Another Fun Snow Day! 1-28-08

Everyone did so well last night. We had five dogs in our room--since Porter & Zoe have slept there before when we've watched them, I guess that's where they thought they should be! They were all great, until 5AM when Porter either needed lovin' or just had to go out. Needless to say, I made him lay down. He came over again at 6, and at 7, we finally gave in. Bill took them out, and took some of the great morning pictures...snow, twilight and the lights in town. They were so cool...thanks Bill!

We had about 2-3 inches more snow last night...but with some of the compacting, and melting of the snow, we had 10"--and then it started to snow again! The kids were hoping to cover the 12" stick we had in the back. It never did accumulate to much, so Ryan went out tonight and covered the stick up! So, we officially have 12" of snow in one spot!

Ryan was already up when we got up, and Jason was next. Jen slept until close to 8, Kristin & Brooklyn were the late risers at 8:30. We had breakfast, worked on the blog, Jen & Bill worked on the puzzle, we started some laundry (after yesterday's many trips out to the snow we needed to do some!), and then all bundled up to go play outside in the sunshine. I got some cool shots from the top of the drive after carefully making my way up there---it was slippery! I was very thankful that Bill didn't have to get out of the driveway this morning...I don't think it would have been possible. The sledding wasn't as prime as yesterday, and again the kids begged to take the toboggan off the wall. They don't understand that A) its a very special toboggan, and B) It will not "bounce" off the chain link fence the kids are slamming into like their tubes do!! We need to take it to the mountains! We managed to have lots of fun though. We spent quite a bit of time outside, and with the snow melting somewhat, we were able to get Jen's car back into our driveway from the neighbors. We staged cars this afternoon, so that Bill will have the best chance to get out of the drive tomorrow, providing we get no more snow, and the 4-6 inches that are still on the ground and driveway doesn't freeze tonight. The road is still very snow covered, but seems passable.

The afternoon was a lazy one. Jen worked on the puzzle, I worked in the office a bit and finished up the laundry. Jason, Brooklyn & Bill napped, while Ryan & Kristin went back out into the snow to play. Kristin spent almost two hours out there, and was soaked when she came in! After the kids naps, Kristin & Jason broke out the playdough, which was pretty crumbly, so I made new playdough. It was very berry purple in color, and they had a blast. They then went downstairs to dance to Veggie tales music & play while Jen & I made a great dinner....fresh rolls from scratch, and a wonderful Alfredo sauce from scratch, pasta and a big tossed salad...it was YUMMY!!

The kids had baths, Jason & Kristin made cookies for snack, and we all relaxed after Jason & Brooklyn went to bed. Bill's hoping to get out of the drive tomorrow...Jen too, since Brady comes home from his fishing trip. It's been a great two days, and we're so happy they came down to visit & stay! Enjoy the pictures! I only took 185 today, and only uploaded 71!!

Sunday Snow Day

Today we woke to about 2-3 inches of snow at 7:00--by 8AM we had 4" and it was then that we started measuring the snow since it was coming down so fast. We considered going to church, and weren't afraid of getting out, but as fast as it was coming down, we were afraid of getting back home. We decided to stay home, and miss out on an O'Hara fun afternoon....and resumed playing outside. Both kids were dressed and out the door by 7:30ish. Bill was filling tubes and joining in on the fun.

About 9AM Bill & I came in, and were downloading pictures to blog, and Jen was online. When she heard the snow we had, she was packed and on the road at 9:30 to join us for the day/night and some time for us to enjoy the kids playing in the snow.

Jen & kids arrived safely at 11AM, came down our main drive, slid right past our drive, and parked sort of on the lawn. Poor Jason jumped out of the truck to run to go pottie and didn't make it up the drive....what a kick! Bill tried to get her truck UP the drive, but it would not go in reverse, so he headed to our neighbors, with the intent on turning around, and coming back up...mistake. Jen's Durango is still at the neighbors!

