Happy Birthday to Heidi and Mommy

Heidi's Birthday fell on Easter Sunday this year so on Saturday we took Heidi up to Seattle walked around down by the water front. We then took the water taxi over to Alki Beach and walked along the beach. The kids discovered a turtle on the beach and wanted to take it home, but Heidi said, "no way!" It was a pretty day on the beach. On our way home, I surprised Heidi and took her to a jewelry store to purchase her a new wedding ring. We then went out to dinner as a family.

On Heidi's actual Birthday, which was Easter this year, we got up opened gifts and Easter Baskets, followed by attending church, and then later in the day going to a friend's house for Easter dinner and birthday cake. It was a nice weekend. Happy 36th Birthday Heidi! Love, Kirk, Zachary, and Isabella

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Tip Toeing through the Tulips Seattle Style

On April 21st my friend Jessica and I decided to take a tulip trip. The tulip fields are located about 80 miles North of our homes. We loaded up my car and off we went. Our journey was fun and eventful. We were driving on Interstate 5 listening to ABBA's song "Dancing Queen" when I looked out the window and noticed a mall, and I told Jessica that I was really surprised that they had a mall up in Mount Veron. No more than 30 seconds after I made that comment one of the children got sick and threw up in the car. Lucky for us a mall was close by so we pulled over cleanned up the car and went into the mall to purchase new clothes. After we purchased the clothes, we drove to the tulip fields and enjoyed our time there even though it was cold and a little rainy. Enjoy the photos!

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photos.

The Story behind the new Wedding Ring.....

As many of you are aware, this past December I flushed my wedding ring down the toilet. It was not because I was upset with Kirk it happened because I decided to mop my kitchen floor and then dump the water down the toilet. Lesson learned next time I will remove my wedding ring and since I had lost weight my ring was fitting loose so I'll make sure I immediately go in the jewelry store and have the ring adjusted.

Needless to say, that December day was a bad day. I was so sad that I lost my wedding ring because I loved it so much! Kirk and I got married in our last year of school and as a result like many young married couples we did not have a lot of money and my ring was one of our more expensive investments. The ring also symbolized almost 12 years of marriage, and I knew Kirk had to work very hard to get me that ring. Since this happened, I have been looking at rings and concluded that for my second ring I only wanted a simple, but elegant ring. I also chose white gold this time around. So this past Saturday, Kirk surprised me and took me to the jewelry store and bought me a second wedding ring. This ring is simple, but it has a very clear half caret diamond. The best part is later on I can also build onto the ring, but for now I am happy with this ring and it is very beautiful to me.

Meet Roofus

Zachary would like to introduce Roofus. Roofus is a special dog. He works for Dr. Fay, Zachary's Neuropsychologist. He is a mixed golden lab, and he is really good with the kids, who come to Dr. Fay's office. Roofus sits with Zachary during the time Zachary is being tested. Like the kids, Roofus is on a very structured schedule, and he has days off. We have never heard him bark and he is very calm. Roofus also gets invited and attends the kids Birthday parties so guess, who will be attending Zachary's party this year? Kirk and I figure that since Zachary has seen Dr. Fay we have probably purchased a lot of dog food for him. However, Roofus is a great assest to have in a office. As you can see from the photo, Zachary really likes him!

My Pretty Dress

Thanks Jessica for the pretty dress I did not want to take it off today. I love it! I can not wait to go to the tulips with you this Thursday!

Love,

Isabella

Isabella's Birthday

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Isabella had a wonderful celebration. Last Friday we took her down to the zoo and she got to see the baby tigers, which she loves. On Saturday, we went and had her 3 year professional photos taken and we will post them on the blog in about a week. On Sunday, April 10th which was her Birthday we attended church, came home and had dinner, ate some cake, and took a drive up to Alki Beach in Seattle. We were able to get photos of Zachary, but not any photos of Isabella because she fell asleep. However, even though it was cloudy, and we had some rain the city's skyline was beatiful, and we had a great time walking down on the beach. During this past week, I took Isabella in to see Dr. German for her routine check-up and she is in the 60th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight. She is a growing girl!

Isabella is a joy to have in our family. She has a feisty personality, and is very bright. Thanks to her older brother Zachary she is able to count to 20 and knows all of her letters. She also enjoys playing with her Princess dolls, coloring, and playing with her doll houses. This fall she will be attending preschool because she loves to learn. Mrs. Cichy, Zachary's teacher, also allows Isabella to come in her classroom while I'm teaching Art to Zachary's class. Isabella enjoys sitting in Kindergarten and is very well behaved. She also enjoys reading books and will sit and listen to a story for a full 30 minutes. In May, Isabella and I will be taking a Mom and Me ballet class, and I think that will be fun for both of us. Thank you all for the wonderful Birthday wishes and gifts!

