Hiser Family

Three on Thursday, Week 4

2012-01-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

This photo is from Isaiah's first-ever basketball game. He made the first two shots of the game (which he hasn't stopped talking about all week) and another two at some point in the game. He's pretty sure he's a basketball expert now.

That afternoon, we got our first bit of sunshine in a very long week of torrential rain. We went down to the park to check out the flooding. This photo is taken about 50 ft from the entrance of Minto Brown park. I normally go there several times a week with my running buddy, but the flooding put most of the park under lots of water.

We've been watching a lot of Karate Kid at our house. The original, of course. Arguably the best movie ever made. Okay, maybe only the best movie of the 80's, but definitely the best "feel-good sports movie" of all time. I still get goosebumps and tear up a little bit at the end, even though I've seen it at least 30 times.

Not quite Daniel-san, but he's working on his Crane technique.

Three on Thursday, Week 3

2012-01-18T22:35:00.000-08:00

Actually took pictures this week. I guess I was feeling the pressure of Thursday. (Thanks Amy!)

He's faking sleep. Don't know why I love this picture, but I do.

Like father, like son.... drill in one hand, soda in the other.

Trying to take their picture and she would not stop laughing. This is totally Skaidy, so I love it anyway.

Three on Thursday: Week 2

2012-01-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

One of the objectives (the MAIN objective?) of this challenge is to motivate ourselves to take more pictures. However, until I get through my usual January insanity of year-end business duties, and get caught up from all the household duties I neglected during the holidays, I won't be taking too many pictures. This does not bode well for the photography class that started last week, but that's why I'm auditing.

So this week I am pulling from the archives again. But with a purpose... Forgive me for posting more than three.

We lost a member of our family this week. Our hearts are breaking for Grandma and Grandpa. My kids cried themselves to sleep and have renamed their favorite stuffed animals in honor of Toby.

Katie and Toby, circa 2001

March 2011

November 2011

Toby, we will miss you with all our hearts.

No Junk Food Challenge

2012-01-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

Dave and I are taking doing a Pinterest/Facebook-inspired Junk Food Fast for the rest of January.

Rules:

No chocolate
No candy
No cookies
No cake, donuts or muffins
No pastries
No white bread
No chips
No fast food
No Nutella or peanutbutter
No ice cream

....For 21 days

Anyone want to join us?

Three on Thursday: Week 1

2012-01-04T22:44:00.000-08:00

My friend Amy challenged our book club members to post three photos from our week every Thursday, for one year. This seems much more doable than that crazy one-a-day challenge that was going around the blogisphere awhile back. Although I loved seeing other people's photos on Facebook and blogs, I know I can't commit to that.

Posting (and taking) photos will be fun, but I'm mostly excited to see my friends blogging again. We have all fallen off the blogging bandwagon, to varying degrees. I've missed the extra glimpses into their lives and the spectacular photography of my uber-talented buddies.

Today I'm posting three random shots from over the holidays since I didn't take any photos this week. I'm hoping to take a photography class soon, so it will be interesting to see if my skills improve over the course of the year.

Just a random picture taken out of the living room window. I love how the kids like working with their dad. Especially Skaidy... put anything resembling a broom in her hand and she's in heaven.

My GORGEOUS girls. Women, actually. And they are as lovely on the inside as they are on the out.

My pathetic attempt to recreate a Pinterest photo idea. I should have moved the couch...and put our tree in a much bigger room (which would require a much bigger house). But it's still sweet and perfectly captures how I feel about Christmas.

HAPPY THURSDAY!!

December Plans

2011-12-01T23:01:00.000-08:00

Since we made our resolution to give more service and fewer gifts for Christmas this year, several people have asked what we plan to do. I've planned several Family Home Evening lessons around service and the real meaning of Christmas, and we talk with the kids about it all the time. But we also want to find activities that will really resonate with the kids and create lasting memories of "the reason for the season".

It's difficult to find agencies that will allow little kids to come and physically give service. Heck, it's difficult to find agencies that want adults to give service at this time of year -- most of them want your money more than your time. So I shifted my thinking away from soup kitchens and plan to focus more on small acts of kindness and random service.

These are the things we have planned:

1. Gifts for Baby Jesus - We did this last year and it was a big hit with the kids. I have a set of three alpine trees like this:

I made a bunch of "ornaments" (simple gift tags) and gave a FHE lesson in early December about gifts we can give to the baby Jesus. We talked about service and being kind to others, including members of our family. During the month of December, anytime we were extra kind or did something nice for someone else without being asked, we wrote what we did on a gift tag and hung it on the trees. These became our "gifts for baby Jesus". Last year, we had all three trees full by mid-December and the kids were falling over each other to find ways to earn an ornament.

2. Light 'Em Up. This is new to us this year, but as of Day 1, it is fabulous! I found this idea online so I cannot take credit for it (click here for the link). They provide a printable list of over 50 random acts of service that are easy for children of all ages to perform. Dave and I picked 30 that we liked and put them in a jar.

Each day we will draw one from the jar and do whatever it says. Today we left a note of thanks and a treat in the mailbox for the mailman. Other items include visiting a nursing home, raking a neighbors leaves, donate coats to a shelter, taping quarters to gumball machines, etc.

3. Giving Tree. We have always participated in the Giving Tree at church, but rarely involved our kids in the process. This year, we are supporting several giving trees (one at the gym, one at church, possibly another) and am purposely picking tags for kids of similar ages and genders as my kids. We will go shopping together, pick something they would want for themselves and then the kids will deliver the items themselves.

4. Secret Santa. My parents did this with us as kids and I have vivid memories of it; for me, it was the highlight of the season. We are getting the name of a family in need from either the principal at school or the Bishop at church and will providing a small-scale Christmas for them: A gift for each person, the makings for Christmas dinner and a few Christmas books, ornaments, etc. Then we'll ding-dong-ditch them the week of Christmas.

5. Handmade gifts and treats. I always do holiday baking, but rarely involve the kids. This year I purposely picked easy baking projects that we can do together. I've also planned some handmade crafty items for family gifts that the kids can help with. I want to teach them that the best gifts come from the heart and not from stores.

6. Keep it going. I plan to keep the "Gifts for Baby Jesus" and "Light 'Em Up" project going until the new year. I want to instill in the kids the belief that service and kindness should last longer than just the Christmas season. It's easy to feel generous this time of year, but it's a quality we want to cultivate permanently.

I may have overloaded my plate for the holidays this year, especially considering that I haven't yet bought a single gift. I'm sure we will fall short and will miss a few days here or there. But I'm excited about the spirit that activities like this will bring into our home, and the memories we will create together while serving others.

Want, Need, Wear, Read

2011-11-21T17:17:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have been talking about how we can make Christmas more meaningful this year and on a similar note, how we can curb the "gimme" impulse in our kids. We have amazing kids who are very grateful, but they get a LOT. I mean A LOT. From us, from grandparents, from friends and other family, far more often than just birthdays and Christmas...and they are not bashful about asking for more.

When I was a kid, we had great holidays and birthdays. But we didn't have mountains of presents under the tree. What we got was never expensive, and was often homemade. If we wanted something more expensive, we had to earn the money and buy it ourselves. We learned to work, save and value our possessions. I find myself falling into the trap of wanting to give my kids too much, with both the little kids and our older ones; and even though I know where that road can lead, it is hard not to give our sweet kids everything their hearts desire.

I recently saw a quote from Dr. Oz that really struck a chord with me: "I’ve told my kids that every time I give them something that I didn’t have, I take away from them something that I did have. Every time we prevent some challenge from coming in front of the people that we love, we prevent them from learning from those challenges. We should be very careful about how we use the influence in our lives to make life too easy for those around us."

Dave and I are determined to battle the entitlement epidemic of the younger generation by raising thankful kids who know how to work, who realize the fruits of their labor and who value relationships more than "things." Most of all we want to instill in them a deep awareness of the true source of all their blessings.

To that end, we've been planning new holiday traditions that will allow us to serve and give to others, thinking less about what we want for ourselves. We want to do Secret Santa activities, 12 Days of Christmas for a family in need, and volunteering for service organizations in the community. To reinforce the principles we are trying to instill, we are scaling back our gift giving as well. To extended family and friends, we will give baked goods or a hand-made item. For our kids we are adopting this simple concept I found on Pinterest:

Each of our kids will get four gifts from Mom and Dad:

1. Something they WANT
2. Something they NEED
3. Something they can WEAR
4. Something they can READ

Additionally, Santa will bring only stockings this year. In the past Santa has brought their "big" gift -- but I'll be honest...I want the credit! And I don't want to glorify Santa more than necessary. I love the magic of Christmas and want them to believe in the jolly, fat man for as long as they can. But when our 4-year-old started a prayer with "Dear Santa" last year, we knew we had to make a change.

They only difficulty I anticipate is finding something my little kids NEED. But it's worth the effort. We are confident that simplifying the holiday and focusing on what matters will bring us closer as a family and closer to Christ. And that's the best gift of all.

Little Miss turns 15! ...oh I mean five...she only thinks she's 15.

2011-11-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

Some words that describe Skaidy at FIVE:
Funny, Stylish, Smart, Sassy, Girly, Outrageous, Fierce, Fabulous, Sweet, Observant, Tenacious, Unique, Loving and Friendly.

She loves:
Hugs
Dancing
Cleaning
Her bedroom and loft bed
Purses, shoes, accessories
Barbies
The color blue
Sequins, glitter, zebra stripes
Travis and Daniel
Preschool
Pan-a-cakes
Playing slugbug
Dad!

She hates:
Sauces, condiments, dressings.
That none of her five cell phones really work.
Going to bed earlier than her brother.
Being told how to do anything.

