Answers can come quickly

Yesterday we loaded up the car to head to piano lessons. It was 3:55pm, which would give us time to get to Mrs. Witbeck's home by 4pm. 
  I put the key in the ignition and it wouldn't turn.  I tried again and again and it felt as if I were to try to turn it any further it would break off in the ignition.
  I looked next door and realized I could probably borrow my neighbor's vehicle. Then the thought came that we should pray.
  We said a prayer.  It was short and to the point with gratitude mixed in.
  I put the key in the ignition and it turned smoothly,  starting without a problem.
  We bowed our heads and thanked Heavenly Father for such a quick response.
"Wow, he answered that so fast."  Justin said. 
  What a wonderful experience to have and such a reminder that Heavenly Father is listening and cares about us.
  As I shared this experience with Eric last night I expressed my concern that our van might be telling us something through these little hiccups we seem to be getting more frequently.  Hopefully it will continue to run for a while...

Our neighbors

So it is not a big surprise that Olivia tends to get into a bit of mischief, ok a lot of mischief!
Well, we were hoping that she had passed that stage....nope!
The past few weeks have been really trying. It seems that every time I turn around she is gone.  Her new favorite place to go is next door to Park's and Navy's.  She does not limit herself to this house, but this is her new favorite destination.

We are trying to have them over to our house too so that I can know where she is at all times.  Well, this seemed like a great plan until they wanted to go home and Olivia wanted to go too.

They had made quite the mess with their tea party (pictured above) and I asked Livi to help clean up. There was a quick no in response, so I said she would have to clean up if she wanted to go to their house. No was the answer again. I sent her to her room as I began to clean up the sugar that had been spilled all over the floor.  I realized it was time to pick the kids up from school and called Livi down. 
No response.
"Olivia, come down right now. We need to go to school." -me
Nothing.
I check upstairs, downstairs...she is gone!  I cannot believe she got out of the house right under my nose.  I mean, I was in the kitchen and dining room and did not hear or see a thing.  SHE IS GOOD at this.
I am not sure how to tackle this...      
  

Oh Mister Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun...where are you?

 This is the LOT next door.  Our friends own it and are taking a bit of time before developing it.
Last year I kept the kids OUT OF IT...but it was HARD.
THREE WEEKS ago I decided that they would probably have a GREAT time digging and it should be fairly safe.
That was the best decision ever!  All of the kids, but especially Justin, have spent hours and hours out there.
  They have built a pretty cool fort with beams and plywood.  
These are all pictures from today:  In the morning we had sun (no pix), then cloudy weather, then rain, then snow flurries and then a big storm!!

This was around noon; Justin, Charlie, Tyler and Carter

 When the rain began I called out to the boys but they said they were going into the fort and they were going to be "survivors".  Justin arrived home with about an INCH of mud stuck to the bottom of his sneakers!

After awhile it looked like this

This is the same dirt pile

 For most of the afternoon we couldn't even see out of our windows the snow was coming down so hard.
This is the window in the playroom.
Eric is on call this weekend; it has been really busy today so I've kept him updated on what is going on outside.

These three pictures are from this evening. Snow stopped and Madeleine

was ready to go out and make a little igloo.

Sister's weekend in Oregon

  I left last Thursday afternoon for Oregon.  Once a year, for the past 8 years I think, we've been getting together for a few days.  It is hard to work out a time that will accomodate everyone's schedules so it us unfortunate but that some are missing. 
 This is the second year we have gone down to the coast to our Mom's house.  There were just 4 of us this year, and we sure missed the others.  We had this weekend over conference weekend which was so nice. We were able to be uplifted by the talks and have time to share with each other...with really no distractions.  Something quite unusual.  Alisa brought her baby Ammon.  He was a dream; just so adorable and happy all the time.
  Shellie picked me up at the airport and we went to eat at the Olive Garden and then to Old Navy and Target. I love Target! So nice to chat with each other. I spent the night at her house and we all headed down to the beach the next day with a stop for lunch at Great Harvest in McMinnville ( and I popped into the kids store Hopscotch).

 Mom is such a generous host!  It is so nice to spend time with her too.  I will have to get some pictures from Heidi as I did not get one with my camera of all of us. 

 Heidi introduced us to Chia seeds and some new ideas on eating...she is so healthy, and such an example to us.

the weather would change constantly: sun, rain, wind, clouds, all in 15min. it seemed

 We shopped, played ping pong, talked, went in the hot tub, out for walks and just spent time with each other. I love my sisters so much!  I am very blessed. Now, if we could only get more there :)

When we were there we all gathered around to hear where Cameron, first grandson to go on a mission, would get his call. I guessed correctly...Brasil.  We are so excited for him!
Sunday after the afternoon session we headed home. I went to stay the night at Jenn's. She had been in California for the Spring break and had arrived back Saturday. So this would give me an opportunity to catch up with her and her family. So good to see the kids and congratulate Cameron.
  I look forward to the good chats with Ryan and Jenn. We stayed up late sharing thoughts, experiences and feelings. They are wonderful people.  Flew back Monday happy but very tired. I have gone to bed by 8:30 or 9pm every night this week.