By noon...it was still snowing hard and we had 9" on the ground. It stopped shortly after that, and we came in for lunch and naps. We headed back out again for a 4th round of fun, and the sun even came out. The sledding was better, due to the temperature dropping. We are expecting an additional 4-7" tonight, but are all in for the duration. Bill has already called work, and we have canceled home school group classes, since there is no way we are able to get out of the drive. Bill tried to get the truck out to pull Jen up the driveway, and it was a NO GO...9" of snow on a steep drive just doesn't cut it!Brooklyn, after three trips down the hill on a sled with someone else, decided she wanted to do it all by herself. Ryan was staged at the bottom to catch her, and she had a blast.

We've spent a lot of time outside today--and what inside time we've had, we've been working on puzzles. We finished a winter scene of 1000 pieces, and are working on another 1000 piece tonight. Jason, Kristin & Jen also put together a 100 piece puzzle. In the last 12 days, we've put together over 8000 pieces! It's been some great family time, and Jason & Brooklyn have been tons of fun. He came up to Bill tonight, asked if he could sit on Uncle Bill's lap, and simply said "I Love You Uncle Bill". Priceless....

So we're cozy inside, snow is falling outside as I type, accumulation is 10", we have plenty of warm outside clothes, plenty of food & milk, the fire is stoked, 3 adults, 4 kids, 5 dogs, 2 cats, and a Durango in the neighbors yard!


Leaving you with a few pictures to view, and a slide show of MANY (204 to be exact--I took over 350 pictures today!). So if you have time...enjoy them...there are lots to see! You can also click on the slide show and go to our web page where are pictures are hosted...and look at them at your leisure. We'll keep you updated on the snow!

Baby Time!

Sunday morning, we woke the girls by 8AM. Alexis was up on her own, everyone else we had to wake for church. Thankfully, I was up and almost ready, since I spent almost an hour on SIX heads of hair, including my own. I can say, if we had that many girls, they would certainly be on their own hair detail!! It was fun for a morning, and when I finished, and was cleaning up the hair items, only then did I realize, I had my own hair to do yet!! Amazingly enough, we made it to church on time, everyone in shoes, yet while walking into church, the youngest had no socks on. I asked her where her socks were, and she said "You said to put my shoes on!" I apparently didn't say "SHOES & SOCKS!" Oh well, we made it on time, amazing with five girls!

We had a nice service at church, traded kid stuff, said our goodbyes (the kids all wanted to know if we were getting together that night for supper--I guess they haven't had enough of each other!) When Tanya was hugging me goodbye, and telling me she would miss me, I asked her if she knew she would be getting such a large family when she came to America--as it is so nice that the kids are as at home with us, as they are at their own home...as our kids are at their house. What a great feeling and a blessing...as we love those kids just as our own. Tracey and I laughed that maybe we should all just live together!



We then headed home to get the house straightened, have our usual Sunday afternoon nap, and get supper ready for friends. Nate & Katie arrived around 5, we had a nice visit, and I had a good baby fix. It's been weeks since I've had a fix! Nate & Katie headed home around 9:30, since Katie had to work the next morning and Nate was heading to Roseburg to do some "Guy stuff". Around 10:30--Bill thought it would be fun to join Nate for the day, and I thought it would be nice if Audrie didn't have to endure a full day with the guys, so I begged to keep her for the day, and they guys decided it was OK for me to have fun too!

Monday started early with Nate dropping Audrie at 8AM, and picking up Bill. It was a beautiful sunny day, but COLD! It almost reminds me of Michigan, sunny, but 30! The guys were off to do some SERIOUS GUY STUFF--Tractors, trailers, hitches, gas tanks?!! What a full day for those guys.



While the guys were off having fun, and Katie was a work, we watched Sesame Street, and played on the floor. By the time Sesame Street was over, she was exhausted and went down for a nap. We caught up on some things while she was down, and it wasn't long before she was up and ready to play with the kids again. We had lunch, and played until about 1:30 when she was exhausted again. Having two older playmates is hard when you're only 8 months old (almost 9)!

