Happy Birthday Grandad!

Summer's tribute to Grandad

Oh Susanna

Halloween costumes

Fight Cougars Fight

If the Cougars would just fight as hard as my kids fight it may not have been such an atrocious loss.

Kids Runs

So I began a bit of a phenomenen here, after running The Race for the Cure, Matt wanted to give it a try, so he and I ran the Portland Kids Marafun 2K in early October. Not ot be out done Adam ran the Gresham Jazz Run 2K in mid October, next our whole family plans to run the Jingle Bell Run in downtown Portland.

Running

Race for the Cure 2008. I try to complete the Race every year in honor of my friend Wendy, who died of cancer in 2000 leaving behind an infant daughter, Zoe and family and friends that all miss her terribly. My best childhood memories involve Wendy and I think about her very often. She was something special and the sky will always be missing a star without her here. This year after several months of actually properly training for it, I successfully ran the whole thing for the first time, completing it in 26 minutes. This started the ball rolling on a bunch of running and walking events.

All for a good cause

We have been walking and running for all sorts of causes lately kicked off by the Diabetes Walk to raise money for and support our little friend Emily now 7, was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 4 and since then has endured thousands of injections and blood tests and has a pump atttached to her stomach to regulate her blood sugar. Thsi was a whole family affair. We walked 3K and then enjoyed the rides at Oaks park.

Summer's actvities

With the boys back in school September also brought more opportunities for Summer. She is now able to attend gymnastics and dance classes during the week which she absolutely loves. She is now requesting swimming lessons too. This is a clip from one of her very first dance classes.

First Days of School

Of course September also brings first days of school. Adam was excited and ready to go, Matthew was not. Now a month later Matt is happy in school and Adam is not :s Summer also started preschool, she is a VERY happy little camper eventhough I switched preschools on her in the first three weeks to get a class that had a more even breakdown of boys versus girls. She is now in a class of six students. Four girls and two boys at a preschool called Gymstars. A tumbling class is included in her "day" and there is a focus on health and fitness. Summer goes to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursday from 8.30 to 11.30. So I get 3 hours to myself twice a week. Except usually I spend one of those days volunteering in one of the boys classes. The other day I have coffee with friends, go running or biking, go shopping or stay home and watch my choice of TV while folding laundry.

Go Cougs :s

OK so not technically in September but always the sign for us that September and Autumn are here, this year we all attended the first cougar game of the season. Wow that was rough! and the rest of the season has followed suit. Still we had fun cheering on the cougs no matter what.

Always an added bonus to hang out with the cousins.

Happy Birthday Matt

Well amongst all the doom and gloom and sickness that September brought there were also some highlights. Luckily we had Matt's bday a week early as he was very sick on his actual birthday. In an attempt to tone down birthdays as the kids get older we have decreed that the 8th birthday is the first sleepover birthday and with two or three friends only. So Matt's friends Zane and Blake arrived for some serious boy time. Digging in the sandbox, shooting each other with anything that could remotely look like a weapon, quick trip to the bowling alley and a movie, before all crashing in the living room. It went very well, a very low maintenance party, definelty the way of the future. Matthew's interests are currently Lego, Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

Blurgh September

Well September has not been fun here in Gresham. Here was I so excited about the new school year and my six hours of free time, well here's how it went.......

First day of school for Matt and Adam, Matt has a temperatire of 103. I didnt find this out until he came home from school, oops. Thursday and Friday of the same week, Adam spend lying on the couch instead of school. The following week, brings Tuesday Summer's first day of preschool, but oh wait a minute, what's wrong with your eye? Yep Summer has pink eye, so instead of going to school we go to the Drs. Finally by Thursday I get everyone into school so I am finally free to urm.... oh great attend all the Drs appts Im supposed to go to and havent been able to all summer because I had all the kids with me. OK so phew... got that taken care of and things are going to start smoothing out after a rough start.

Uh oh... phone call from the school Adam has just thrown up in class, .... and he is back home again. Meanwhile Summer seems to be doing well in preschool, havent had that much time to think about it but she seems happy but tells me she wishes there were some girls to play with. Yes you're right I agree I say absent mindedly, while trying to brush off my slight cringes about the art she is bringing home "God made the clouds" (blue piece of papaer with cotton balls stucks to it...God made the flowers....God made the.... I forget but you get the gist.)

Finally I get time to start helping out at school, my first Thursday I happily appear in Adam's class, hmm pretty impressed actually calm class relatively under control, Adam is doing well, good mix of kids. I stay for lunch with him thinking things are looking up, and Adam happily skips off to recess. I spot Matthew across the cafeteria and pop over to hang out with him for a while. He is not really eating and being very clingy. Then I realize he doesnt really look very good. Soon it becomes obvious he is not well his face looking greener and greener by the second. By noon Matt and I have have gone home and an hour or so later he is throwing up.

Ok so a new school week begins, I think we are now starting week 3. Matt is pretty happy in school. I think . Adam hmm hard to tell, seems like he is crying a lot, so Monday night after a lot of crying in the evening and two nightmares I discover he is being bullied at school. I email the teacher she squashes it, thank goodness for Mrs Sullivan teh most on the ball teacher ever. Tuesday goes well for Matt and Adam at school.

Meanwhile Summer is getting less and less excited about preschool, her unhappiness about the lack of girls is getting more pronounced. I decide to pop in to see what is going on with her. Turns out the make up of her class has changed slightly. Now there are 5 boys and Summer. Not terrible but not ideal, not what Summer dreamed of when she got all excited about going to "school" like her brothers. So I call the school and ask them what the options are for finding her a class with a greater balance of boys and girls. After two days they come back with the answer that there really isnt much they can do about it. They will not move her up to the next class because she would be six months younger than the youngest kid in there.

By Thursday I have Summer moved to a second preschool, probably where she should have been in the first place. I feel much more comfortable about it already and she doesnt even start until Tuesday! So finally everyone is settled in and I welcome the weekend with open arms. Soccer times 3 Matt, Adam and Tom all have games and then the diabetes walk at Oaks Park with friends.....YAY!

Hold on! Why is Adam so grumpy and weepy?? Is something wrong at school again? Oh super he feels hot.... tenperature of 103!!

When will it stop???

Super Summer

Super Summer

Quack!!!