MACY MANIFESTO

Jaunuary Update

2012-01-29T18:23:00.000-08:00

We spent some time at the beach over New Years with the Thompsons and it was a delight! We actually had clear weather.

This was our view from the balcony of the beach house. Elk! Calvin was so intrigued, he wanted to get as close as possible. And we came with in about twenty feet. I have never seen elk so calm and to be able to get close without them spooking. Elk at the beach, go figure!

Cosette trying to dress herself. This girl is Miss Independent! She insists on doing everything herself! In some ways I like it, but in others, it can be very frustrating!

This outfit was given to her by her Aunty Kimberly. So cute!

Oliver in the sea grass.


Pine Wood derby! We were at it again.....unofficially.

We seem to like a patriotic theme, two years in a row now. Our cars are the ones in the middle, the hummer being Calvin's and then the cars on either side.


The fierce line up.

They didn't place, but by the time they make it to scouts, maybe we will have worked out all the kinks.


	Calvin is in basketball and is liking it. He is not quite sure how to play the game yet, he likes to guard his opponent when he is playing offense.

Oliver is shooting some hoops at school for Dad's day.

It's not a very clear picture, but everything is covered in snow. It was beautiful while it lasted which was not even a night. When we woke up it was all gone.

We acquired a piano! It's a player piano as well, that needs some miner tuning. Calvin is going to start lessons soon.

The Salazars came to visit us from California! We had fun going to the beach, the gorge and out on the town one night.

2012-01-24T22:59:00.000-08:00

Toddlers and Parking lots!

What is it with fast running, short legged tots that find parking lots fascinating? Just today we walked out of the gym and headed into the great valley of cars! Cosette will not allow me to hold her hand to carefully navigate her to the car, nor will she consent to letting me carry her to safety either. If I do the latter, which I prefer to do, there is a tremendous amount of kicking, which lends boots flying, that escalates to screaming. What's worse when this happens is a host of people staring and wondering if I have done something to violate the child's rights. So what I am left to do is, herd her in the general direction of our car. At that second, she steps off the curb and darts into the thick of moving cars! Cars leaving, cars coming and cars backing up. That instant, I'm running after her with lock jaw on the outside and on the inside, I'm cursing and murmuring to myself that if those cars don't kill her, I will! But Cosette is laughing, squealing with her arms spread wide and having the time of her life! As if she is Maria from the "Sound of Music" running and singing in the hills, "The hills are alivvvveee with the sound of music, ahhhhhh!" Then after the treachery ended a miracle happened, we reached the reprieve of the car untouched, unharmed and we were safe! I let out a big sigh and thanked my guardian angels! I think to myself I'm going to get one of those sheep dogs that bites the heels of his herd to keep them in line. But maybe that's going a bit too far!

The rest of the highlights of 2011

2012-01-02T00:22:00.000-08:00

How Autumn looks here in Portland

Horses that Cosette loves out at Grandpa's ranch.

Lego towers.......this one in particular was started by Uncle Morgan and the boys keep adding to it.

Mornings at the Macys.

Our little cover girl in training......who's that lady?

Daddy kissing Coco's ouwie while camping off the Clackamas river near Estacada.

Now it's all better!

Our tent was just a few yards away and the boys loved being by the water.

Mommy taking a breather!

Ammon loves camping because his chances increase sleeping on a bed. However, he is a bed hog and he can never sleep with anyone without him taking up the whole sleep area.

A back view of my flower garden.

One day Oliver got his head wrapped around the idea that he wanted to catch a squirrel.

When daddy got home for lunch he helped Oliver devise a system to better catch one.

Oliver sat in the swing for two hours in major hopes of out-smarting a squirrel.

and........he didn't catch one after all that hard work!

Play structure that J-P made for the chit-lins.

Calvin's 7th Birthday! For his day we went and saw Dolphin Tale with some friends and came home and ate pizza. I made some cupcakes and called it a day!

Cosette's 2nd Birthday

Coco's Birthday dinner at Spaghetti Factory. Naturally, where else would we go?

Halloween jack-o-lanterns in the making.

Have you ever wondered what the inside of a pumpkin would look like if you took a picture of it? This is what it looks like! Compliments of Calvin!

Cosette was a unicorn. A great hand-me-down from Jennifer my sister! J-P showed his Halloween spirit by wearing his orange shirt. In fact he wears that same one every year!

Not that my costume was any better than an orange shirt.

Calvin was a werewolf and this was the only view I have of him in costume! And even worse, none of Oliver! I am the worst mom! Oliver was Jango Fett.

We went out to a pumpkin farm called Baumans and it is a wonderland of fun for the young-ins. One particular favorite was this obstacle course. My favorite more, because it wore them out!

Oliver is wire-wheeling the rust off a part that fits to a teeter-totter.

Calvin as Tiny Tim in Christmas Carole. I have bragging rights so I can say he did a terrific job! He had to sing for his audition and normally they cast two Tims to split the work. But Calvin performed four shows in three days. Luckily his parts weren't long, but we practiced for months before the show opened. It was a great experience for Calvin and I have to add that it came so natural to him. He loved doing it!

I was also in it, but didn't have any major parts. I sang and danced and was in about five scenes total. I also had so much fun and was sad when it was over. This production was put on by our stake. Pictured above was my dance partner.

Scrooge and Tiny Tim

The Thompsons were also in it and they did a terrific job playing the Andersons!

Cosette at her pre-school party.

Thanksgiving day at the Macys!

We went out to Grandpa's ranch and had the Thanksgiving feast there. Jeanette cooked as usual and as always does a fantastic job!

Zita came to town for a Thanksgiving visit and we loved having her here! It had almost been a year since the kids had seen their Grandma and they loved her presence in our home. Zita also baked and cooked and added her fabulous touch to the feast as well!

Our little Christmas tree! This particular species of tree we have never purchased before, but will now be a Macy tradition. It doesn't loose it needles and it is full like a Fir but has the flat branches of a Noble. The underside is white so it looks frosted. It is called a Nordman.

Our ward Christmas party was a Luau and so the whole family dressed like we were on a Hawaiian vacation. Calvin telling Santa he wants a gun for Christmas.

Thompsons Christmas party. Lots of laughs!

Christmas Eve! We sat down to our traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner! J-P made another great pot of borscht! The kids still won't touch it, but I know one of these years they will!

Santa came to town and spoiled us! We had a great Christmas!

Mrs. Claus!

We went out to eat with John/Jeanette and Greg/Cherri to the Benson Hotel in downtown Portland. It was very fine dining and lots of fun to be there with great company! I loved all the hotels fancy Christmas decorations they had out for the merry season!

My little drummer boy! Oliver has learned a lot of sign-language at his school and for the Christmas performance he signed two Christmas songs.

We were so privileged to go to the Great Wolfe lodge with the Thompsons and the Starkes, our next door neighbors. It's a huge indoor water park that is attached to a very nice hotel. We stayed for a night and it was on the Thompson's dime! They spoil us every year! How can anyone compete with that?

And last, but not the least, was we got to see Jenn in Seattle! We drove up for the day and got to have lunch with her. We also got to go to the top of the Space Needle!

It has been an outrageous year! We have made so many memories with our children and also our friends! We hope that 2012 will be another dynamite year for us!

Catching up!!

2011-11-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

I apologize to all those who have been following our family blog! Once you get behind it's so hard to pick back up where I left off! Life is so crazy, but it's so good! We are all well!