I was blessed with a visit from Tracey today--we sat around and just "chatted" for awhile. It was nice, and another bright spot to my day. What more could a gal ask for??

Audrie woke around 4, and went right back to the Fisher Price barn. The horse is her favorite, and she loves to put him in the loft, right next to her socks that she does not like on her feet! Ryan & Kristin traded off playing with her all day. Sesame Street videos appeared from the depths of the video collection, and I'm not sure which kid liked them more--Audrie, Ryan or Kristin!

Katie & the guys all got back from their days adventures about the same time, so the guys picked up Katie in Brownsville, and headed our way for dinner--picking it up on the way! We enjoyed an evening of visiting and then they headed for home. It wasn't long until the rest of us were in bed!

Saturday with Five Girls!

Today was a day full of girl fun. There was beading, hide & seek, tag, outside playing on the playset while enjoying the sunshine, and then another girl movie time. The girls have had so much fun watching the girl movies that Ryan & Declan boycott, and I'm sure the boys have had as much fun at Sean & Tracey's doing the same thing...BOY STUFF!

After our nap (Bill & I), I called Tracey around 4 to see when we should trade back kids, and the girls were ganging up on me, yelling at the phone, saying "PLEASE--one more night--we will sleep--no school on Monday--and we'll get up for church" So, after thinking about it for awhile, we decided what's one more night. We threw some clothes in the wash, the girls spent almost an hour in Kristins drawers & closet picking clothes for church tomorrow (it's like a library check out system!!!) and they then sat down at the kitchen table for over an hour of fun card making. They made some great valentines, and enjoyed helping each other with ideas.

After awhile everyone realized they were getting hungry...so Tanya & Alyona were great about jumping right in to help fix supper. Tanya pressed garlic, I chopped onions, Alyona chopped fresh veggies, Tanya stirred the hamburger as it cooked, Alyona made biscuits, and it was a great group effort, and in 30 minutes we had supper on the table, which Kristin, Alexis & Kimberly made sure was cleaned off from our craft time. It was great having all that help! We did have three girls that were just dying of hunger, they did a countdown and said they'd die if they weren't fed..and we didn't make the deadline, so you'll have to check out the children that died of hunger (they were quickly revived as supper was put on the table!)

After supper, we quickly rid up the dishes, and two of the 5 jumped in the shower. By 7:00, all five girls had showered, gotten their clothes laid out for church tomorrow, made their beds and were settled down for a movie. We watched Evan Almighty...I braided 4 of 5 heads in small braids for the "Cool look" tomorrow, had popcorn & rootbeer, and at nine AM, everyone marched upstairs, brushed teeth, crawled in bed, and were allowed one book before turning out the light. They've done great being they know that the deal to stay a second night was to get a good night's sleep.

Enjoy the pictures....and pray that we'll get out the door for church on time with FIVE girls that want me to do their hair!

A Week of Catching Up

This past week has been a flurry of school, swim, and cleaning out closets & drawers, and finishing up packing away the Christmas stuff! Bill spent last weekend working on setting up our new home theater system, as the week before Christmas our old one went belly up. So, for Christmas, we got a new one as a family gift.

Monday two of the O'Hara kids came home with us from school as Tracey had a dental appointment. We then picked up the other three after school and had supper together, while letting Sean & Tracey go out to dinner together, as they don't get much time together where they are not doing homework, packing lunches or just keeping the house running. We all joined back up afterward, and the kids played, Sean & Bill worked on their "science project" and Tracey, Alyona & I sat at the kitchen table to visit & do Alyona's homework. Hmmm...it's been a long time since I've seen 6th grade math!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were spent working around the house, working on school, and enjoying the sunshine we've been blessed with this week.



