4 Kids, 3 Sports, 1 Coach = Cure for Insomnia

Ahh, the time of year where I hate to admit we're overscheduled but all right there in the trenches together. Dinner at 8 pm, carpools, washing uniforms, team pictures . . . just another day in paradise. We're having fun and falling asleep before our heads hit our pillows at night. If you would like to join us see the links on the right:

Before and After, Back to School and Sher and Jer!

This is Bradley's first haircut! None of my kids needed haircuts until about 18 mos. old, so at 19 months, he is rignt on schedule. We cut all of his curls off (and saved them) and now he looks like such a big boy!






These are some first day of school shots--it was pretty cold out that day. Probably because I decided to wait until after school started to buy the kids pants.

And, last but not least . . .



We were so lucky to have Sherrie and Jeremy stay with us this weekend when they came to visit! We had a great time with them and my kids LOVED having them here. This picture was taken on my dad's boat--we went on a river tour(see Sherrie's blog for details). Sherrie, we hope you guys had a nice visit and we hope we can see you again soon!

Coming soon . . . soccer, football and volleyball schedules--here we go again!!

One More . . .

We had a great time with family in Lincoln City. Thanks for organizing it, Nannee and Papa! Great memories!

Slideshow Updates

I have much updating to do from the last few weeks! I'm going to start by subjecting viewers to more vacation slideshows. We can't get enough of those! These are from the Idaho trip. We also had a great day on the water at the Potholes with two of my lifelong friends, Trisha and Kirsten and their families. They both camped there for the weekend and I was a chicken about camping with Bradley and leaving for the coast the next week so we only came up for the day. We had sooo much fun we hope to go back and camp with them next year. I loved hanging out with Trisha and Kirsten and their families--it made me realize how much I miss them! Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for those who are tired of slideshows) I forgot my camera that day so you'll have to go to Kirsten's post http://thevickermanfamily.blogspot.com to take a peek.

Friends and Fun!

We recently had more fun reuiniting with friends and family taking a little vacation and accomplishing a goal I set for this year. First, the vacation. We attended our niece/cousin Jordan's baptism which was planned at the time of her dad's family reunion. This allowed us to spend some time with her uncle and our old friend, Danny and his family as well as the rest of the Fuhr family. We spent a day on the beautiful Spirit Lake in Idaho (minus Bradley) and had a great time on the water. I even let Danny pull me waterskiing! = ) We also spent a couple of days (one of them rather cold) at Silverwood Theme Park. More pictures later . . .
Here's Nate and Danny. For those of you who know Danny well, yes, he is touching Nate's "lober."
My good friend from high school and college, Jenny, and her kids came down just before we left for a quick stay. Most importantly though, we both ran a 10K race early Saturday morning. This was a goal of mine for this year and I believe it was the first time racing that distance for both of us. I have to just tell you, though, Jenny is my new running idol. She totally dominated--coming in first in our age group for the women and eighth for the women overall. She is amazing! I, well, er, I finished the race, which was my goal, I didn't walk and I didn't come in last! Overall, that is pretty good for me. It was so fun to have her and her kids here--my kids had a blast with them and if we decide we're crazy enough to try the race again, I'd look forward to it! Thanks Jen, for making the trip!

The Wonderful Non-Mommy Weekend!

Wow! I can't believe I actually got on a plane and took off to Utah for a couple of days! The friends I visited couldn't believe it either! It all started when my dear friend Sherrie sent me a text telling me Delta had a steal of a weekend flight from Pasco to SLC. For some reason, things fell into place and Nate said, "Have a good time!" It was a little unsettling for about 30 seconds but off I went!

I think it was the perfect non-Mommy vacation! For those of you who are looking to book one, I would highly recommend staying at Hotel Burt. The rooms are fabulously decorated, the pool is nice, acommodations are VERY comfortable and you can download 80's music for free! Most importantly, the tour guide is gorgeous and fabulous! She will take you to chick flicks, she will get pedicures with you, she knows the best shopping and where to find the best non-mommy eating ever! I now have to enter a recovery program for a sudden addiction to a particular salad at Rumbi Island Grill.

For a more populated visit, I would recommend Hotel Burnside. This is a lively, beautiful home with many family members--cousins, grandparents, siblings--bustling about and enjoying each other's company. You will feel like you've stepped back in time as you reaquaint yourself with the Petersen family, which is a great delight! In addition, that ever-talented Marci thinks nothing of throwing together a dinner for 17 or so people that is delicious!

Thanks for a memorable and just-what-the-doctor-ordered weekend! I sure miss you guys! Thanks also to Nate. He did so much at home, I felt replaced. Thanks for coordinating play dates, putting up with a cranky toddler, helping to cover my church and work obligations AND getting the laundry totally done in one day before picking me up at the airport with flowers! I am not going to recommend him for planning your non-Mommy weekend, however, I am going to keep him!

Seven and Fabulous!

What do you get when you mix some teenage girls with some six-seven year-old girls for a birthday party? Lots of pampering, crazy hair and a strong scent of nail polish! We had fun letting Amanda and her friends help out with Megan's birthday party and I think she had fun, too. Here are things we love about Megan:

1. Her toothless grin.

2. Her homemade cards for every occasion or just because.

3. She works hard.

4. She is a good student.

5. She's our "brown-eyed girl. . . sha la, la, la la . . ."

6. She is lively, bouncy and fire and ice.

7. She is Mega-riffic!

We love you Megan and enjoy our seven-year-old girl!!!!