Skaidy is truly one-of-a-kind. She makes us laugh everyday, and keeps us on our toes. She is a beautiful little girl, inside and out -- and she has changed our lives forever.

We need a little Christmas, right this very minute!

2011-11-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

All my life I have held fast to my mother's teaching that we should celebrate our holidays one at a time. Growing up, our home was decorated for each holiday, never rushing the next, and we grumbled collectively when stores set up their Christmas displays in November or (gasp!) October! Even as recently as this week I have "liked" and commented on all the funny little things posted on Facebook, such as:

However...last night I had an epiphany. All alone in my car, late at night, I was searching the radio for something worthwhile when I happened upon Nat King Cole singing The Christmas Song. My first instinct, was to change the station. What?? How could they?? Oh, the horror!! Christmas music is not allowed until Black Friday!! But I was tired, and somehow transfixed by Nat's melodious voice....

Then it struck me: I LOVE CHRISTMAS. I love everything about it. The lights, the trees, the gifts, the colors, the music, the food -- all of it! It is my absolute favorite time of the year, and it always has been. And I realized: I don't care about Thanksgiving. I think this stems from my childhood, when for three years running, I stapled my thumb while trying to make a construction paper microphone for our family's annual production of "Chief Itchy Shorts and the Pilgrims." Other than the fond memories I have of that spectacular extravaganza, I have never felt any particular love for Thanksgiving. I don't decorate for it, except for a few non-specific fall decorations that I leave out when I put the witches and jack-o-lanterns away. I don't watch football. I don't need or want a 3500 calorie meal followed by a tryptophan coma. Most of all, I don't need a special occasion to remind me to be grateful. I live every day with a heart full of gratitude, knowing how incredibly blessed I am.

So why spend a month denying myself the pleasure of my favorite holiday? I'm always sad when Christmas is over, and wish the season had been longer. So why not start a little sooner?? Don't get me wrong...we will wait until after Thanksgiving to get a tree and pull out the decorations. But, my car radio is now set to the all-Christmas-music-all-the-time stations. And I'm no longer ashamed to admit that I loved seeing the Christmas displays at Costco the day after Halloween.

So, I'm very sorry Mr. Turkey. All I have to say is: "BRING IT ON, FAT BOY!"

Birthday Boy

2011-09-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

My boy turned 7 on Friday. I cannot believe how quickly the years have passed since I met him. He has grown and changed in so many ways, but he is still the sweetest kid I've ever met. He is the only seven year old I know who has never (not once!) said an unkind, sassy or disrespectful thing to his mom or dad. He loves math, reading, Star Wars, Harry Potter, playing the Wii and building with any kind of blocks. He just started first grade and loves his teacher, Mrs. Yenne. He is smart, inquisitive, helpful, kind, obedient and loves to go to church. He still wants to hold my hand in public, but he is starting to prefer playing with Dad to cuddling with Mom. I love him more than words can say and am blessed to call him mine.

Happy Anniversary BFL

2011-09-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the one-year anniversary of "Big Fat Losers" -- the name my family gave ourselves when we embarked on our 90-day weight loss contest last year. We kept a private blog where we reported our weight loss, posted recipes and inspirational thoughts, and generally encouraged each other in our common goal. We all ended up losing some weight and feeling good better about ourselves, our eating habits and exercise routines. For me it was the beginning of a different way of life.

HOWEVER, it's been a year and let's face it... I'm not exactly counting calories the way I did a year ago. I still love exercise and go to the gym 4-5 times a week. But my diet is suffering a little. Ok, maybe a lot. I'll let you be the judge...this is what I've eaten in the last 72 hours:

FRIDAY:
- Breakfast: ??? (I can't remember that far back, but I know it included Rolos)
- Lunch: Salad at Wendy's (not too bad, right??)
- Dinner: Burger and fries (it was opening day at Five Guys. Don't judge me.)
- Extras: A handful (or two) of frozen chocolate chips, Birthday cake and ice cream (plus a little more B-day cake and ice cream)

SATURDAY:
- Breakfast: banana and smoothie (I started out well...)
- Lunch: Quarter Pounder and fries (mental justification: I just did three hours of hard labor at the church service project and totally burned a lot of calories)
- Dinner: leftover fried rice
- Extras: frozen yogurt with fruit and brownie bites, granola bar, fruit snacks, movie popcorn, cherry pie, ice cream... oh and a few more Rolo's. But who's counting?

SUNDAY:
- Breakfast: cereal, leftover cherry pie, half a chocolate bar and some brownie batter.
- Lunch: the crumbles left in the bottom of the box of cheesy crackers and a package of skittles.
- Dinner: home-made mac-n-cheese (with LOT of cheese), and cream cheese frosting on a graham cracker (plus several licked fingerfuls not on a cracker).
- Extras: Besides the dessert with every meal today? Going to a dessert social tonight where I plan to sample a little of everything, all the while rationalizing that I will go to the gym in the morning. (Which I totally will -- but will probably not burn 2000 calories' worth of desserts.)

So today I need a little anniversary kick in the pants. Here it is for all the world to see:

My never-before-seen-by-the-public BFL "before" picture. Of which I am more than a little disgusted and ashamed. Eating the way I have this week is what led me to that... AND I NEVER WANT TO GO BACK! So tomorrow I start "BFL, Part Deux". Please kick me in the literal pants if you see me eating any of the afore-mentioned foods.

What I Learned From Losing

2011-08-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the Triathlon for which I’ve been training over the last six months. It was extremely low-key, but I took it seriously and wanted to do well. Let’s face it…I wanted to kick butt. For me it was the culmination of a year of hard work, and my first real athletic competition in 40 years.

The morning started well. I swam 500M in 10:09, three minutes faster than my usual speed. I was feeling pretty good about myself when I started riding. It felt great and was going quickly….in fact I remember thinking as I rode the first few miles, “I am so proud of myself!” As usual, my pride got the best of me because I got a flat tire at 5.5 miles and had no patch, no pump.

I was devastated. I could feel all of my hard work and preparation slipping through my fingers and was sure all was lost. My husband had been following me with the camera and was about 30 seconds away when I called him crying. He immediately took control and found help when I was ready to give up. The guys at the tire shop were able to patch it, but couldn’t fill it with air. Again I thought, “what’s the point…I’ll just quit now,” but Dave wouldn’t let me. He got back on the road in search of a pump. We were able to flag down another cyclist who got me rolling again and I finished the race.

Yesterday the results were posted. With the 30 minute flat tire debacle, my overall time put me in the bottom third of all competitors and at the very bottom of my age group. However, subtracting the time of my delay, I rode 12 miles in about 45 minutes - a personal best. I ran 3.9 miles in 42 minutes, which didn’t set any records, but was good enough for me. Overall (minus the delay) I had a better time than most. But none of that mattered as much as I thought it would.

On second half of my ride Saturday, thinking about the flat and why it had happened, I got past the self-pity and started thinking about my husband. The thought that came to me was this: EVEN WHEN I THINK I AM ON MY OWN, WE ARE A TEAM. He wasn’t a registered participant in the triathlon, but he was beside me every stroke, every pedal, every step. He pushes me to be better, he cheers for me when I succeed and picks me up when I miss the mark. I was blessed to run that race with girlfriends who mean the world to me, but I also ran it with my best friend and couldn’t have done it without him.

Our Summer So Far

2011-08-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

Is it possible that summer is almost over and school is just a little more than three weeks away? We haven't done everything on our list yet, but we've had a lot of fun. Here are a few of my favorite memories:

Can you tell that one set of feet is 30 years older than the rest? Aunt Leslie's feet are barely bigger than Skaidy's!

Skaidy loves the beach.

Love, love, love this girl.

Miss Pea never misses an opportunity to strike a pose.

JoJo and Skaidy

Singing with Lego Rock Band

Our babies turned 19!!

Grrrr...

With Grama at the Oregon Coast Aquarium

4th of July with the cousins

If these two are in the same room, they are generally hugging, snuggling, cuddling, etc.

4th of July

Kids' favorite thing about the rodeo? Cotton candy.

Pretty sure he'll still want to be on my lap when he's 30.

Skaidy and her Joshie-girl.

Fireworks!!

Grandpa and Skaidy in Newport.

It's pretty rare to get a "normal" picture with both smiling at the camera, so I've learned to love the goofy ones too.

My boy.

Grandpa and Grandma Hiser came to visit!!

Four trips to the beach in three weeks...she was in HEAVEN.

It's always glamorous when the girls get together.

Camping with friends... so fun!!

Camping toes.

Liberty House Fun Run

So proud of Hannah, who sprinted off ahead of us and came in first in our family!

These two stuck together and encouraged each other the whole way.

When Skaidy and Dad neared the finish line awhile after the rest of us, everyone joined in to run with her to the end.

We have been at the pool every chance we get.

And it's always more fun with cousins!!

Crunch time

2011-08-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

My triathlon (which I have know about and been committed to for six months) is only 12 days away. Had it been scheduled in May, I would have been ready. But insert 8 weeks of summer break with extra work and kids at home and I'm a little worried.

After my illustrious 10k on June 24, I didn't exercise once in three weeks. That's huge for me since I had been working out 4-6 times a week for 9 months. We had family in town, I was swamped with business stuff, and I was a little bit lazy and enjoying the downtime. Mid-July I got back to exercising but mostly casual running to help my kids and nieces get ready for our family 5k at the end of July. So I didn't really start serious triathlon training until last week. Probably a mistake, but not a game-ender (I hope.)

I've been getting used to biking 12 miles and then hopping off and wobbling around on jelly-legs for three miles. I've done it three times and plan about six more before race day. I think my cycling would be immensely more efficient and less difficult if I wasn't riding a piece of junk mountain bike which is a couple inches to small for me and on which I can only use 4 of the 12 speeds. I won't win any speed records, but it should get me through the event. I would be interested in a rental or loaner road bike if anyone knows of one.

