night we were in the living room and Abby disappeared for a while. She was in my parents closet getting all of my mom's hats and putting them on her head. She was quite proud when she came walking out without any of them falling off.

I was sitting on a bench in the bird part of the museum. I was right under a bird and made a comment about it being able to poop right on my leg. About a minute later it did! I just had to take a picture and share. :)

Boppa and Abby at the Desert Museum.

Posing at the Desert Museum.

Abby and Grandma Loon playing cards.

The four of us on our last morning in Tucson.

Having fun in the park.

Three princesses.

The four cousins.

Kylan LOVED Sam. I love this picture of the two of them.

Joy and Kylan

Daddy with his kids.

This is a video of Abby and Ashtyn playing at the playground by Ashtyn's house. I love the imaginations of six year olds!

Abby's Thanksgiving Program

2008-12-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

Abby's class invited all the parents to come to a Thanksgiving feast the Thursday before Thanksgiving. Her class worked hard at learning a few songs and then we all feasted on Turkey. Here are some pictures of the event.

Guess where Abby is....yup, back row center.

Jingle Bells Thanksgiving Style

Abby and her friend Emily

Shopping Trip

2008-11-18T07:56:00.000-08:00

I'm not usually very much of a shopper (I don't have the patience for it) but this weekend I went with the other women in my small group on an overnight shopping trip. It was so fun. We left Friday evening and drove to our hotel right by South Center mall. Dinner that night was at the Cheesecake Factory...yum! On Saturday morning we were at the mall at 10:00 and didn't leave until 4:00. I have never spent that much time at a mall in one day but it was great. I took my camera but forgot to take pictures except for at our morning stop at Starbucks. Here they are.

Lisa and Lyssie

Tricia and Robbi

Sam got to come too and he was so good. He was very content in his stroller. He was running a little bit of a fever after getting shots at his six month check-up the day before. While in the Macy's dressing room we gave him a little Tylenol which he promptly threw up. Lyssie did her best to catch it but ended up with a little bit in her cupped hand and the rest on the dressing room floor. We did manage to get some down him and he felt better after that.

Fall Festival

2008-10-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night our church had their annual Fall Festival. Here are some pictures from the event.

The Queen of Hearts ready to go.

It's hard to get strapped in a car seat when you have wings.

Mom with the Queen and her Bumblebee.

Abby shooting a squirt gun.

Her target.... our youth pastor, Mike Slofstra.

Ear Infections, Sinus Infections, Random Viruses...Oh My!

2008-10-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

We have always been a pretty healthy family. I know that Sam is relatively new to the family but Abby hardly ever gets sick so I'm not used to what has happened to us this past week.

It started last Tuesday when Sam got sick. He is doing much better now. On Friday afternoon I started to get a headache. Usually Advil takes care of my headaches but this one was hanging on. I figured I just needed to sleep it away. What I woke up to on Saturday is the worst headache of my life! I am not joking about that...it was so bad. I could barely function. I had to sit in one spot and not move my head at all. Since I'd never experienced anything like it I thought maybe it was a migraine. Matt had to do everything for me which he did without complaining once. He had a Husky football game to go to that evening and said more than once that he was going to stay home. But, I did not want him to have to miss the game (even though the Huskies suck and it probably would have been more fun staying home taking care of a sick wife). So my mother-in-law and mom came over to take care of me. I was in pretty rough shape. I went in to the after hours clinic Sunday afternoon and it turns out it was a sinus headache. I thought I had had those before but nothing comes close to touching the pain that I felt with that headache. It started to get a little better Saturday night when I went to bed. I have some medication from the Dr. and am feeling so much better. The headache is still there but it is more of an annoying ache than a knife going through my head.

Last night Abby woke up twice in the night crying and saying that her throat hurt. This morning when she got up she started throwing up. She is white as a sheet and has barely moved or spoken all day. Below is a picture of her... you know she is really sick when she stays in one position longer than 30 seconds. I took her in to the Dr. today (the third time I've been there in a week). We brought a bowl in the car just in case but she also wanted to bring it in to the Dr. I didn't want to but gave in. I'm so glad I did because while I was checking her in I heard something and looked over to see her leaning over the bowl throwing up in it. Poor girl. They tested her for strep but the Dr. thinks it is a virus that has been going around. Hopefully it is a short lived one.

So, three of us have been sick but with totally unrelated illnesses. I'm pretty sure Matt and Dutchess are going to stay in a hotel for the next couple of days.

