Quick- Before the Rain Starts Again! - SUNDAY (DAY 5)

Aubrey took the kids for a little stroll this morning to enjoy some fresh air.

The girls cozied in the wagon, while CJ went Heelys style.



This morning Ari & CJ wrote about their favorite parts of the trip.

Took a little journey to Appleton to partake in some mall time-- CJ was soooo excited!

Christion gave me bunny ears... Elie showed us where her brain is... and Mike had fun with Aubrey's Nascar driving!

There was time this eve for a little hose & Sandbox action!!! Yeahhhhhh!

Snuggle Time with Ari & Elie-- CJ got his later (just missed the picture)

Uncle Mike gave CJ an old camera to play with & the girls took a few pictures too!

Evening "DogPile on Uncle Michael!"

The night concluded with some individual "Sudo-Daddy Time".

LOUNGING - SATURDAY (DAY 4)

LAZIBUGS!!!!
We lounged the whole day!!
More fun of course, but we did stay around the house again today.
They are having some big nasty storms here this week, so we are staying indoors more than we thought we would. CJ & I stayed up late last night watching our bedroom light up like a strobe light and listening intently to the roaring thunder booms-- it was fun getting a little spooked.

Elie & Ari have had a few "MINE" moments & Ari is working on keeping her hands to herself.
Other than those few occurances-- they are getting along wonderfully! (Especially for 2 yr olds!)
Lots of sweet moments of hugging and sharing snakes--- hee hee.

Christion & Michael played an entire game of HALO today!!!!!! They only broke for water and bathroom breaks! CJ felt sooo accomplished and loved bonding with his Uncle Mike!















Later in the day it stopped raining for a few so we called on Michael to put a few dogs on the barbie!

The girls blew bubbles and did some chalk art,

while CJ played a little kick-ball.

Christion says he is loving it here, but misses home too.
He says it would be perfect if dad was here!
We miss Chris A TON!!!!!!
The week is going fast and we know we will be reunited again soon.
For now, we are really enjoying our time with family and
truly cherishing these days!

More Fun Please! - FRIDAY (DAY 3)

Sistas!
Aubrey and I enjoyed another day together... just enjoying being sisters! We did venture out for a general purpose run to Target, but most of the day was spent indoors (due to the rain we brought with us). I bought the girls each a rubber snake and Aubrey got them each an echo microphone & of course let us not forget that CJ received yet another Bakugan to add to his collection. It has been nice just hanging out and watching the kids bond with their Aunt, Uncle, & Cousin.



Cousin Elie was such a good mama to Ari today-- she even gave her a ride in her stroller & gave her a tour of the basement.



The girls ran around empty cardboard boxes that Uncle Michael stacked up several stories high.

WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Ari loved riding Elie's 4 Wheeler around.... but it was even MORE FUN with THREE!!

It should come as NO BIG SUPRISE that CJ most liked playing more XBOX today!

Ari and Elie are still enjoying having eachother as playmates 24-7!

Today they especially giggled over riding the inflatable dolphin in the basment. They attempted to hang on while Uncle Michael kept it rocking for them. Soooo fun to watch!!

The trip has really been wonderful!

It feels fabulous to reconnect with Aubrey & Michael--

& getting to know Elie is a delicious treat!

Looking forward to savoring each day.

First REAL day! - THURSDAY (DAY 2)

Didn't wake up til almost 11 or 12 noon on the Wisconsin Clock!
(Not too bad! Only 9 or 10am, Oregon Standard Time)

Today consisted of some random house playing, a bit of grocery shopping, and of course our first ARIANA INJURY!!!! Can't believe we didn't have one to document from DAY 1- AMAZING!

Okay, so you must be wondering about the injury.
Not too bad!
She decided to jump off the dining chair and land on the kitchen floor with her top lip!!!!
YEAH ARIANA!
The judges scored her as follows:
* 2 on CREATIVITY- lots of kids have jumped off chairs, think outside the box next time.
* 8 on STYLE- as she did attempt to land froggy style on all fours.
* 4 on TECHNIQUE- she stuck the landing, but choosing the lip resulted in an iced injury.

Beside the small injury, Ari has been pretty sweet so far.
Hey Tami... it's as if Ana (Miss Sassy Pants) was some how left at PDX- will see come DAY 3!

I got high hopes, but I'm also not holding my breath.
Having a WONDERFUL TIME visiting with Michael, Aub, and Little Elie.

Aubrey is getting the cutest little "baby bump" at 4 months along.

Christion's favorite things today were:
* Playing XBOX with Uncle Michael
* Hearing his DS over the Living Room Surround Sound (Uncle Michael is good with Electronics)
* Playing Club Penguin with Uncle Michael
* Hanging out with Uncle Michael
WOW- see a pattern with Uncle Michael!!!!!

