Merry Christmas!

Well, time to update the ol' blog, I suppose. How about a Christmas Letter-slash-blog update to get back to present?



The year 2007 has been good/interesting/full of changes for our family. Let's start with Ryan! He's changed jobs from managing the local Wells Fargo branch to now being a Business Relationship Manager. So far, so good. He's loving the change and the fact that everyone else's problems are no longer HIS problems as well. The folks he's working with have all been great, and its been a good transition. Ryan was also promoted to the rank of Major in the Army National Guard. He serves as the training officer for the battalion (of some 700+ soldiers) which is a big job. But again, so far so good. And, when he isn't doing my bidding, Ryan also serves on the Board of Directors for the local Economic Developement Corporation.

As for me, I am either driving the kiddos somewhere in my mama-van, doing laundry, or hooked on the computer. I have become obsessed with digital scrapbooking! I have been scrapbooking for several years now and I have no idea how I missed the whole DIGITAL thing up until late this summer, but I am now hooked. I have taken classess at jessicasprague.com (which I highly recommend!) and am looking forward to another class in 2008. You can see some of my work at the bottom of the blog!

We are also now boat owners! We found a boat in late September that's perfect for our family. I'm pretty sure I posted about it here.... maybe back in October.

Ben is six years old and in the first grade this year, and is truly flourishing. He has become a fabulous reader. Ben is a sweet, thoughtful, and sensitive boy. Of course, he is an oldest and takes that role seriously with telling his brother what to do and how to do it! He has been taking gymnastics and also did swimming lessons in the late spring/early summer. Currently he is not in any sporting activities, due to another broken arm. Yes, another. The first day he was out of his brace from his November fracture, he fractured the same arm in the same place. He was at school, had gone down the slide and another kid slid down and crashed into Ben's arm with his boot. We were called to come get him because he was really hurting. After a trip to the dr's office (which we are getting good at) and an X-ray (also getting good at) another fracture was confirmed. And, YES, we will be seeing a specialist and getting a bone density study. We are so sad for our poor boy, stuck in a cast yet again. This time he know's what he's in for and he is really quite bummed out! Although, he is quite a trooper and keeps up the best he can. So, although he can't do any sporting activities, he and Sam are enjoying AWANA at our local church.

Sam, our busy little boy, is four and a half, and in preschool. He loves going to school and all his friends. He is learning so much, and having a brother who reads is a big encouragement. Sam loves to sound out letters and make words just like his brother. Sam is mostly a happy kid, always busy playing or talking, or talking about playing! He is quite headstrong and likes to do things himself, and can get easily frustrated if he doesn't accomplish that task he has set out to do. Sam can be very intense in that way. He is truly a joy though; when he's not busy playing, he loves to cuddle and sit and read books. He is always making us laugh- whether its in the car with me, asking me to put 'man music' on the radio, his quirky "East coast" accent, or just giggling at being tickled by his dad. Sam totally has the best giggle!

So, what else can I tell you? If you've made it this far, I think you are fully updated!
We are so very blessed- by our children, our life and home, our family and friends. We wish all of you the best for this Christmas and the new year!

Cast OFF

(Removable) Brace ON.

Welcome back, good hygiene, we've missed you.



Two more weeks and he should be completely healed. Yea!

Got Snow?

20 inches. Yes, twenty inches! See it stacked up on the table behind the kids? Fun, fun. Until we have to get all that off the driveway! (*Note to Santa: Ryan needs a new snowblower!!!)

a MAJOR announcement!

Well, did you hear the rumor? Do you know what's new with us?

We've got a MAJOR in the house. He was "pinned" this evening by his commander. (Does that mean they're going steady?) (hee hee- I'll probably get in trouble for that one!)

Here's the proof:

See that little gold leaf? Its like, totally, MAJORly cool.

Over the river and through the woods.....

to Whidbey Island for Thanksgiving!