I have decided this blog post I am not breaking things up how they happened in a sequence of events. Rather, I am just throwing everything at you in sort of a piece meal, al-a-carte, what have you. That's how life feels anyway.

Miss Coco has been going to a preschool one day a week on Thursdays for about three hours and she loves it more than anything! Whenever I say school she says,"Yeah!" She asks about going everyday when the boys go off to school. Thursday is when I go help out at Calvin's school.

She loves wearing her back-pack even though it's as big as her!

Sir Master Oliver played soccer this fall and he was a GIANT out on the field. At one game, a coach on the opposing team asked how old he was because he towered over all his kids. Oliver is a natural and every game he never had less than three goals. One game he had five! He asked me if I can sign him up again!

When Ilene and Morgan came to town we went out one night and enjoyed a dinner together at a Thai restaurant. They snapped of photo of us and we......

Snapped a photo of them! They are always great company and good for some laughs!

Cousins together. Cosette liked having someone younger than her that she could boss around. Although, she can hold her own with her two older brothers as well. This could be a girl thing!

Used the wrong soap in a pinch woila!, had soap-sudds everywhere! Yikes!

Magic potion # 1. They boys spent a lot of time mixing and stirring and what a surprise! It's artwork!

J-P's last minute purchase to go on his coveted bike ride with his best mates.

Water break for Oliver at practice.

We have acquired two frogs that we found out at Grandpa's ranch in the pump shed. Their names are 'Hopper' and 'Chopper' named by the boys. Pictured above is Hopper and Cosette has a strange kinship to that one in particular. And stranger than that, it likes her in return. It will stay on her just so and she will walk through the house like the little creature isn't on her.

First day of school for the Macy lads! Calvin is doing great in first grade and Oliver is in Jr. kindergarten. He could of gone this year to kindergarten, but we decided wait. He was showing so much anxiety about it and so I thought why push it?

Calvin is quirky as ever!

On J-P's ride he stopped to visit my mom! She always has loved J-P, and who doesn't really? My mom is doing really well there and she is very happy! The only problem is she keeps gaining weight. I'm not sure if it's because she forgets she eats and eats more than she use to or maybe it's a combination of that and a lack of exercise.

J-P's travel log

Dan and Aaron

Dan-you are a crack-up!

Dan! You look like Hugh Jackman is this picture!

Our Summer 2011

2011-09-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

BIRTHDAYS

2011-09-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

J-P and Tanya have birthdays that are only a few days apart so it calls for a celebration--a celebration that is Tanya's style! Limo and all!

We went 80's dancing, it seems to be a favorite these days! We had a blast dressing up and going out on the town as if we always dressed this way!

J-P had crowd of girls "whoo!" him and he swears it all in the sun glasses. Maybe it's his swooning good looks! Those sunglasses by the way are real Vaurnets that are apparently $500 on Ebay! I got them for three at a garage sale!

Our neighbors made J-P this fancy Birthday sign! He was greeted by it when he woke up on his birthday!

Just a simple double chocolate cake that I made gluten free so we all could indulge a little!

We ended the birthday celebrations a few days later around our fire pit in the backyard!

Father's Day Weekend

2011-07-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

Father's Day weekend was spent out at grandpa's ranch. It was spent playing crochet, (grandpa won), eating and just hanging around. We did spend some time clearing away some piles that Jeanette made from pulling weeds and clearing fallen branches.

J-P scored that shirt in the picture above, another shirt, but polo style and some candy that the boys insisted he shared with them. I made breakfast for him and otherwise tried to make it a stress-free day.

J-P is a wonderful man to celebrate as a father!

Oliver's Preschool Graduation

2011-07-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

Oliver graduated from his preschool, but he might repeat it this coming year. Since he has a summer birthday, I have learned it's better for boys to wait a year to enter kindergarten. Calvin was six when he started school and I think it made a big difference. I think it will with Oliver too!

The ceremony. Oliver gets so nervous up on stage, you think it would get easier because he gets up there so much for all their little performances. But he still has a lot of fright.

Two of his greatest fans!

Our Ward Talent Show!

2011-06-06T22:50:00.000-07:00

Our church put on a talent show and Calvin had another venue to show case his jokes again.

The boys were asked to be apart of a Haka dance by our friends who are Tahitian and Samoa. This is part of their rich culture and I was happy the boys got to experience a small bit of it.

Our friend, Bonita, who is Samoan made all of the costumes and was very organized! She made them practice every week for two months before the big night! Bonita gave all the boys a necklace that you see around Oliver's neck for doing the Haka. Bonita also insisted that they look fierce. Thats Oliver trying to be fierce.

J-P was apart of it too! Even though it took some coaxing, he did a great job dancing like he was mean warrior!

I was asked to be on the panel of judges for the talent show as in American Idol. I was slated to be JLo, but I decided to be Darth Vader instead. I thought it would be way more fun than being JLo and it was!!!!

The kids thought their mom was silly and if they were any older, I definitely would have embarrassed them!

It's J-P's Birthday!!!!!

2011-05-29T23:37:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrate J-P!

He is 39!

Jeeps! Need I say more?

Outrageously talented with his hands, can build or fix anything

Handsome and ruggedly so

Notorious for picking out the worst Red Box movie rentals :)

Peculiarly fascinated by fast cars, fast boats, and modified vehicles that can drive over large masses of rock

A hard-working man who is always thinking of his family

Unusually smart, can pretty-much do just about anything

Loving! Loves his wife, children, family and friends with a sincere heart

I Love this man to pieces!!!!

Father and Sons Weekend

2011-05-29T22:50:00.001-07:00

Our church every year has a weekend dedicated for fathers and sons. It's actually only one night, but Calvin gets so excited anticipating it, that thats all he can talk about! He even told his teacher at school he was going to be gone for a week!

They camped out at the coast just south from Tilamook that's about a two hour drive from our house.

When the tide was low, there was lots of exploring to do on the beach.

Scott and Jack

Another father and son, John and Cam. They are our friendly neighbors who are so fun!

Calvin stepped in water that was higher than his rain boots.

My favorite father and sons combo!

This same weekend I went with Cosette and Tanya and her daughter Jane to Tanya's in-laws beach house! We had some other friends there with their daughters and we had our own retreat!

Case of the Sillys

2011-05-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

Ever find your kids doing things that make you wonder why?

Oliver looks too comfortable in the washing machine.

Cosette helping her daddy with yard work.

She doesn't mind getting her hands dirty.

This was a little show I got for Mother's Day......interesting, huh?

J-P said this is my child with his posing and all. I find it all very silly!

Easter Morn

2011-05-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

Easter morning the kiddies were chewing on their goodies that they found in the backyard left by one Mr. Easter Bunny. Not sure how much longer these kids are going to believe in him. They are starting to ask a lot of questions!

This year we hid everything outside in the back and when they woke up, they had to hunt for it! I like it this way the best!

Ammon is turning seven in about a month and he is starting to look more like Shawn Connery in his older years. More gray, but still very handsome!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHITNEY!!!

2011-04-30T23:19:00.000-07:00

Spring Break, but more like Spring Fever!

2011-04-26T00:23:00.000-07:00

The sun doesn't shine much here in Portland, and where the rain reigns supreme, we folks have to find things to entertain us, indoors!

This happens daily, not just during the spring break. I know it's pathetic. J-P has to sit down to get a proper hug from Ammon. Man's best friend, what else can I say?

