Who went to Blazers game with me?

So guess who went to the Blazers game with me? yep Grandpa. Everyone knows grandpa can fix anything and do anything but I found out he had never been to a Blazer game in the 92 years he lived in Oregon, mostly in downtown Portland (not counting WWII).

The game turned out great, traffic was light so we get our seats about hour early, and we had a great time relaxing and talking in Luxury box seats. For as little time grandpa watches tv(, only watches TV only when eating dinner) he knows the rules of the game, though he remembers the game from when there was not a 3pt line. I better say he followed the plays as good as any fan ( he just did not know the players names), even complained when REFs messed up. The game was competitive to the very end, we lost but had a blast as there was near sell out crowd and it got real loud. Grandpa brought in some of his Almond Roca candy to share. He was real impressed with the Rose Garden and how many people came out to watch the game, and how excited people were during the game, it will be a night I will cherish for a long time. Hanging out with grandpa for 5 hours was everything I hoped for, laughing, talking and getting into a Blazer game.

PS the great Box seats tickets were given to me by an email contact at the Blazers, I had emailed him my story of taking grandpa and he offered to upgrade my seats which was very nice of him.

Date with Derek

This week it was Derek's turn to have a date with Dad and we had fun. We went to Round table all you can eat which we both enjoyed food, video games and Janga. We also went to target where Derek spent money he had earned over last several months to buy a star wars legos toy.

Spencer pledge of allegiance

Spencer comes from school reciting the pledge of allegiance. I was impressed

Financial Goals

Larry and I were so excited this Saturday to payoff one of the loans on our house! It has been a goal for about 5 years- first to pay off the car, then save for and pay off the van, then to tackle this home loan that we got when we bought our house. It was for 10% of the value of our home, so it was no small undertaking! We have definatly been blessed. Now we will save for Sabbatical, girl bunkbeds, and home renovations.

Expecting... the Fifth Time Around

Yes, it's true! Especially for those of you who had your suspicions. It's now official. We now have a small, kidney-bean sized baby. He/She is due around September 22. I'm now about nine weeks along, so that means about one more month of feeling tired and constantly questioning, "will I feel better if I eat something, or not?" It's really too bad that all the Valentine's Day chocolates are quite upsetting to my stomach, as well as sugary stuff.

Anyway, we told the kids the big news tonight with some rather surprising reactions. Derek ran out of the room after saying, "That's not a big surprise!" and Miranda hid behind the couch for about 10 minutes. Spencer was happy and said that he wants a boy AND a girl and Lindsey was screaming and acting crazy. Not even close to the response I was hoping for, but I think they will warm up to the idea. Later, Miranda asked why I wanted another baby. I said, "because I think there is supposed to be another brother or sister in our family". She replied with a gloomy expression, "I know it's going to be a boy". And later, "It's going to mess up all of my stuff!"

Hopefully, after I'm feeling more like myself and we have a fun and relaxing summer, the kids will warm to the idea of a new baby. Larry and I are really excited. Frankly, I feel nervous because the jump from 4 to 5 kids seems like a big one to me. I think we will get even more strange looks when we're in public, and more comments like, "Are these ALL your own kids??" I guess I should just get used to it!!

Random Stuff

I think it was the day after we got back from Disneyworld that Lindsey realized that she could climb onto the dining room chairs (and the table)! NOOOOOOOO! It might as well be the end of the world in terms of babyproofing the house. She just LOVES to dump anything and everything off the table. Luckily she hasn't figured out that she can move the chairs around the house yet- but it's only a matter of time.


We also had a little snowstorm shortly after our trip in 70 degree weather. The kids couldn't make a big snowman, so Miranda settled for a mini snowman.








Derek also lost his first tooth shortly after our trip. Since he loves money- the dollar from the tooth fairy was more exciting that loosing the tooth itself, or having a new smile.

You've Come a Long Way, Baby!

This is a tribute to my mom on her birthday. As you can see from the pictures, my mom has come a long way from those days with her giant, round glasses, holding her new daughter, to the fabulous mother she is today. Although we have seen MANY hairstyles and colors, behind it all is the same responsible, dependable mom. You've been through 4 small kids (4 in 5 1/2 years), 4 teenagers (AHH!), and 1 work hard/play hard husband. Somehow you've managed it all without having a mental breakdown. You're smiling and you're still going strong- working, biking, travelling, and being grandma to 12 grandkids.

I love you, mom, and hope that you know how much I try to emulate you!

Happy Birthday!