They are having a BLAST!

Ari and Elie are so cute running around together. Elie has a favorite pig named PIG & Ari has a favorite teddy bear named TA BEAR & at times they were seen exchanging them with one another, learning to share.

The cutest moment had to be when ALL THREE kids were on the Chase Lounge-
CJ laying across it playing DS, while Elie sat & let Ari brush her hair out.

OHHH SOOOOO CUTE !!!

We Made It! - WEDNESDAY (DAY 1)

Finally....the trip has been made and we have arrived in ONE PIECE!!
Well, acutally, THREE PIECES! (Autumn, CJ, and Ari)

Experienced a strange reaction when we left Chris curbside at the airport-- I actually started CRYING!! Weird, since we used to leave eachother for 9 months at a time when we were in the Navy & this is only 2 weeks. Then I found out later on the phone with him, that he was carrying a great big lump around in his throat too! I think what makes this trip so different is that we have 2 kids involved-- & it's going to be really hard on Chris to be separated from them for so long. To that I can only use the ole adage... "absense makes the heart grow fonder" and "it'll be over before you know it!"

As we soon embarked on our journey, we found ourselves on a trek through three different airports , atop many states, and through quite a few cloud formations. Our first flight departed at 1230am on Wednesday morning. Christion was designated a Junior TSA Officer & told to report any suspicious activity-- he loved it! He played like he was a secret agent and we bought him a pair of sunglasses in the airport to make it official!

We even made a stop for play in the Minnesota Airport & the kids enjoyed flying a BIG JET and driving a tram truck. The flights went smoothly and the kids even got to sleep a little bit! (maybe 2 1/2 hours)
As for me... I may have slept an hour or so (with one eye open, watching Ariana!!!!)

* I pictured her making her way to the plane bathroom on her own, while I drooled away sleeping!
* I could also see her wandering the isle, looking for someone or something interesting!
* And maybe even finding her way into the flight attendant's quarters and helping herself to a snack or two!
But NONE of that happened!!!

We arrived Wednesday morning and hung out at Aubrey's house while her & Michael worked all day. We definately needed the down time, but unfortunately the kids we simply delirious!! That evening we enjoyed meeting Cousin Elie for the first time!! She is too cute!

We finished off the evening with PIZZA & COOKIES. CJ enjoyed some acrobatics (consisting of jumping off the chase lounge & onto the ginormous beanbag) and then it was time for BED!

Ari didn't find the setting as comfortable as I would have hoped and kept me up pretty late tossing and turning with a mixture of whining and crying!
Eventually she passed out, and I was finally able to get some rest.

Felt pretty good in the morning, but my eyes looked like I brought TWO EXTRA BAGS of luggage!!
That concludes day 1 of Trip de familia~ Chow

Countdown

... and so the countdown continues!

but why am I feeling complete ANXIETY?!!!!!

feelings can be such a complicated matter---- i should just embrace where I sit at the moment and stop agonizing on what I might feel in the very next moment. However where I'm sitting at the moment feels VOMITISS!!!

So... the kids and I will be traveling solo come Tuesday night.

I can not express in words how WONDERFUL it will be for my sister, Aub, and her family to finally meet Ari-- as well as the rest of my extended family. That part I am soooo excited for. The five to six hours on the plane alone with Ari I am NOT looking forward to!!!

Also, for different reasons I am feeling added anxiety surrounding our travels. I just need to get things clear in my head I suppose. This is making no sense to anyone but me right now & that's okay because I'm typing my way through these HORRID feelings I am engulfed in!

I'm hoping I feel better as it gets closer. If it gets any worse.... well let's just say that I will be in the bathroom a lot more!!!

S.O.S

Paint On

and on... and on... and on!!

Will it ever end?!

Well, with a busy little Ari running around, i'm getting aproximately "1" wall painted at any given time.
This explains why the "painting of the rooms task" seems to be dragging on and on!

That's alright, I am still enjoying the refreshing change of scenery and the new found colour in life! Well, I'd love to sit here behind these keys all day, but I've got another brush and paint can calling my name.



Look out Van Gogh--- my work could bring you to tears!

(not necessarily of joy)

Just ask Ari!!

http://www.vangoghgallery.com/

Ready or Not?

...here we come...you can't hide...gonna find you & make you want me!!
(song by Refugees, perhaps)

In any case, I am soooooo READY!
We will be headed to Wisconsin to visit with both my sisters & brother-in-law & ALL of our kids will be together in the same place for the first time EVER!!! I am soooo elated! I haven't seen Aub & my dad in 5 or 6 years & I haven't seen my Aunt Dawn in likely 12 YEARS! Not to mention, many family members have never even met my children!! So we will likely take a road trip to Chicago to visit my Aunt Sue, Uncle Greg & Grampa Walker as well. After all, Christion is only 8 YEARS OLD now!!!


