September in Yakima

We live in apple country . . . Washington Apples are famous for a reason!

I LOVE Yakima and the Yakima valley this time of year. The orchards, vinyards, and even the last bit of the hops makes for such beautiful scenery. The sun is shining, the weather is warm but not hot, and the air is starting to get crisp. I can sense the harvest going on and it seems so abundant.

The fresh fruit is AMAZING here- - this is a snack I had last weekend- and EVERYTHING on my plate was picked by me straight off the vine or tree, and mostly for free. The grapes and raspberries were harvested at the home of someone in our ward (I also made raspberry jam with my pickings), the pears we gleaned, and the only thing I paid for were the peaches- 40 cents a pound to pick. Sadly this was one of my last few- they are all gone now - - luckily I have a lot canned! I will be canning some of the pears we gleaned this week . . .

It's funny, I thought canning was a thing of past generations until I moved here. Next year I want to try tomatoes, and fruit cocktail . . . Speaking of tomatoes- - we didn't really get any this year from our own few plants (planted them too late)- so if anyone has some extra - - I will totally take them off your hands!!!

Thanks for a great baby shower!

I am so grateful for wonderful friends! My friend Melissa put on a baby shower last night for me and another friend of mine who is having a baby girl just a couple of weeks before me. They even sang happy birthday and made a cake for me, since it was so close to my birthday - - I feel so loved! Thanks to everyone who got me gifts- it is so fun to have new little boy things!!! As a side note- also thanks to those who came to the Pampered Chef show I did earlier in the week (at the Stamms)- it was GREAT to finally do a show again.

One of the games (that baby bottle one . . . ):


Adrienne (the other mom to be) and me:

Happy Birthdays . . .

Happy Birthday to Lillian! She turned 3 on Monday. I can hardly believe how fast she is growing up- - but yet she is so ready to be older and a big sister. I am so glad to have my special little girl in our family. She LOVES to sing above all things, is super smart, has a vivid imagination (her favorite is pretending to be a puppy) and very social. She always needs to be with someone - - and now that the kids are all at school- that person is me!

She was a bit under the weather on her birthday, so we stayed home, but she got to open one of her presents early (a little mermaid bath toy) . . .and we had a little family party that night with the whole family (and a little trip to Burger King). Happy Birthday again, my little princess!

My 32nd birthday was on Thursday the 17th- Happy Birthday to me! It was a good day- I picked raspberries with a good friend of mine and didn't do ANY housework that day. The best was going out to eat with Jon at El Porton Mexican Restaurant. mmmmm- we don't go out to eat that often- so it was so much fun!!!

Mmmm- Pina Colada- - my favorite! What a treat:


I loved how they brought out fried ice cream and sang to me . . . fun stuff! Thanks honey!

Hmmm- what to wish for:

Prayers please

Don't worry too much- no one is dying here - - but I wanted to just put a post to request prayers in our behalf. There are some things happening with Jon and the residency program, and just Jon's progression in his profession in general which are extremely serious and stressfull, and will come to a head right after (if not at the same time as) our baby is born. I can't be more detailed than that (though believe me- I would love to vent- - but it isn't really appropriate for me to discuss). Please just pray that Jon will be strengthened and things will work out the way they need to with his training and progressing towards becoming a qualified physician. I know in this day and age, so many people do worry about their careers, but with us SO much effort and debt has been put into it- - - this HAS to happen. I have faith that things will work out the way they need to.

Please also pray that I will be STRONG- especially as the baby comes. This week I realized I was thinking of things backwards. I was thinking and worrying about all the hard things about having a newborn- - and worrying it will be too much of a distraction for Jon and his training, and also worrying he will not be able to enjoy our new little boy due to work. I had a moment where the Spirit touched me and I realized that this new baby will be a bright spot in this time of our life. Having a newborn is magical, despite the difficult things - - it is amazing to hold someone so fresh from our Heavenly Father and who belongs to ME and JON. Another Wilson boy to cherish. This child, no matter how little sleep or how overwhelming life can get with a new baby, will bring us so much joy and will HELP us get through hard times, not hinder us. I have faith that this is true and am now so excited about this new little life. My worries are calmed and I feel a lot of peace. I just pray that I will be able to remain STRONG and stave off things like post-partum depression (which I experienced in a small degree after Lillian), so truly Jon will be able to do what is required of him.

I know so many have to go through way more personal and difficult things, but I am still super grateful for your support and love, and your prayers!

Peaches . . .

I love peaches! Earlier this week I picked peaches for 40 cents a pound- I bought something like 42 pounds off of only two trees. The orchard was amazing, the peaches were literally falling off the trees there were so many! It is so fun to live in this area where I am surrounded by fruit orchards and vinyards. I had fun canning them, and we have been enjoying eating them too - - can we say fresh peach milk-shake?? Now I just need pears . . . and the apple trees are looking pretty cool too with their huge red apples which should be ready soon! I will have to get some pictures to post later.