Friday, Kristin had all the O'Hara girls over for a High School Musical party. Ryan & Bill bugged out to Sean & Tracey's, where Sean was gracious enough to help Bill change out the alternator on his truck. Ryan spent the night there. Tracey & I had a great visit while the girls did their thing. They started off watching High School Musical 2, enjoyed playing barbies together, and then settled down around midnight and got jammies on, put their sleeping bags on the floor in the livingroom, and put in High School Musical 1. I headed to take a shower, and came down to find Alexis asleep, Kimberly had fallen asleep before Tracey left at 11:30, and Tanya wasn't far behind. Bill arrived home just in time to help tuck the girls in the living room in, and by 1pm, Kristin & Alyona were the only ones still awake. Bill & I fell asleep, and at 2:30 I was awakened by Kristin & Alyona coming upstairs. I thought they were going to crawl into Ryan's bed but it turned out that they were going in there to play a game. Since I had told them they could stay up as late as they wanted (isn't that what sleepovers are for), as long as they were quiet, they could play. I woke again at 5:30 to find everyone asleep.

The girls stirred at 7:30, with Alexis waking first, followed by Tanya. They got dressed, and crawled back in the sleeping bags to watch a Barbie Movie, while the rest still slept. Kimberly was up next at 8:30, followed by Alyona & Kristin at 9:30 when they smelled one & a half Cinnamon rolls in the oven.

Catching Up

The last week has been a whirlwind. We arrived home on Saturday, unloaded the trailer, spent Sunday with Sean & Tracey after church, and then came home to prepare for Monday school. Managed to get some laundry done on Sunday, and then Monday school absorbed most of the day, also busy with kids returning to swim. Monday night we did find time to goof around--as you can see below!

Tuesday, oh my--the piles of stuff to tend to--items we received while on our trip, gifts to put away, more laundry, take the tree down, the list seemed overwhelming. We also resumed home school--and it seemed everyone forgot all they learned before Christmas, so it was a big review day. Kristin decided it was time to test out her tea set, so she & I had Chai Tea in which I steamed the milk with my new espresso/steamer--it was yummy. Even Daddy had a "cup of tea" with us. I missed the picture with the pinkie raised for tea though!

We quickly got back into the swing of school with the kids and Wednesday went much better. Wednesday was spent in Eugene, catching up at the office for Dr Joe--I think a lot of people thought that the dentist was like the credit card companies, and gave you the month of December off with no payment. I guess it's all job security. We finished at work, ran our errands, met Bill for dinner after his appointment at the dentist, and then made one final stop, and headed for home. We were gone 12 hours....what a long day!



Thursday--we completed school, took down some more of the Christmas decorations, (although my snowmen & village will stay up awhile yet), and did some much needed sweeping, mopping, and general cleaning. Things get dusty, even when you're not home! Declan & Kim came to play today while Tracey had her hair cut, and then she brought the other three girls after school, and Bill & Sean came right from HP as they carpool together. They stopped at Home Depot for some items, and found me a great inflatable snowman clearanced for 7.00!! Sean had previously said he was surprised that with all my snowmen, that I didn't have an inflatable one. Well, now I have an 8 ft tall one, and he's so cool-thanks guys for taking care of me! We all enjoyed supper together, and then Bill & Sean headed to Bible study, but they had the wrong day....so they came home and helped out with a science experiment. It's great to have technician/engineer Daddies for fun projects in science! I'm not sure who had more fun...the guys or the kids! It was a fun day.

Our Annual Christmas Trip--2007/2008

Our trip this year was extended a bit due to New Years falling on Tuesday. It seemed a waste to go back to work on Wednesday, when we could be camping for a few extra days! Follow along as we depart on the 26th of December and return home on the 5th of January;

Our trip started at 9:30 on Wednesday, December 26^th. We were packed, in the truck, and on the road to Charlie & Arlene’s (Char’s folks). Since we couldn’t’ seem to catch up with the Jensen’s any other way, we met them at her folks in Tenino Washington. It was a nice drive up—traffic wasn’t too bad. We stopped for gas, and had a short rest stop of about 10 minutes at a road side rest. We arrived at the Sommer’s around 1:15—so almost 4 hours door to door. The kids new DVD players made for a quiet ride!