Thank goodness for Minto Brown park. I love that place. It's only 2 minute away from my house and the perfect place to run or bike. I've been going there with the kids who ride their bikes while I run, and we love it. So if you need me between now ant the 27th, look there or at the pool at the Courthouse. I'll be cramming three months' worth of training into 12 days.

**Side note** I almost had a heart attack when I found out that some of the triathlon heats started at 6:00 am (in a city 30 minutes away). But thankfully my heat is not until 8:11. I should be able to handle that. I should probably add getting up before 9:00am to my training regimen.

Summer Solstice 10k

2011-06-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

Ran my first 10k tonight. I will not say it was a glorious success....but I finished! And I wasn't dead last! And I didn't pass out! And I only walked about four minutes of my 64 minute time.

But here's the best part (and yes, I am a horrible person for feeling gleeful about this): I left my husband in the dust. He pooped out at mile 5, just when I was ready for the home stretch sprint. There was a time my husband could run a 29 minute 10k. The man was a serious runner. 20 years and 40 pounds have diminished that a bit, but he can still start running after doing NOTHING for five years, and kick my butt most days. BUT NOT TODAY!

Actually, I'm suprised either of us crossed the finish line. I started out okay this morning...had my usual breakfast and went for a short swim. But then the day got away from me and I didn't hydrate or eat much of anything the rest of the day. Dave had a sandwich early in the day and we both gobbled down a banana 20 minutes before the race. But we were both running pretty much on empty.

Next time, I'll take my race day prep a little more seriously. I'm asking a lot of this 40 year old body -- I should probably give it something in return. Like ice cream. Gotta go...the Rocky Road is calling my name.

"Fun Run" is NOT an oxymoron.

2011-05-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

If anyone would have told me nine months ago that I would be running a 5k in May, a 10k in June and a Triathlon in August, I would have laughed in their face and thought they were crazy. Several of the girls in my book club are marathoners, and my response was always: "I'll be your water girl...but I don't run unless someone is chasing me."  For me, the term "Fun Run" was a contradiction in terms of gigantic proportion.

As you may recall I tried running a couple of times after I started getting fit last year....but it didn't last. To me, running was pure torture. Within a minute and a half, my legs ached, I was out of breath and I literally felt like I might die. So I gave it up again, and stuck to incline walking, stairclimbing, strength training and step aerobics.

However....I am cheap. I love getting more for less.  In January, I realized I needed to run if I was to burn more calories in less time. Many years ago, I had a couple of friends who participated in the Women's Run/Walk Clinic at Gallagher's Fitness. Over the years, I had considered signing up, but always reverted to my instinctual fear and loathing of all things running-related. This year, I was already on a path of fitness. I could do 30 minutes on the stairclimber and not die. I could do 60 minutes of step class and not pass out. So I signed up.

The first night of the clinic, we went around the room and took turns telling us why we joined the clinic. I heard things like "I want to be healthy", "I want to make friends", "I want to run a half-marathon."   My goal was simple: "I want to run for more than one minute without feeling like I'm gonna pass out". I got a lot of giggles, but I was dead serious.

The clinic started out easy. We ran for 1 minute, walked for 9 minutes, repeated three times for a 30 minute workout. Then we were given running homework and at clinic the next week, the running half of the ratio was increased. Over the past twelve weeks I have diligently done all the homework and progressed from a 1:9 ratio to a 15:1 ratio. Tuesday is our last clinic meeting, and we will run 20 minutes, walk 1. On Saturday I will run my first race, the Iris Festival 5k in Keizer.

{LET'S BE CLEAR -- I USE THE WORD "RUN" SOMEWHAT LIBERALLY....IT'S MORE OF A SLOW JOG.}

Yesterday, as part of my homework, I did a 75 minute run. It included a five minute walk at beginning and end for warm-up/cool-down, and in the middle 65 minutes of a 4:1 ratio. Doing a run like this (5.5 miles) was more of a triumph for me than any race will be. Knowing that I ran 5.5 miles when 12 weeks ago I couldn't even run .25 miles is unbelievable. And the amazing thing was that I could have kept going. I only stopped because the homework was complete. I could have done a few more miles. This is even more of a triumph because I decided to push myself past my normal limits.. I ran the first three miles in my usual slow jog (a 13-14 min. mile). Then I dialed up the MPH . I ran the last two miles at 5.5 MPH, or 11 minutes per mile. And it felt GOOD.... no, GREAT ....no, UNBELIEVABLY FANTASTIC.

At the same time I started running, I also started swimming in preparation for a Sprint Triathlon. My first swim was ridiculous. It took me 20 minutes to go 500 yards, and spent most of it floating on my back trying to catch my breath after a lap of freestyle. Today, I swim 2-3 times a week, and regularly do 1500 yards in 30-40 minutes -- all freestyle, no breaks. I love it! The pool is so quiet and peaceful. No music, no kids, no phones, no talking.

I have never been one to push myself physically. For 39 years, I was a "path of least resistance" kind of girl. If something was hard or uncomfortable, I immediately retreated to my comfort zone of laziness and inactivity. When I turned 39, I was depressed, pushing 210 pounds and I had to stop and catch my breath every time I carried a load of laundry up the stairs. Next month I'll turn 40 and I've never felt better. I still have some extra weight, but under it is an enormous amount of muscle, stamina and cardiovascular fitness.

Nowadays, I seek the path of MOST resistance.....I had no idea a little pain and sweat could be so rewarding -- mentally, spiritually and physically.

The Sweetest Boy on Earth

2011-04-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

Age: 6 years, 7 months

Height: 48 inches
Weight: 55 lbs
Size: 7
Shoe Size: 1.5
Grade: Kindergarten

Isaiah is truly the sweetest kid ever. He tells me "I love you" five or ten times a day and would hug me for hours if I let him. He is full of compassion and sincere compliments. He always thanks me for dinner - even if he hates what I made. He swears he's never leaving home, and if he gets married it will only be if he can marry Mom.

He is a daredevil. He loves to do tricks on his bike, flips on the monkey bars, "surf" down the hill in our backyard and climb trees so high I'm not sure how he'll get down.

He is learning to read. He's knows about 35 sight words and is picking up more every day. He LOVES to be read to, especially Jack and Annie books (Magic Treehouse) and Elephant and Piggy.

He LOVES pizza and milkshakes. He hates tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, whip cream, sour cream and cream cheese. In fact the only "cream" he likes is "ice cream" - but never on pie or cake. He dislikes most desserts unless it's chocolate.

He spends most of his free time building things. Grandma Liz gave him a big bucket of Legos and he has not stopped playing with them in three weeks. He makes all kinds of cool contraptions and spends hours designing, building and modifying. He also loves his Trio blocks, Magformers, Lincoln logs and good ol' fashion wooden blocks.

He is a true homebody. He thinks that home is the greatest place on earth.

He likes to know what is ahead. He would love to have a minute-by-minute itinerary every day. He is wary of new experiences, but if I explain them well enough he does fine. He likes to know what we are doing several days in advance, and usually keeps a running countdown.

He LOVES animals. Especially dogs, monkeys and elephants.... but really all animals in general.

He is highly inquisitive, bright and thoughtful. There is so much going on behind those blue eyes. Sometimes he will hear a story and not say a word, and then a week later, he'll have a deep and probing question about it that he's been ruminating on all week.

Both he and his sister have fully and easily integrated into our family. One day he was talking about how his last name is different than ours. I asked him if that bothered him. He said "No...in my head, I know I'm a Hiser."

So much sass in such a little package.

2011-04-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

Age: 4 years, 4 months
Height: 42.5”
Weight: 45.8 lbs
Size: 6
Shoe Size: 11
Grade: Preschool

When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, the answer never varies: "A big sister like Maygen." Specifically, she wants to wear makeup and fancy clothes, drive a car and go on dates.

She is already the best little sister ever. She is constantly finding ways to be sweet to her big brother, who she adores. She makes his bed, draws him pictures, helps with his chores and hugs and kisses him more than he'd like.

She won't let me cut her hair so it can grow as long as Tangled.

She is great company. She loves to shop and run errands. She HATES Wal-mart, but LOVES Costco, Target and Fred Meyer (mainly due to food samples, popcorn and Fred G. Bear stickers, respectively.) She is a fantastic conversationalist, and is constantly entertaining me with her witty remarks.

She loves to give the lesson and lead the music at Family Home Evening. She has daily conversations with Jesus, such as "Mom, Jesus told me I should stop crying." Or "Jesus told me I should be nice to my brother".

She loves to play tea party, "mom and dad" and baby dolls, but her most favorite activity is "organizing". She reorganizes the stuff in her room on a daily basis. Her second favorite activity is cleaning...mostly sweeping and wiping things down. If she's bored, she'll come ask me if she can clean something.

She's learning life skills at preschool, such as kindness and responsibility. March was "Initiative" and was far and away her favorite (and mine). Each day she'd make her bed, empty the clothes hamper or clear the table and then yell "MOM!!! I took the NISHATIVE!!"

She loves music and has her own playlist on my phone. Top of the charts? "Put Your Records On" (Corrine Bailey Rae), "Single Ladies" (Beyonce), "Animal" (Neon Trees), and "Amazing" (Bruno Mars). And of course every song Taylor Swift ever recorded.

Her favorite phrases all make her sound closer to 14 than 4:

What the Heck??
For pity's sake!
(When she’s mad) I’m out of this family!
You’ve gotta be kidding me.
Good Grief!
Watch and learn!
I’m bustin’ outta here.
Geez...don't get all worked up!
This is ruh-di-co-lus.
I got some sassy goin’ on!