Beautiful Fall Days

2008-10-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

It has been so beautiful out the last few days. Today the kids were all playing at our swing set and we got a few pictures of them. We even put Sam in his swing for the first time. He loved it.

He's Laughing....

2008-10-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

...and we finally caught it on video to share with everyone.

A Boy and His Dog

2008-10-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

I loved this picture of Sam and Dutchess. This is how Dutch usually sits, with her legs crossed in front of her...like she knows she is a Dutchess.

A First Time For Everything...

2008-10-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

... including sickness. I posted about Sam's big week a little while ago. He rolled over for the first time and ate cereal for the first time. Well this week he got sick for the first time. He started coughing and had a bit of a runny nose last weekend. We kept him home from church because of the nose but his temperament was the same so I was not that worried about it. On Monday afternoon he had a fever. It went down with Tylenol but was back up again that night. He woke up a few times in the night which is not like him anymore. At 5:00 Tuesday morning his temperature was 100.7. He also had a rash all over his body. I called in sick on Tuesday and took him to see the Dr. that afternoon. She took one look in both of his ears and said that he had a double ear infection. No wonder he woke up in the night not happy. I can now add to my list of firsts....first sickness and first does of antibiotics. He does not like the taste of his medicine at all. We have to give it to him twice a day for ten days and each time is an ordeal. This morning was the first time that I think all of it got in his mouth. The good news though is that he is feeling much better. His cheeks are still pretty red but he hasn't had a fever since Tuesday evening and his ears must be feeling better because he is a lot happier during the day.

Plagiocephaly

2008-10-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me how to pronounce it but it stands for a head anomaly or as we call it, a flat head. We took Sam to Children's Hospital in Seattle yesterday to get his head checked out. There are five areas that they look at and they are rated between 0-3. 0 would be a perfect head which the Dr. said no one has. 1 is mild, 2 moderate, 3 severe. The first thing is the only area where he scored in the moderate category. It is called Posterior Flattening (flattening in the back). The other things they look at are Ear Misalignment (one ear higher or more in front than the other), Forehead Asymmetry, (a bulge on one side of the forehead or another which Sam has a little bit of), Neck Involvement (if the neck muscles don't develop properly it causes one side to be really tight), and Facial Asymmetry (where the face doesn't line up like it should). The Dr. said that for kids who score a 2 or 3 in the Posterior Flattening area they usually recommend a helmet. He scored a 2. But, she also said that there is usually quite a bit of improvement between five and seven months of age. So, we are going to continue doing what we have been doing and see how the next month or two goes. We keep him upright or on his tummy quite a bit of the day when he is awake. We also do what we can to get him to look to his left. The more he does that and gets even better head and neck control the more he will look that way when he is sleeping too. While we were at Children's we were able to meet with a Physical Therapist as well. She looked at his neck muscles and gave us some exercises to help him be able to have full range of motion when looking to the left. I'll keep everyone posted over the next couple of months on how he is doing.

Sam's big week!

2008-10-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Sam has had a big week. I started feeding him rice cereal a few days ago. He is doing great with it. It is so funny to watch him when it gets in his mouth. He doesn't quite know what to do but he is learning. Abby fed him yesterday and she did a great job. He ate better when she was feeding him then the times when I fed him. I took a video of it and have attached it below. Pretty cute! The other big news is that he rolled over yesterday. He has been looking like he was going to roll from back to front for a while now but still gets stuck on his arm. Yesterday we were playing on the floor and I pushed him all the way over to his tummy. He played there for a little while and then pushed himself over to his back. It was very exciting. Matt was working in the garage so I called him in and Sam did it again for him. He rolled one more time yesterday. After that I tried to get him to do it on video but he was tired of showing off and wouldn't do it again. My days of laying him on the couch are over...

Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch last Thursday. It is a great patch with a lot of activities for kids. It has special significance to me because three years ago on October 15th Matt proposed to me after we spent the day there. Let me tell you the story...It was a beautiful fall day. Abby and I met Matt and his mom at the patch that morning. We fed the animals, road the train, picked out a pumpkin, and had apple pie. Then we all left and went back to our houses for the afternoon. That evening Matt came over and brought both Abby and I roses. The three of us carved the pumpkin out on the deck of my apartment and then we BBQ'd steak for dinner. As we got Abby ready for bed the pumpkin was brought inside and the candle lit. It sat on top of the entertainment center in the living room. I went and put Abby to bed and when I walked out of her bedroom I noticed that the candle had gone out. Immediately, I walked over to the pumpkin, took it down off the entertainment center, set it on the table, and took off the lid. Inside was a little box. I just starred at it for a while without saying anything. Finally I said, "What is this?" (I knew exactly what it was but I was so shocked that I didn't know what else to say). Matt got up and said, "Let's see." Then he walked over to the table, took the box from the pumpkin, got down on one knee, opened the box and said.... actually, I won't embarrass him by saying what he said (although I do remember every word). After a few more moments of shocked silence I said yes and almost lost my finger in the next few days wearing a ring that was two sizes too small for me. The surprise of the proposal was worth him not giving it away by asking me my ring size in advance.

Back to the present...last Thursday was also a very nice day. Matt and Grandpa were at work but Boppa, Loon, and Nana joined us for the day. It was Sam's first trip. We picked out our pumpkins and of course had apple pie with the works (ice cream and caramel). Here are a few pictures. Stoney Ridge farm will always be a special place to me.

Arizona Sun

2008-10-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

Matt went on a football golf trip to Arizona last weekend. He went with his dad, my dad, and my brother. They flew out on Saturday and went to the Husky Arizona football game (in case you were wondering, no, the Huskies did not win). Then they spent three days golfing at my parents place in Tucson. Sam, Abby and I stayed here and had a fun weekend with Grandma and Nana. Before he left for the trip I told Matt that I would like it if he would take the camera but if he wasn't going to take any pictures then I'd keep it and take pictures of our weekend. He assured me that he would take pictures. The picture...yes, just one picture...is above. I guess I should be thankful that I at least got one. :) They had a great time.

How many of you?

2008-10-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There is
1
person with my name in the U.S.A.

http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?

I saw this on a friend's blog and wanted you to see it also. Click on the link to see how many people with your name are in the US. Of course I am one of a kind so there is only one of me. :) Leave a comment and tell me how many of you there are.

Our Family

2008-09-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post this family picture. It was taken last weekend at my cousin's wedding. Aren't we a good looking bunch?

Six Year and Four Month Check Ups

2008-09-26T12:04:00.001-07:00

Both Abby and Sam had their well child check ups today. Here are the stats. Abby is 59 pounds which puts her in the 95th percentile for her age. She is 4 feet 1 3/4 inches tall which puts her in the 98th percentile (anyone surprised by that). She is doing great, her doctor was very pleased.

Sam is 17 pounds 8.5 ounces which puts him in the 90th percentile for weight. He is in the 95th percentile for height at 26 3/4 inches. He is also doing great. He is developing just as he should. The only concern we still have is the flatness of his head. Our pediatrician recommended that we talk to a Craniofacial doctor. That is a fancy word for a helmet doctor. Any advice for us about this, Lisa? She said that the problem is cosmetic and not medical but we would probably feel better making that kind of a decision after talking with a specialist.

Don't Ask....Don't Smell

2008-09-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

We have hit the blow out stage in Sam's life. We can almost count on one a day. Yesterday we were all ready for church (luckily we were ready early) when 'it' happened. All up his back, on his onesie, his overalls, the fabric of the exosaucer... He had to have a bath before we could leave. Here is a picture of a onesie I got him a while ago that says it best.

Neighborhood buddies

2008-09-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Abby and the next door neighbor Faith have such a great time together. They played a lot this summer. Now that school has started they have not been able to play together as much. Today both families are home and the girls are running back and forth from one house to the next. Just a few minutes ago Abby opened the door and said, "Mom, are you ready to see the style show?" This is what I saw and thought I share it with all of you too.

Sam's Head

2008-09-13T11:19:00.001-07:00

Those of you who live around us have seen how flat the right side of Sam's head is. For those of you who do not see him very often here is a picture. We have been doing what we can to keep him off of that side of his head. During the day he spends a lot of time on his tummy or sitting up in the Bumbo or Exosaucer or on our laps. But when he sleeps at night his head turns to that side automatically. We go back to the pediatrician on the 26th to have his four month check up. I'm anxious to see what she says about it. Have any of you had this issue with any of your kids?

Sam is...

2008-09-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

...four months old today! Here is a video of him playing. He is getting much more interactive and is so much fun!

Happy Birthday Abby!!!

2008-09-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Abby turned 6 on September 8. We had a family and a couple of friends party for her on Sunday. It was a beautiful day. People came over at 1:00 and we had a taco bar lunch. After that Abby opened her gifts and then we had a banana split cake for dessert.