Family, Friends, and Fun!

What a fun day! Today we attended an Easter Egg hunt, followed by another small Birthday celebration for Isabella, and now Zachary and Isabella are tucked away into their beds and are sound asleep. This is true BLISS!!!! I'm loving the peace and quiet of tonight!

As I mentioned above, we attended an egg hunt and Zachary and Isabella collected several eggs and received a lot of candy and small prizes. Later on in the day, we met my friend Jessica and her two boys at The Super Mall and took the kids to the Bouncy Place. All of the kids bounced around for about 90 minutes, and then informed us that they were starving so we decided to go out and eat at Los Cabos. Since it was Isabella's birthday last Sunday, we had the waiters come over and sing to her, and of course she loved it. They also had an employee at the restaurant who was very talented and made each of the kids a character balloon, and one of the character's who joined us for dinner was "The Road Runner"! Enjoy the photos.

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A moment of Celebration!

Mrs. Cichy and Zachary

The Blue Ribbon that was given to Zachary

"While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about."

Today Zachary received an award at school for being the most "GIVING" student at Covington Elementary. Each month Zachary's school works on a virtue of the month and then at the end of the month the Principal and classroom teachers chose one student, who has best demonstrated and practiced that virtue, and then they present the student with an award in front of the entire school. When they presented the award to Zachary, he said, "I can not believe they chose me." He was so excited and proud. Zachary's Principal then walked over to me and said, "You and Kirk are raising a blue ribbon kid." After the Principal made that comment to me, I started to think about how many people have touched our son's life and have helped him become, who he is today. I thought about Var Jean Balls, who is Zachary's Sunday school teacher and how she faithfully comes to church each week and teaches my son that he is "A Child of God" and his life as well as others has a divine purpose. I then thought about how our small family was asked to serve each month at an assisted living center and how I have watched Zachary give hugs and visit with the older people, who live at that facility this has been a great opportunity for our family to give back to our community. I also thought about Mrs. Cichy and how she consistently encourages Zachary to be the best student that he can possibly be, and then there are Zachary's doctors who formulate a plan and teach Kirk and I how to best parent him. There have been so many people, who have helped and continue to help us raise a "blue ribbon kid." We are so blessed to have each of you in our lives.

On another side note, Zachary has not wanted to ride the bus the entire school year because he has been afraid of bullies. Well this morning, Zachary decided that he wanted to ride the bus to school and this was a huge accomplishment for Zachary! Once Zachary was on the bus, Isabella and I drove to the school and waited in Mrs. Cichy's classroom for Zachary to arrive. Once he arrived in the classroom, he walked over to me and said, "Mom the bus was so much fun and all of the kids were really nice." At that moment I heard so much pride and confidence in Zachary's voice, and for once I heard no fear. Mrs.Cichy then walked over to me and said, "Heidi look at how far Zachary has come you should be very pleased." Kirk and I are very pleased and happy. As Zachary's mother, it has been challenging for me to watch Zachary struggle with anxiety issues and his ADHD. However, having Zachary in my life has taught me so many things. I have learned that I need to be on my knees seeking and asking for Divine guidance and I have received it. I have learned to have empathy for others, who have children who struggle with disabilities, I have learned to be an advocate for my son, and most important Zachary helps me to strive to be the best mother that I can be. Zachary is a gift to our family and we love him dearly even when he can be a "little turkey" at times. Congratulations Zachary! we are so proud of your accomplishments! Love, Dad, Mom, and Isabella

Video of Baby Isabella in honor of her 3rd Birthday!

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Here is video of Isabella after she was born. My friend Jessica created this for me, which was one of my favorite gifts and something that I will always treasure. Isabella and I also love the song "Amazing" that is accompanying the video. Those were perfect lyrics for this event, and in fact I had to go out to itunes to purchase the song so Isabella could listen to it in the car. She tells all of us, "This is my song." Enjoy the video.

Finding the Angel Within

As many of you are aware, I started my weight loss journey about a year and half ago, and it has been one of the most challenging, but rewarding activities that I have ever accomplished. About a month ago, I received an e-mail from a friend inviting me to join her Relay for Life team that will happen the first weekend of June. As I read the information about the race, I thought to myself that I'm going to have to keep myself motivated and focused. However, I'm very excited to participate in the relay!

Ironically, about a week ago I received a phone call from a friend who informed me that she just got back from her doctor and she was informed that she had to lose a lot of weight. She said that she felt scared and was not sure how she was going to go about accomplishing this goal. She asked me if I would be willing to share my story and tips about how I have been accomplishing my goal. I seriously thought about it and agreed; however, I wanted her to know that I believe that weight loss is a personal journey, and that there is no specific way or diet to lose weight. It is all about eating healthy and giving our bodies excercise.