My sweet pea is brave and strong and sweet and smart. She is fun and creative and compassionate. She is strong-willed, competitive and musical. Mostly, she is totally Skaidy.

Gettin' my Catholic on.

2011-03-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

When I lived in Salt Lake in the 90's, my best friend was Catholic and in a show of solidarity, I celebrated Lent every year. The first year I gave up fries and chocolate; the next year it was soda, I think. After I left SLC, I kept up the tradition for awhile, but haven't done it in years. Let's face it...we're Mormons. We've already given up all the good stuff, right?

After spending the month of February eating way too much junk and losing no weight (despite increasing my hours at the gym) I decided it was time to get my Catholic on again. So...for 46 days, starting Wednesday March 9th, I will be giving up desserts, and sweets in general. No more late night trips to the freezer for hidden Girl Scout cookies or chocolate chips. No more eating a Twix for lunch, and adjusting my calories the rest of the day to accomodate. No more stealing one piece of the kids' V-day candy and rationalizing, "if it's less than a serving, it doesn't have any calories... RIGHT??"

Oh...and I have a dentist appointment on Wednesday too. Seems a perfectly fitting way to say goodbye to sweets. At least until April 24.

You crack me out.

2011-02-28T20:53:00.000-08:00

More funny stuff from the Littles. Isaiah's getting older and doesn't say as many cute, mixed up words anymore. I'm pretty sad about that. But I don't stay sad for long, because Skaidy cracks me up. Or as she would say "You crack me out."

Isaiah:

- Crapulator (calculator)
- Comonikah (Harmonica)
- Power Flot (flower pot)
- Peckerbird (woodpecker)

Skaidy:
- Squirtmonk (combination of squirrel and chipmunk)
- Sparking Pot (parking spot)
- Pail Nolish (nail polish)
- Plaria (play area)
- Buh-dee-doh (burrito)
- Bathtism (baptism)
- Horsiesells (carousel)

Skaidy’s prayers are always a hoot. Here are some of her more hilarious excerpts:

“Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for our food. Thank you for our prophets. Thank you for our prophet’s food, and that they eat well. Amen."

"Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for the food. Bless it to be healthy and strengthen our naughties."

"Dear Heavenly Father. Please bless everybody I know. Please bless everybody I don’t know. Everybody who speaks my language."

“Dear Heavenly Father. Please bless me and mom. Please bless me and dad. Please bless me and grama. And me and Maygen. And me and Isaiah. And me and the Hawkins. And me and the Barnharts. And me and everybody I know.”

"Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you to spend time with Maygen this week. I’m grateful for this oppakunity. Name of Jesus Christ Amen." .....Then, "Mom? What’s oppakunity?"

Me: “Isaiah, do I look fat in the outfit?
Isaiah (motioning to his boobs): "….well….kind of… right here..."

Skaidy (yelling from bathroom): “Isaiah, I love you!!!”
Isaiah (muttering, in a tired tone): “I love you too, sweetie.”

Isaiah: “Hey Dad, let’s scare the crack out of mom in the morning!”

Skaidy, taking our FHE lesson on modesty very seriously: “This is a turtleneck to make my boobies not show.”

Isaiah: “What is this soup made of?
Me: “Chicken juice”
Isaiah (making squeezing motions with his hands): "You mean someone catches a chicken and squeezes all the juice out? That must be a hard job."

Me: “Isaiah, you need to be nice to your sister, or you’re gonna get a bunch of time outs.”
Skaidy: (under her breath) “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

Isaiah: “I’m adjusting my balls.”
Me: “Isaiah, it’s not nice to say ‘balls’”.
Isaiah: “Okay…I’m adjusting my teskittles.”

Me (trying to find dad): “Dave!”
Skaidy: “Dave’s outside.”
Me: "Hey, you’re supposed to call him “dad”.
Skaidy: (exasperated/irritated): “Well, you’re supposed to call him ‘babe’.”

Me: (*toot*)
Skaidy: "Mom!! That smells gross!!
Me: "Sorry, my belly didn’t like something I ate for breakfast."
Skaidy: "DID YOU EAT POOP???"

Ho. Ho. Ho.

2011-02-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

The holidays were very merry again this year. It is so fun to celebrate Christmas with little ones around. My extended family was together for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, which was awesome. Hopefully by next Christmas, Mom & Dad will be the process of moving north so we'll have them with us all the time.

We did all our usual holiday activities...cutting down our tree, making Christmas crafts, the church Nativity Festival, West Salem Live Nativity, a visit to Santa, and the Keizer lights (or Hiser Lights, as Isaiah calls them). We also added a few new activities: Magic at the Mill, Skaidy's "Nutcracker" performance, and "Gifts to the Baby Jesus", following an FHE about the birth of Christ, where we added an ornament to our Baby Jesus tree each time we did an act of service for someone else.

THANKSGIVING:

My siblings and mom at my brother's house for Thanksgiving.

Katie and Adam

Dad and Greg

AT THE TREE FARM:

It was raining and she was GRUMPY.

He loved it because it involved mud, saws and helping Dad.

Maygen, looking like a fashion plate, even when we're tromping through mud in the rain.

AT THE NATIVITY FESTIVAL:

SANTA!!!

Skaidy had an instant rapport with Santa and even serenaded him with "My Peppermint Stick".

Isaiah asked Santa for a zoo, which Santa wasn't sure he could fit in his bag.

NUTCRACKER:

Skaidy loved being in the Nutcracker because she got to wear make-up!

But the performance itself was a little intimidating, after a long day and a late night.

CHRISTMAS:

Every year I pledge to buy fewer gifts, but it always ends up a mountain of boxes and wrapping.

I don't know how many more years we'll have all the big kids together at Christmas, so I particularly love this picture.

My beautiful girl.

The white blob in the foreground is Dave's toe. He really wanted to be in the picture too.

Getting caught up. AGAIN.

2011-01-29T16:30:00.000-08:00

Fall came and went, unblogged by the Hiser family. Oh well...we were busy having fun.

Maygen joined us at the fair, in a rare day off from her crazy 60 hrs/week work schedule.

COTTON CANDY! (and lots of other yummy fair food.)

Best Buddies

The kids were a little psycho after all the cotton candy.

Robin Hood and Little John.

First Day of Preschool

First Day of Kindergarten

BIRTHDAY BOY!!! Isaiah turned 6 in September.

Our little dancer. Skaidy started Ballet and LOVES it.

Isaiah played soccer this fall. He enjoyed it, but had more fun tackling his teammates than kicking the ball.

Monkey See, Monkey Do.

Skaidy and I often walk to school to pick up Isaiah. Everyday is a fashion show.

As Maygen packed for school, she gave a lot of jewelry and "big girl stuff" to her little sister.

HALLOWEEN: We did some pumpkin carving, went to a Halloween dance with Grama and a church carnival with the cousins.

BIRTHDAY GIRL! Skaidy turned 4 in November. Her first act as a 4 year old? "I washed my hands without using the stool, cause I'm big now." Shortly after? "I'll pour my own crackers now, because I can. 'Cause I'm a Big Four Year Old Girl."

Next installment.... "Hiser Holidays" hopefully posted before Christmas 2011 rolls around.

Honeyman

2011-01-23T19:33:00.000-08:00

Our first camping trip with the kiddos went so well that we decided to try it again. We picked the perfect time and the perfect place. We went to Jessie M. Honeyman State Park -- my favorite camping spot in the world. I camped there with my family as a child, and we've camped there recently as an extended family, so I knew the little kids would love it. Since Isaiah's kindergarten started a week after everyone else, we figured we'd have the campground to ourselves if we booked during the first week of school. And we were right!

We rented a yurt and loved it -- heat, roof, electricity, locking door and still feels like camping... what's not to love?? The kids loved the little forest area behind the yurt where they played for hours. Isaiah called it "splorin'" (exploring), while Skaidy said she was headed out to "jungle in the gym" (???).

We started with a little play in the sand and a hike up the "big dune". Surely it's not the biggest dune in Oregon, but it certainly felt that way when Dave was dragging me up the side of it. Isaiah ran to the top like it was an anthill, but Skaidy and I needed a little assistance. Nevertheless, we all made it to the top:

On the second day we spent the majority of our time at Cleawox Lake, which is a tiny lake inside the campground. Normally you can rent paddle boats and such, but in the off-season, we had to make our own fun. Isaiah and Dad slid down the hill into the lake for a swim. Skaidy and I worked on our tans.

Isaiah was a rock star.

Dad tried his best, but as Skaidy so kindly pointed out: "Dad you're too fat to slide."

On the last day, we packed up camp and made our way up the coast, beach-hopping. We stopped at several great beaches and got soaking wet in the warm September surf.

Got lots of pics with me and the littles this trip, which is nice since I usually am behind the camera.

Dave took the kids some places that made my stomach lurch... but very picturesque.

I love this shot. If only it had audio and could have captured her shriek for Daddy, who was just outside the shot.

Gorgeous Oregon Coast.

In her fourth outfit that day, after getting soaked multiple times.

Sea Monster!

Jumpin' the waves

Deja Vu... (click here for our similar trip exactly one year prior)

This was one of those perfect trips where everything went right, everyone got along, and the weather was gorgeous. I couldn't have asked for anything more -- except maybe that it could have lasted a few days longer.

Family Non-Camping 2010

2010-11-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

This year Family Non-Camping took us back to Sunriver. The house was great. Big patio with hot tub, a room for each family with plenty of beds, a big loft where all the kids slept, plenty of dining space, access to a swimming pool, park and much more. The first night, Mom did her traditional gift giving and highlight of each grandchild and I gave mom and dad a copy of the CD's I had made from the reel-to-reel recordings from our childhood.

Hangin' with the boys.

Isaiah and Grandma Liz, during the gifting ceremony.