Also- my little peach of a daughter lost her tooth on the top- she looks sooooo cute! I love seeing her smile and it is funny to watch her eat. I also love the lisp it creates! It makes me think of Junie B Jones, first grader . . .

9-9-09 - - what a day.

I had to sign a bunch of forms today for the school- and I realized it is 9-9-09! Fun stuff- though the date must have some sort of bad luck attached because of the crazy day we all had! Don't worry- nothing too terrible, and there were some really good things, BUT we have a couple of crazy stories to tell!

First of all, it was the first day of school! Here are the kids with their new backpacks, etc . . .we went yesterday to meet their new teachers and so far I really like them! Mrs. Elder for Cynthia in 1st grade, and Mrs. Snodgrass for Marcus in 3rd. Terrace Heights Elementary has been an amazing school for my kids.



Lillian got to spend most of the school day playing with her friend Cadence (thanks Robin!), so she wouldn't be lonely on the first day Marcus and Cynthia were gone. It was WONDERFUL to run a bunch of errands and go grocery shopping without any kids.

So- to the crazy story. Since it was the first day of school, the kids wanted me to pick them up instead of them riding the bus (which they will do every day starting tomorrow). After finding a parking spot, I quickly hopped out of the van, leaving it running to wave the kids over (who were waiting at the pick up site at the school). Usually they, and the teacher see me and just run over (the parking is RIGHT by the pick up point)- that is why I leave the van running and don't bother to get Lillian out. Anyway, with our newer van, the locks automatically lock when you drive, then the driver's side unlocks when you pull the handle to open the door. Well, I accidentally leaned on the door with my elbow (you know, being pregnant and all) and bumped the driver's door lock down without realizing it, then shut the door so I could fit between my car and the next one. Woops!! I quickly realized as the door was swinging shut that my door was locked- and now all the locks in the van are down. Ahhhh- Lillian is still inside, and the van is still running! After trying to pry some windows open (no luck), calling Jon with a borrowed cell phone (no luck- he was out at some camp by Boulder Cave doing a service project with the Residency- more about that later), and even getting the sherriff which was by the school (no luck- they don't carry equipment to break into cars anymore) I knew a quick fix wasn't possible. Thank goodness for some nice parents who made sure we were OK and lent a cell phone to call AAA to send a locksmith- - but I still had to wait about 45 minutes for the locksmith to come. Poor Lillian, she was so upset- being strapped into her car seat- luckily she had a busy day and fell asleep after about 10 minutes. Lucky for us too, the car with running with the air conditioning ON, so she wasn't going to get overheated either. Jeesh- I still feel stupid for something like this happening. I want to Hide-a-key under the van, like we used to- - but keys for these newer vans are like $100!! The teacher at the pick up point and several parents won't be forgetting who I am- - the crazy pregnant lady who locked her kid in the car. How embarrassing.

The other story has to do with Jon at his "Day of Caring". Every year the residents do a service project at a camp by Boulder cave. Today they were demolishing a derelict building. The person in charge had Jon go on the roof to start dismantling, but made the mistake of having people INSIDE the building knocking out walls at the same time. Well, a couple of walls that shouldn't have been taken out while someone is on the roof were destroyed, and down came the whole structure injuring the four or so people inside and Jon got a nice ride on the roof to the ground. Luckily, it fell sideways so he just had to "ride it out"- and only ended up with a large tear in his jeans and a scratch. The people inside weren't so lucky- some sprained or broken wrists/ankles/legs, lots of bruises and bad scratches- - thank goodness nothing really serious or life threatening. They did have to send several to the hospital though! Nuts. I am so glad Jon is fine, though he is feeling pretty tired after all the physical labor from earlier in the day (Jon is pretty intense with a pick axe!) and the excitement of the fall.

What a day. I am proud of myself for keeping everyone on our new routine so homework, reading, and bedtime happen when they are supposed to. The kids are still adjusting - - but I think things will go well! Just for my own records- this is our new schedule:

Morning:

7:20-7:30
wake up
get dressed
eat breakfast
brush teeth
say prayers

7:50 get backpack and go to bus (7:58 when bus comes)



Afternoon:

4:03 bus comes and walk to our house

snack or treat and free time or TV time for a few minutes (not outside)


4:30 start homework and reading for school
Marcus- practice piano 10 minutes

AFTER finished with homework and music, can play until dinner

(if at friends house for a playdate, or for other activities- do homework directly after dinner instead of free time)

6:00 Dinner and do dishes
(Wednesday- dinner at 5:15)

Evening activities- Monday Family Home evening, Wednesday cub scouts 6pm
if no evening activities- can play until 7:30


7:30 last chance to have a snack or dessert
read scriptures same time and say family prayer
pajamas and brush teeth

Whatever time is left until 8:00 can look at books/ do for fun reading


8:00 lights out

Clean computer desk

I just had to post a picture . . . .it has been a LONG time since it looked like this. It was a junk heap for so long and it feels soooo good to have cleaned it off! I seriously was finding stuff from when Marcus was in kindergarten. Even when we moved, I didn't clean out the organizer, just the desk. It took me so long to get to cleaning it because it was such a huge job. I got so fed up finally, I just got a big box and put all the papers and junk into it to go through, file, shred, or just toss sometime in the future. Ahhh- I am hoping it can STAY clean and organized longer this time. . .