Cosette and her silly ways. This is what she did when I said to smile for the camera.

She tends to be a bit cheeky this girl!

She also has a way a finding things I don't want her to!

Building forts big enough for Ammon to fit into

We went to the zoo and Calvin instantly wants to know where the cougars are....this was our first stop

This polar bear was missing something upstairs because every time he got out of the water, he would walk backwards from whence he came. He did this three or four times before he could get any where else.

These elephants were so funny! The baby kept chasing the mommy and the mommy was so fed up with her little one that she turned around and snorted a it! I can definitely relate!

The kids said, "It's rhino booty mom," before I could make out what animal it was.

Indeed it is, with a little extra that came out the back.

When we got home, Calvin was so excited to see all the pictures of the animals. He went through all the pictures and then asked why I didn't take a picture of every single animal.

St. Patty's Shenanagans

2011-04-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

I tend to feel a little obligation towards this holiday because of J-P's dads side of the family, they are Irish. Sherlock is the name and I think that name can't get anymore Irish than that!

I made a Sheppard's pie all from scratch to commemorate the day. At least J-P, Cosette and I like it, now if I could only get Calvin and Oliver to eat it!

One year ago St.Patty's day we had Ilene and Morgan over for mashed potatoes and corned beef. It was all fun except for our scratchy throats! For some reason we figured the potatoes left us all with a funny sensation in the back of our throats. Bad potatoes?

Feeling Sick?

2011-03-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

We have all been hit with strep! It has been Macy mayhem, with little relief to speak of. Calvin, Oliver and J-P all came down with strep. Two weeks later Oliver and J-P get it again sending us all to the doctor ! We discover strep growing in Cosette's ears and I finally being hit with it, knocked me down in bed for almost three days. I have risen from the dead since then and everyone is on the mend now. Nothing like a sickness that can renew your zing for living! I am still behind on laundry and many other things. Stay tuned!

Oak Creek Talent Show

2011-03-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

Calvin carries the Bastian name and by golly he takes after our side. So much so that I can't help but think of dad sometimes. His school has a annual talent show and he wanted to get up and tell his jokes. For those of you who were in Idaho last summer, you've heard the pirate joke that Paxton heckled him for. That was his main comedy with some other jokes mingled in there. He wanted to wear a pirate costume for his act, so I left him to his own creative devices. He got his audience to laugh and after the show he told his very proud parents, "I had so much fun up there and I loved it when the people laughed!" I can only say where is the inhibition? The girls next to him did their rendition of the Thriller.

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Dane

2011-03-14T23:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a little anecdote just for fun.

click on this link and enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUGcofz6kd8

Your Dog Stuck in a Tree?

2011-03-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

So you've heard of the fire department getting cats out of trees right? Well here's a good one for you.

The boys are playing in the back yard with the neighbor boy Cam. They are playing in the trees and playing with Ammon too. They decide to take his dog toy and put it high on a branch to make him jump up and grab it. No problem, he's game for a little challenge. He can usually grab something from about 7ft off the ground. Well this particular time he missed and came down with his paw getting caught in a branch. Fortunately it was near enough to the ground that he could stand on the other three. He pulls and pulls only to to make it tighter and worse. So Ammon is scared and it surely hurts a bit so he starts howling. Mind you this is a 165lb dog thats howling very lowd. So Calvin and Oliver start crying and whaling that "Ammon is going to die!" Christi is trying to help Ammon and he bites her in the process as he continues to escalate in his freaking out. (no worries he didn't break the skin, nothing serious)

So Christi sends Cam home to get his Dad, she calls me, then Scott, then Tanya, then me again, then Scott again. No answers. She is freaking out. The neighbor dad, John, isn't home but the older sister Ali runs over. Christi calls 911. They redirect her once before she gets told that they can't help. Christi says frantically,"What, you can rescue cats out of trees but you won't come for my dog?" The lady on the other end tells her to take a deep breath. Christi hangs up on her.

Christi then sent Ali to the other neighbors house (Skip) for help.

Meanwhile.....

Oliver is a very clever young man. He gets busy during the chaos with his own solution. He goes into the garage, opens up my chainsaw case and pulls it out. He comes outside with the chainsaw and says, "Here mom, you can use this."

[Side note: She did get me on the phone after the multiple attempts. I was traveling on the freeway heading home. I was speeding home now fearing that Ammon was hanging from 6ft from one paw needing me to lift him up. I was also adding the vet bills up in my head, (they weren't cheap)]

In a

Just then Skip shows up and asks what he can do to help. He pulls hard and manages to spread the gap between branches just as Ammon lifts up and he is free.

Seemingly simultaneously, Scott shows up, John the neighbor arrives and the fire department pulls up in front of the house. All just as Ammon had been freed.

They were incredibly nice and came through the house to see the now infamous dog.

In the end, Ammon is fine. Upon request from the boys, Christi bandaged his leg (shown below). They also elevated it on a pillow and draped a blanket over him. Finally I arrive home to see him as I just described. He hopped right up to his feet to welcome me and as if to let me know that he had just been through one heck of an ordeal.

Pony-tails, Baby Yoga, the Big Bad Wolf and little things in between...

2011-03-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Calvin is never short on crazy ideas....here he is wearing his "safari shirt" (his decided name for the shirt) and his mad scientist glasses. It wouldn't be complete without his Ninja sword that J-P made for he and Oliver.

We have had a crazy winter here in Portland. It has snowed like this three times since we moved here and all the locals say this never happens! Well, it certainly does happen and they closed the schools down twice because of it. Maybe because of all this crazy weather both boys and J-P got strep! Two of Calvin's close friends got it before he did and we are most certain that 's where it started!

We found this antique children's rocker on the side of the road near our house in Cali. I finally got around to painting it and since then, everyone fights to sit in it. See what a little paint can do!

Snorkeling anyone?

Cosette has learned this on her own. It cracks us all up! She does down dog with no hands. Maybe from all the exercise classes I took while being pregnant with her?

Cosette's hair is getting long enough for me to do things with it and these are her first pony-tails!

Daddy's little girl!

One morning to my surprise we had some unexpected visitors! The Big Bad Wolf, Little Miss Riding Hood and the Woodcutter!

Ammon looks like he is loving all the attention!

Weekend at the Ranch

2011-03-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

We spent the long weekend out at the ranch for a little change of pace.

J-P worked on a little side project for work in his dad's shop and then decided, with some persuasion, to put up the zip line at Fort Caliver!

We assure you, it's very safe and very FUN!!!

Just look at the kid's face!

A little out of order, but you get the scene.

Cosette was the side line cheerleader, clapping her hands as each boy went zipping away.

Found pictures of sking!!!

2011-03-01T22:52:00.000-08:00

It was so cold, I mean in the teens, I think 15 to be exact!

Thats Dad's down jacket that I am wearing and well at that!:)

The ski lift that I fell down from when getting off. I wasn't hurt thank goodness.

J-P was a good sport playing ski instructor.

What a view, huh?

Our little skier to be..

Hey how did this get in here? Just kidding, I just can't get enough of her!

KuKu for CoCo!

2011-02-13T23:22:00.000-08:00

CoCo has a way with bringing a smile to everyones face here at the Macy residence

Melts her Daddy's heart with her warm hugs

Sorry, you have to tilt your head, my new camera isn't compatible with my computer, allowing rotation? Yes it's strange and annoying. Anyway, she keeps me smiling with her ways when the boys are at school and it's only us girls.