The kids loved the hot tub (after we turned it down to about 80 degrees). Not sure Brian was enjoying it as much.

The kids loved the "see through" stairs.

While we were there, we did a little bike riding, a lot of relaxing, reading, some swimming, tennis and playing at the park.. At the swimming pool, Isaiah's swimming skills really took off. When we got there, he was clinging to me and bawling every time I made him swim. By the end of two hours, he was diving into the deep end and swimming with Dad, without the aid of any floaties or tubes.

At night we ate yummy food, played cards and had a white elephant exchange. Mom brought a bunch of stuff she wanted to get rid of and we all fought over it for a while. Some was good (vase, picture frame), some sentimental (game from our childhood) and some not so good (an old pair of Greg's boxers and Marcie's swimsuit from the 80's). Pretty hilarious to see Dave wearing the swimsuit though.

Our ball shagger. Looks just like the kids at Wimbledon, huh?

Isaiah did a face plant in the gravel from about 6 feet up on the play structure. Knocked himself a little silly.... When it scabbed over, it was the coolest polka dot pattern!

The "Stick Club" on their annual trek.

Mom reading a bedtime story to the kids. This year it was Isaiah's turn to take home the book!

You can't tell, but they are all watching some deer.

Skaidy and her best friend, Austin (aka her "Boyfriend in the Game") As usual, they were pretty much inseparable.

The last day was mostly cleaning up the mess we'd made the first few days, but it also included the annual family picture and a trip into Bend for lunch.

In the Lava caves on the drive home. You can't tell from the kids' expressions, but they loved the caves.

Another year down. Can't wait for 2011!

A few of my favorite things

2010-11-21T21:26:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else wonder how a little ditty from the Sound of Music became a classic Christmas song? I love "My Favorite Things", but the closest it gets to Christmas is "silver white winters" -- and they're melting into Spring!! It also mentions "warm woolen mittens", "brown paper packages tied up with string" and "snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes", which is enough justification for some people, I suppose.

Obsessing over this irritation has inspired me to create my own "favorite things" list. I may even set it to music. Of course, my family, friends, health and church are always at the top, but here are a few of my more material appreciations.

1. My iPhone

Words cannot express my adoration for this little piece of technology. I coveted iPhones for years, while waiting for my Sprint contract to expire. On that very day, I ran to the AT&T store and brought home my new baby. For those who don't have one and are tired of hearing about them, I can only say: "The hype is justified!!" Sure... it drops calls now and again. But I hate talking to people, so I can live with that.

2. My car

I love my car almost as much as my iPhone. I don't care about name brands or expensive vehicles. I just love it.

3. Target

Target, Target... Oh how I love you. From your red-shirted employees and salty popcorn to your $5 jewelry and clearance racks. My weekly visits with your various locations mean more to me than I can express.

4. Abreva (aka 'Liquid Gold')

It costs almost $20 for a tube the size of the tip of my pinky finger. And I would gladly pay more. One of the few products on the market that is actually as good as it claims to be.

5. Parking spots next to an island or cart return.

This favorite thing is a direct extension of favorite thing #2. I love my little green baby so much that I have to protect it from all the rowdy hooligans in parking lots. So I get a little tingly, happy feeling when I pull into a parking lot and see an open space where I know it's only possible to get a door ding on one side.

6. Fat Secret

This is a calorie-counting app for the afore-mentioned iPhone, although it is also available for Droid users. It has made my new lifestyle much easier, tracking everything I put in my mouth and every calorie I burn. It also has a nifty little graph that shows your weight loss, which is highly motivating for me. It has over 350,000 food items in it's database and a cool little barcode scanner (using the camera in your phone) that lets you easily input your snacks. Way cool. How did people diet before technology??

7. Netflix

Man, I wish I'd been the one to invent Netflix. That must be one rich guy -- with such a simple idea! No more trips to Hollywood video, spending hours meandering the aisles looking for something good, only to find that it's already been rented. No more standing in line behind the guy with $300 in late fees. No more racing home to grab the video that's already a day late that you forgot to take with you to run errands.

Now you can order, watch and return movies without leaving the comfort of the couch (except for two short trips to the mailbox). And you can keep them as long as you want! We have three disks that have been in the drawer in our entertainment center for about three months. I may or may not watch them...sometimes I keep them JUST BECAUSE I CAN!

If you have a Playstation3 or Wii, you must try "watch instantly". Using wireless home internet, you can watch anything in their instant database without waiting for a disk. Or get the app on your smartphone and watch on the go. I've been using it lately to facilitate my newest obsession:

8. BONES

How did I miss this little gem when it started in 2005? Probably because I was newly married and had more important things to do. (Get your mind out of the gutter...I was talking about re-roofing our house, packing and moving.) Although I'm glad I discovered it after the first 5 seasons were already on DVD, because I can revel in all it's witty goodness episode-after-episode without waiting a week in between. I must slow down though, because Season 6 won't be available until summer. If you see me this spring and I seem to be agitated and possibly convulsing, it's likely a symptom of Bones withdrawal.

9. Group Power

This exercise class kicks my butt. And I love every minute of it. It's a group weight-lifting class that targets every muscle in your body. It's done in 5 minute intervals that focus on various muscle groups. I look ridiculous doing it (I know this because the room is full of mirrors) and am stinking and sweaty when it's over, but I don't care. It's the only form of exercise I've ever done where I can see and feel a difference after only a week or two.

10. Book Club

My friend Kendell invited me to her book club off and on for four or five years before I finally consented to go. I take that back...consented is too kind a word. My husband happened to be at Nicole's in May 2007 on the night she was hosting Book Club, and she encouraged him to call and invite me over. I'd had a particularly bad day and ended up crying and yelling on the phone "I don't want to! You can't make me!" I have an undiagnosed social phobia and an extreme inability to talk to people, so the idea of sitting in a room with girls DOING NOTHING BUT TALKING FOR THREE HOURS was my definition of the 10th circle of hell. But for some reason, I went anyway.

For the first year, I dreaded going each month. Some nights, Dave had to force me out the door. I sat there and said nothing for the better part of the evening, answering questions when asked, voluteering nothing. A year later, when it was my turn to host, I had actually grown to enjoy it, although I still had to work up my nerve to go each month. Thanks to a bunch of really great women who were patient enough to draw me out of my shell, I now love Book Club and anxiously await the third Thursday of each month. And sometimes, they can't get me to shut up! I don't care what the book is...none of us do, and half of us don't even read it. Getting out of the house, hanging out with fantastic people, eating delicious food and talking about everything under the sun is worth every ounce of anxiety it took to get there.

Runnin' my pants off

2010-11-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

Went to the gym this morning. As you may remember, when I started working out in September I tried a 3/1 walk/run ratio. I gave that up quickly and changed to interval hill-climbing, lest I expire on the treadmill.

Today I realized that I hadn't tried running again since losing 10% of my body weight and switching from a low-carb to low-calorie diet. I gave it a whirl, and for the first 20 seconds, I was like "hey...maybe I can do this!" But then... I had to stop. Because my pants literally fell off. Apparently when you lose 20 pounds, things don't fit as snugly as they once did. So I won't be running again until I get some new workout pants.

p.s. Courthouse Athletic Club -- I would really appreciate it if you would not submit your security camera footage to America's Funniest Videos.

Green Peter

2010-11-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

In July (Yes, July...I'm a little behind) we took our first solo camping trip with the little kids. We wanted to go somewhere close and by the time we made reservations, there weren't a lot of options. But the campground at Green Peter Resevoir had some openings and with a name like that, you can't go wrong.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon and immediately Skaidy set about cleaning and decorating the campsite, declaring "I'm setting up my campin' style!" (Later, she told dad, "We're camping girl-style, dad!")

Sweeping up the "messy" campsite. This was seriously about 30 seconds after we arrived.

Skaidy and her decorative ferns.

Notice the wet cuffs. Not sure what he was doing, but his cuffs were wet most of the weekend.

Our campsite was the best. Right behind the tent was a little patch of open woods where the kids played for hours. Bordering the site on one side was this awesome little tree, bent down in an arch. My monkey boy discovered it right away and spent a few hours climbing.

Saturday afternoon, Dave and Isaiah went for a little hike. While they were gone, Skaidy and I hung out and talked. Part of our conversation went something like this:

S:    Mom, let’s lay here and talk until the boys come back
Me: What should we talk about?
S:    Family.
M:   Like what?
S:    Like remember when I was a big grown-up mom and Katie was my baby and Maygen was her brother? Here’s the thing….

The boys returned a little later, having taking a "shortcut" to the lake by sliding on their butts down a serious incline that dropped them inches from the lake's edge. Of course they loved it, including the hike back up, which I was glad to have missed.

When I was a kid, my dad had a hat that he always wore when we went camping. We called it his "boonie hat". I gave Isaiah one like it that I found lying around the house, and he wore it much of the weekend. He is adorable in it. Almost as cute as my dad.

We didn't know when we booked the campsite that Green Peter is a boating lake. I mean STRICTLY a boating lake. There was a floating dock at the boat launch, and other than that, no day use or swimming access. But we managed to find a little place to jump in.

Notice my husband's awesome tan. He worked hard on it. They are doing what Isaiah calls "roaring". A combination of rowing and oaring. Seems perfectly reasonable.

The kids got along so well all weekend. Must have been something in the fresh air or the campfire smoke. Although little sister did take quite a bit of pleasure in smacking the mosquitoes that kept landing on her brother's head. She was quite put-out that the mosquitoes liked Isaiah and me, but didn't want to bite her at all.

It was such a great weekend. We roasted marshmallows, laid on the dock under the stars singing campfire songs (well I did, the kids mostly laughed at me), hiked, climbed trees, threw sticks and rocks in the lake, swam, rafted, and generally enjoyed each other's company.

