one shabby chick

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Our Morning Snow,
originally uploaded by MicheKerr.

OK so I know there's no snow in Hawaii (well, sometimes but it's on a different island)...that's kinda the point of this post. I know many of you may find this hard to believe but I have NEVER seen snow up-close. In pictures - yes, or flying over some mountain, but touching it - no, never. None of my children either nor my mother-in-law. So we are thinking about driving to Mt. Hood to see snow...is this possible in Sept./Oct.? I need some ideas for sight-seeing/things to do in Portland. We will have some wedding activities to do and I plan to do some shopping but we want to do a couple cool things with the kids. We will be there for a week. Any ideas will help. So if you can think of anything please let me know. And is it possible to just drive up to Mt. Hood and stop alongside the road and play in some snow? We just want to make a couple snowballs or something. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Totally changing the subject - the girls are getting better- they beat Sweden 2-0! Next up is Nigeria - will be holding my breath in that one!!

They kept me up til 1 am...

No..not my kids, these guys...

I was stressing so bad for them that they weren't going to tie it up but they pulled it through and came out with a tie...and lucky for them this game ended in a tie too. Whew! The game was on at 11:00 pm here so I had to stay up and watch a little...and then a little more..and finally all of it. I'm feeling ok today and we had a light load in school but I think I'll be hitting the sack early today...not to mention the fact that I feel like a boxer after a match from my game on Sunday...which we WON!! Yeah! I love to win and it was a fun game which makes it even better. But boy, oh boy, am I hurtin'. Guess that's what I get for thinking I can go out there and just play without a warm-up (or even actually being in shape)...I'm not 20 any more! It's all downhill after that 4th child too :-)

I'm finally getting excited about our trip to Portland....I only wish I had booked our rental car before because somehow it seemed cheaper..oh well, that's life!

Not much happening on the sewing front...especially not these..I need to just get them done. This week, this week.

Baby Girl has now decided to move from pillows to her own skin...
What can you do? I've tried hiding all the pens but we do homeschool so they are around.

And lastly, my little guy in his soccer uniform....(even though he looks fine here, before his game he claimed a neck injury, and sat out the whole game - he wanted to go in at the end but had shed all his soccer gear and they only have five minute quarters so it wasn't happening...which of course caused the tears to flow)....

Nanos

My husband is watching this movie and so far it is pretty hilarious....Maybe I'm just in that kind of mood but it's pretty funny...
Ok so I am officially being a bad influence on my mother-in-law. She bought this today.....I've Americanized her already. And we went here...one of my favorite stores. Probably because we don't have this store here (I know they are completely different but I love them both). I must say the NEW nano is quite nice. I may need to trade my "old" one in for a "new" one. She's excited because she can put all her English lessons on it and practice.
Well, my first game is tomorrow. I don't know if I'm ready or not. And I'm pretty sure my toe is broken. I was just walking through the house a couple of weeks ago and hit the corner of a door with my pinky toe. Anyway it got all swollen and black and blue and now it's still swollen and hurts. I think I can play ok as long as no one steps on my toe. I haven't gone to the doctor because they can't do anything for it (at least that what's everyone says).
Ok I gotta go watch a movie with my babe :-)

Once Upon A Summer

We are reading this book for family read-aloud time. We've always started books and then somehow never finish them. I think it's because I hadn't ever read them during school time which is what we are doing with this book. I picked it since I LOVE western/prairie stories (Bela is also reading Little House on the Prairie) and it has a boy as the voice of the story so I figured it would be ok with Son #1. Today they made me laugh as we were reading and they told me they wished the book had pictures or there was a movie made of it. I told them that was what their imaginations were for!

I feel (slightly) horrible as we finished school fairly early today and the mail came and in it was this. So now they are all watching it :-) - I know, what kind of a homeschool mother am I?!! At least their names are the same as famous painters....

This morning started off with a bang as somehow my sweet little baby girl has turned into a screaming banshee....
I have this blog on my favorites and have come to appreciate her blog title more and more the past few weeks. Every morning (and multiple times during the day) I am greeted by a small creature screaming at the top of her lungs. I do not know what to do about it. I tell her no but in the mornings I can't just leave her in her crib for her to realize she can't scream like that because she just screams until someone gets her. And it's not a crying screaming...it's more of a calling/just-for-the-fun-of-it screaming. After I picked up the screaming banshee, I made some coffee and puttered around on the computer for a little bit. She has also developed quite a coloring fascination and as I glanced over today, I was horrified to see her coloring on my newly sewn pillows with a BLACK SHARPEE!! Ughh! Even though I knew it was a lost cause I sprayed an entire bottle (not really) of Shout to see if somehow it would miraculously disappear but no such luck. I guess I'll just make another one...At least I don't have a white couch...

English class was a big hit with Tita so she is going to go three nights a week. Guess I'd really better watch what I say to Hubby now :-)

Well, Tonight's our big date night. I can't wait - we really need a night alone. Tita (from Costa Rica) is going to watch them until Tita (my mom) gets home from work. I didn't know if they could (which they probably could) spend the whole evening with someone they can't really communicate with.