It was a great trip and visit. We enjoyed our time with Sugar, Pa, and Frankie. We had the most gorgeous weather! (But somehow, I didn't manage to get any pictures of it!)

We saw Santa at his annual arrival to Greenbank farms and both boys had a chance to sit on his lap and make their requests. Although, the both got a little nervous before hand and didn't know what to say! I planted the idea of Lego's with Sam and he readily agreed to ask Santa for those. I really didn't try to prompt Ben very much, as he's had an entire notebook page filled with things he wants for Christmas--- since March! But, the presence of the big guy in red proved to be a bit overwhelming and he didn't know what to ask for. Of course, if you ask him why he didn't know what to ask for it would be that Daddy told him he was not allowed to ask for a PSP as he's too young for one. {Jeff- if you're reading this- thanks a lot!} Once that PSP was out of the running, the poor kid was stumped.

After the island, we went to the Imagine Children's museum in Everett. WOW! That place was great. Tons of stuff for the kids to get their hands on and just have fun with. It was interesting to watch how they approached the situation as well. Ben would go to one area, check it all out, play with whatever was there to play with until he had it figured out, was just done with it, or we talked him into checking something else out. Then, he would look around and find the next thing to do. Meanwhile, Sam tried to devour the whole place as quickly as possible! He ran from one thing to the next whenever some new shiny thing caught his eye. It was as though he thought Ryan and I would say "ok, we're leaving" at any second and he wasn't going to miss one single thing. After a while, he slowed down a bit and realized it would be fun to do things with his brother rather than run circles around him! If you want to see pictures of that fun place, and just a couple others of our Thanksgiving trip, they are up on dropshots.com.

BUSTED! (again)

Yesterday, Ben took a fall at the park. He was doing the monkey bars that are actually rings, jumped to grab one and slipped. He tried to brace his fall, but instead ended up with a broken arm. And yes, if you're keeping track, this is broken arm number 3! I can't believe my *mostly* mild mannered boy has had 3 broken arms! (It makes me shiver to think what my adventurous Sam will get himself into!?!?!)

Anyhow, he's doing well and doesn't really complain much at all, except for wearing the sling. That has become tiresome. We are scheduled to have it casted on Monday 11/12. Ben is hoping for a yellow cast (a good color for everyone to sign!).

Trick or Treat?

The trick:

A fender-bender on the way to Sam's preschool Halloween party. I made a left turn after stopping and pulled right in front of someone. Lucky for me, no one was hurt, damage was minimal to both cars, and I didn't get a ticket on top of it all. The man I hit was incredibly gracious and kind. And Ryan came to the scene to take Cowboy Sam a block down the street to his party. When I finally got to the party, I found him feasting on candy and cookies, happy as a clam.

The treat:

I ended the day with an enjoyable (read: it was at least 45 degrees out! balmy!) evening of trick or treating around our neighborhood with these fabulous guys:

We R Boaters!

So, we got a boat. Not surprising after how we drooled all summer at all our neighbors towing their boats down to the launch and enjoying the beautiful lake! (Also not surprising considering that I am daughter of Bill, the King of Boat Research and Purchasing! Hmmm... does that make me a Princess?!?!)

Yes, since we moved here, to this pristine and beautiful place, Ryan has longed for a boat. And he waited, ever so patiently, for the right one to come along. One that was not too big (is there such a thing as too big?), not too small, not too old, not too much money, and WITH A POTTY (for the Princess!), of course. At the end of September, the right boat found him. It stared him down every day as he took Sam to preschool. Alas, that boat was to be ours! Not too old, its a 2006 Bayliner. Not too small at 20 feet. Not too expensive as the owner was moving out of state and wanting to unload the boat. And, importantly, a cuddy cabin with a potty.

We managed to get out on it 3 times before the lake level came down too much and it got too cold! You can tell by the photo, its going to be great!



Oh, and reservations for summer accomodations and cruising will begin in May. Check back to reserve your visiting dates! ;)

We've been vor-tex-i-fied!

