Zach

So- I realized I don't have a picture of Zach in here. Zach will be 15 next month and he just started high school. In our rental, the high school is about 5 blocks away, so he walks to seminary in the morning and then walks home again. His Grandpa Ryan got him an MP3 Ipod Shuffle for his birthday, but when Zach found out, he talked his Grandpa into sending it 6 weeks early. Now he has speakers permanently attached to his ears. I had to put in this photo of Zach and Clinton. Zach is taller than me now and is probably about 6 feet tall. He is pretty excited, because he is suppose to get his braces off in a couple of months.

House Plans

Okay... so I haven't been great about posting. I know I check Lisa's site ALL the time... and I love reading her blogs. So, my friend Rene told me today to POST SOMETHING! I did last night so I had the last laugh!

So, I've posted about the incredibly small and clostrophobic rental we are living in. The GOOD news is that the house we are building will start next week. It should be done the week after Christmas, what a great present! So, in my blog, I'll take photos of the progress and show you whats happening. If I can get it to work, I'll put in a floor plan right now in this webpage. Okay... here is the link- ours is the 2455. http://www.quadranthomes.com/pdf/floorplans/lifestyle/2450-OLY-F.pdf

For the carpet, we picked out a color that is a medium brown, but in the right light it almost looks like it has a grey cast to it. The walls (right now) will be a soft tan color and all the wood trim and doors will be white. We have a fireplace with a white craftsman mantel and grey slate (which brings out the grey cast in the carpet). Our kitchen cabinets are a darker oak color and the countertops are a brown and black flecked laminate that will look like granite (we didn't go for the granite because we were trying not to go WAY over on upgrades). The one splurge we did was the master bathroom. We have the soaker tub with the seperate shower and the natural wood colored 6X6 tile that surrounds the shower and bath. The hardware is all the black rustic bronze. I'm so excited!
So... now I am trying to find ways to decorate my bedroom. I am a huge bedspead freak. I have a friend that collects purses by the DOZEN... (you know you do Traci) and every once in a while I get a bedspread and then get tired of it. The only one I've loved a long time is a quilt I made out of antiqued tans and burgundy's... but it was for a queen and we have a king bed now. So- I saw a really cute bedspread in Pottery Barn (Pottery Barn Shop) and the reason I really love it is because they combined a super cute grey color with a tan. Now I know that's not traditional, but I keep thinking about it. So, I think I'm going to get fabric in thos same shades and make myself another quilt... in a King size. Then, for my walls, I was thinking of painting some beadboard an espresso grey color for the bottom half of my bedroom wall, then have a white chair rail and then the soft tan on the top of the wall. Matched with the colors of the quilt, I think it would look dramatic and warm. Tell me what you think. Any cute ideas for girls rooms- I have two to decorate and my girls are coming up with crazy ideas (pink walls and orange dots)- so I need to find something to distract them!

Latest Edition

Well, I haven't been posting to my blog because I have a CD in my camera and I wanted to post pictures, but I wanted to take more before I finalized my disc. But, that won't happen for a while, so I'll just go for it. Plus the fact that I'm still horrible at figuring out how to make the photos appear just right on the screen. I'll get it one day when I have time to figure it out. I've been subbing everyday at the school I worked for last year. I'm a temporary sub while they hire a new teacher... but I applied for the job- so I may be the real thing. I applied because I love the work and the hours. It's from 8-11:45 in the morning, and it's tutoring one on one in the morning and then teaching a 90 minute reading block to 20 students. Then an hour of prep time... it's a pretty laid back assignment.

We finalized all the colors in the house we are having built. That is a real nerve wracking job. For the last 3 months, I have been over to the showroom and changed my mind at least 4 times. I love the stuff we picked out, but it's always a crapshoot (can I say that on a blog?) when you are looking at small samples of carpet and laminate to hope that it looks good on a massive scale. BUT, they already poured the foundation, and it should start framing in about a week. We should be in the week between Christmas and New Years. It would have been great to be in before Christmas... this might be the first year ever that we don't get a tree. Our rental is so small, I just don't even want to deal with it!

We are getting professional family portraits done in 2 weeks. We went over to Old Navy today and got sweaters for everyone to wear. Zach wasn't happy because he wanted black and I made him get dark brown... hey- we don't do this that often! I want the colors to match! I'm hoping I can use them for Christmas cards as well. I haven't sent those out in 2 years... and I used to be so faithful about it! Be on the lookout this year!

Anyone for a ride a long?

So... a month or two ago I went out with Clinton on a ride a long. I usually go out about every 6 months, and always hope for some great action. I actually had a great ride one night when Clint pulled someone over with a stolen car and guns were drawn... but that's another story. Anyway, while Clint and I were riding around, he got a call and was on his way in a hurry when his car started chugging along, not picking up speed etc. He took it to the mechanic and it was going to be fixed, but he was given one of the new Dodge Charger's instead. There are only 2 of them in the department so far, but he loves it. From what I've heard... it's FAST! Right after he got it, I was at the golf course with Zach and Clint pulled up in his car to talk to me. A boy and his mother walked by and the boy said, "wow... this looks like the car in the movie, Transformers!". He was pretty impressed. So- this is a picture of Clinton in his new patrol car. He gets to bring it home now that we live in Tumwater.

Family Fun

Well, this is my first attempt at a blog, so bear with me over the next few weeks while I try to perfect the art. I wanted a way to share photos and news with family and friends, so bookmark my page and check it over the next few weeks and see where I go with it! This photo is taken next door to our place, the girls love going over there and playing. It's also the school that the three younger girls go to, so it's very nice to be so close! Emily is now 12, Rachel is 10, Mackenzie is 8 and Allison is 5. This is our first year with everyone in school... hence the extra time for blogging!

The New Blog

I have a good friend who was a missionary companion with me in Switzerland. We had some amazing adventures and I've always thought she was a very talented and creative woman. She recently started a blog for her family and it's so fun checking it out and seeing new photos and entries. I thought it would be a fun way to journal fun events that happen to our family and a way for extended family around the world to pop in and see what's happening. One things for sure... we are never at a loss for things to say. We keep pretty busy.



The latest happenings around here center around a big move. We have been living in Chehalis, Washington for the last 5 years. Clint has worked as a police officer in Tumwater, which is about a 30 minutes freeway drive from our home. We decided a few months ago, that we would sell our house (dream house!) and move closer to his work. So- since we found a lot and a builder to build a new house, we needed to move to a rental for a few months until it's done. We found someone willing to rent on a month to month basis to us, but the place is about 1000 sq ft and has 3 bedrooms and 1 (!!!!!!!!!!!) bathroom. For a family of 7, we are really trying to coordinate our schedules! We now have a no-lock policy on the bathroom door and if someone is taking a shower, we are allowed to knock and go in and do our business. I can't wait for another bathroom.



One very nice thing about the location of our rental is that the school that three of the kids will attend is right behind the house. Talk about convenience! Zach will be starting high school and the whole seminary thing. He's about 3 blocks from the school, so he can walk or ride a bike in the morning. That makes me VERY happy :)



More news coming...