Hopefully Hubby and I will make the meal last. We always joke when we go to restaurants about how fast we eat and leave. I think we are used to having kids around and stuff to do so we never take the time to relax and enjoy meals. I'm going to do that tonight though...and have some champagne...or something alcoholic for sure...ughh - the screaming banshee is screaming "MOM" at the top of her lungs from her high chair...

Time

Time...there doesn't seem to be enough of it these days...
the past weeks have been filled with school, endless soccer practices, soccer games, colds........
Hubby and I were supposed to go here for our anniversary date but I was so sick we had to postpone it so we are going tomorrow instead. We have a $100.00 gift certificate so that's why we are going there...should be fun. I love nights out alone where we can sorta pretend for a few hours that it's just the two of us (even though I love my kids!).

My mother-in-law is doing fine here...she is taking an English class starting today. She also loves playing tennis so we have all bought rackets and have been going to a court really close to our house to play in the afternoons. It's pretty fun although the kids get frustrated that they can't hit it well (and it's so dang hot!!). We've also been watching the US Open this week. We are very sad he didn't make it!

Next Monday is the start of the Women's World Cup - I am so excited!! Although the games are in China and are on TV here at like 11pm and 2am so I guess I will be taping them and watching them when I can after school each day. Also we will be in Portland during the semis and finals so I'll have to scope out somewhere I can watch it there - I am very excited about my sister's wedding and I know I'm being ridiculous but I'm worried about missing the final since I'm positive they will be in it. Hopefully Hawaii will have some extra coverage or something since one of the girls on the team is from right down the road here. I actually even played in a scrimmage against her before - I couldn't believe how high she could jump to head the ball!

My soccer season actually starts this Sunday and I am so not in shape to run around on a soccer field (but there are usually only a couple ladies that ever are so it should be ok). And the game is at 11 so hot, hot, hot!

I have actually been working on some sewing projects when I can squeeze them in. Having company here makes it hard as you feel like you can't really do whatever you want to....

I have a project I keep putting off for my sister's wedding...
hemming (and cutting) a bunch of material into table toppers for the wedding. She picked out the fabric and her tastes are just so different from mine so I'm just not feeling it and think that's why I am putting it off. That and I have to measure out and cut them all which will NOT be fun!

I know I'm complaining about nothing and I really am trying to make an effort lately NOT to complain - I have a wonderful husband, 4 healthy kids and NOTHING to complain about!!

OK better get a move on...another soccer practice day and I have to drop Tita off at her English class.....

*** the above quilt and onesie is for a baby shower on Sunday (yes, another one!)

Once there was a little girl....

So today is our 12 year anniversary. Happy Anniversary honey. I was looking over some old photos to find a couple of us when we were younger (and I was much skinnier!!)
and I found a copy of our wedding invitation...it was rather "cutsey" but it just went so well with our whole story that I fell in love with it. On the front is a picture of a girl with her toys and it says..."Once there was a little girl", then on the inside it has a picture of a little boy and a wagon of toys and says..."once a little boy. They lived far apart but shared the same stars. In time they grew. Today they share the same dream."
Our story is one for the romance books and here it is....I was in Costa Rica on a mission trip with YWAM. We lived with Costa Rican families the first few weeks we were there and in the center of the little neighborhood was a little store where we all went to buy Cokes and stuff. And sitting behind the counter was....
the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen :-) ( I think I'm probably a little bias here)

Just one problem ...no hablo espanol and he didn't speak English. Well, we had a few friends who thought we'd make a great couple and were translators/matchmakers. I didn't really even know Kevin but was somehow so drawn to him and was sure we were going to end up getting married (or at least day-dreamed about it). Anyway, I came back to the U.S. after two months there and not much had progressed in the friendship/romance. I begged my parents (I was 18) to let me go back for language school as I had decided God was calling me to Costa Rica (I think God was a small part of it and a certain latino boy was the biggest part). Amazingly they said yes and I went back and lived with some of his family there and worked with YWAM and went to language school. We got to know each other more (since after I learned Spanish we could now communicate) and fell in love. There were some language barriers when I first was getting the hang of Spanish...like when we went to get his passport so he could come meet my parents and in Costa Rica you have to get this paper showing you have no child support claims before you can leave the country and we are standing in line and he's explaining it to me but what I thought he said was that he had a son...yep, language barriers are hard!!
Anyway, things worked out wonderfully and here we are 12 years and 4 kids later.....

I love you babe. You totally "get" me... not to mention put up with my all my crap and bad attitudes and everything else. You are the best dad (seriously my friends are always in awe of him taking the kids - all of them - everywhere), soccer coach, handyman, mechanic (as he's spent the weekend working on the car), and just all around nice guy. I love you and don't know what I would do without you. I'm so glad I wandered into that store and fell madly in love with you....I know lots of people say this but I really am more in love with you today than I was at our wedding. You (really do) complete me!