As I reflected about my journey, there is a book that I have read three times during the past year that has kept me motivated. The book is titled "Running with Angels" by Pamela H. Hansen. Like myself the author of this book has experienced loss, grief, and depression in her life. However, after she had miscarried a baby she decided that she needed to embrace life and become physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy so her journey began leading her to accomplishing three marathons. In her book, she uses several quotes and here are a few of my favorites. I sometimes write these quotes down and tape them to my bathroom mirror or take them to the gym with me so I can look at them and read them and recall why I'm choosing to excercise and eat healthy. Here are some of her quotes.

1. "Drawing on our life's experiences helps us have more compassion for others."
2. "Finding time for ourselves does not automatically mean that we are neglecting or taking time away from others."
3. "Smaller, incremental steps will lead you steadily toward your ultimate goal."
4. "Change takes place one step at a time."
5. "Embracing love and support from others will help us in whichever life race we run."
6. "Prepare for Success"

Each day is a challenge for me to eat healthy and go to the gym, but then I think about this statement "There is a high price for heaviness." And that is so true! Sometimes life throws us large curve balls, and as a result for some of us food becomes comforting. I love this quote that Pamela shares in her book which states, "When something is so painful, we are willing to do anything to feel better, even when we know better. Often it takes angelic nurturing from someone in our earthly lives to help us to see the light at the end of the tunnel." I personally have had and currently have several angels in my life. Often times these people do not even realize that they have helped me. For example, the other day I was in the gym having difficulty picking up my pace on the treadmill because I felt tired when one of my gym buddies came over and said, "Wow, Heidi you look healthy and strong." I then thought I am strong and I really want to do that relay in June so it is time to pick up the pace. During that moment, I do not think that person recognized how much I needed to hear that statement, but it truly encouraged me to keep going. Bottom line I believe we all need those earthly angels in our lives and I'm grateful for mine.

I'm also thankful for a wonderful and suppotive husband. He is always encouraging me to be my best, and even when he has a large paper to write and the kids are yelling and carrying on he tells me "Leave go workout. I have it under control." And the best part is he truly means it because he loves to see me happy! He is a good man! If anyone in the Seattle area would like to join our relay team send me an e-mail through facebook or @ 4walkerfamily@gmail.com.

The Day from you know where????

That is correct yesterday was a hellish day for me! We went out to lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory up at Southcenter. We even got to sit in the back of the Trolley. Zachary ordered his lunch and then Isabella wanted Mac and Cheese. They brought out Isabella's Mac and Cheese and she wolfed all down. After she finished eating, I got her out of the high chair and sat her right next to me. Suddenly, the next thing I knew she puked all over herself, me, the table, and the floor. Not to sound gross, but I did not realize how much a small child could puke! Needless to say, puke was all over my shirt, the bottom of my pants, and of course all over Isabella. Thankfully we were right next to Kohls so my family went over and got Isabella and I new clothes while Isabella and I waited up in the ladies room. $30.00 later we had new outfits. We then quickly changed clothes and drove home where we jumped in the shower. Nothing is more disgusting then the sight and smell of puke that was still lingering on our bodies even after we changed our clothes. However, thankfully it only happened once and Isabella did not puke any more. The above photo shows that we were having good times before puke. The true joys of motherhood!!!!

Bouncing off the Walls

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Yesterday Jessica and I took Isabella and her two boys Tommy and Toby to a Bouncy place located in the Super Mall. First off let me tell you that I learned yesterday that I have a fearless daughter. Isabella decided to climb up this adult-size ladder and then proceeded to go down this large slide smiling whole time! Jessica and I observed other older kids having difficulty climbing up this large ladder and going down this large slide, but Isabella, who is almost 3, quickly climbed up the ladder and slid right down and wanted to go back and do it over again. I told Jessica that I think Isabella must have some type of monkey in her. Even the other customers and workers were really surprised that she could do this. Needless to say, Isabella slept 13 hours last night! I think over the weekend we are going to take Zachary.

Zachary's Tooth

Zachary has had a busy week. As many of you know, a couple of weeks ago we were in an accident and as a result of the accident the insurance company had us go out and purchase new car seats. When we were at Toys-R-Us buying new car seats, Zachary lost a tooth there. He was so excited for the tooth fairy to come that night, and thankfully we were at the toy store so we could purchase a small item from the tooth fairy.

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Miss. Bella's TU TU that I made!!