We enjoyed Christmas with the Sommer’s/Jensen family. Their “White Elephant” gift exchange was also that day. We had a great dinner of ham, potatoes, and veggies. Everyone came away with a gift. Ryan received pop corn bowls, Kristin received body butter, Bill a finger football game, and Shawnna, well, I must say, the kitchen sink….yep, the kitchen sink!! When the Jensen’s say something used, that is still useful…they take that to the limit. So…not only do we have wood in the back of our truck…we have a kitchen sink too. Wow…we will be more careful next time! The night was fun with visiting and catching up. It seems we pick up right where we left off….the kids too!

We had a slight snag when we went to bed, and the battery to the trailer was dead and we walked into a trailer that was only 60 degrees and dropping as it was below 30 outside! We were stumped as to why the electricity wasn’t working, but figured the battery had something to do with it. We called it a night, and decided to troubleshoot the next morning. Thankfully the electric heater with the cord in the kitchen window kept us warm enough (although the kids thought they would freeze!) with the extra sleeping bags we pulled out. We woke to a balmy 55 degrees.

December 27^th, Thursday—We visit the new Cabela’s in Olympia and spend about an hour or more in there. On the way home the guys go one direction and the gals another. Char & I stop to pick up a new trailer battery, and head back to hook it up. Ahhh…..heat! The electricity seems fine, so we head in to visit, enjoy lunch, and play some games. It’s not until dark that we find that the battery is not charging, and the inverter is not running. Bill spends an hour in the belly of the 5^th wheel and tests the inverter…nothing. SO the next morning we are heading to a trailer place, and praying they have the part we need.

December 28^th, Friday—After a few hours of work, and $250.00 later, we are fixed, and back on the road. We head south and west toward the coast. We call friends Pat & Ray, and find out they will be just a few miles over the Washington border, so we decide to camp at Ft Stevens & meet them for dinner the following day.

December 29^th, Saturday—we start the day with dog walks, and coffee. A leisurely morning where everyone slept until 8:30—wow for us! We have lunch and head to the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria. We had great fun there….and we all enjoyed the Columbia ship we were able to tour as well as explore the museum of nautical items, and it was a great learning experience for the kids & Shawnna, and a blast of memory for Bill from his Navy days. The kids had tons of questions for Daddy—who was happy to answer all of them. The kids learn how to make rope, and forgive the pictures as we forgot the camera, and made due with our cell phones. We meet up for dinner with Pat & Ray at Ships Inn….GREAT food…and all English—right down to Pasty’s and Bangers….however, it wasn’t “banger’s” day, as everything is made fresh that day…and the “English Specialty” menu only has one item made daily since it is all made from scratch. We will be heading back here again.

December 30^th, Sunday—another late morning…8:30 before anyone stirs again. Bill & Shawnna take coffee on a morning walk with the dogs. We even have sunshine on our walk, just before it clouds over and hails on us! We have breakfast in Seaside with Pat & Ray, and then hit the outlets. We relax for the rest of the day (nap included) and then play some games before bed with the kids.

December 31^st, Monday—we wake to ice—and decide to depart later than planned. We have a leisurely morning, and then head south at noon. We hit the cheese factory in Tillamook, and have lunch before heading further south. We chat by phone with Flo at Washburne who tells us there are two other campers in camp…so it’s clear for a straight shot there. We head farther south, and arrive at camp at 5:30. We set up, and head out to visit Harry & Flo, and then head to town for our usual 1^st night camping at Washburne meal…Taco Bell!