5th grade basketball

A couple of months ago Madeleine asked me if I would like to coach a 5th/6th grade girl's basketball team.  "Mr. Hill says that he only wants parents who won't yell and know something about basketball.  So I thought maybe you and Dad could do it."  Well, I am glad she doesn't think of us as yellers, that's a plus!
  I was really excited when she told us the details. Only 5 weeks long. Games on Wednesday nights and one practice a week. Very manageable.  I have only coached soccer and have wanted to be involved more in other sports. The same evening we arrived home from Hawaii was our first game. We had one hour to get in and get gone to the game.
  We met the girls briefly and the game began. The games are make up of 8 five minute "quarters".  They play 4 against 4.  Our team boasted 7 players, so with the shift changes there needed to be one girl that would "double."  We really didn't know our team or their strengths and weaknesses so we did not know who should be playing together etc. That first game was a tough loss.  But, we could tell immediately that they were a great group of girls.
  I brought the kids to the after school practices.  Luke would stay in the stroller being fed food and stayed quite content with all their was to see. Austin and Livi played around. Usually on the little bum scooters found in the gym closet. They had a blast.  The next 4 games we won!  We went into last nights tournament in first place!  Unfortunately some of our best players were really nervous last night and although we had recently beaten this team, we went out tentatively and got behind.  We came back by half time to within a couple points but then towards the end of the game lost it.  We weren't playing good defense and could not seem to get the ball in the basket.  I felt bad because they could play so much better and what a disappointment for them. There were a couple girls in particular that seemed quite down about it.  It wasn't so much that we lost as it was frustrating to not finish with your best playing...nerves will do that.
  Madeleine improved so much over the past few weeks. She has a very consistent and accurate shot. She is really catching on to the game. She has been playing basketball with friends and the family which is so great to see.
  I am so glad she asked us to coach. It was great to do it with Eric. I think we make a good team.

More of us bite the dust

Another one bites the dust....

Well, Justin started throwing up last night.  At about 1am my stomach became really irritated and I spent the next 3 hours in our bathroom. So miserable.  I have been in bed with stomach pains all day.

Madeleine has joined the group of sickies. She went in to town with Eric and he managed to get to the side of the road for her to throw up. 

It is just a matter of time I think before the last two get it....sorry Eric and Olivia.

Sickness and apple juice

Doesn't apple juice come from apples...well, Olivia was determined to find out! 

We've been dealing with a stomach sickness the past two days.  Austin woke up Thursday night around 2am and threw up.  This was followed by his usual wailing and crying like he is going to die.  There is seriously no difference in his screams when he falls on his head or bumps his elbow.  You hear the scream and think he must be dying.
   Justin woke us up telling us that Austin needed us.  The usual bed stripping, laundry and setting up a spot on our floor ensued, and so did his languishing. About every 15min. for the next 2.5-3hours his stomach would cramp up and he would cry and scream in agony.  My neighbors kids had had this the week before and she had explained this very incremental cramping and so I was prepared for a long night. 
   Keeping good spirits we worked through it.  A few choice exchanges with Austin:
Me, "Austin, is there anything I can do?"  Austin, "Kill me, that is the only thing you can do."
Me, "I am so sorry about this."  Austin, "I want to die."
Me, "Life is tough."  Austin, "Life is hard for living."
As disturbing as these remarks may seem please keep in mind that Austin is our dramatic one and each comment was purposefully extreme so as to not undermine the pain or discomfort he was in.  Eric and I had to hide our smiles as he would come out with these outlandish remarks.  He did live...and is doing much better. 
   I went visiting teaching this morning and when I came back Eric had changed his clothes and so had Luke.
   Luke had thrown up all over Eric.  So, it looks like we are in this for a bit.  I hope it doesn't go through all of us!

3rd time is a charm

 I remembered at 6:30pm that it was Movie Night  tonight at the city hall theatre. We called and invited friends and arranged to leave at 7:45.  

  Justin had invited our neighbor's daughter, Lucy, and had asked if he could pay for her. So sweet. We talked about what it meant to be a gentlemen and he was so excited to be one.

  We arrived and got to the doors when we read the sign "Last minute cancellation to the town Movie Night due to the play."  We were so bummed.  Well, upon returning and figuring out alternatives to the night's plans I found this: (pictured below) 

 I had only a few minutes to put her down before I had left with the kids but I thought my bribes would win her obedience.  I promised her two treats the following day if she would go to sleep.  Eric was in the new room with Luke when I showed him this picture.

We are working this week on Livi not sucking her thumb.   We've been taping her thumbs and we took away her blanket. The first night was soooooo rough!  She was up constantly crying out for her blankie and ripping the tape off of her thumbs.  Every time she rolled over and would normally such her thumb she'd cry.  
   Since then every night has improved and it has been going really well, until tonight....Above you can see Livi the second time she came down hiding under the chair, tape off, sucking her thumb!
  She said before she went to bed, "This is going to be a long day."  I laughed as it was the end of the day....maybe she meant to say night and she was just hinting at things to come.
  

