Good morning

It appears to be another gorgeous day out there.   The sun is shining quite nicely.  It wasn't quite as hot yesterday, but that's okay I still got to swim several laps.

My kids are kinda cranky this morning.  I think their getting tired of no schedule. 

Rob and I chatted and I think school is starting up next Monday.  Its time to get back into a routine. 

We actually started our "readers" already while we were on vacation.  Points up to currently reading.  They are chapter books, and the three oldest and I are taking turns reading them.  Their just fun light-hearted fantasy.  

We will be continuing our Moving with Math, we're at the end of the first grade book.  

And the rest will be a variety of unschool things.   I'm hoping for one day of creative writing.  one day of music. one day of "organized" computer time.  etc.  Its extremely laid back organized school, but my kids are still staying where they should be on the scope-and-sequences so I feel pretty good about it.

Zeria's a teensy bit behind on her Math, but extremely far ahead on Science, and History etc.  So it balances out.  And she LOVES math, which is a major bonus for me.  I want her loving learning, and if that means she's a bit behind for awhile I'm okay with that.

We finally have her reading chapter books--slowly but reading them.  And that is a major step.  Samuel's not quite there, but it is coming.  I just need to find one that excites him.  And Kaylin just loves reading.   

We're having this for dinner.  MMMM!!  The lady in the campsite next to us gave us her leftovers and it was scrumptious!!  It would probably be better marinated overnight, but it will still be good.

It can also be marinated in orange juice.  A combo of orange/lime or orange/lime/lemon.  She did hers in orange.  We had lemon, so it will work.  I'm hungry now, and its hours until dinner. 

Good morning

Its gorgeous outside.  Rob is on vacation for another week.  And we are gonna be river bums.

Of course we still don't have a working vehicle, so we don't have a lot of choice about that. 

I swam laps twice yesterday.   And I'm back onto my diet.  It rather abandoned it for vacation.  I attempted to be good, but didn't follow it.  I was quite delighted to see at the end I hadn't gained any weight.

Today I got on the scale and found I'd lost 3 pounds.   We'll see if that holds--I have my doubts.  LOL.  Although with the excercise it definitely helps.

I would just like to hit my second baby goal, which is taking way longer then I'd originally guessed.  I keep gaining/loosing the same 2 pounds.  Its all rather annoying

I have a birthday party planned for Zeria on Friday.  She wanted friends over which only seemed fair.  So her two cousins, her youngest sister, and hopefully her friend from out here will come.  And we've put an order in for sunshine.

We are doing paperwork for a second today.  Its rather scarey as we hate extra debt.  But we are also living in a way too small house, and our current mortgage is only $289 a month.  If everything goes according to plan we will replace our broken sealed windows--so we can see out them again.  We only have one window in the living room that isn't chronically steamed up.   When you live next to a rain forest and its always gray, add to the mix never being able to see out your windows, and its not a good thing.    We will also hire somebody to tear down our current porch and build a similar sized sun-room.  We have the doors and windows for this already, as we had intended doing it this spring, and money rather vanished.  I hate money.

Other then that we're just hanging out enjoying each other.

Jer along with his rocks has one other favorite toy.  Its actually a convenient toy cause as long as he's playing with it we know where he's at.  This is pop-pop.   I think I had one growing up LOL.  He LOVES pop-pop.  And will get quite peeved if someone interupts his play with it.

This was the view of the lake while we were waiting for the stars.  The Canadian Geese came and visited us morning and night.  Do you see how close we were to the lake.  I love it when you can find camping like that.  Now if it had just been a teensy bit warmer

This is Rainbug waiting for the stars.   This is Tuesday night, so we were getting beyond filthy.   Although miraculously that was the first time she'd warn her warm clothes, as she'd just stayed in warm pj's at night and in the mornings.

We had a extra air mattress that we used to play on in the lake.  The kids were getting so cold waiting for the stars that I pulled out my sleeping bag and they laid down on it and cuddled for awhile.  Until the inevitable spat about whose stealing the covers, and whose bumping who.

And our resident pyro Samuel who was guarding the fire quite zealously.  We kept babying the firewood thats why the fire is so pathetic  LOL

Wednesday morning Zeria's friend Macy was headed back to Yakima with her family, so I snagged a picture of her.  Wednesday we just hung around the camp being lazy.  We did go for a bit of a drive, but it was rather a bomb, as we found nothing "cool", just lots of dirt roads.  Pretty views, but nothing camera worthy.   We had intended to sleep in this campsite Wednesday night but towards evening we decided it was cutting it too close to get to Seattle for Rainee's doctors appointments.