January 1^st, Tuesday—Happy New Year! We didn’t make midnight….only 11:40 before falling asleep. We slept until 8:00 and woke to beautiful sunshine. Harry was out cleaning fire pits already, and the kids were outside playing as soon as they were finished with breakfast. Bill & I spent the morning cleaning out our outside storage—it was just so nice to be outside enjoying the weather. Flo came up for a visit, and we decided that after lunch we’d head to the beach. We enjoyed a nice walk, and let the dogs run. Being that Flo is a campground host we promised to plead that we didn’t know her if we were caught without the dogs on their leashes! She is great about it with us, and knows that we usually keep our dogs in check!

January 2, Wednesday-- It poured rain all night, and needless to say, we didn’t sleep well. Bill & I slept until 9:15 when we were stirred by giggling kids. We headed into Newport to go to the Hatfield Science Center. Twice now we’ve taken the kids and found it closed. What a bummer. We bummed around Newport, and then decided to head into Florence to take Kristin to the dollar tree, as she had some $ from Christmas to spend. We dropped Bill off at the trailer since he was suffering a migraine, and gave him a few hours of peace while the kids & I headed to Florence to bum around. We headed back for dinner, and a nice evening of Cribbage. Kristin has joined the ranks of cribbage players, and has done great for only playing 3 days! We let the dogs out to go pottie before bed, and Chelsea & JayDee disappeared into the dark. We heard barking in the distance, followed by yips (Chelsea) and snarls. JayDee came right after we called her, but Chelsea was far off, and we weren’t sure if she was hurt, or chasing something. At any rate, Bill (after telling me to calm down or stay in the trailer—he’s great at keeping me in check in panic situations) and I put on raincoats, got flashlights and headed out. She had crossed the river and we weren’t sure where she was, or how to get to her. We could hear her occasionally yip or bark, but with the wind and rain it was hard to tell where she was. After about 15 minutes, we heard her closer, and found her in the river, about 5 ft below us on a steep drop off, peering up through the branches…..yet she would not come up the bank. I went farther upstream, trying to coax her to come to a place where she could walk up the bank, but she wouldn’t come, even with me on the bank. Bill ended up having to jump into the river and found it was deeper than he thought, going waist deep, and his feet nearly being swept from under him. Praise God, there was a branch there he was able to grab, until he gained his footing. He found that Chelsea had come under the bank to a higher spot, and wasn’t able to get up or out without getting back into the water, and with it rushing as it was, she was afraid…and we still didn’t know if she was injured. Bill lifted her up until I could grab her, and then I helped him the best I could to get him up. Thankfully, Bill was OK, the dog was OK (although after finding out she was OK, we could have killed her!) and we’re thanking God for keeping us all safe in a situation that could have been bad. Thank You Lord!!!!

January 3^rd & 4^th, Thursday & Friday—We spent these days relaxing and visiting with Harry & Flo, playing cards, games, and working on the Tycoon Zoo! It was very rainy & windy, and we were thankful that we got to the beach on Tuesday, as it was the only trip to the beach we were blessed with. We do enjoy the rain time inside as much as the outside time. It's great family time, and good down time for all of us. We enjoyed dinner with Flo & Harry on Thursday night, during a windstorm. Thankfully, we were in a protected area, and we heard more wind than we felt. We woke to Bailey crawling in our bed at 5am due to a heavy thunderstorm. I got up with her, and sat in the livingroom of the trailer until the storm passed, as she would have been in bed with us otherwise. Things cleared up by 11 and we were able to get torn down and head home. We said our goodbyes, sad to leave, as we had the campground pretty much to ourselves. There were only a few overnighters all week. We stopped for lunch on the way home, and arrived in Sweet Home at 4:15—it starting to snow as we pulled into the narrows. As I write, we have 3 inches on the ground, and again, have seen how well God has taken care of us, as they say we are expecting 3-6 more inches depending where you are in the foothills of the Cascades. Hoping to go to church in the morning, and enjoy one last day of a nice 17 day vacation with the whole family. (PS Be sure to check out the snow pictures!)