Surfing in Lahaina

We read about a surf school up in Lahaina (Goofy Foot School), more expensive than some  of the others but great reviews.  Eric took Grandpa and Justin up and dropped them off before he started his conference at 7am.  It was a beautiful morning and Justin had a private lesson that went so well.
 Grandma, the kids and I arrived to late to see him in person but they had taken photos which I am so glad for. He caught on quickly and loved it.  Glad we did it. Austin would like to try next year.

Maui 2013

 Our trip began immediately following school on Wednesday afternoon, the 13th. 
  We picked the kids up from school, and after a few stops were on our way to Great Falls. The hotel was a good one but no matter what we tried the room was about ten degrees too warm which made sleeping very difficult (we added to it I am sure with our seven bodies in the one room).  I think I totaled about 2.5 hours sleep before the 4:30am alarm went off. We caught the shuttle at 5am and were at the airport minutes later.  As we stood in line a man down from us turned in a wallet of an Eric Baker.  Yes, the wallet had fallen out as he was picking up the luggage outside.  So thankful for this man's honesty!
  The kids were excited for the day. This was the first of three flights (GF to Seattle, Seattle to Portland and Portland to Maui).  The flights went really well; the kids played on the ipads and watched movies Jeff Vaz helped to download onto them.  Luke took one brief nap on me...but was happy. We arrrived at 3pm.  Picked up the rental car....Oh, I almost forgot when Eric went to the carousel he came back and said one bag was missing. Must have been picked up by someone. 

  Well, we immediately started to look for someone who might have taken it.  I am praying...Finally Eric goes back to the carousel and realizes the black bag (he had seen previously) was ours!  It had been there the whole time...he had not recognized it at first, whew!
  Safe on Maui and with our rental van, we headed to Costco.  So grateful to have gotten the Worldmark timeshare as the hotel we were to have been in did not have a kitchenette. I cannot imagine two weeks in one room and with a dinky fridge...ugh!  This was such a blessing. We had to move 3 times to different rooms but not too bad as they move your stuff for you.

 

  We went to the beach by the resort right away...kids still in their regular clothes. They got wet and sandy in a matter of minutes and loved it!

 Eric's parents had arrived late the night before and met us on the second day.

 The weather was of course wonderful, though it was interesting how many days the wind was quite strong....
come on, you would think we could get away from it for a while...
somehow with warm weather, palm trees, ocean and ice cream we didn't mind it so much.

Luke has been walking in brief stretches this past month but the last two weeks on Maui he got it!  He is a full-fledged walker.  It was fun for Grandma and Grandpa to be there and see it all happen. He has mastered getting up and down and now just needs to become away of sharp edges that seem to make their way in front of his head.

 Luke loved the sand and ocean. He did eat some of the sand but it wasn't bad.

 Olivia would dig holes and Luke thought they were perfect for climbing in and out of.

 What a happy little guy!

 You can see how the effects of the wind :)  Grandma and Grandpa would keep a good eye on the kids at the beach which was so helpful.

 Two years ago Justin just wasn't up for snorkeling. Well, this year he was out there seeing it all. So proud of him for giving it a chance. Madeleine, who loved snorkeling from the first time she went on the last visit, encouraged him, which helped.

 Austin rode the boogie board for hours and then would go to the sand when he was tired of the 

salt water in his mouth.

 Worldmark, the view from our place.

 We found this beach we had not known from previous visits.

It is right past Makena surf resort and it is fabulous. A beautiful path down to the beach with 

showers available which is so helpful with sandy kids.  It has the smallest parking lot and its sign is almost imperceptible.  I had been keeping an eye for a secluded beach we had found on

our first visit years ago, and it is for this reason it caught my eye. Definitely our favourite.

 Justin took surfing lessons up in Lahaina.  I'll get his surfing photos up 

soon.  Grandpa went up with him and Eric at 6am, and we met them up there.

 For 5 days Eric would go up to Kaanapali for his

conference.  He would have to leave at 6am to get

up there by 7am. He'd go until noon and then come back or we'd go up there

and meet him. This day we went up and the kids and I went on the submarine. Then out

to lunch at Bubba Gumps.   

The walk on Kaanapali beach.

Whaler's Village.

This is at the Sheraton Hotel. Home of Eric's conference and where we were to have stayed.

 Dinner at the Fairmont  Eric treated us to a wonderful 

night out at one of the Fairmont's up scale restaurants.  The kids did so well,

especially considering it took almost 2.5 hours.  Great food and service, a real treat. 

A Sunday drive led us to this neat little beach.  Eric, Grandpa and the two oldest kids were driving to Hana.

Up north.

 A great flatbread pizza restaurant up in Paia.

 What a wonderful trip!

We were so glad to have shared it with Grandma and Grandpa. Here are a few memories with them:

• reading the Hardy boys books in the evening...hard to stop as the end of the chapters would always leave the kids wanting more
• ice cream in the evenings.
• special rides in their car
• morning walks and sometimes breakfast with them
• pool time
• having a sleep over                 

We were so glad they were willing to not only come but share our unit with us.  We loved having so much time with them!