So at 4 pm we decided we'd eat dinner and get closer to Seattle.  I cooked while Rob took the tent down.  We just through stuff in the van half-hazardly and headed over the pass.   We found a rather unexciting campsite that we through our tent up and slept in.  The next morning we were up at 7 throwing the tent back into the van and the kiddos in their pj's.  We began the scurried drive to Seattle via 410.  We stopped in Enumclaw for breakfast via Safeway.  (apple fritters MMM)   And then hit MAJOR BAD BAD TRAFFIC.  We ended up doing about 15 miles an hour from shortly outside of Enumclaw all the way to Childrens.  We left with 3 hours time, and ended up there ten minutes before the appointment.  Its such a good thing we didn't try to get their from Rimrock.

The first appointment was Cardiology.  Dr. W. wanted us to stop there to assure that Rainee's sleep crap wasn't messing her heart up anymore then it is.  Its not.  The PDA repair is doing its job, and her heart is A-OK.  She held perfectly still for the EKG, and they didn't insist on a echo which made me very happy.   Dr. Stamm is a wonderful kids doctor.  He actually sponsers a camp for his heart-patients every summer.  When Rainee was done her appointment she got to pick out a teddy bear.  It was the softest critter.  It never left her side for the next two days.  LOL

We did our pulmonoligst appointment--and they agreed Rainee needs to do another sleep study.  So we're in the que for that.  The pulmonoligist was double scheduled thanks to a new computer, and the wait was never-ending.  Our kids were angels, and we finally got out of their at 1:30.  The appointment was scheduled for 11.

We zipped by McD's and picked up a late lunch, and headed to the ferry.   It was nice to actually be able to wiggle a bit.  It was delightfully warm, which made us willing to brave the outside of the ferry and enjoy the view.  Its usually too NASTY cold to be out there.  This is Zeria waiting for the ferry to leave the dock.

Jer was appropriately impressed by the ferry, and kept saying "Woooooow."   He is extremely aware of nature for being such a little tyke.

After the ferry ride we headed to Sequim which is on our way home and stopped at my parents for the night.  My dad and Zeria share a birthday.  So my mom had invited us over to celebrate a couple days late, and then just set our tent there.  It worked quite nicely.  The two older girls slept with J'dai.  And the rest of us slept in the tent.  My brother and his wife and girls also came over.  We had a nice visit, and a lovely breakfast the next morning.  My brother & his wife headed back to there house, so we had mom & dad to ourselves in the morning.

Early in the morning we enjoyed breakfast and then headed back home.  *yeah*  My own bed.  I love my bed.  LOL

And that's the last ferry picture--notice Rainee and the teddy bear.  She LOVES that teddy.   I love what the wind is doing to her hair too.  *snicker*

Now that we're home its still delightfully warm.  And the river has warmed up.   The kids and I swam, and swam in it yesterday.  We explored all the way down to the bridge and found the best swimming hole.  Its a bit farther away from the house, but I can actually swim a decent lap in it.  Its also quite nice and warm.  We will be going back after church.

Rob has another week of vacation scheduled, and we will just be bumbing around home.  This is a good thing as we lost the brakes on our van on the way home.  Its in the shop--to the tune of $682.  UGH.    The man said he would take payments, its a good thing, as we spent more then we should on vacation thanks to it being so stinkin' cold.   Money bites.

Its a lovely thing that its at least warm, and we have a place to swim.  Our other vehicle is currently needing a radiator replacement, and doesn't have Tabs.  We knew the radiator needed fixed so we didn't buy the tabs.  *growl*  We will be sneaking it to church today (about 3 miles) and back, but we don't want to risk being any more illegal then that. 

Tuesday was Zeria's birthday.  Its kinda being celebrated in spirts as she wants "friends" to celebrate it, but we also wanted to recognize her on her actual birthday.  We also gave her her major birthday present at the start of vacation instead of on her birthday.  LOL  So all spirts.

Anyhow this is the princess at the lake in her birthday outfit.  She was quite pleased with it.  9 years old.  Its rather startling to me she got that old that quickly.  LOL   We spent the first part of the morning just kinda lazing around camp.  I was laying in the tent reading.  Rob was reading in a lawn chair watching Jeremiah pop pop pop his little toy.   When my sister pulled into the campsite.

She decided that Zeria needed a birthday suprise.  So they came up for a couple hours to swim and sing happy birthday.  She even brought a little birthday cake from Save-on-Foods.  And no I didn't take pictures.  OOPS.  I do have this of Zeria playing with her birthday camera though.