I am also pretty proud of us- we went through the kids closets and cleaned them out. Jon is currently organizing all of Marcus' legos (many of which were Jon's when he was a kid) so he can actually play with them. Before they were in a box way up in the closet. Mainly, we wanted to do this to make room for baby stuff and to pull out all the stuff that needs to go in our garage sale next week!

Yipee- my camera is back!

My camera just was delivered- fixed and ready to go! So- I was finally able to upload the pictures I had taken earlier in August (the port to plug it into the computer is what was broken).

First-we have had several friends from out of town visit in the last month. Just last week my childhood friend Christy Randal stopped by- it was so fun to visit and catch up! The beginning of August Brooke Whittle and her kids were up in Yakima staying with the other Whittles who are in our ward (yes- the same ones we just went to visit in CA). So they came over with some of our Sunnyside friends for a swim.

Then, my really great friend Lori Barney who I knew from our 2 years in Spokane (2002-2004) was in the area in August so she stopped by with her family (I actually have pictures of this visit!):



And next - - what happens when kids are home for the summer and are BORED!!! Luckily they were mostly washable markers . . .

Vocano Country . . .

Views of Mt. Shasta, Pine forests, ranch land, ancient Lava flows and the bluest lake I have ever seen was the scenery for our vacation this last week! Our trip down Hwy 97 through Central Oregon, past Klamath Falls down Hwy 39 and 139 all the way into North-eastern California was incredible. Not only was the scenery amazing, the company was great! We started our trip on Saturday (August 29th) by visiting our friends Brooke and Troy Whittle and their family (we knew them in Sunnyside), who had moved to Big Valley California. They live near this little (and I mean little) tiny town called Adin in a beautiful valley near Mt. Shasta. We had so much fun seeing them with their country living and beautiful mountain view! We stayed up late talking, laughing and playing games - - and of course the kids had an absolute blast. Marcus is BEST friends with Devon and Cameron- and they had so much fun sleeping out in the tent trailer. Our time with them felt entirely too short!



All of the kids at church:


Brooke and me- - it was funny how many people in her ward thought we were sisters! I remember people would get us confused all the time in Sunnyside. I miss Brooke- I am so glad to have a friend like her, where our spirits touch even when we live far apart. It was a great visit.


Sunday afternoon, we all enjoyed a visit to Burney Falls State Park. It was incredible! It was so fun to see something we NEVER would have seen- what would have brought us to that part of the country? Thanks to the Whittles for showing us some amazing scenery! The forest and falls were so beautiful.


After leaving the Whittles house Monday (August 31), we went up to Klamath Falls to enjoy a stay at the Worldmark at Running Y Ranch. Again, we had fun sight seeing, swimming, relaxing . . .

We went to the Lava Beds National Monument on the way up to Klamath Falls. Although not "pretty" scenery- it was fascninating. The park is filled with Lava Tube caves (we just went in a few EASY ones), Lava flows, and other volcanic formations.






Tuesday we headed up north of Klamath Falls to Crater Lake National Park. Can I say Wow! Again- Wow! I haven't seen the lake since I was a kid. Last year (April 2008)when we did our big California trip, we weren't able to actually see the lake because of all the snow (see the post here). It was AMAZING to see the lake- I haven never seen such an amazing color. The forest scenery and geological history was also amazing.

New shelves in the girl's room

Jon is amazing. He decided to build a set of shelves with a desk/play surface in the girl's room because of the limited space. We needed a place to put their bins of toys, etc. Since both of them have to be in the same room, with all their clothes AND toys - - bunkbeds and the shelves are our solution. He threw them together in an afternoon!

They are even strong enough for the kids to climb on! (Not that I'm encouraging it - - but it is bound to happen . . . )



All of Cynthia's Littlest Pet Shop toys and accessories fit great on the shelves!

Cub Scout BBQ

I have to say- I love my backyard! We had a Cub Scout barbeque and swim party at our house on August 26th- for the 15 or so cub scouts and their families - - we had about 60 people here! Our yard is big enough that it didn't even feel that crowded- though I do have to say I have never seen so many kids in our pool at the same time (I didn't get a picture of when they were ALL in the pool). It was a fun night.

Sorry the pictures aren't great- my camera is still "in the shop"- - these were taken on Jon's phone.


see the hugely pregnant woman back by the fence- that is me!