This weekend we took a little road trip to the Montana Vortex. It was a great trip over to northwestern Montana, and a lot of fun. I've got the pictures up over at dropshots- the link is over on the right side bar.

We made the trip exactly one week after my sister and her family went. We were all quite mystified (with a grain of salt)! On her recommendation we also stayed at a Holiday Inn with a water slide that the boys found endlessly entertaining. In fact, Ben wants to spend each and every day of next summer vacation at that hotel!

Our trip back was unfortunately rainy, so we skipped going to see the Swinging bridge that the Green's also recommended. We'll have to do that as a day trip another time.

The kids did well on the car trip, with Ben reading quite a bit to Sam. If Sam wasn't occupied though, he worked on his new found talent: annoying repetitive noises. (I should have gotten some video of that- but I was worried I would just encourage him!) He perfected the noises that can be made while sticking your tongue out repetitively (lal-lal-lallal) and invented songs "its getting bigger- its getting bigger! whoa, oh- its getting bih- ihg- ger!". Try that times 500 (and don't ask what's getting bigger- we don't know!). Ryan seemed to have quite a high tolerance for this and kept our car on the road, doing Montana speeds. (No, I won't be reporting actual numbers- you know what I mean!)

We are now home, getting ready for the weekly grind. Hope you had a great weekend, too!

First Day

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

Sam's first day of preschool and Ben's first day of first grade! The day went terrifically well for all!

Ben was greeted by almost all his classmates from Kindergarten and seems to really like his new teacher. When he finally got home, he was exhausted and insisted on a nap! (That's gotta be a first right there!)

Sam had no trouble parting when I took him to preschool. He knew only one boy in the class, but really took to his teacher right away. They got busy unloading school supplies as I stood in the doorway, getting a bit misty-eyed. Sam looked up briefly and gave me a very quick "Bye, Mom!" as I left. When I came to pick him up, he folded his arms across his chest and gave me the big furrowed brow and asked, "Why didn't you pack my lunch???". You see, lunch is optional, and being the first day, I figured we'd not pack it. He couldn't wait until the next day to tote his new Batman lunch box to school!!!

As for me, I had a blissful first day/ week of school. I got to go grocery shopping by myself, sat at Starbuck's drinking coffee and reading the paper, and even went to workout! I think our new schedule is going to work out really well!

It just doesn't get any better than this!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

Labor Day swim

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

Happy Anniversary Sugar and Pa!
Congrats on 35 years!

Sam with Red Robin!

At Uncle Mike's restaurant, on Sam's half birthday. Happy Four-and-a-half to you Sammy!

Summer Synopsis, Part August, the finale!

August was rather non-stop for us. We enjoyed all the best of summer- long afternoons at the beach, long days at Silverwood, BBQ-ing on the deck!

Ryan did some National Guard time, and the boys and I had guests: the Euhuses (minus their man-o-the house) came to visit. (We went on a search for the 'point' of Sandpoint! We found it! see left.)

We also did some school shopping (thanks, Aunt Barbara!) and went for a very rainy day at Silverwood with the Rutherfords, Grays, and Hausers.

I feel like I'm forgetting something...it was pretty darn busy!

All in all, a truly GREAT summer. (Just head over to our dropshots page to see all the fun we had!)

Summer Synopsis, Part Late July

During the last part of July, our friends the McClains came up for a visit. We were blessed with good weather and we managed to get in a swim down at our beach, a trip to the top of Schweitzer mountain, and two days at Silverwood! The boys had a great time with the McClain boys, Riley and Brady. We had plenty of superheroes to save the day at any given moment. It was so great to see Sarah and Jeff, and we really enjoyed our time with them- and the fact that they came all this way!

