Halloween- a Ladybug Princess, a Ladybug, and a Power Ranger

10/27

Dear Friends and Family,

A short update.......of what I remember of the last week. We have been eating a lot of deer meat and surprisingly, it is good! I have to say, I have not liked deer in the past so this is quite unusual for me to hear myself saying this. I guess I have Diane and Bob to thank for that as they said they fed our deer with garden goodies and apples all year long. So I hope we are just learning how to cook deer meat better and that this deer is not just unusually better tasting than all the rest. Otherwise, Diane and Bob will have to start feeding us a new one for next year...ha. I may just turn into a deer eater after all if they all taste like that one. The Hubby came home the other day and we were sitting around the table eating dinner. He was talking about how Bob Elder came to work that day and brought him some Traeger pellets. Caleb's ears perked up and his eyes got big, he looked at Daddy and said Bob the Builder came to work! Not exactly although Bob could probably pass for a good Bob the Builder :)

So apparently we have an issue in the house. Grace has decided that she too, loves Bear Bear. This is Caleb's grey Bear Bear, so we have a huge dilemma.....two kids who are in love with the same stuffed animal. She picks him up and carries him around and loves on and yes, this makes Caleb VERY angry because Bear Bear is his most prized possession. A million stuffed animals and they decide to love the same one. He must be very special :) - J

Weekly Update

So just to update because I know I said we were going to Portland for Grace's next MRI, well.....we didn't end up going. There was some confusion with the Hemoc department and somehow they canceled our MRI months ago and I just found out 3 days before we were supposed to leave. It was a huge mixup and someone's misunderstanding to blame. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy about it and spent a couple of hours crying and trying to reschedule 4 different appointments. Don't these people realize what we are doing here? They wanted to get us in at the end of November and I'm trying to tell them that we are 4 months out from our last MRI and we are monitoring a tumor, people! So much anticipation goes into it and I was so disappointed when I realized it wasn't going to happen. I'm over it now so the long and short of it is that Grace's appointment is now on Nov 2nd and 3rd. I just hope by then it doesn't snow over the mountain pass and we don't somehow end up with the swine flu, all of which is going to throw a huge kink in us making it.

In other news, Twinkle Toes is really maturing a lot these days. School is having a good effect on her I guess. She is so excited to go every day. Monday is now her favorite day of the week, go figure! She is a lot more helpful around the house and obedient which I am loving. I volunteered in the classroom last week and that was fun to see what she actually does all day. She is in the top reading group in her class and her teacher says that they are just going to skip over kindergarten sight words altogether and will go straight into 1st grade sight words. On another note, our little soccer player scored TWO goals at her last game. Granted, they were mostly the ball just rolling straight towards her and she leisurely kicked it straight in the goal but we don't care. It's a goal and her foot was the last to touch the ball. We were so proud we had to treat her to Coldstone. TT has a ONE track mind. The other night I told her she couldn't stay up and read this book about how to draw dinosaurs. So the very first thing she does upon awakening in the morning is grab the book and a piece of paper and commences to draw dinosaurs.

Here is Sweet Boy with his buddy Nicholas. They are so cute together they could be brothers. Nicholas is one of those special kids who takes the time to play with younger kids and he is so attentive and nice to Caleb. Nevermind they are two boys on a pink four wheeler, it was on loan from a girl at TT's soccer practice :)

First GOAL

the final push to the goal! It's a GOAL!
A last ditch effort by the BIG KID to block her kick.

Running the ball to the goal!

Twinkle Toes' favorite spot....parked in front of the goal. This minimizes the running she has to do.

Twinkle Toes with the pink hat, running behind her friend with the ball.

Her friend's older brother playing soccer, Twinkle Toes has a "thing" for him, he's pretty cute, huh? and good at soccer too.

This past week....recapped

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm going to "try" and write a quick a note to sum up the past week because I am tired. Hubby got a deer and this is him and my girlfriend, I call her "Pioneer Woman" because she is showing him the proper way to cut up a deer. And yes, this is our kitchen table. I admire her willingness to just grab that deer leg and go at it, but I was nowhere near them when they were doing this.....

