It’s been awhile since I’ve updated this site, but I’ve been a busy little beaver on some other sites David and I have been working on! Since my last post, softball and tball has ended for Ashlyn and McKenzie. Kati graduated 8th grade and will officially be a High School student in the Fall. Holy cow. David and I just returned from a 4 day trip to Las Vegas, that he won in a company contest. We had a fantastic time… I’d never been before and I didn’t want to leave!

I had a great time playing Pai Gow Poker and have officially sworn off the money eating slot machines - what a bunch of crap! I learned a little bit about about Craps, which is kind of fun…. when I was winning (which wasn’t often)

We saw a few shows in Vegas, “O” Cirque Du Soleil, Bareback (a country Adult show), and a magic show. Please visit our new webpages to see pictures and find out more about our trip to Vegas. I’ve also added our pictures to our Photo Gallery Page. Enjoy!

Treasure Island Casino

Bareback Show

Mystere at Treasure Island

Las Vegas

McKenzie turned 6 years old yesterday. She’s such an amazing being, that girl. She came into our life and turned our world upside down. She is spirited and spunky, she is silly, she is bright, she is beautiful. And all of these things at once, almost ALL of the time. She is exhausting. She is daddy’s little girl, that’s for sure. Not always, though. She said “mama” first, though if you asked Daddy, he’d probably tell you different. She and I used to spend every Friday together. When I returned to work after having her, I only went back 4 days a week. The other kids were still in school over by their daycare, so they went there and it was just Kenzie and I. We’d go to garage sales together, run errands together, go Target clearance shopping almost every Friday (many times with my friend Liz - wow we miss these days LOL). We’d just hang out at home together.

At some point, she started becoming more and more like her daddy. She’s a brut… when she hugs you she takes all 56 pounds of her body weight and tackles you. David loves this about her, and not that I don’t love her hugs, but she’s just so forceful LOL. She is persistent as all get out. If she wants something, she will ask me… then ask David, then back to me, and so on til one of us ends up giving it to her. LOL. She loves her older siblings, worships the ground they walk on really. She really adores her big brother. The other day they were playing Gamecube and she asks Tanner “Tanner, can I be welcomed to your world”? I know she was referring to the game at that moment, but I still thought it was so cute, the hidden meaning that I knew she was thinking in the back of her mind also. She loves her baby sister, Bailey. But Bailey is getting older and more of a nuisance than her cute little baby sister she got to mother over. BUT… they still play pretty well together… they are two peas in a pod. Except Bailey is a mommy’s girl. And David, just quit trying to steal that away from me

Well, happy birthday baby girl. I can’t believe you are 6 already. In some ways I can, you are nearing the end of Kindergarten now, your school years will pass quickly, one after the other, pretty soon we’ll be watching you graduate wondering where our baby girl went. Thinking about that, six years old doesn’t quite seem “so big”.

I will post pictures, a little later. My card reader is being temperamental lately!

Kati finished her McFly page - check it out!

I added some pictures from the Starlight Parade, McKenzie’s team party, some softball/tball pictures and other misc. pictures to our photo gallery.

3 days until McKenzie Lou turns 6. I can’t believe how fast the last 6 years have gone by!

We have been adding new pages to our website the last few days, mostly just for fun. We are making it a family project, the older kids will be making websites on some of their favorite things, so that should be fun!

I was driving home this evening from the store and saw several ladies standing outside of Burgerville Restaurant (best hamburgers in SW WA) holding signs that said “Donations In Memory of Baby Bryce”. If you haven’t heard about this story, a 31 year old mother of 3 stabbed her 20 month old baby boy to death in May. I won’t go into all the details of the murder, but here is a link if you would like to read more about it:

http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/05202006news30031.cfm

I remember hearing about it a few weeks ago and being sick to my stomach about it. Sometimes I think my life is stressful, sometimes it borders FEELING like it can be more than I can even handle. Parenting five children is JUST PLAIN HARD! But, to think about slipping into some mental state that would allow me to harm my children like that in any way, just makes me sick. I can’t even imagine. I believe there was drugs in her history. I also believe that she had mental problems. I think to myself that it’s really sad that someone in or around that family that has witnessed her being mentally unstable or making the mental choice to put DRUGS before her children, should have stepped in and done something. It happens all the time, mothers and/or father choosing drugs over their kids. It’s sickening.

Anyway, so they were taking donations for the older siblings of Baby Bryce. It’s heart wrenching that those two children have to live with what their mother did, for the rest of their lives. I had to get gas right next to the Burgerville, so as I pulled in, I was digging for change. I don’t normally have money just sitting around, and didn’t think I had any cash at all, but then I found a five dollar bill in my jacket pocket. I know $5.00 doesn’t sound like alot, but it’s what I had and every little bit helps. While I was getting gas, Tanner volunteered to run over and donate the money. He knew about the story and we talked about it as we saw those signs.

He ran over there and came back with a little sack. He said the people holding the signs wouldn’t take the donation, he had to go in and buy cookies that Burgerville was donating, and in turn giving the money to the family. He asked over and over to be sure the $$ was going to the family and not just buying cookies. He came back with 10 of them, most of which were macadamia nut, which in 7 family members only Tanner enjoys LOL. Anyway, he had the biggest smile on his face. It feels great to donate and even better when I’m teaching my children how important it is to do so. Even if only $5.00.

We have a busy weekend ahead, two softball games, two team parties (to which I’m taking my snickers salad and banana pudding dessert). And Saturday night, weather permitting, we will enjoy our annual tradition of going to the Starlight Parade in Portland. YAY!

Have a good one everyone!