She definitely has that Bastian funny bone and loves to wear anything silly if she can get a laugh!

She even cracks herself up!

Heidi made the skirt she is wearing

J-P tells me often how much she is like me...... we're just a couple of goofy girls. Ilene should be added to that sentence:)

All dressed for church with a pretty bow in her hair from Heidi and the blanket behind her was made by Heidi as well. You are so talented Heidi!

She loves Ammon and I will find her quite frequently with him. He's good company.

Ammon is probably the only one in the family who doesn't smile uncontrollably when she is around. But at least he puts up with her and doesn't try to duck-out when she comes around. He's a good pouch!

Pine Wood Derby

2011-02-13T22:47:00.000-08:00

Even though the boys are not in Boy Scouts yet, our ward had a night prepared for an open class, unofficially of course. They were so excited and went to work painting and prepping their cars for the big race.

They took it very serious and picked out their own colors and painting scheme.

Mom would be so proud, to see patriotic colors! These boys have pride for their country without even knowing it!

This is how they looked after J-P finished the final touches. They turned out beautiful, but after the race they looked beat up. They were missing wheels and looked worn for wear from racing. Oliver's was faster than Cal's in the end, and Oliver only won one of his races. It was such a learning experience and the boys look forward to future races. J-P is just as into it as the boys. He is keeping these cars and making a shadow box for all the cars that will be made in effort for the Pine Wood Derby.

What great memories they are making!

Quip of the Day.....

2011-02-07T23:15:00.000-08:00

I answer the door to see one of the neighborhood boys standing there on the step.
"Hi Aiden", I say with a big smile
"Is Calvin home?"
I yell through the kitchen to the playroom where Calvin is playing.
"Calvin, Aiden's here to see you."
Calvin looks up from his newest Lego creation and says, "Send him in."

So Fun Sledding and Skiing!

2011-02-07T22:57:00.000-08:00

We hooked up with the Kelloggs for a good time in the snow for New Years! The took us to a near by ski resort by the name of Sitzmark. You can see the lodge behind Athlyn and Lee, where we sipped on hot cocoa and ate German sausages, looks like an old barn. To the left of the lodge is the ski rental shack. Everything was so charming and everyone was so nice!

The boys took to the snow quite well considering it was only 15 degrees. Calvin and Oliver loved the snow so much they keep asking me if we can go back. They were able to have a private ski lesson, they are not skiing yet, but if we keep this up, they will get the hang of it......eventually.

My camera died the first day after sledding and I used a disposable for the skiing the next day, that I can't seem to find. So I don't have pictures of us skiing. Athlyn, me and J-P skied all afternoon and had so much fun! I haven't been skiing in about 10 years, but since J-P is so patient and a great teacher, he helped Athlyn and I enjoy the slopes! He took off on his own for one run, I'm sure he loved the break from babysitting us girls! Rachel and Joel tried out snowboarding and Lee stayed home with Rebecka and Cosette. We felt very fortunate to have that kind of opportunity to ski. The cost for J-P and I to ski, the lesson for the boys, our rentals and lift tickets, amounted to what one lift ticket would be in Tahoe! Sitzmark is definitely a hidden treasure!

This and That and a little bit of Christmas......still!

2011-01-17T00:44:00.000-08:00

The Thompsons and us went 80s dancing and it was a blast! It was a Christmas present from them. They organized the whole night. They found a babysitter for us, made dinner reservations and even got us a hotel room! They always do way too much, but I'm not complaining, we had so much fun!!!!

I have pictures of me in the seventh grade with hair that looks just like this.

We took a train from the restaurant down to the Crystal Ballroom where all the fun began.

Well..... it started here

and here.

I am warning you now, this post is very disorganized, sorry!

I went in to check on Cosette because she had been down for a couple of hours and this it what I observed...

Apparently this position doesn't seem to bother her?

Isn't that what there there for? Leg slots, right?

Oliver was one of the three kings at his preschool nativity scene

Oliver isn't the get up on stage type I am realizing more, however, he played a majestic king!

Oliver's debut as a wise king!

As tradition has it in the Macy family, Christmas eve is dedicated to the Polish lineage that runs strongly on J-P's mother's side. J-P's grandparents are 100% polish! I couldn't think of a better way to spend Christmas Eve than eating Borscht, Perroggi, and Kristticki which is pictured above. J-P takes great pride and wanted to cook everything himself. It was a lovely dinner and it was the Thompson's first Polish Christmas Eve dinner. I know it all sounds strange, and it took me awhile to warm up to these strange dishes, but it was a great featst! Tanya also brought her Cornish Game Hens as well. We had lots to eat!

Cosette wanting to sit at the adult table.

Christmas morning! Calvin woke up at 3 am screaming that Santa came! We heard him say,"Santa is real! I love you Santa!"

The kids got spoiled by J-P's side.

Coco's first baby doll, she was so happy that she.....

kissed it!

But after that first kiss, she was undecided for a moment.

I got her a tu-tu for Christmas, I wish I could wear one and have no-one look twice!

Zita gave Cosette this cute dress she picked up in Europe years and years ago when they all lived there. She also gave her some pink boots that are Ugg style. I love having a girl! It's so fun!

Rowen

2011-01-09T23:47:00.000-08:00

I never officially announced Rowen's birth on my blog so I am doing it now!

I went to visit the newest member of the Compton family and I am reporting that he is the sweetest thing! He is a very good baby and I never had it that good for my first, but I guess some girls have all the luck:)!

He hardly cried except for when he had to relieve himself or when he wanted something to eat.

We had so much fun as sisters! We talked, laughed, watched movies, shopped, ate chocolate and ate chocolate!

Getting ready for Christmas

2010-12-20T23:15:00.000-08:00

Calvin decided it was time to get rid of his loose tooth and was brave enough to ask his Dad if he would pull it out. J-P couldn't have been more thrilled and immediately got some string and tied it to the hall closet door. No one knew if this would really work, because it was everyone's first time....

Task accomplished! Calvin officially has no front teeth! J-P commented that when he was a boy, he was missing his front teeth when he was three. He ran into a brick wall while running full speed pushing his Tonka Dump Truck. When they grew back in, he smashed them out again doing something dangerous. My husband's middle name is Danger!

Apparently, people have been complaining about a little nameless ninja who snatches up loose toys, shoes and even crumbs on the floor! Someone was brave enough to snap a photo of this reckless thief who takes things when no one is looking. She is ruthless, cunning, yet a subtlety of charm and I can't help but find her utterly scrumptious!

Our nightly snuggle before the chit-lins get some shut-eye

A girl after my own heart.....she can't resist fashion.

Our beloved little tree all dressed up and ready for Christmas!

Our stockings all hung by the chimney with care...

And one little elf,(the kids named Tingo), who flies back to the North Pole every night to tell Santa if every one has been naughty or nice!

A few sprinkles of Christmas around the house, nothing compared to the Queen Sarah of home decor

Our German Ginger Bread House. The kids asked me if that was Hansel and Gretal and the witch that tried to eat them. I didn't know what to say, because it does look like that, but then I didn't want the Ginger Bread house to turn into a nightmare! Hey my kids are sensitive, no I don't know where they get that from!

Some merry cheer on the door

Oranges? We use to get one in the bottom of our stockings every year for Christmas! I love that tradition!

Christmas chains

Calvin painted this with apples halves, I loved it so much I framed it! It has nothing to do with Christmas, but I was just snapping away.