I'm so excited!!!! Today Isabella and I traveled down to Bonney Lake to one of my favorite craft stores to look for some birthday decorations for her upcoming party. While we were in the store, Isabella saw a tu tu hanging up on display. She looked and said, "Mom there is a pretty and I want it." For those of you who know me, know that the sewing machine and I do not get along, and I really dislike sewing, so my reply to Isabella was that we would go to another store and I would purchase a tu tu for her birthday. However, we bumped into a clerk, who overheard my discussion with Isabella and she told me that these were really simple to make and that she would be happy to show me how to make one. The next thing I knew I was making a tu tu for Isabella and it did not require any sewing! The clerk was correct the tu tu was very easy and quick to make not to mention it only cost me $8.00 verses $25.00 that I would pay in the store for one. If any of you would like to learn how to make one I would be happy to show you. It was a really fun project and I'm sure Miss. Bella will want more in different colors.

The Party!

While the boys were at the school yesterday, Isabella and I attended her little friend Kiera's Birthday party. Isabella loved it, and she really likes the bracelet and the cute owl bag. Thanks Shanda and Kiera for an awesome time! If you have trouble seeing the small photos click on the photo and it will enlarge the photo.

The Role of a Father

Usually, Heidi writes on our blog, but this morning I wanted to write about the special day I had with Zachary yesterday. First of all, I received one of the best gifts, which was spending all day with Zachary at his school. Zachary's school has a program called "Watch Dogs." This program encompasses having fathers coming into to the school and working with administrators, teachers, and students. The purpose is to show students a positive male role model. Today we live in a society where many of our homes do not have fathers, and as a result our children do not have the opportunity to see their fathers participate in their daily activities. Yesterday was a honor and a privilege to assist at my son's school. I truly gained an appreciation for all of the volunteer time my wife gives to Zachary's school, and all of the time and dedication that Zachary's Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Cichy gives to him. When I arrived home yesterday, I told Heidi that I observed Zachary listen to Mrs. Cichy dictate a sentence, and then observed Zachary writing the sentence with correct spelling of all of the words. Heidi smiled and replied, "Today students in Kindergarten are expected to perform at a first grade level, and Zachary has come along ways." Yesterday, was an experience that I will treasure. It was one of my greatest Birthday gifts! Below I'm attaching a family photo that will be published on the Kent School District's website promoting "The Watch Dog Dad program."

Happy Birthday Kirk and Daddy!!!!!!

Today I informed the kids that tomorrow is Daddy's Birthday. Since Zachary's teacher encourages Zachary to practice writing we sat down together today and wrote down 36 things that we love and like about Kirk. Zachary asked me to share our list on our family blog because he wants everyone to know that his Daddy will be 36 tomorrow.

36 things we love about our husband and daddy.

1. He loves us no matter what.
2. He works hard for our family.
3. He is smart and loves to learn.
4. He is kind to everyone.
5. He is patient.
6. He plays cars with me.
7. He takes us on pretty hikes.
8. He takes us to the zoo.
9. He lets us watch our kid shows.
10.He listens.
11.He is honest.
12.He reads us stories.
13.He loves to watch the Dallas Cowboys.
14.He is a loyal husband and friend.
15.He takes us to church and practices what we believe.
16.He talks to us about our day.
17.He plays basketball with me.
18.He frequently takes us down to the ocean, which we all love.
19.He makes sure that our mom gets to have time to herself each day.
20.He can speak and write Spanish.
21.He likes to vacuum.
22.He takes mom out for dates.
23.He keeps the car clean.
24.He is strong.
25.He loves to take us out to the Claim Jumper.
26.He loves to read.
27.He helps our mom keep our home clean.
28.He makes sure that we have family prayer each night.
29.He likes to watch funny movies with us.
30.He also likes to play board games with us.
31.He is respectful and responsible.
32.He gives us a lot of hugs.
33.He loves to ride bikes with us.
34.He loves to travel and discover new places.
35.He builds us new things.
36.He loves cats.

Happy 36th Kirk and Daddy!!!!!!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Holy Hannah!!!!!!!

This weekend was eventful for The Walker Family!

The Good: I went to the gym this morning and decided to weigh myself. When I got on the scales, I found that I had dropped some more weight. Since November, my weight had remained the same, and I was frustrated. However, several people have told me that the last 15 to 20 pounds is the most challenging to lose and they are absolutely correct. Nevertheless, after faithfully doing the Stair Master for fifty minutes a day the weight starting falling off again.

The Bad: The kids got into my Clinque blush and it was destroyed. For those who know me make-up is not a life or death situation, but my complexion is fair so when I do not have any blush on I feel naked. So on Saturday, the family and I traveled up to The Southcenter Mall so I could go to Nordstrom and purchase my blush. Once we arrived at Nordstrom, I went to ask them for my mocha pink blush, and the lady said they were out so I then decided to check at Macy's, and guess what? Macy's was also out of my blush. However, the clerk told me that they had my color of blush down at there Tacoma store, but Kirk and I decided not to load up the kiddos and drive down to Tacoma so I settled for a new color of blush.