Summer Synopsis, Part 4th of July

This year, with the Fourth falling on a Wednesday and it being our first Fourth here in Sandpoint, we decided to 'stay home and take it easy'. I was a little down not to be participating in our usual festivities with family and thought the day might be a bit of a disappointment. However, I was quite wrong and very pleasantly surprised!

In the morning, we took the kids downtown to ride in the kids parade. I decorated their bikes and helmets in red, white, and blue- which seemed like such a good idea until we got there! Sam wanted nothing to do with his helmet and seemed truly disturbed about the decorations trailing from his handlebars, and well, really the whole crowd thing seemed to disturb him too. So, we got through it like we get through many things with Sam these days- we bribed him. I continually reminded him about the whole entire bag of candy he would receive all to himself at the end of the parade route. And I say continually because I had to walk along side him the entire way as well! Although, it was really a good thing to walk along side him as he sometimes gets 'high centered' with his training wheels.






After that fabulous start, we walked back over to the bank and sat across the street under the shade of some trees to watch the parade. It was the best parade experience I have ever had! We were there early enough (remember, "ride your bike, we'll get candy!") to get good spots for our chairs (ooh, a chair- a novel parade idea for me!), we sat in the oh-so-lovely shade, and I drank my coffee and read the paper before it started! My darling children were occupied with their candy and sat on the grass and curb area in front our our feet. With all the people milling about, there was plenty for them to look at and keep them occupied as they tended their blood sugar levels. Once the parade started, Ben and Sam were happy to sit either on the curb or our laps to watch all the assorted fire trucks, military vehicles, horses, marching bands, etc. When it was over, we walked across the street, put our chairs in the truck and off we went. We didn't even get caught in the mass-exodus traffic snarl that usually accompanies downtown events. What a morning!


Our Fourth of July evening was complete with a BBQ. Our new friends, the Priors, and our neighbors, the Hancocks, came over for beer, burgers, corn, watermelon, etc. We had a great time with a semi-impromptu water balloon fight with the kids. We ate dinner, did some fireworks out on the street, and then headed down to our beach area for the neighborhood and city fireworks displays. The Hancocks drove down, and offered to pile all the kids in their van. Us remaining four adults started walking down to the beach and were passed by a white van with loud music and even louder kids! Ben had his head out the window hollering "we're teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen-agers!". In fact, it was hard to hear that with all the other giggling and jostling that was going on in there!




The fireworks were spectacular! We enjoyed many semi-professional looking ones that folks from the neighborhood brought down to the beach to launch off the dock. Then we were able to watch the show across the lake, over at City Beach. It was a fabulous show, made all the more fantastic by not having to endure the traffic home! Actually as I sat admiring the fireworks from our beach, I noticed that no matter which way I looked all up and down the lake, there were fireworks to watch. It was so terrifically peaceful to sit cozily with my family, watch everyone's celebrations and know that when it was all done, all we had to do was walk home and get those crazy "we're teenagers" kids in bed!

And yes, in case you were wondering, we will be taking reservations for fourth of July visitors on a first come, first served basis!

Summer synopsis, Part June

Some highlights of our month of June 2007:

• Ben finished Kindergarten, as a quite proud and fluent reader! (Mom and Dad are pretty proud too!)

• The kids had a (belated) Birthday party, with a Superhero theme.




• We went to Seattle to celebrate Ryan's grandmother's 80th birthday. While there, we enjoyed a family reunion camping extravaganza at Flowing Lake Campground.

The boys really enjoyed this trip and spending time with their cousins (second-cousins?). Sam had not met any of the kids before, and Ben was a baby the last time he saw any of them. The boys are still talking about all their cousins and their great memories of that trip. We've got more pictures up at on the "drop shots" site. (See the side bar for a link.)

Here we go....

I want to keep this blog as a record of our life- a digital scrapbook of sorts. Although I really enjoy traditional scrapbooking, I think it will be far easier to keep a record online and much more efficient for updating family and friends. The boys are very excited to contribute to this project as well.
So, there you have it! Stay tuned for more.........