Cosette on vacation from her pjs

Is that a perfect bod or what? I mean just look at those abs, amazing!

Our Christmas dog

He wore it with pride!

2010-12-12T23:34:00.000-08:00

Cosette has so much personality and is starting to express herself differently. Even her facial expressions are becoming more pronounced. This picture isn't a good example.

She likes to keep tabs on the goings-on outside. Her high-chair is positioned at the window to allow her curiosity to be free.

She is constantly making us smile and making us say,"Ahh!"

The elves came one night and decorated our home with snow flakes.

I made a cupcake cake for the church Christmas party. I named it Candy Cane Wonderland.

Thanksgiving Holiday!

2010-12-02T22:50:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was spent at John's ranch in McMinnville. Jeanette cooked a feast fit for a king and we ate and drank and were merry! The kids went for a hayride which I think is turning into a Macy Thanksgiving tradition.

Oliver was a good sport the whole day even though the night before he was up all night hanging over the toilet. He had a nasty bug and was the only one that got it. Thank goodness!

The newest thing out at the ranch is a rope swing !

Grandpa spending some time with Coco. That girl is turning into a stinker!

What's Thanksgiving without relaxing and watching the tube?

I was able to capture John hand mixing whipping cream that took him a good solid ten minutes with a few breaks due to hand cramps. It was delicious! I failed to get a snap shot of the dinner. Darn me!

More books.....she actually has an addiction!

We went to the McMinnville parade the day after Thanksgiving. Most of the parade was rained out. Wimps! I thought here in Oregon they do everything rain or shine?

Afterwards, we went to a tree farm and picked out that very special one and made it our Christmas tree! All the trees regardless of size are $15 and they cut it for you. What a deal, right? That's one plus living in Oregon!

J-P fastened it down snug and tight and we drove our little tree home.

Wishing You a Old Fashioned Thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-22T23:18:00.000-08:00

I have never had the gracious opportunity to prepare and cook a Thanksgiving feast, but one of these days, when I can host a proper Thanksgiving dinner, I will then so do.

I am in love with old fashioned pictures no matter what time of year it is. This Thanksgiving season, I found myself looking at some images on-line and thought I would share my favorites that inspire me to always mix the old with the new.

One year, when we were still living in California, we drove to Oregon to spend Thanksgiving with J-P's father and family. I had checked out a Thanksgiving book from the library to take with us, to get us in the spirit of things. This song was in the book and me and the kids, J-P too, learned the song and sang it all the way there.

The version that we learned from the book and that's in my head sings,

"Over the river and through the woods to grandfathers's house we go!

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood to Grandfather's house away.

We will not stop for doll or top for it's Thanksgiving Day!"

J-P was the one who drove the sleigh(Suburban), and he didn't and doesn't like to stop for anything, he likes to keep on truckin'!

I love the holidays, but I get a bit nostalgic for my family and long to be in their presence this time of year.

May everyone who reads this, have a full thanksgiving of good food, hearty laughter, and the makings of good memories! Love to you all!

My Ode to Ilene

2010-11-15T22:02:00.000-08:00

This is for you Ilene!!! When I was pregnant with Calvin I gained nearly 40lbs. As you can see, a lot of that was all up front causing me a lot heart burn and discomfort. I was feeling for you when the days were nearing your due date and no relief was in sight. I know the fear and doubt that's coupled with the realization that the baby might not come on his own. Or you find yourself stuck thinking about,"How much bigger can I get?" This picture was taken a week before I delivered Calvin. I was feeling for you and now I am elated that you are a mother now! Congrats! Rowen is beautiful! I can't wait to hear all about it!!!

Ammon and Cosette

2010-11-10T22:39:00.000-08:00

Cosette was eating a snack and decided she would share some with Ammon

They look as if they're thinking, "Huh? Us? We're not doing anything."

Ammon: "Okay, she's not looking give me some!"

Cosette: "Okay, here you go. I'll put some right here for you."

Cosette won't share with her brothers, but Ammon is the exception

Ammon's focus is undeterred.......it's all about the food.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

2010-11-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Carving pumpkins before the big scary night!

I just watch and sort the seeds so I can bake them with salt and butter.

As you can see I am a witch, Cosette a lady bug and the boys were jungle clone troopers. Costumes were easy this year, Calvin wore his pajamas and Oliver wore everything he owned that was camo.

Oliver had a costume parade at his preschool. When he was the only one on stage, he sprinted across and didn't stop for anyone to ogle at him. Apparently he doesn't like the lime light unlike his brother. This is me trying to be creative and paint he's face to look like a Jungle Clone Trooper. I had five minutes to do it and Oliver is such a good sport he just went with it. Afterwards, when I picked up Calvin from his school he said,"Oliver you look awful!" Well that pretty much sums it up. Nobody wanted their face painted after that, I was fired.

We acquired this costume from Aunt and Uncle Crazy, it was Mables. It was so perfect! I loved her in it!

Lady Bug doing her stretches

Lady Bug at attention

Lady Bug crawling up J-P's leg

Calvin's mask was J-P's old paint ball mask

Just a day in the life of Oliver.

I love this picture immesenly because it makes me think of when I was just a babe in my father's arms in his farm truck. I love and miss you Dad!

Getting Ready for Halloween!

2010-10-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Beware: the visual contents that you are about to see might frighten certain sensitive individuals! Viewer discretion is advised!!!

Okay not this one...... the next one and so on. This is the pumpkin we are carving tomorrow along with some others. Coming soon to our blog!

Meet Girdy, our resident witch! She has a mean cackle and it can be heard echoing the streets of our neighborhood at night when she flies around checking to see if any of the children are out of there beds. If they are, she scares them in! As legend has it, that is.

Meet our creepy crawly spiders. Not scared? Well J-P and I were one night when we were finished watching a movie in our living room. We had the lights on thank goodness while we were talking and staring at the slider window when this HUGE spider went crawling FAST up the curtains.We have never seen one this big before. Even J-P was alarmed. He said, "What do I get, the shot gun?" It was so unerving that we got the vacuum and sucked it up with the longest extension after a few good screams and shrieks! From J-P of course, okay fine, it was from me! I was so freaked out that when we went to bed all I could think about was spiders crawling every which way. I searched the sheets, the curtains, under the bed......I wasn't taking any chances.

We left the vacuum outside that night!

Okay this isn't scary either, it's our front door

11th year of sheer bliss!

2010-10-17T23:26:00.000-07:00

J-P and I celebrated our eleventh year of marriage on the sixteenth. We went to a restaurant called Portland City Grill. It was amazing as we sat on the 30th floor eating our delicious dinner, we overlooked the whole entire city of Portland. Portland is such an interesting city with the water, bridges, boat activity and a cool mix of people.
What do I have to say after eleven years of marriage??? Life continues to layer and get more exciting and intriguing everyday. We have been through so many ups and downs in the past fifteen years of knowing each other that it has strengthened our bond as husband and wife. I still believe the best years are yet to come!

Sunday Stroll

2010-10-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

After church we followed the Thompsons to a park. It enveloped all the senses. Oregon is so beautiful, everything is green, lush and bursting with many flowers!The kids had fun exploring.

Calvin and Jack are good friends and have alot of fun together.

Calvin is checking to see how solid these roots really are. He looks like a scientist conducting an experiment.

Moms chatting and talking about Mom stuff. It's all boring I assure you.