On Sunday, we left Green Peter and stopped at the day-use area at Foster Lake. It was crowded, but a lovely day. We swam for a few hours and headed home. On the way we stopped for a little DQ in Sweet Home. No camping trip is complete without DQ.

When I asked Isaiah what his favorite part of camping was, he listed off several things…marshmallows, swimming, sleeping in a tent. But a few minutes later, he said his favorite part was that we got to spend time with Dad.

My favorite part? For some reason, this was the weekend that Isaiah started calling me "Mommy" exclusively. Up to that point, it was mostly Jen, and only Mom or Mommy when he was hurt or wanted something. From that weekend on, he never called me Jen again. So I'd say it was totally worth the trip.

Our Summer in a Nutshell

2010-10-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

The summer came and went so fast, I didn't have time to blog most of it. I've got a couple posts in the works for our various camping trips, but here are the highlights from the rest of the summer:

June was a month of "lasts"....

...Isaiah's last day of preschool

...Maygen's last day of High School

...Maygen's last dance recital

...My last birthday (I won't be celebrating anymore since I've seen the last of the 30's)

...Katie and Maygen's last days as minors -- They both turned 18 on June 29th.

July was busy....

...4th of July at my brother's

...Swimming lessons at the Courthouse

...OMSI

...Various water parks

...Trip to Salt Lake with Grama Linda

...Camping at Green Peter (full blog post to come)

The big kids watching fireworks

My bro-in-law helping Dave break about 13 state laws and Tualatin City ordinances.

The pyro in action

My little fish

Fulfilling every child's dream to become a meteorologist.

At temple square.

August was fun...

....Weeklong visit from Dave's brother's family

....More water parks

....More OMSI

....Family Non-Camping in Sunriver (full post to come)

....State Fair

Torturing the cat.

Saying "goodbye" to her sweetheart.

Fun with the Wyoming cousins

A Shocking Discovery

2010-10-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

After 40 years of believing otherwise, I recently discovered I am a morning person. I have been waking at 5:15 am each morning to go to the gym for an hour. I'm home by 6:30 and have time to check email, start laundry, wash dishes, pack lunches, etc., before the kids wake up. I'm a little energizer bunny all day long, then I usually poop out around 8:00, and go to bed around 10:00.

The crazy thing is that I actually enjoy this schedule. I hop out of bed at 5:15 without hitting snooze, and feel instantly awake and ready to go. Saturday and Sunday, I didn't go to the gym, and slept in until 7am....I felt sluggish and groggy all weekend.

Daily exercise has given me back a gift more precious than gold -- a good night's sleep. For many, many years, I have not slept well. I woke up to the slightest disturbance and it usually took me hours to fall asleep. Now I fall asleep the second my head hits the pillow and I don't even roll over until the alarm goes off at 5:15. Last night, I even slept through Skaidy crying -- sorry kiddo!

The funny and unexpected thing is that I LIKE going to the gym -- maybe even LOVE it. I'm doing a walk/run combo of 3 minutes walking, 1 minute running. To be honest, that 1 minute is pure hell. From the second it starts, I am fairly sure I will die before it's over. I thought it would get easier, but it hasn't...despite my fabulous new running shoes from the fine folks at Gallagher's. I sort of thought they would be rocket-propelled or something. But other than the running moments, the gym is so enjoyable. I get to listen to MY music and no one bugs me for 60 full minutes. Pure, unadulterated, bliss.

I've only lost 10 pounds so far, but I feel like I have found myself again. Suprise, suprise... I never would have guessed I was hiding at the gym at the butt-crack of dawn.

To blog or not to blog....

2010-10-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since my last post. My sisters bug me once in awhile to post a new one, but I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it up. It takes a lot of time, you know? I agonize over every word, and dither about punctuation. I want it to be perfect. And inevitably, as soon as I post, I find a mispelling or other typo that I didn't catch because I had read it too many times and it was all blurring together in my head.

And then, there's the backlog...I use my blog in part to document my family's lives, so if I miss any event, I feel compelled to catch up on everything before posting anything new. Which then becomes almost as daunting as the five years of pictures I haven't yet scrapbooked.

But then I look back at the last few posts...silly things my kids said...memories of my dad...and I'm so glad I captured those thoughts and moments. I still smile or laugh at old posts, even if nobody else cared or commented.

So I guess I'm leaning towards catching up and (hopefully) keeping it current. I'll start by updating the family picture and my top ten...then I'll be on a roll, right?

Silver Creek Falls

2010-07-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

Last week, Josh invited us to hike Silver Creek Falls with him. We hiked the main loop (approx. 5 miles) before eating a picnic dinner. The little kids were awesome! It was our first time hiking with them, so it was a gamble to do 5 miles, especially on a no-nap day. They walked the whole way with very little complaining, although Skaidy did get a couple of short shoulder rides from her dad. I didn't plan very well (or forgot how long the trail was) and didn't bring any snacks or water. Shame on me! But Isaiah discovered at mile 4.5 that he could get the energy he needed to finish the hike by flapping his arms like a wild man…hilarious!

After the hike, Skaidy summed up the trip:

Skaidy: “I love that we have this time with our family and Josh.”
Me: “Isn’t it fun?”
Skaidy: “It is so sweet...”

Skaidy followed Josh and mimicked his every move for the first mile or two (notice hands in pockets while walking). At one point she said, "I want to be a big girl....just like Josh!"

My favorite thing about the trip... Dual toilets in the lodge. How awesome is that?? Skaidy and I sat down to pee, looked over at each other and just cracked up.

My boys.

Me with Skaidy, Josh and Josh Junior.

About mile 3.5. She kept taking off ahead of the pack and calling back "Mom! You're such a slow poker!"

Me and my sweetie.

Five years ago, shortly before our wedding. We were both a little younger and a little thinner then... But even happier today.

Silly Quotes

2010-07-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

One of my goals with my little kids is to better record them at each stage of life than I did Katie. You know...how big they were at a certain age, cute things they said, lots of videos and pictures of the little moments.

Isaiah knows that I write cute things they say in my notebook to assist my memory. One day I said "I'm thirsty! Isaiah replied “Do you want to drink my slobber? Ha ha ha ha!! You gonna write that in your book??”

And so I did....

OTHER, LESS-DISGUSTING QUOTES:

Skaidy: "Did you know the black kitty made a poop downstairs? He couldn’t make it to the toilet."

Isaiah: (hugging dad's arm) "I wanna keep you forever!"

Skaidy: (while shopping for Valentines gifts at Target, found a package of sanitary pads): “Look Mom! We can wrap this up for a little treat!”

Me: (after a very large soda) “ I need to pee!!”
Isaiah: (in his most disinterested tone) "I’m not in charge of that."

Skaidy: (upon seeing her brother with a baseball cap on sideways): "Wear it like a man, Isaiah!"

Me: "Isaiah, I wll be so said when you grow up and don't want to give me lots of hugs and kisses anymore."
Isaiah: (getting very quiet, then bursting into tears) “I want to stay a little boy forever!”

Skaidy: (after watching Singing in the Rain with Maygen) “Tonight was awesome.”
Maygen: "Why?"
Skaidy: "Because I got to watch kissing."

Isaiah: “I’m going to the westwoom…and I’m not going to pee on myself this time!”

Me: “I love your little neck”
Skaidy: “Do you love my butt?”

Skaidy: "When I grow up, I want to be like Maygen."
Me: "Isaiah, who do you want to be like when you grow up?"
Isaiah: "I want to be like me. Just like I am now…only bigger."

My Dad

2010-06-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

I was born on Father’s Day in 1971, making my dad a father for the first time. Growing up, I always believed that gave us a special bond. This year my birthday falls on Father’s Day again, reminding me how lucky I am to have been born into a wonderful family with an amazing father. To celebrate our special day, I made a list of just a few of my memories of dad:

• Hiking the sand dunes in Florence.

• Listening to John Denver and Kenny Rogers on the 8-track player in the Volkswagen van.

• Saving me when I was stuck in a culvert.

• Camping a million different times in a million different places.

• Taking us to the mill and up on the catwalk.

• Fishing for prickly little fish at Medco Pond and trout at Fish Lake.

• Going a day early to our pack-in to Blue Lake in 1983, spending time together in the middle of nowhere.

• Sleeping out in the front yard in the blue square tent.

• The smell of his flannel shirts.

• Listening to the teenage girls in the row behind us at church giggle and say (pointing to my dad) “He looks just like Clark Kent!!”

• Playing softball at the school for Family Home Evening.

• Dancing to the Beach Boys and Eddie Rabbit in the family room (his feet never moved….he would close his eyes, tip his head back, point his index fingers to the ceiling, then do a little hip shake and hand jig while singing in falsetto).

• Watching Price is Right and Family Feud together in the mornings when we were both laid-off at the same time.

• Dressing up as Chief Itchy-Shorts for Thanksgiving every year.

• Going out in the woods to find the perfect Christmas tree while we called “Timber Rat!” from the safety of the car.

• Marlena McNuggets.

• All the times he pretended to walk into street signs and poles.

• His silly phrases like “I haven’t had so much fun since I watched the hogs eat my baby brother” or answering “all day unless it rains” when we asked him if it was Monday (or Tuesday, or Wednesday…..)

• Taking me on a date to “Karate Kid” at the White City movies in 1984.

• Giving us Father’s blessings before school started each year.

• Walking down the beach with four little pairs of shoes tied to his belt loops so we didn’t have to carry our shoes while we played.

• When he danced with me at the Stake Gold & Green Ball, even though he hates slow dancing.

• The time dad hid our bikes after we left them in the road, to teach us a lesson about taking care of our things.

• Starting water fights after dinner (and sometimes during).

• Stopping after his graveyard shift at the mill to bring home fresh donuts for breakfast on the occasional Saturday morning.