The Ugly: While in the Southcenter parking garage, our car was hit. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. However, this week is Kirk's 36th Birthday, and he has a big presentation to give at work, a huge paper to write for his MBA class, and now dealing with car repairs. On a brighter note, this Friday I have a sitter lined up so Kirk and I can go out to celebrate his birthday. I'm excited because I have fun and romantic surprises planned for him.

Lets hope Kirk has an awesome 36th Birthday this week!

Friends

I have some awesome friends! Thanks for being great friends to me this week. I have appreciated all of you listening to me, taking me out to dinner, and watching my kids. I want you to know that I value each of our frienships and I look foreward to creating more fun memories! Some of you I do not have a snapshot of, but I want you to also know that you are important to me too. Thanks again for helping me this week.

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Kindergarten Conference

"Education is not received. It is achieved!"

I can not believe how fast my little boy is turning into a boy! Today we attended Zachary's conference, and we received a good report. Zachary is at or above grade level in all subject areas including writing sentences. This is a great achievement for Zachary! As I sat down and listened to his teacher, I thought about the number of great people who have helped our son, and how grateful I am that Kirk and I were inspired to give Zachary the gift of time and have him start Kindergarten once he was six. Even the Kindergarten teacher said, that was the best thing we did for Zachary!!! It feels good as a parent to know that you made a good decision. During this time, I reflected back to two years ago when we were trying to understand how to help our son gain the best possible education that he could. I remember making the call to Dr. Fay praying that she would be able to give us answers and direction on how to work with and help Zachary. Dr. Fay was an answer to our prayers. She was able to quickly figure out what Zachary needed to be successful in the school setting. She also helped Kirk and I to become better parents for Zachary. Dr. Fay has been a true gift for our family, and it is with great pleasure that we get to continue to have her on Zachary's team.

Not only did I think about how Dr. Fay helped us, but I also thought about Zachary's previous and current teachers both at school and at church. He has been given great teachers and Kirk and I have truly appreciated all of the time and energy that they have put into our son to make sure that he gets the best education possible. I can honestly say that having a child with specific needs can be costly, exhausting, and even frustrating at times, but it has been worth it taking him to therapies, advocating for his needs with the school, and working with him at home on extra activities.

We are so happy for the opportunity to be Zachary's parents. He is a wonderful part of our family and we can not imagine our life without him or Isabella. (Yes, this includes even the times when they can be stinkers and create a circus in our home. Kirk and I can honestly say that there is not a day that goes by when we are bored. There is always something to do!

The three ring circus

Today I decided that "sometimes sanity takes vacation time on me." Today our home was a circus. Both kids were wild and crazy. Our Miss. Isabella got stuck inside our bathroom cupboard, followed by getting into our food storage and finding a large container of oatmeal and pouring it all over the living room carpet. While I was vacuuming up that mess (Thank heavens for the invention of vacuum cleaners) Isabella was in Kirk and I's bedroom pulling out jewelry and carefully laying it in the window seal. Needless to say, she was a handful. However, our Mr. Zachary was also very busy today. Today was early release since his school has conferences this week. Once Zachary arrived home, within 45 minutes I found out he had invited half of his Kindergarten class over to play. I had a group of Kindergartner's knocking at my door and informing me that Zachary said, "They could come and play." I told them "sorry not today" After that I had to go and prepare to meet with Zachary's teacher which I will write about in the next post. After Zachary's conference, I prepared dinner and both kids informed me that it tasted "gross" Since it was a new recipe I did not force them to eat it so I went to option B which was blueberry pancakes with eggs. When I opened up the fridge, I discovered that we were out of eggs. I told Kirk I'm done lets go over to Costco pick up eggs and get them pizza so that is what we did, and you can imagine both kids loved it. Needless to say, they are both tucked into their beds and soundly sleeping while I'm trying to get my sainty back. Today was one of those days that I thought "Calgon take me away."

So long.....

"The Pain of Discipline is short, but the glory of fruition is eternal." Harriet Beecher Stowe.


Today I had to say farewell to my old gym shoes. I really loved these shoes because they were symbolic to me. These are the first pair of shoes that I wore the first day I entered the gym to embark on a new style of living. They were the first pair of shoes that I wore on my feet when I achieved running 3 miles in 29 minutes. These are the shoes that I wore on my daily walk reminding me each day, regardless of what was going on in my life, that I needed to continue to be disciplined and enter into the gym and complete my excercise activities. These shoes were a visual reminder to me that I needed to rejuvenate myself physically, mentally, and spiritually. Now I have a new pair of shoes that I wore to the gym last night. While completing the stair master for 60 minutes, and feeling my muscles ache, I decided that these new shoes were going to represent endurance and serve as a visual reminder to never give up and to keep moving foreward.