Cosette's first swing ride. She didn't take kindly to it. She wanted off!

Birthdays!

2010-10-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

We all were laughing at Cosette because she crawled out from under the high chair and it was attached to her bum-bum.

Meet froggy, Cosette's side kick.

She loves froggy and never goes anywhere without him. Her favorite thing is to snuggle froggy with her 1st finger in her mouth. It's so cute and interesting because I use to suck my 1st finger as well. She is my mini-me!

Oliver! He is my non-drama boy and is always happy! He keeps our family balanced!

It's that time for Calvin again, he has been on this earth for six years! I have the creases on my skin that show every year!!!! Calvin is still fevering once a month and can't quite crack the case of mysterious fevers! Calvin is bright, and intelligent despite his fevers. It affects his energy, his moods and his behavior. He is very sensitive and I have too watch everything that goes into his mouth. He can take the most nutrition out of food, but he can also take all the bad. That's why he has to stay away from red food dye(so did J-P as a child), preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, most breads(gluten) and most already prepared food. If he does get any of these things, he turns into a person I don't like and acts very strange. This might be contributing to his fevers, but don't know for sure. This is very challenging, trying to find food that he will eat that doesn't have all these things. He is very picky. I think I am going to find a hypnotist to convince him otherwise.

We didn't throw a huge party this year for Cal, we are thinking at this moment in time that every other year is a good idea for big parties. That still means a party every year observing the same rule for Oliver. I'm liking this plan! Thanks to every one that sent cards, gifts, and money!

Okay, don't laugh. This was my first pyramid cake that I ever attempted. Calvin wanted a pyramid, so I gave him a pyramid, a crooked one that is.

He liked it and everyone said it tasted good. Well tasty is good!

Guess who is ONE!!!!!!?

That's right Cosetti Confetti! Can't even believe I survived another year of infancy!
I am such a retard and videoed Cosette eating her muffin with whipped cream on top and didn't take one picture!

At one, she is driving....... around our backyard and LOVING it!

Cal and Cosette are really cute together. He is a great big brother and wants to be with her all the time. He plays with her, makes her laugh, carries her around (which I tell him not to do) and crawls into her crib to lay with her. She loves his company too!

Don't you wish all drivers on the road were this happy?

She's my basket of love! Don't worry, never actually rode around like that. Just for picture sake.

Life is cruel, because you never can see the days pass quickly by you. It's only when you look back and see how much time has passed and it's then you wish you could of held on a little longer, a little tighter. Almost like a dream, falling through the cracks of consciousness and you can't quite ever catch it.

September Events!

2010-09-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

First day of Kindergarten for Calvin! His teacher is Mrs. Martinson. He is liking school and enjoys his homework which is only once a week.

Oliver is going to a preschool just down the street from where we live and it's called Noah's place. It's at a church and he attends three days a week.

He likes to ride his Superman bike there. Oliver loves school and has been waiting his turn to go since Calvin attended his preschool. Oliver wishes that he went everyday. It's awesome living so close to everything and having the option to walk or ride bikes!

The boys got their faces painted at a school event. Calvin is a snow leopard and Oliver is a white tiger.

In character

He looks like he could eat me!:)

This is at a park very close to our house, it's so beautiful. It's not very big, but it has little trails to ride your bike through the trees. The kids feel like they are in a real forest.

I can beach cruise through the forest right? Why not?

Calvin, despite his health woes, is surprising us everyday. He started playing soccer and his first game he scored three goals! He really doesn't have much skill at all, but he is aggressive and gets after it! Every game he averages one goal.! My little boy is not so little anymore!

Disco Mania!!

2010-09-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

Tanya looking AMAZING as usual!

Scott a.k.a Bono is looking way too serious for a disco party

Ammon aka disco dog is looking way too scared for a party

Please take note of J-P's hair, everyone kept saying that he looked too authentic almost like he does this everyday. Well that hair is everyday....yeah baby!

Mary and Michelle

Yours truly - Mr. and Mrs. Disco

We had so much fun! It's not everyday that you can find people that don't drink and love to get down and disco. Well I guess you can't find that many because the only disappointing thing was the turn-out. Despite it, it was fantastic!

Cosetti Confetti!

2010-09-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

How can you resist that smile? She is turning one in a couple of weeks and is not quite walking, but crawling like crab. Everyday shows more promise. Cosette is very active and tries to keep up with her brothers. She is my hip ornament and I enjoy her company ever tick of the day! It is so fun having a girl! She blabs all the time and can say "Mama", "DaDa", "Ambumb"(Ammon),

Out with the boys washing the Land Cruiser. Compliments of Aaron, Ryan, Dan, and Sid! Thanks guys!

She's a great dishwasher

And loves to unload too!

But don't ask her Dad to change her dirty drawers because it's fit about to bust out. He gets stressed and sweaty and starts yelling orders out like a captain who's loosing a ship upon a raging sea. It's much easier to change it myself to guarantee a much happier moral throughout the house.

Back Blogging....Family Reunion

2010-09-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

The mayhem started at Ryan and Whitney's....... the boys brawled for a good part of the day.

Oliver took Calvin DOWN!

Family Reunion 2010 was a blast!!! It was this weekend that was monumental for Calvin. He just decided to take off on his cousin Paxton's bike without training wheels! He surprised us all! He also took off on his cousin's motorcycle and almost gave me a heart attack.....he was headed straight for a fence and wu-hooing in excitement the whole time. He was in more control than I thought and steered away from the fence right before I passed out!

Calvin at the talent show telling his jokes. He did a good job except for when he almost got booed off by the "Paxton Peanut Gallery"

Ilene's Baby Shower

What is my arm doing?

Football in the field. Look at that landscape!

Rhett with Curtis.....a father, son moment.

Cascade Lake

Miss CoCo Loco

Ryan solo with the kids.

Oliver being a stud

The Bills! Love the pose Heidi!

Miss Rebecka

Ryan with Wade

The Comptons

Heidi with Sidney

Cousin Sidney with CoCo

Labor Day

2010-09-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

Nugget Chuggets as Calvin calls her or Cosetti Confetti is on her way to walking.Otherwise this has been her view.Thompsons invited us to there beach house in Gerhardt. Such beauty! The weather was sunny and warm, the best I have ever seen it at the Oregon Coast. Great way to spend the weekend before School started!J-P was carrying her around like a bucket and she just laughed! She would kick out and stiffen like she was running to get momentum to fly. Hillarious to watch. Guess you had to be there.

More Summertime Favorites

2010-09-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

It's the Macy's parade on the ranch

Notice the specatacles....funny-ha, ha!
Note our new back yard behind me. Good times.

It was a moment like no other, caught in between two HUGE black horses

I love Oliver's face!

Oliver's 4th Birthday Party!

2010-08-30T00:04:00.000-07:00

What's a party without a pinata? We had to do it in the neighbor's yard because we didn't have a tree that we could tie it to.

Some of Oliver's gifts from Aunt Gail.

What is it with kids and candy?

Oliver has wanted a Star Wars themed birthday party since Calvin had his, so we obliged.

He said it was the party he always wanted......thank goodness!

Pirate sword from Grandpa

Fourth of July

2010-08-29T23:32:00.000-07:00

On the fourth, we celebrated by going to a live reenactment of the Civil War. Something happened to me that was very unexpected......I almost burst into tears. The emotion over-came me watching these men fight.

