We took William's training wheels off his first 2 wheel bike this weekend! They were already bent upwards, so he was barely utilizing them, except around corners. He adjusted immediately. We were SO PROUD, and so was he!! I should have a picture, but don't.

Sunday evening, when I was supposed to be reading him stories, he ended up "reading" his small green New Testament to ME! He told me some very interesting stories about God and Jesus. He just laid there with that small Bible, upside down, earnestly spinning parables and stories for my benefit. It seems like he kept using the phrase, "...Jesus went to get some food." He was enormously proud that he was such a good reader. I wanted to write down everything or record it, it was just too precious.

Yesterday, I bought a used sewing machine in Tacoma off of Craigslist for 35.00. It is an '88 model. Seems fine. Now I can quilt in my own house (instead of relying on my Mom's machine)!

Go see Nancy Drew

What a great weekend! Friday night, I went to the Abbey ballroom for their 7-8 pm lesson. (I went to work right afterward--15 min. away) Chris was supposed to go with me, but didn't end up able to. So he encouraged me to go by myself. That was a little scary, but I did. It was pretty exciting. It was a foxtrot lesson. The ballroom is actually in an old church with stained glass windows. It was a packed house with mostly young couples wanting to learn how to dance. The women did outnumber the men. When I didn't have a partner, I just held up my arms like there was one and did the moves. This was more challenging than the introductory course at Arthur Murray, because it was a large group, and the instructor had us going in a counterclockwise circle all together. No one stepped on me, but I probably stepped on other peoples' heels 5 times. I am not kidding. It's harder than it looks to stay in a circle and not mow people down or end up in the center. Hopefully Chris will make it this next Friday--that's the plan, and it'll be tango!!

Last night, we did something really different and really fun! We took our whole family and 4 EXTRA KIDS to the drive in theater about 40 minutes away in Auburn. I made a junk food and drink run to Safeway, and Evan Almighty started about 9:30. After that was Nancy Drew. We brought Chris's truck and the explorer. We got chilly, but had blankets and all crowded together in the backs of both vehicles. Everybody was SO EXCITED!! Evan Almighty was really a cute movie. Funny and reverent enough, in my opinion. Nancy Drew I didn't expect to get into at all, but I fell in love with Nancy herself. I felt a real kinship/kindred spirit thing with her. She is this classy teenager, very wholesome, dressed in 60's garb, in a modern day setting. She even goes to a modern crazy high school, where she is a brainy, non-conforming, non-fitting in anomaly. She never gets a modern makeover. A couple of very fashion conscious teen classmates attempt to take her shopping and get a "decent outfit." But when they take her to this boutique, and she arrives in this classy timeless dress and some conservative shoes, the shop woman gushes about her look, asks her where she got the dress. She replies that she MADE IT FROM HER MOTHER'S PATTERN!!! The shop girl takes her pic and it gets published in something or other with an article! So she doesn't change or dumb down. It was one of the most darndest refreshing and affirming-to-wholesome-girlhood movies I have seen in a long time. Like a tall drink of cold water in this desert of a culture. Two thumbs up, way up!!!!

Spit Spot!!

I suggested to William at dinner that he clean up his room. Of course he deflated a bit at that comment. A good 5 minutes went by, and he said he thought we needed to move to a new house. (We've been here 5 mos now). When I asked him why, he said it was because our house was all messy!!! I had actually spent some energy cleaning it, and his room was the main messy one! He didn't request help, or Mary Poppins, but MOVING. Why didn't I think of that?!

I had a nightmare I looked like Courtney Love. NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Maybe I didn't know what I was afraid of...till my subconscious reminded me in a strange dream this morning. I had to get up early to get Zach to his berry picking job, and went back to sleep for a bit after breakfast. When he called me to pick him up, he interrupted my "nightmare." And what would the "nightmare" of a 34-year-old mother of 4 be? I was at work, going through the hall to the cafeteria for my break, when what should I see roaming my way....a polar bear!!! I quickly stepped into the restroom, breathing shallow and ragged with fear as I told 2 coworkers what I had seen. But I forgot all about the coworkers and the bear when I saw an even scarier thing in the mirror: my pale, fearful face topped with bleached blonde hair and 1 inch dark roots. It looked trashy and hideous on me, and was far scarier than the bear. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!!! ALL WRONG FOR MY SKIN TONE!!!! NOT THE MESSAGE I WANT TO CONVEY!!!!! (Can you believe this retardation and shallowness and vanity?!)