The day we were engaged!

On Sunday, March 13, 1999,was the day that Kirk proposed to me in Idaho Falls, Idaho. We were both in school at the time, but we decided to get married that summer on July 23, 1999. Our life together has been a journey, but I feel so blessed to have shared a life with him over the last 12 years. Together we have created a beautiful family and I know we both feel garteful to have our children Zachary and Isabella in our lives. Happy 12th to us!

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Leapin Lizards!

Today at school the Reptile man from Monroe came to visit Zachary's school and Zachary thought it was so awesome! When I picked him up he was very eager to tell me that he loved seeing the baby alligator. He also liked watching the Python go through the guy's shirt sleeve. He was also upset that he did not get chosen to hold the snake. I think once they brought out the snake I would have ran! However, Zachary said that he was a friendly snake. He also got to see a rattlesnake, but Zachary said the guy removed all of the poison from him. The cutest thing Zachary said was that he was sitting around a bunch of girls and once the reptiles came out a bunch of girls huddled close to him. He then said, "Hey girls back away and sit in your own spot." That would be my Zachary!

Isabella's hair cut

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Zachary's Art show

Tonight was a huge accomplishment for Zachary his art got chosen to go to the Art Show at City Hall.

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Zachary struggles with fine motor skills since he was a premature baby. He has worked so hard during the last year to reach this goal. We are very proud parents tonight. Thanks for allowing us to share.

The Science Project

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Crazy Seattle snow

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Where were you last Thursday? Well we were outside playing in the snow! Can you believe we had snow in Seattle in late Febuary!!! It was a great day! We were all home together as a family. However, we are now ready to spring foreward.

Valentine Photos

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Parenting 101

Yesterday during church, Kirk informed that one of the lessons was on parenting. He was very impressed with the lesson and it led us into a long discussion when we arrived home. Some of the things that they discussed during the lesson was being home when your children are home regardless of their age. This really hit home with me because I was away from home a lot over the weekend, and even though it was for good reasons once I was home in the afternoon on Saturday I expressed to Kirk that I really missed my family; however, the break was nice and occasionally you need a break from your children, still I missed being around them and spending time with Kirk.

Another idea that was addressed was gaming. Kirk and I occasionally like to play video games, and I think as a teacher that there can be some educational value to gaming, but we need to be cautious of what type of games we allow our children to play and the frequency. Kirk and I have discussed getting a gaming system in our home, but we have not done it yet. After talking to friends, who have older children, they have encouraged us to wait and encourage our children to participate in other activities, which we have, and we have not had any regrets. However, I know eventually we will purchase a gaming system. I think like with everything else it is finding the balance. I have a friend, who purchased a gaming system for her family a year ago and she said that regardless of age each family member is only allowed 30 minutes of gaming a day. I liked that idea and thought that it sounded like a good practice.

In addition to the above topics, Kirk and I also addressed sleep-overs. Along time ago, prior to children, I had someone very wise tell me that your children do not need to spend the night with friends. She said that there is no purpose to it since at night we were suppose to be sleeping, and our children can have the opportunity to see their friends the next day. I thought that this was an interesting concept since when I was a kid I remember spending the night with friends. However, times have changed and even if your child's friends seem to be "good" people you do not know exactly what your child could be exposed too. Kirk said that in the article it talked about that a lot of children are exposed to ponography for the first time when they sleep over at friend's home, or are exposed to other negative elements. My father used to say, "Nothing good happens after mid-night." I have found this to be a true statement. We are intended to sleep at night, and my wise friend was correct, my children can see their friends the next day.

Since this article brought such a long discussion at our house, I thought that I would share what we discussed on the blog. Parenting is personal and it is between you and the Lord. However, we enjoy getting advice, and ideas about parenting because it is not an easy task. I thought that it was a healthy discussion between Kirk and I and I'm sure that as we go along we will have more discussions. I feel blessed that we have the Church in our life to help lead and guide us.

What kind of brain do you have?