It felt very real and it provoked a lot of thought about how much sacrifice our fore-fathers went through to give us our freedoms we easily take for granted today.

Cosette didn't like the cannons being shot, I don't blame her - they were loud. Although, she shows no signs of distress here.

These people who do these reenactments are very involved. They all come and set up there time-period tents and camp out for days. It is very impressive to watch.

The boys absolutely loved it!

Summertime

2010-08-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

If anyone at all has been wondering what the Macy's have been up to this summer, the answer is A WHOLE LOT!

We moved!

Our new home! We packed it in tight!

Kids asleep in the car on the road.

In transit!

J-P drove the big truck towing that little trailer and I drove the suburban towing our little green trailer. We barely fit. Thanks to everyone who helped us!

Saying good-bye to our Lady Lu.....we took care of her and she loved us so!

Enjoying the Oregon country side

Sun on the face and wind blowing through his hair

Not a care in the world

Building a tree fort! It was officially name Fort Caliver!

Their grandpa built this fort entirely on his own! He is amazing. The kids are so proud of this fort and especially there grandpa! More pics to come.

This lawn mower help raise the platform. Handy in more ways than one.

J-P went Grizzly Adams for awhile. Some say it could have been landscape inspired. That inner mountain man is always trying to break out.......and it did all over his face!

There she is! 10 months already!

Bury the baby. Past-time fav!

Cosette's first swim experience

Drinking a lot of Orange Julius! A Macy Favorite!

Before Oregon, the kids begged me to make my fresh squeezed lemonade.....so they could sell it!

They made out like band-its! For one hour the made $7. Thats almost minium wage! They got a lot of charity.

OREGON!

2010-06-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

Shot pistols and rifles. I even went a few rounds. I don't know about guns personally. I think they are a bit over-rated. But, shhh you didn't hear that from me!

The boys widdling wood

My dancing boys

Honda 110 ride through the enchanted forest

I was riding Doc. He is five and still very green. Gary who is the owner of this fine animal was coaching me. It was nice to be in the saddle again.

Calvin impressed us all, even Gary. He is a natural and took to Nine
like he had ridden him for years. Nine is 27 and is a babysitter. He is the best horse for beginners!

Gary giving Cal a few pointers

You can see how Nine is responding to Cal.....look at his ears. SO proud of you Cal!

Oilver on the other hand was out for a nature walk with no agenda. Nine took him for ride.

It's as if Oliver is thinking.......is this where I wanted to go?

Cosette eating a graham cracker on the back veranda

All smiles even when........

what you ate leaks out the back. It was a glorious morning!

Soon after cleaning up one mess, I had another one to tend to. Do you see my life? It's full of POOP!

Calvin got bored and decided he had a brilliant idea! Digging a hole in the back yard at the Thompsons. Tanya insisted that I let him. Apparently it looked like so much fun that the other little people wanted to help. I couldn't help but feeling like Glen and Doty from Raising Arizona. When they visted "HI" Glen and Doty's kids destroyed their house. If you've seen the movie, I'm sure one of the images in your head would be of the kid writing FART on "HI's" wall. Yes folks, I feel like white trash. Tanya reassures me that it's a perfect hole for a fruit tree.

Jane not wanting a picture taken of her. Strange, but I did this same thing as a kid? Go figure.

Jack!

Tanya has mad skills in the kitchen. She is always whipping something up tasty and healthy to eat! Thanks Tanya! You are a great hostess!

We had such a great time!

Becoming a Oregonian will be a challenge!

Wish us the best of luck!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you see?

2010-06-06T23:41:00.001-07:00

Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see?
I see a tall mommy watching over me!
Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see?

I see a big black dog staring at me!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see?

I see you two silly brothers playing with me!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see?

I see a proud Daddy kissing on me!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see?

I see a family as happy as can be!

New Developments

2010-05-31T22:47:00.000-07:00

Grandpa came to visit! His beard is bigger than ever, he's been growing the hairy thing for a contest. Good luck Big Beard!

Grandpa is so manly......he has no problem riding my pink cruiser!

Calvin just accomplished tying his own shoes. He is on top of the world with confidence, he thought it could never be done! Happy campers! We love when Grandpa comes to visit!

Oliver and Calvin are now helping mow the lawns......look familiar Daniel?

Ilene and Morgan spent the night when J-P was in Oregon the first time. Some parolee who had a warrant out for his arrest was driving down the freeway the wrong way. Decided to pull-off, leave his girlfriend in the car, and scale the retaining wall into my neighborhood! We had a Cop-Choppper circling our house, yelling "Get in your house, lock your windows and doors. There is an armed and dangerous man on the loose!!"
Yes I was freaking out!!!!!! Being a mother with three small children with no man around! The cops were searching my neighbors back yards with the drug dogs. They even came into our front yard that sent me spinning! So I had Ilene and Morgan come packin' with guns! They were troopers and in the morning they got a little taste of parenthood. A bed full of kids..... isn't that wonderful? The bed full of kids that is!
My side kick and a good one at that! She is so happy all the time! Oliver picked the flower and Calvin snapped the photo!

Cosette is loving baths! She splashes and squeals, I'm entertained just watching her!

Cosette is sitting up, crawling (army style), sits up from a crawl, pulls herself up to a stand and as we say around here, "She's a wild one!" She is everyone's joy!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2010-05-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday brotha! We love you so much. Glad to have you as part of our lives.

Thanks for the memories we've created and even more for the ones we have yet to.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHITNEY!!!!!!!

2010-04-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Whit, Whit she is it

A lot of spirit, tons of wit

Raises her brood bit by bit

Works long days at a desk she sits

Beautiful complexion never a zit

Whit, Whit she is it

Idaho lover, she likes to solicit

Blogger, loves to garden she newly admits

Equestrian in the making, on a horse she will exhibit

Cowboy hat, dusty boots should be a nice fit

Whit, Whit she is it

Smiles bright like a candle that is lit

thread by thread, knit by knit

You're living a wonderful life, only thirty albeit

Think you're great, amazing, deft and definitely quite a hit!

Hope you have a fun-filled Birthday!!!!!

We love you Whit!!!!

The Office

2010-04-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

I want to bring your attention away from the big desk and focus on the little one.
This is Calvin's desk and he is playing "Office". To point out some details, he has a picture of his Daddy, a pencil box equipped with a magnified glass, a Book of Mormon, a glass of water for when he gets thirsty and of course no office is complete without a keyboard. Calvin has told us when he grows up he wants to be a scientist. No particular kind, but he says, "A real scientist."

He is busy at work and saying things out loud like, "Do you have that ready for me?"

He was so convincing that he inspired Oliver to play "office" too. Oliver recreated almost the same thing, but just his version of office essentials. Oliver told me that when he grows up, he wants to be an animal rescuer. Well, he said, "animal catcher."

After Oliver established his office, Calvin starts dishing out orders because he's the boss (he likes to make that clear in case you were wondering). Cal would ask Oliver, "Did you check your email and did you make those phone calls that I asked you to make today?"

Morgans Birthday!

2010-04-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Morgan had his birthday back on the first of April. We celebrated by making him a triple layer German Chocolate cake entirely from scratch! It was like an four hour affair including the baking time. Well worth it of course and the taste is nothing like you get from a box.

The kids like celebrating anything, but Morgan is considered their best friend/favorite uncle. So celebrating his birthday was a real treat. However, they weren't too keen on the cake. I think they get hung-up on the cocnut and nuts. Don't blame them though, I was the same way when I was a child.