This is probably a strange, unusual post written very late....

It is 2:00 a.m., and I am eating my third piece of bread and butter after work, in the quiet house, doing my usual perusingofblogsafterwork. Yeah, that Self.com diet challenge was great...for 3 days...till I got hungry...and tired of spending all that time calculating and recording. Go, carbs!!!!!!

Does anyone else have to work really hard to stay afloat in this life, or at least appear to be? Sheesh! If only I could just say what kinds of things I deal with and struggle with and overcome.......

The weather has been a bit uptight--not very summery. We took my Mother-in-law to Olive Garden on Father's Day. The food was very hot and good. I'd post a pic, but my camera phone doesn't want to cooperate in the email category. Maybe I'm not really set up. It acts like its sending, but I guess it's just lying. My pictures are stuck in there. I tried sending them to Flickr, but that didn't work either. As Kristi said, we went to their grand new house Saturday. A delightful house and meal and family. Kristi and I did some easy crossword puzzles, which was gratifying, since we were able to get most if not all the answers together. And have some great laughs.

Tomorrow, Zach is going to start picking raspberries here in the valley for money. Only a few hours a day. But he has to be there in 5 stinkin hours!
I'm going to go to bed like a good girl.

Do you need to hear "I love you"? Well, heck, I love you, ok?!

Will has underwear, a davy crockett hat, and a helmet on.
Superman HQRAT is what Will called the one of himself in the red hat. Windy the dog decided to stop being a nudist. And there's one of el tigre libre, our junior lucho libre Mexican fighter. The bike one has my mother-in-law on the back. There's one of Jessica's 11th b-day, and Zoe on that same day on her scooter. And Zach on some kind of cardboard stilts.

Chris and I had our second ballroom lesson of our 3 lesson introductory package. Words cannot express how much joy and delight I got from it. I do believe I am now hooked forever. We did a group waltz lesson. The first time we went over the foxtrot and rumba. I have this old record of Arthur Murray dance songs that you can tango, waltz, merengue, etc. to, and I think I am going to wear it out. And now I am going to have to buy the movie that started it all: Shall We Dance. Peace and love out!

If cats are cool, then labs are hyper dorks. The contrast between Max our cat and Windy our dog is really something. Max wears dark glasses and a leather jacket. He's too cool for school. Windy can not come in the house after a potty outing without absolutely BARRELLING up the stairs like "Teddy Roosevelt" in Arsenic and Old Lace. Like it's a contest. A race. Like there is a T-bone reward in the kitchen for having made water on the grass. She wears her heart on her sleeve. She's pretty dumb. Can barely accomplish chasing a ball. And she's strong. Has unflagging zeal. Always. You have to psyche yourself up to walk her. Max brought a delicate shrew to the back porch during the night. Windy brings sturdy shoes from God only knows where in the neighborhood.

Current mood: Whatever.

Newest favorite thing: Sitting outside on our 2nd story deck at the new patio table, which we got for a steal. Now that the weather's nice, I'm eating all my meals out there. It's pretty much the best deck in the neighborhood, I think. Thanks, Dad!! I went over the top and put potted plants on the ground, fake hibiscus flowers winding up the umbrella, lights (Christmas--shhh) winding up the umbrella, and cute little candle lanterns on the table. I also got a gardenia plant for the table, which smells so amazing. If I can just keep it alive. Last night, it was really fun to be out there after dark with all the lights and candles. I had music playing, and the kids and I stayed up late just having a goofy time. I also painted mine and the girls' nails blood red. Oh my!!! I never do that color cuz it's so obnoxious, but it matched my new dress so well, and since I couldn't find a new necklace for it yet....

Something ghastly to try: Pop a bunch of popcorn. Don't salt it. Stir together and boil 1/2 cup sugar and 1 c. corn syrup. Stir in a 3 oz package of flavored jello. Pour this over the popcorn and mix. When it has cooled a little, shape into balls. Don't leave this in the pan, it turns to cement. Also, seal up any leftovers cuz it does get stale. We did peach, which is somewhat ghastly but kind of addictive nevertheless. I wonder how koolaid would do instead of jello?

Good thing: Zach finally got a walkie talkie set so we can be in touch when he's out on his many forest excursions.