This past Friday Zachary went to see his Doctor for social skills training. While we were in Dr. Lundy's office Miss. Isabella was in the room with Zachary and Dr. Lundy. When it was time for Zachary's appointment Dr. Lundy said, "Ok mom and Isabella we will see in a while." I reached for Isabella's hand and she turned to me and said, "Bye mom." I said, "Isabella it is time for us to leave." She again said, "Bye Mom." All of the sudden Zachary looked at Dr. Lundy and I and said, "Mom Isabella has rock brain and she needs to go and find super flex." I said, "Zachary what is rock brain?" He said, "Rock brain is something that happens to you when you keep getting stuck on the same idea over and over again and super flex comes in and tells your brain it is time to be flexible." I said, Who taught you about rock brain?" He said, " I learned it during social skills group at school." Needless to say, I had never heard him use these terms before, but I had noticed during the past couple of months Zachary was becoming more flexible in his thinking. I then thought to myself those are pretty good visual terms. I then questioned how frequently I had rock brain? And once I was able to answer my question I thought I could use more super flex too!

Changes

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been facing many changes, which have been exciting and sad. As I have reflected about these changes, I have realized how much Zachary is like me. My little Zachary is a very black and white person, who does not like change in routine, and after these last two weeks I have found that change is difficult for me. I think that is why I enjoyed teaching children with Autism is because I operate a lot like them. I like schedules, organization, clear, concise, and visual directions. I also thrive in an environment that is calm. I'm not an improtu person even if someone invites me to do something fun. I prefer to know ahead of time of what I am going to do. I'm so much looking foreward to a scheduled week. Hence, please nobody else move, please no more appointments that have to be shifted around this week, and please weather behave so that way our children can go to school!!! Psychologists may say that I have control issues and maybe I do, but I'm in need of just a regular scheduled week. That is my soap box for today.

The Art of Self- Discipline

I decided to write about self-discipline because it is an area in my life which I need to improve on. Yesterday I was a TV junkie, and all I did was take Zachary to school and came home and visited with a couple of friends and then I watched TV for the rest of the time. It was not a productive day at all!


As a Special Education teacher, the University prepares us to be self-disciplined in order to be effective special education teachers. For example, your classroom appearance must be highly organized, neat, clean, and not over stimulating. As a teacher you must be able to honestly and effectively communicate with parents and staff, supervise para-eduactors, effectively write and maintain legal documents such as IEPs, figure out the purpose of behavior, and manage those behaviors, have excellent time management skills, conduct and coordinate meetings, be consistent in your use of language and teaching methods, and finally go home to a husband who wants and needs to talk to you, and deal with your own children.

I have always been grateful and prided myself on being a self-disciplined person, and this has come easy to me because of my career choice; however, I have been lacking and I need to bring this skill back up to speed. As many of you know, Kirk is in a full time Master's program, works full time, and tries to maintain some family time. I on the other hand, maintains the home, takes the kids to appointments, tries to daily workout, and a list of other things which I will not mention at this time. I will not say that it is easy to have a husband who works full time and attends Graduate school full time; however, it is easier if you have self-discipline. So my goal is become more self-disciplined within the next month.

Make a Guess

Tonight Zachary was watching the movie "Yours Mine and Ours" and he came in and informed me of the following.

Zachary: Mom guess how many kids I want?

Mom: How many?

Zachary: 40 kids, and don't worry I can run fast.

Mom: If you have that many you will need to wear shoes that can fly as fast as lightening.

Zachary: I already fly as fast as lightening so don't worry.

My 1st Hair Cut!

That is correct! Our little Princess gave herself her 1st hair cut. Why go to the salon when you are two years old, and already learned how to correctly hold scissors, and cut with them? And by the way her cuts are clean and precise. No worries about fine motor skill control with Miss. Isabella. Here is the story:


The other day I was in the bathroom and I looked on the counter and I saw a pair of kid scissors and hair right next to them. (At least she saved her hair so I could put it in her baby book) I picked up the hair and looked at it and thought this really looks like Isabella's hair. I then yelled out, "Sister Bear come here." (Sister bear is a nickname given to her by her "Brother bear from the Berenstain Bear books) Isabella quickly came and I asked her, "Sister bear is this your hair?" She replied pointing to her hair, "hair cut" I said, "at least you saved your hair so I could put it in your book." She said, "That's right mom." I really did not know if I should laugh or cry because I like to take them into the salon and get their hair cut and take photos. So I have no photos of the process of the 1st hair cut, but at least I have her hair. Some of you may also question well why do you allow your child to have scissors? First of all the scissors are put up high, but I have myself a climber, who is not afraid to climb any where to get anything she wants or desires. Second having another child with fine motor delays, requires me to keep scissors around so he can consistently practice. Plus OTs and Kindergarten teachers encourage you to have your child cut, paste, and color at a very young age to build up their small muscles. Therefore our house is a pro- fine motor home, which at times can be nerve racking and difficult, but trust me well worth it in the end! I think now we will have Miss Bella open up her own hair and nail salon considering what happened a week ago!