• Playing Frankenstein in the living room while we hid from him in semi-real terror.

• Taking me to high school football games and teaching me to understand the game.

• When he cut his finger on the band saw and mom drove him to the hospital with us in our jammies piled in the old yellow truck while he rode lying down in the back.

• Watching Superman at the drive-in in the 70’s.

• Escaping the hail storm at Applegate Lake during the Merry Miss Daddy/Daughter picnic.

These are just a few of the memories I have from my perfect childhood. I’m sure it didn’t seem perfect to my parents at the time, but as I’ve grown I’ve come to understand just how great it was. And my dad was at the center of it all.

I remember thinking that my dad really was Superman because he never seemed to stumble or make mistakes. He was good at every sport I saw him play and he knew all the answers to my math and science homework. He was strong as an ox and never spent a lazy day in his life. He worked at a job he disliked for over 20 years to provide for our family. His graveyard schedule allowed him to be home when we got home from school, and he was able to attend all of our award assemblies, games, recitals, plays and special events.

Dad is amazingly talented. He can build furniture, remodel homes, and fix cars, leaky pipes or just about anything else that is broken. Every time I smell cut wood, it makes me think of him and smile. He was always the first (and sometimes the only) to sign up at church to pick pears at the welfare farm or help a family move. He taught me to be thrifty, to work hard, to value family, to use common sense and to work with my hands. He never thought much of himself and wasn’t good at the “mushy stuff”, but I thought the world of him and I always knew he loved me.

I love you, Dad. Happy Father’s Day!

Sisters

2010-05-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

Sisters, sisters,

There were never such devoted sisters,

Never had to have a chaperone, no sir,

I'm there to keep my eye on her

Caring, sharing

Every little thing that we are wearing

When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome

She wore the dress, and I stayed home

All kinds of weather, we stick together

The same in the rain and sun

Two different faces, but in tight places

We think and we act as one

Those who've seen us

Know that not a thing could come between us

Many men have tried to split us up, but no one can

Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister

And Lord help the sister, who comes between me and my man!

Right after I took the picture, Little Sister turned to Big Sister and said "Maygen...Are you jealous? I'm holding Colin's hand!"

And a little while later... "Maygen, you're not going to be Colin's boyfriend anymore..."

For you young-uns who don't know the "sisters" song, click HERE

My sweet boy

2010-05-17T10:15:00.001-07:00

Age: 5 years 8 months
Height: 47”
Weight: 47.5 lbs
Size: 6
Shoe Size: 1

This boy is my snuggle bug. He loves to cuddle and hug, especially with Grama and Mom.

He loves puzzles and is super good at them. He loves to help us with 500 and 1000 piece puzzles, and especially loves the monochromatic sections (like sky). Sometimes he turns his puzzles upside down and puts them together with just the wood or cardboard backing showing.

He is very inquisitive. He always wants to know where we are on the map, even if we’ve just run to the store. He is a thinker….good at strategy and logic. He likes to know how things work, why things are the way they are and what everything means.

He loves being read to. Every day we read from the scriptures, library books and a chapter out of a bigger book, like “Mouse and the Motorcycle.” He also loves it when dad makes up stories at bedtime, which usually feature a little boy and his sister going on a wild adventure.

I love listening to Isaiah talk. He always comes up with lines that crack me up. He knows I keep track of the cute things he says, so every time he says something funny, he follows it with “you gonna put that in your book?” He loves to say “Awwww yeah!” when he thinks something is cool. He tends to drop the first letter or syllable on some words (before = ‘afore, pretend = ‘tend, complain = ‘plain). Sometimes he adds a letter at the beginning…. “almost” is “walmost”, and “usually is “woosually”. These little things will fade when he starts Kindergarten next year and I will miss them!

He is passionate about knowing if things are real. He asks “did that really happen?” about every show, picture, book or story that we see or hear. He loves the non-fiction section at the library and stories/movies about people that really lived.

Loves…

…his Grama
…wrestling with Dad
…playing Wii
…eating pizza
…cartoons
…riding his bike
…singing and dancing
…calling people silly names like “broccoli head”
…dinosaurs
…dragons
…his stuffed animals: Toothless the Dragon, doggie and green monkey
…his sister
…his cousins
…dogs
…the library
…swimming

Isaiah has the biggest heart of any boy I’ve ever met. He is always the first to show concern if you’re sad or hurt. He tells me he loves me at least 10 times a day. He feels things very deeply and remembers everything. He loves everyone and is not afraid to show it. He stole my heart when he was 3 years old and he would run up to me at church each week with the biggest smile and hug. Now I’m lucky enough to hear him call me Mommy and get those hugs every day.

My little Pea

2010-05-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

Age: 3 years, 6 months
Height: 40 inches
Weight: 40 lbs
Size: 5T
Shoes: 9

Nicknames: Sweet Pea, Princess Pea, Peach, Peanut (anything with “Pea” in it) When I first started calling her Pea, she said “at least it’s not poop!” I also love calling her by her middle name, Jemima…it completely suits her.

She loves people and wants to talk to or hug just about everyone. She has full conversations with people in line at the grocery store, and would hug them all if I’d let her.

She LOVES to dance -- especially to “Twaylor Swif” music. She can mimic every type of dance she sees on TV….including hip hop, modern and ballroom.

She will eat just about anything, including mushrooms, onions, asparagus, broccoli, and zucchini. But her favorite is olives…or peanut butter. If we go out, she loves cheeseburgers, Singapore pan-fried noodles and mackyoni cheese.

Still needs a nap everyday. A full two hours every afternoon, and is still ready for bed by 8:30 at night.

She is highly verbal. She’s been speaking in complete, well-formed and well-pronounced sentences since she was two and a half. People are always amazed that she is only three.

Favorite TV: Max & Ruby, Dora, Phineas & Ferb

Favorite Movies: Annie (old and new) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

She loves singing and making up her own songs. My favorite is her version of the Beatle’s “Hello Goodbye.” It goes something like this: “Mom says yes, Mom says No,” over and over and over and over…. which she loves to sing while we are shopping. At the top of her lungs. Waving at strangers, like she’s performing in a parade. Gotta love that girl!

She thinks she is 16 years old. She loves teenage boys and would like to marry Maygen’s boyfriend, Colin. She is obsessed with kissing on TV, in movies and even from mom and dad. Not sure how to handle that one…

She is a total girly-girl. Never leaves the house without lipgloss and her purse…wears plastic high heels everywhere…always wants to wear a dress…fixes her hair constantly and loves looking in mirrors.

She is a girl in constant motion…She’ll sit still for a good TV show, but not much else. She is always, always, always on the go!

Mom

2010-05-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

I have the best mom in the whole world. Some of you may think you do -- but, unless you are my sisters or brother, you are wrong.

There were times I didn't realize how lucky I was (years 13 to 17 in particular), but for the rest of my life, I've pretty much known that she was the best. Here's why:

As a young wife, she left her native state of Utah, and then her beloved, adopted city of San Francisco to follow her true love to Oregon and start a family. She knew no one but my father and his family, some of whom treated her poorly. She hated the weather and missed the mountains...but she came, she stayed and built a life with him.

She did not work outside the home during our childhood. This was in large part due to my dad, who worked hard every day of his life. But it was also possible because of mom's many talents and abilities. From the very start, my mom created hand-made stuffed animals and sold them to stores in town. She continued this with animals, dolls and other creative items throughout our childhood and beyond. She paid for my college housing with projects she had lovingly made and sold.

She taught us how to serve one another. When we were growing up, Mom always had some major calling in our ward or stake. I remember going visiting teaching with her as a small child and watching her make meals and other needed items for the people in our ward. She was also a nurse, which brought people from all around seeking her medical advice and expertise. She volunteered with our schools, the Red Cross and other agencies for many, many years. She constantly served those around her despite having four young children at home.

She always shared her talents with her children. At a young age, my mom taught me how to clean, sew, knit, play the piano and organize things. She continued teaching us through the years as she developed other talents like decorating, scrapbooking, writing, baking and gardening. She had a knack for budgeting and stretching a dollar. Although we were technically a blue collar, working class family, it never felt that way. We had everything we needed and then some.

Mom taught us to love books and the written word in any format. As children she read countless stories and poems to us, and instilled a life-long love of reading in each of us. She is also a gifted writer and has documented her life and her families lives in letters, journals, scrapbooks and essays. Even with the crazy world of email, texting and blogging, I can always count on a few lovely cards or letters from mom throughout the year.

As I got older, my relationship with my mom became more difficult. Or should I say, I became more difficult. But however awful I was, mom always made me feel loved and appreciated. She sent little "love notes" to school in our lunch bags. She left notes and gifts on our beds or dressers. Hugs and kisses abounded, even if we sometimes pretended we didn't like or need them. Her lap was always available, even when we were too big to comfortably sit on it.

As I left home and started raising my own daughter, mom was always ready with advice if I asked, but knew better than to tell me what I should do. She knew, more than I did, how pigheaded and independent I was. She didn't know that even when I wasn't asking, inside I was thinking "What would mom do?" But no matter what choice I made, she was there to pick up the pieces and soothe my broken heart or wounded pride when things went awry.

Mom is a skilled and thoughtful gift giver. She pays attention to our interests and needs and always comes up with the perfect gift. She makes personalized, handmade gifts and clothes for each grandchild that make them feel loved and noticed. She takes the time to have a personal relationship, special nickname and joint interests with each of them. Her grandchildren all think she is the most wonderful person in the whole wide world.

Her grandchildren are not alone in their admiration of her. My mom has become a friend to many people who might otherwise be alone. She has cultivated relationships with people across the spectrum of diversity, and in places others might hesitate to go. She always has a smile and a kind word for strangers and friends alike. People are drawn to her and love to be around her.