We love you Morgan and so glad that you are apart of our lives! We hope that you enjoyed your birthday with us!

Easter

2010-04-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

Easter is kind of funny for us because we have started an unusual tradition. That is, when the big beastie comes for a visit, he leaves his treats outside for the wee lads. It started when Calvin was two and was afraid of the Easter bunny coming inside of our house. Now when Easter morn dawns, they run outside looking for their baskets, well buckets in this case. Next year, I think we will hide everything outside and they will have to hunt for it all. Weather permitting of course.

The kid's great aunt Gail always sends great stuff for the holidays and this easter she sent fun masks.

Maybe a litte scary.

Ilene and I pulled out some glitter (girls will be girls) during the easter egg painting extravaganza. If you give your activity a name, it just sounds so much cooler. And believe you me, it was! Mine is the purple one, it's like a disco ball! I know, I'm a SUPER FREAK!

It is always a blast when Ilene and Morgan come over. They bring their jolly spirits and it promises memorable times.

Early Easter Bunny Pictures

2010-03-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

We have a dear friend, who raises rabbits. So how much better would early Easter pictures be with a wee beastie? Fantastic!

Just when I think we can take a decent family picture..... though, I really don't expect any less from these characters.

My good reverent little boy.

Then he'd had enough. He turned into sassy pant's Oliver.
How do you like his bangs? He's own style. He told me when I found him with the scissors that he was just cutting the long pieces.

St. Patty's Photo Opp.

2010-03-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

Another reason that sparked celebration this year is that J-P actually has Irish family hertiage. The Sherlocks are in his line on his father side. Baboo, J-P's Great Grandpa's (nick-named by J-P's Dad when he was a child....couldn't pronounce the traditional names) father came over from Ireland. So in short, it's J-P's Great, Great Grandfather. Getting in touch with our roots. John if you are out there, we need a written record of these ancestors because J-P doesn' t know anything about it!

St. Patty's Day

2010-03-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

We are normally not this festive on St. Patty's day, but we decided to try something new. Aunt Gail sent us these cute head-bands and it was too hard to resist not to celebrate. So- naturally I bought a corn-beefed brisket, because that's what all the Irish do, right? We feasted upon that, potatoes (another Irish favorite) and broccoli (it's festively green).
Ilene and Morgan joined us.

She only gets milk and lots and lots of love!!!

She was very festive with her green shirt too. She is our lucky charm.

Cheers mate!

Two down

2010-03-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

I pulled this one out! It wasn't as gratifying as I thought it would be. Calvin told me to put some string around it and so I did. I pulled it without him knowing I was and it just popped out. We couldn't find the tooth at first and then I thought to look in my pocket and there it was? Crazy I know.
The tooth fairy was too generous. The tooth fairy was never around unless Aunt Sharon was in town when I was a kid. I have heard that when children start to loose their first teeth it means they are ready for school. Calvin got into the Charter School that I really wanted him to attend. He starts kindergarten this fall. Can't believe my baby is going off to school!

Falling Teeth

2010-03-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

When Calvin first told me that his tooth was loose, I thought, "What is wrong with you now?" To my relief, I found out this was normal and now Calvin has one less tooth in his mouth.

Calvin was really gentle with his loose tooth. It drove us all mad, because we just wanted to yank it out. It was loose for at least two weeks before it just fell out. Man, when I was his age and I had a loose tooth, I wouldn't relent until it was out!
He was really excited about loosing his tooth. He didn't want to give it up to the tooth fairy at first. He thought it would be more fun to have a tooth collection until the money came.

A day in the life of Macys

2010-03-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

My flower boys. They're enterprising, trying to find new ways to make some flow.:)

Found our easter bunny. Well not really, but thought it was cute enough to take a picture of.
J-P thought it was creepy.

Cleaned the church on Saturday morning and had some cheerful helpers.

Story time.

Oliver and Cosette are looking at another book while Daddy is reading one to Calvin.

Our kitchen, my work station. Always cooking up something.

Oliver got ahold of the camera. This was the good one.

Golden Gate Park

2010-03-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Cousin Mable

J-P's sister and brother-in-law were in Nor Cal because he (bro-in-law) was having an art show in San Francisco to exhibit his paintings.

We snuck away from our moldy lives for a day and met them at Golden Gate Park in the city. It was a fabulous day. The sun was shining and not a cloud in the sky. This park is so beautifiul. They compare it to Central Park in New York City.

The boys loved the huge cement slide that they slid down on, on card-board.

Weeeeee!

This was cool. Policemen on horseback. You don't see that everyday. It's funny, you take the policeman out of a police car, put them on a horse and instantly they seem nicer. You even want them to stop so you can talk to them.

Baby Girl!

2010-03-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Cosette is now five months and is the apple of everyone's eye.

She is clearly not my baby!:)
One marked difference that I can already tell between raising a girl versus boys is that this girl can sit contentedly in my lap. The boys needed to be bounced, rocked or stimulated in some shape or form. I like that she is very comfortable in my arms and doesn't fuss for more. Cosette is a very good baby.

Just look at the way she folds her hands, such a little lady! Cosette is 80% for height, 60% for weight and 90% for her head size. She is rolling around in circles, smiles bright at everyone and loves attention from her brothers. They can entertain her for hours, well moments at this point.

Her hair is starting to sprout on top.

Kids at play. This is where we are dwelling at the moment. This is our kitchen/office and playroom.

Positive Note

2010-03-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

Despite all the stress and drama that feels so overwhelming lately, there is something cool that has happened. Last Sunday Calvin got up in front of the whole congregation at church and sang the first verse of "I am a Child of God" all by himself. Right at the pulpit, he pulls down the the microphone and confidently sings out for everyone to hear him. J-P and I sang the second verse and then all four of us sang the third. Oliver wasn't as bold, but at least he came up and tried. I admire Calvin for being so brave. That takes alot of guts for an adult to get up in front of people and he did with flying colors. I'm blushing with pride.

BackWash

2010-03-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

You know what I 'm talking about. Your kids have a hearty handful of Goldfish in their mouths, pushing those pudgy cheeks out as they chomp away. All those crackers and all that chewing work up a pretty-big need for some water. The nearest thing in sight is your water bottle. Water that is clean and cold (uncorrupted) and OH so good. Before you can stop them, they're consuming your water like they have been riding through a desert for five hours without drop of the wet stuff. Upon finishing, you find half bits of Goldfish swimming around and around, almost like what real Goldfish do. It's those bits that weren't chewed as thoroughly as the other ones, that did make it down the hatch. That second, you want to rant about how that was your water and why didn't they find their own water to pollute. But then you would sound five and be no more mature than them. You hand-over ownership of the water bottle and tell them to enjoy it.

Do you ever find that is what life is like sometimes? You think you have swallowed problems down, but really they're still bits and pieces of them floating around you, driving you mad? Infiltrated the water so badly that the only way to get them out is to get a strainer? Mold is still swirling around us. Even though we are out of the house there are PILES of laundry still and health issues to combat. Calvin is very emotional and tired all the time from this. I find him in his bed past out at all times of the day. It's a good thing he is not in school yet, he would be missing out on so much. As it is, we have a hard time keeping him in activities. I am up to my big eye-balls with doctors and doctor appts. and medincines. Soon this nightmare will be over. I am just so grateful that we are on the road to recovery. It feels like a long one, but it's one foot in front of the other. It's one day at a time.