After Karla left the wind picked up and it was a bit cold, so we decided to go for a drive on some back roads that had been recommended to us by another camper.   Oh yes I forgot on Sunday night a family came in to camp for the week.  She was Native he was black.  And they had a little girl Zeria's age.  Her and Zeria made good friends and played quite a lot together.   Anyhow we drove up a couple roads (made sure to bring our camp stove this time, and finally stopped at this cute little creek with these  big logs to walk over.  

While Rob messed with the camp stove--the kids and I explored under the bridge and so on.  Kaylin was my little shadow that day.  She had let it be known when we are exploring its best to go with mom cause she finds the "cool" stuff.  The big kids tend to want to find their own "cool" stuff.  Ahh well we all need at least one shadow.

Just before we had pulled into this creek stop I had noticed a little tree house in the woods.  So we walked back and explored that too.

After a nice explore and Rainee's brief attempt to kill herself we had dinner.    She fell off one of the logs she'd been attempting to climb.  Fortunately not over the creek but over some dirt.  It was a rather large fall and scared us a LOT.  But she was fine...we were the ones who were shaking.   It wasn't fancy--Mac & Cheeze.  But it was  a fun adventure to have it somewhere besides our main campsite.   There was just this one lonely picnic table and then nothing for miles.  It was out in the middle of nowhere on gravel roads.  Such a sweet thing.  If you peer at the picture you can see Rainee's bandaid.    She landed on her eye.  It was eight feet from the log to the ground.   We were sure she'd have a black eye, but no just this teensy little scab.   She broke a guardian angels back I swear.

You do all remember the number one rule of camping don't you?  See how dirty you can get?  Well we did a good job.  And because it was much colder then anticipated we only had one "warm" outfit.    That outfit was capable of standing up on its own by the end of the week.  Jeremiah's pj's...well their just going in the garbage.  So nasty.    There's my "clean" little boy eating mac & cheeze.  Isn't he nasty?  And umm he learned that word this vacation.  snigger.  Along with his first long sentence.  "A rock mom.  A big rock mom."   Jer is gonna be a geologist.

While Rob was packing the kids up.  Jeremiah and I walked to the bridge and I let him throw a big rock over the edge.  I thought this shadow picture was kind of cool.  Then we headed back to the campsite to huddle by the fire.  At $5 a bundle for firewood we didn't do that as often as we wanted to.  Silly when we had tons of firewood at home, but its usually so hot in Eastern Washington we couldn't stand to have a fire.

We had promised the kids that night they could stay up to watch the stars.  Which we just barely managed.  They didn't get to see the "big" stars at about 11'ish.  After about 30 stars Kaylin announced.  "Can I go to bed now."  I nodded and the other kids followed.  Their not used to late nights.  LOL

I think this just turned into a 3 blog vacation--snicker.  I took pictures of them around the fire, and their too good not to share, but this blog is gonna

collapse on me if I write anymore.  Soooo later.

We're back.   It was an uneventful vacation, and a nice break.  It wasn't as hot as we're hoping.   The irony is in this...today we're home and its WAY hotter here then it was the whole time we were in Eastern Washington.  Go figure.

The lake was a tinge cold, and the campground a bit noisy.  (read really really noisy on the weekend)  But all and all it was successful.

But man I'm looking forward to my own bed tonight. 

We drove to Eastern Washington via 101 down past Kalaloch.  It was raining cats, dogs & elephants, but as we got down towards Chehalis the sun came out and stayed out the rest of the trip.   *cheers*   We headed over to Yakima via White Pass.   It was gorgeous, and we thoroughly enjoyed admiring Mt. Rainier, and all the gorgeous rock formations.

Saturday we spent at my sisters new house, and seeing the property their hoping to build on some day.   Sunday they came out and spent at the lake with us.  This next picture is of a old Jimmy thats on the property.  My bil LOVES redoing cars, and he's scheming about this one.  I love this picture.  Its all of my kiddos and my sisters.  And it was HOT out there in that picture.  NASTY hot.  The only hot part of our vacation.

Sunday as I said they came out to the lake and played around for awhile before bil had to go home and study for his final on Tuesday.  The girls were aa hoot.  Zeria led them all over the campsite playing Girly girl.  It involved shaking your hips and being a bit prissy.   Rob volunteered to play girly girl for awhile too...

It was a picture we all hope to scrub out of our mind.