The Gift of Art

""In art there are no mistakes, only opportunities for creativity.""


As many of you know I'm the art docent for my son's Kindergarten class. Art and I have not always agreed and I have not always enjoyed teaching art, but I decided to teach art to the Kindergarten class because no other parent volunteered. Well today I discovered why I took this project on. The lead Art docent teachers sent out an e-mail last night stating that one art piece from each classroom would be taken and displayed at our local City Hall, and there would be a reception for the students, whose art pieces were chosen to be displayed. This morning when I dropped Zachary off, I ran into the lead art docent and she told me that she chose Zachary's art piece to be on display at City Hall. Some of you may know that Zachary struggles with fine motor skills and frankly does not always enjoy doing art. However, since I have been coming into the classroom and teaching the class he has been doing his art projects more carefully. Eventhough, I'm the art docent for his Kindergarten class , and that is probably a factor of why Zachary's art piece was chosen, I'm very happy that he gets to show off his Art. I think that when children get this opportunity it is an excellent confidence builder and it increases their self-esteem. The piece that will be on display is very well done and Zachary should be proud! If you have not volunteered in your child's classroom, I encourage you to do it. You never know how your presence will help build your child's confidence and how important that your child sees that you value education!

""I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out.""
Author: Elizabeth Barret Browning

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Not by Chance

"I have been learning that the people, who we meet in our life are sometimes put in our pathway at a specific time for a specific reason."





This week I have been blessed to meet two women, who have been able to help me with some personal issues that I have been struggling with for the past two weeks. When I laid my head down on my pillow last night, my heart was full of gratitude to my Father in Heaven. I knew that he was starting to answer some of my silent prayers through these two women. I was just amazed how quickly this mixed-up puzzle in my mind was starting to come together to form a complete picture of what was happening and what next steps need to be taken to help remedy this issue. I also thought that it was so wonderful that I was able to openly and honestly share my feelings and concerns with these two women because one of them struggles with the same concern, and the other woman is very familar with the situation and she has earned my trust. The interesting thing is neither of these women attend my church or are close friends. However, I knew that my Father in Heaven placed them in my pathway yesterday because they had the answers that I desired to know. I so much apprectiated their knowledge, support, and understanding .

Our Family Journal

Today I was talking to a friend and during our conversation we were talking about facebook. While we were visiting, an impression came to my mind that instead of posting brief snapshots about my family on facebook, I should post them in my blog so that way I can print it off if I would like and my husband and I and children can have a copy of some of our daily happenings. When I found out that I was pregnant with all of my children, I wrote each of them a letter, and I have always kept a Mother's Journal so that way when I am gone some day they always have something to go back and read. So what I have decided is I'm going to start writing down some of our family events in my blog so that way I also have an eletronic copy as well as a written document.

Fast Bar Cookies

For those who know me well they know that I'm not a "Betty Crocker" and cooking and sewing are not my favorite projects. However, I'm a mother now and my family needs to eat so I have had to learn to cook at least simple meals. The other day I came across this easy receipe and I thought this is my kind of baking so here it is.

Cake Mix Bar Cookies

1. One yellow cake mix
2. 1 Egg
3. 1/2 C of oil
4. 1/4 C water
5. 1C semi-sweet chocolate chips


Mix cake mix, egg, oil, and water until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips, bake in a greased 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Polish

" Never underestimate a child's ability to get into more trouble."

Each day I tell myself I love having a two year old in my life, and most days she is adorable; however, last night she turned into a little turkey. Kirk was gone to a study group and I was visiting with a friend when all of the sudden it was really quiet. I excused myself from my friend to walk down the hallway and walk into the master bathroom to discover my little girl sitting in an empty bathtub painting herself and the tub with white fingernail polish. My first thought was how in the world did she get the fingernail polish? And then I looked down and noticed that she had taken her potty chair closed the lid and used as a stool to get up onto the bathroom counter, and reach up to the shelf to get the polish. Evidently she then chose to sit in an empty bathtub and begin to create her masterpiece. First of all I was thankful that she was in the tub painting and not painting the wall or floor. Second she was in the bathtub so I was able to remove the paint from the tub and most of the paint from her face. Zachary wanted to take her picture, but Isabella loves having her picture taken, and I was not going to reward her with taking her photo eventhough years later it would be funny to show her the photo when she has to deal with her own two year old child. Needless to say, today Isabella's masterpiece has diappeared never to be seen again.....

Great Quote

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can to be cumbered with your old nonesense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays." Emerson

I came across this quote today and really liked it because it is so true. Often when we lay down in our beds at night we question and wonder what we could have or should have done differently and we replay this in our mind. As people we really do have to let go of yesterday and embrace tomorrow with a fresh and new outlook.