Twinkle Toes had her fun run. She ran a mile and a half. Pretty good for such a skinny bean pole. Soccer is increasing her stamina I think. This past Saturday she made her FIRST GOAL! I about died and nearly cried it was so exciting. You would have to know a little about Twinkle Toes' soccer skills, let's just say we get excited if she even gets her feet on the ball during a game. So I of course couldn't believe my eyes when the ball rolled straight to her and she actually turned and went straight for the goal with it. It was priceless and such a confidence builder for her.

My oral surgery went great. Much better than even I expected. It was fast and quick and I didn't feel a thing. An hour after I went in for the surgery we were back out again. I asked the Hubby if he would take me to Target on the way home so with gauze and blood in my mouth, yes, I went shopping. I'm not that vain so I really didn't care that I looked hideous. It was a rare opportunity without the kids so I got some early Christmas shopping in. I even went out to dinner with my girlfriends on Friday night. I, of course, ordered Tortilla Soup minus the Tortillas and minus the chicken so it was just broth. The waiter didn't even charge me for it which I thought was very nice of him. I got home just in time for my doctor to call and check up on me. Isn't that sweet? I think we should just go back to the good ol' days when doctors made house calls. He seems to take a keen interest in his patients which I was very impressed with. I told him he did a great job because I was feeling fine.

After taking a nap on Saturday in our room, Caleb came out with something in his mouth. When questioned he said it was "nothing." Upon further questioning he said that in fact it was a cough drop that had been stuck to the wall and "it just happened to fall into my mouth, that was all." What a kid. We both had to run away to keep from laughing to his face.

Good Night! Love, Hubert, Jodie, Twinkle Toes, Sweet Boy, and Grace

Dear Friends and Family,

The weeks are flying by way too fast now that Twinkle Toes is in school. The four-day school week doesn't help things.....four SUPER busy days of school, soccer, gymnastics, and then Friday-sweet release! TT is loving school! She is so excited to go every week and is having such a great expereince with her teacher and classmates so we feel very grateful. After a week and a half TT was ready for me to drop her off at the door of school. I think she could have walked herself in the second day but I don't think I would have been ready. So I was telling her what to do and where to go, getting ready to drop her off and Sweet Boy interjects, "And don't let no strangars git ya Sissy!" He's so cute. Always concerned about others. He is my boy who is always eager to say his prayers and be a helper.

The pictures are of Sweet Boy and his "girlfriend" (that's what we call her). Aren't they adorable? They really like playing together and she is his buddy at chuch, in the same class, etc. One day they were watching a movie on the couch and Sweet Boy puts his arm around her. THings like that surprise the dickens out of me! I can tell he is all boy because sometimes when our new friend comes in the afternoons he will say things that are such "boy" things to say, like he is trying to show off for her. It is hilarious.

Grace is doing great. The pictures are of her being super naughty. She was standing up on the changing table grinning at me because she knew she wasn't supposed to be doing it. I was in the bathroom telling her to stop doing that and she just laughed at me.

I was thinking the other day about the amazing difference between this Fall and last Fall. Last year I'm not sure I even noticed the change of seasons, everything was such a blur. I do, however, remember spending Halloween night with my two sweet older children, but most of the fall was spent in worry and tears being torn between home and Portland. This year I am excited to enjoy all this season brings. We have gone from Indian Summer in the 90's to a foreboding sign of snow in typical Central Oregon fashion. I am trying not to turn on the heat yet, but that is proving to be a challenge. Grace is spoiled now and every night wakes up crying for me, so I spend half the night in my own bed and half the night in her room sleeping by her warm little body with her legs pushed up against me and one arm to reassure I haven't snuck away.

Upcoming wonderful events are my oral surgery at the end of this week for wisdom teeth removal, should be fun? And Grace's next MRI in 2 weeks.....hoping it might be the last....

This weekend was spent in sweet relaxation listening to a modern day Prophet and Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. It has been a good weekend!

Hubert, Jodie, Twinkle Toes, Sweet Boy, and Grace