Monday afternoon we decided to drive up to Sunrise at Mt. Rainier.  It was a bit windy and cold and the lake and we were restless.  The drive was about an hour and a half one way.  It was a gorgeous drive, but just as we got to the top...the mountain was in clouds.  *snicker*  Still beautiful up there even if we couldn't see the "big" one.   I forgot my tripod this vacation so the family shot is balanced on a rock and just a bit crooked.  *snicker*

I love Sunrise its so beautiful up there, and way less tourists then the Paradise side.   We walked around for awhile admiring the Cascades and the meadows and enjoying a nice stretch.

By Monday all residual pain from my toothache was completely gone for which I'm greatful.  I'll be getting it fixed on Wednesday.  

On the way back down Mt. Rainier we decided to go back by 410 instead of 123.  It was a rather large mistake.  On the map it didn't look like it would take that much longer.  It was over an hour longer.  It wouldn't have been bad as it was a beautiful drive.  Except our cook stove was sitting on the picnic table at the campsite so we couldn't eat and we were HUNGRY.  Major Oops.  LOL   Kaylin is holding a slinky in that picture she bought it with her vacation money at the little store at the camp site.  It broke two days later--we were amazed it made it that long.  *snicker*

Zeria and I had a blast taking pictures at Mt. Rainier.  Much to Rob's chagrin.  Great now we have two photo fanatics.  *snicker*   She took this one of me with my camera. 

And I took this one of her putting her camera in use. 

And that's almost half of our trip.  I'll share the other half or so later.  Don't want to overwhelm anyone too bad.

Okies then the toothache disappeared at 9 pm last nigth.  I will be extremely careful about what I eat in the next couple days--until the antibiotics kill the infection.

So, the van is packed, the sun is trying to shine, and regardless of my sleep deprivation we're out of here.

Adios

I have a toothache from hell I've had it for over 24-hours.  If you pray, please pray that I can get it stopped.  I am on an antibiotic...which should kick in eventually, but in the meantime I haven't slept in 24 hours....for more then five minutes. 

We're supposed to leave for vacation tomorrow, and its not looking good.

Oceanmomma asked what our menu looks like.  This is it approximately.  Our "extras"  will be fruit we pick up in Eastern Washington.   The cherrys will be ripe and we have full intentions of gorging on them.  *snicker*  My kids think Raineer Cherries are candy.   We will probably also buy ice cream a couple times--its a necessity on vacation.   We use a two burner coleman camp stove for cooking.  Rob is in charge of breakfasts.  I do the other two meals--although Rob will pitch in or just do it if I ask.    Oh yes, and as a extra treat I bought a container of Minute Maid Powdered Lemonade something we NEVER have.  The other major treat is cereal--my kids just don't get it too much $$$$

Friday;  Lunch;  Crab Salad  (imitation crab)

             Dinner;  Hot Dogs S'mores

Saturday;  Breakfast;   French Toast

                Lunch;  PBJ's

                Dinner;  Hamburgers

Sunday;  Cereal

              Lunch;  Taco Salad

              Dinner;  Ravioli (canned stuff--its a "treat")

Monday;  Breakfast;  Potato Hash

                Lunch;   Tuna Sandwiches

                Dinner;  Sweet & Sour Chicken.  (bought marinade instead of making my own)

Tuesday;  Pancakes

                Lunch;   Taco Salad

                 Dinner;  Brats

Wednesday;  Cereal

                     Lunch;   PBj's

                     Dinner;  Mac & Cheeze.

Thursday is our trip to Seattle so we will be eating out that day.  Its budgeted.

Friday we are back home.

Good morning

Its December outside.  Its raining cats & dogs & elephants and freezing cold.

It better be nice in Eastern Washington.  This is ridiculous.

My kids have started negotiating over what they can bring.  "Can I bring these three stuffies?  I wrote my list of what I need."  Etc.  Its all entertaining, and I keep refusing to give into it.  *snicker*

We will be going to Rimrock Lake.  Its about an hour from Yakima and Selah where my sister is currently living.  She found it for us, and said its beautiful.   We'll be there until next Thursday.  Thursday we have Childrens Appointments for Rainee.  Cardiology, and Pulmonology.   When we're done with those we are planning on coming home.  We will still have another week off, but we'll just bumb around here...unless of course we change our mind.  We do that a lot on vacation.  *snicker*

We will be tenting--and eating our own food.  This is a LOW budget trip.  As we have been tight on money for awhile.  But it will still be nice to see some sunshine.  Normally this would be when we went to Idaho to see the 'ils.  But this year we just couldn't afford the gas.