All I can say to that is... DEBT IS A DEMON (& I'll write that article at another time)!!

Summer is on it's way here alas... & hopefully the garden will survive this crazy transition from drastic cold to extreme hot! We sooooo enjoy our backyard living room & enjoy planning it's rejuvenation for this summer & upcoming year. I hope to invite many more peoples over to hang out & indulge in good eats and good company. Chris has even opened up quite a bit to the idea of mas personas en la casa which makes it sooo much easier for me to feel comfortable inviting people over more often.

Christion will be out of school in a few weeks and as summer commences we are all feeling relief & a giant breath of fresh air! This summer we will likely determine if Christion will be returning to Sojourner OR start the home school routine in the fall. There are still some questions which have yet to be answered & I definately do not take this change lightly... so we will keep you posted on that matter. I have announced to the family that this summer will also consist of much more food preparation together & a new found love for healthy, fun making of meals together!! This ties right into our garden and love of earth & the fuel our bodies thrive on.

As much transition approaches and the groundwork for positive experiences lies ahead,

I am READY

& I would boldly presume that the rest of

the tribe is READY too!!

To Be or Not To Be?

Home Schooled!

Although there are some good things about attending the magnet school Christion's been at since Kindergarten, we are REALLY considering the home school option.
From the outside, most people would probably say that Christion is doing fine. He appears content & enjoys some of the activities at school, like... Recess, P.E., his elective Gym Class, and of course he also says he enjoys Summer Vacation as well! Anyone see a pattern here??

Funny Thing is... he scores LOW in the physical fitness section of the Report Cards- EVERYTIME- simply because we are late to school regularly!! This stems from our late night hours and slow-to-move morning schedule. I can't say that I'm willing to change that about ourselves & yet it doesn't make it any easier on Christion to have his teachers and other staff members frowning on him for it.

Which leads me to the topic of self-esteem & feeling accomplished. Why is it that the view of our children is sooo much dependent on the image we, as parents, send attached to them. If I am troubled by earlier mornings- he carries the "tardy label". If I choose to not enforce sending his homework back into school- he carries the label "irresponsible" with him. The list could go on & on, but I'll stop there & share that Christion has expressed to us that he's not very good at anything at school and his head hangs down, eyes to the ground, too often.

Sure, I could say that Christion is getting a pretty good education for a public school and his experiences there will not devestate his future, but is middle of the line acceptable? Not for me and the future I'm raising. I want a higher bar set. Not by the hardened enforcement of "rules and regulations", but by the love and compassion that helps each of us grow and flourish into the BEST individuals that we can be. Christion has unfortunately learned a lot about rudeness, how critical people and peers can treat one another and has seen too many stern faces and not enough smiles. Though the world is full of this nonsense & it is not completely avoidable, I would not like to push him off the ledge into the shark tank just yet. I'd rather teach him how to swim with the dolphins and select to enjoy the company of peace and companionship in life while teaching him how to avoid the piranhas of this world.

As an adult, I have to consciously avoid "poisonous playmates" and "crazymakers" and this is a valuable and realistic thing to teach our children too. I choose not to be around "energy vampires" and have found it way more enlightening in my thirties, than the "combatant","defensive", and"coping" techniques my parents once taught me in grade school in order to deal with "bullies" and their "ugly" comments. Call me protective, but I feel more obligation to sharing a better life skill to my children than what I once struggled to apply to life.

The down side to all of this is that I waited sooo long. At this point, Christion is already part of a community. I suppose we all have shifted to other communities throughout the course of our lives and found the "change" refreshing at the least. Perhaps it will benefit him having seen multiple perspectives. I can't say that I will leave the choice entirely up to him, as children do not have all of the wisdom & life experience from which to make all of the "big" choices- especially at 8, but I will respect his views and attempt to meet the needs he may feel that he would miss from continuing his education in the magnet school.

Sound like I already have my mind made up.... well if I were to "keep it real" I would have to say that I am definately "leaning toward a very different educational experience" for my child.

I am looking for a very rich, diverse, fun and stimulating experience

in this thing we call "life"- not just a thing we call "school".

As a strong believer in "life-long learning", I want my children to know that the entire world and beyond is a place of "learning" and it doesn't just happen at a place called "school". Sounds like we are fast approaching a new chapter.
Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to school we go.... do do do do do do do do, hi ho, hi ho, hi ho, hi ho!

http://www.ohen.org/