Here she is on her actual birthday getting ready to go meet the bus to school. The pink vest she is wearing was a gift from Grandma Loon and Boppa.

I took cupcakes to Abby's school. This picture is of her class as a birthday cake. She got to choose 6 people to be the candles. There are six other girls in her class but two of them were absent that day. As she was choosing the birthday candles she chose each of the four girls and it was very funny to see her face when she realized that she was going to have to choose two boys. The candles went into the middle of the circle with their hands up. Abby was in the middle of them as the whole class sang Happy Birthday. Then Abby blew out the candles and those kids all fell down. It was very cute.

After they sang to her Mrs. Thomas prayed for her.

Then the best part....the cupcakes! It was so fun for me to be there and see her interact with her classmates.

First Day of Kindergarten

2008-08-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

So, I'm cathing up on my blog with a few entries at once. Abby started Kindergarten this week. She was so excited and I was excited for her. I didn't think I would be sad but I did have a twinge of sadness as I left her in her classroom on the first day. She loves school! We went school clothes shopping a couple of weeks ago so each night she has fun picking out her outfit for the next day.

Fun at the Fair!

2008-08-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

The Lynden Fair was a couple of weeks ago. Lisa, JT and Maddie were still here so we all went one night. We all had a great time and even found Matt's bench.

Diamond Club

2008-08-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

We get to go once a year to a Diamond Club game at Safeco Field. It is so much fun! Our seats are in the 8th row right above the visitors dugout. Here is a picture of us. The Mariner's are so bad this year but we actually got to see them win this game. I look forward to the Diamond Club game all year long.

Visits from Family!

2008-08-15T12:13:00.001-07:00

This month we have had fun with visits from two of Matt's sisters. They came on back to back weeks and overlapped each other by one day. When they were both here we got some great pictures of Nana and Grandpa with all five of their grandchildren. Abby had a great time playing with Ashtyn and seeing Maddie again. I think Maddie was glad that she is not the youngest cousin anymore. :) Both Amy and Lisa got to meet Sam. Okay, Sara, you're next.

What a good looking bunch. Nana and Grandpa, you look way to young to have that many grandchildren!!

Sam's Baptism

2008-08-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

Sam was baptised on Sunday, August 3. After church we had the whole family over for a lunch at our house. Here are some pictures from the day.

This is everyone at the table right before lunch.

The two grandpa's outside in the yard.

Our family.

Sam Talking

2008-08-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Sam that I took this morning. I started it in mid sneeze. Sorry for the backgroud noise....The Price Is Right was on TV.

Back to work

2008-08-08T11:00:00.001-07:00

This was my first week back at work. It was a strange week. Tuesday was my first day so I dropped Sam off at his daycare. He is going to a daycare one day a week. I had over 800 e-mails when I got there so I spent all morning deleting most of those. I checked on Sam quite a bit throughout the day and was kind of feeling out of place at work, like I didn't really belong there. But, that afternoon after a meeting with my boss all of my tasks from before I left were given back to me and I all of a sudden had plenty to do. Wednesday and Thursday were much better. Not only did I feel like I was being productive at work but Sam was with a Grandma each of those days (Loon on Wednesday and Nana on Thursday) which was great! Thanks to you both for taking a day each week with him. I am so thankful that I am only working three days a week instead of four which is what I was doing before he was born. We have had a good morning together today!

Smile for the camera

2008-07-31T08:47:00.000-07:00

Sam has been smiling so much lately. Yesterday I tried to capture it on film and discovered that he does not smile on comand! It took a few shots but I think I finally got a pretty cute smile from him. What do you think?

Intersect

2008-07-31T07:53:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my annual girls weekend with my friends from college. We decided on a name for our get togethers. It is now called Intersect (thanks Bec). We went to a cabin in Long Beach, Washington. We had a great time laughing, playing games, walking the boardwalk, cooking, and reconnecting with each other. Here is a picture of Becca, Kelly, Sam and I in downtown Long Beach. I also included a picture of Summer and I winning the first game of Pictionary on Tuesday night. Since it is so rare to beat Kelly at a game of Pictionary it was definitely a picture worthy moment.

Me a Blogger???

2008-07-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

I decided to give it a try. How hard can it be right? I had a hard time thinking of a name for my blog so if anyone has any suggestions of a better one I'm open to them. I'm going to post this and play around a little to see how this works.