Now that I am a mom of both grown kids and little ones, I appreciate even more all that my mom sacrificed to raise us the way she did. It couldn't have been easy, but she always made it look effortless. Every day I catch myself doing or saying something that reminds me of my mom. Twenty years ago that might have annoyed me, but today it makes me proud. I am happy to say I am my mother's daughter.

I love you, Mom. Thanks for everything you've taught me and the example you have set for almost 40 years.

Happy Mother's Day!!

So You Think You Can Dance? YES WE DO!

2010-05-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

We love to get crazy after Family Home Evening every Monday night. Usually it involves pillow fights, extreme gymnastics, or HWF (Hiser Wrestling Federation). Last night, it was Dance Party USA:

Friday Night at Our House

2010-04-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

So maybe we are getting older. And a little less inclined to party like it's 1999. Our older kids think we're pretty boring. But the Littles think we are pretty awesome, and here's why:

DINNER: It was leftover night. My favorite, obviously, because it's a 2-for-1: the fridge gets cleaned out and I don't have to cook. Isaiah thinks it's AWESOME, because he gets the leftover pizza that Maygen brought home from work on Wednesday night. Skaidy thinks it's awesome, because she likes anything Mom likes.

Dave likes to harass the kids at dinner. You know...steal their food, swallow a noodle and pull it back out, show them the half-chewed food in his mouth. Basic 13-year old boy fare. Tonight, Dave made Isaiah spill his water. Then, he made him clean it up:

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT: Skaidy asked if we could play Rock Star. That means Beatles Rock Band, where Dave and I play normally and the kids play "unplugged". Literally. Works like a charm. Skaidy lost interest after an hour and decided to go play Beauty Parly in the bathroom sink. Meet our little Alfalfa. Or Gomer, as Dad calls her:

And of course, she had to put on her favorite lipgloss, shoes and purse to match the 'do:

GETTING READY FOR BED: While the kids and I were in the bathroom getting ready for bed, Dad decided to do a vocal solo to "Here Comes the Sun". This is hilarious, in and of itself, because Dave NEVER sings. At church, he mumbles the hymns. At Family Home Evening, he just laughs at everyone else. When we karaoke with the Kochs, he does talking songs like "A Boy Named Sue". Anyway, the kids snuck back into the living room for "Eight Days a Week":

I thought I was making a video of this, which would have been hilarious, but I'm a retard and pressed the wrong button.

TUCKING IN BED: I don't know how you do it at your house, but this is the way we roll (sometimes literally, off the bed.):

This video is why we call Dave "Riley The Riler". He loves to rile up the kids before bed, usually after I've got them all calmed down and ready to sleep. They BEG for bedtime riling the way most kids ask for a story or drink of water. I've learned to just stay out of the way, because if I join in, I usually get a miniature elbow to the head or a tiny knee in the stomach. It's just better if I'm not involved.

POST-GAME SHOW: The kids are in bed. I'm almost done blogging. Dave is on the couch watching X-Men: Wolverine for the 10th time. We're waiting for Maygen to get home from "Prom 2010: Part 1 of 2." Remind me again why we gave her a midnight curfew? I'm getting too old for this. And we'll get to do it all over again in 13 years. Woo hoo. :)

Good night all!!

Goodbye old friend...I will not miss you.

2010-04-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

I came home from book club last night to the most beautiful sight:

Yes, it's another hole in my house. But this one I am thrilled about, because it means I no longer have to battle the beast:

I don't know how old this range was, but I'm guessing 30+ years. It had ceased, long before I met it, to perform any duties even remotely associated with "cooking". It took 30-40 minutes to boil a large pot of water. The oven burned everything to a crisp in minutes and had only one temperature setting, aka Fiery Inferno. It had one "big" burner and three little ones the size of my fist, one of which didn't work at all. The oven had only ONE RACK. Oh the horrors....

I haven't been able to use anything but an airbake cookie sheet and a glass 9x13 for five years. My bread pans, cookie sheets, muffin tins, and stoneware have been so lonely. The light didn't work, so I had to open the door everytime I wanted a peek. Even the clock was a dud. It read 5:06 when we moved in nearly 5 years ago... seems like an eternity to me, but only 2 hours and 29 minutes have passed in the world of the beast.

Notice how the stovetop is sitting in two pieces, kind of cockeyed? Someone at Whirlpool in the 70's thought that two removable panels that held two coils each would be nifty. I know this person was a man, because a woman would know that adding cracks, crevices and removable parts to a stovetop is the all-time worst idea. Cleaning the beast required a herculean effort that usually involved the vacuum cleaner, a putty knife and a whole box of toothpicks.

I love the last three lines of this tag Dave found behind the range when he took it out. I'm contemplating writing a letter about their "perfect" range. I'd like to know who designed it so I can drop the beast off on his porch.

Here's my new range, to be delivered by the lovely people at Kelly's Home Center tomorrow morning:

It's nothing fancy... just a smooth top with convection oven. But it will cook! And boil! And not burn everything! With a drawer at the bottom! And take less than 6 hours to clean! And it matches my fridge! And it has three racks! Surely I have died and gone to heaven. I already made a list of all the wonderful things I want to cook next week. I may not leave the kitchen for days. I'm thinking about sleeping next to it .... and renaming one of my kids "Model #FGEF3042FK." It has such a lovely ring to it.

While I'm posting, I have to tell you: NEVER shop at Sears. I had my eye on a Kenmore that Consumer Reports recommended. It was on sale for 20% off at the time I was researching, but we didn't get in to the store until a couple days after the sale ended. I very nicely asked the sales child (she was truly no more than 15, covered in makeup and pimples) if there was any chance they could honor last week's sales price -- we had cash and would buy it on the spot. She looked at me, and at my computer printout with the sales price, gave a disgusted sigh and said she would have to call her manager. While on the phone with him, she asked in a snotty teenage girl voice: "is there some reason you couldn't come in last week when this was on sale?" I was so angry I couldn't even talk to her. She came back over and said (holding my printout by the corner like it was covered in anthrax) "Uh....this is like... EIGHT days old....you should have come in last week. It's like...a whole different price now." I wanted to slap her. Seriously. I had to walk away before something ugly happened. Have these people heard that we're in a recession?? I would think they'd be happy to make a sale, period. We found a comparable model both at Home Depot and Kelly's for $50 less than the sale price I had wanted for the Sears model. So go jump in a lake, Sears and your prepubescent employees.

If anybody needs me next week, I'll be in my kitchen.

p.s. Thank you to my fairy godmother for making it all possible. You know who you are, and we love you!

Lazy Friday

2010-03-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

It's 11:37 am and I'm still in my jammies. I'm doing better than yesterday, when I didn't shower until 2:00 pm. Yesterday, however, I put in six hours of work while in my jammies, so I didn't feel so guilty. Today I slept in until 9am, then ate some chocolate chips and watched a movie. Now I'm blogging while the kids are in the shower. I'm contemplating vacuuming, but don't hold your breath.

The movie I watched was Julie & Julia. I didn't care to see it when it was in the theater (don't get me started on Meryl Streep), but today I was desperate and it was on Netflix "Instant Play." That means I can watch it on my big screen through the wonders of wireless internet, without waiting for the disc in the mail. Plus, I figured it was a safe choice to watch while the kids were home without worrying about warping their little minds. A movie about cooking? And Julia Child? How bad could that be? Well it was great, until about an hour and a half into it, when Stanley Tucci dropped the F-bomb. I absolutely HATE when movies slip that word in, just to get a PG-13 rating. I would almost rather they use it throughout the entire movie....at least it would be true to the artistic flavor of the film. And at least then I would know to avoid them. In this case it was completely out of character for the movie and stuck out like a sore thumb. Shame on you Nora Ephron! And Stanley Tucci...I love you, but this is the second movie you've ruined by being the token F-bomber (Anyone remember "Shall We Dance?").

Anyway...as fate would have it, at the moment Stanley was displaying his wide vocabulary, Skaidy & Isaiah were playing on the floor in front of the TV. Isaiah was completely oblivious to the dialogue, but Skaidy didn't miss a beat. She turned to me and said, "Hey!" and then repeated what she'd heard.... Fabulous. A shining moment of motherhood. I guess this means no more Julia Child movies for me.

A visit to G-ma and G-pa

2010-03-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

In early February we took the Littles to Medford for their first visit to Grandma and Grandpa Knips. As expected, they had a fabulous time. Their favorite thing about the visit? Toby, mom and dad's huge yellow lab. I give my parents trouble about their spoiled, four-legged "child", but to be honest, he is the best dog ever for grandkids. He's patient, sweet and lets the little kids crawl all over him. (Although it's not quite as fun for him, as you can tell from his face below):

Suprisingly, it was Skaidy who took to the woodshop and spent an hour "building" with Grandpa. The compressed air gun was her favorite part.

The kids went on rides with Grandpa, which was as fun for Grandpa as it was for the kids. The only thing he loves more than his big yellow dog is his little silver scooter, aka the "Silver Demon".

Isaiah spent most of the weekend riding his bike. Mom and dad live on a dead-end lane perfect for playing outside all day.

Skaidy spent most of the weekend alternating between following Grandma around and following Toby around.

I tried to remember the other things we did that weekend, but I think the bike and Toby were pretty much it. Oh....except Isaiah falling in an ice-cold swimming pool with all his clothes on (rescued quickly by Dave). And frosting Valentines cookies and making Valentines cards with Grandma. But when you're 3 and 5, that's pretty much all you need for a fantastic weekend!!

Jen + Snuggie = BFF

2010-01-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

I ♥ my Snuggie. It’s a blanket with arms…what’s not to love?? I knew I could count on Maygen to get me one for Christmas. She is very astute at picking up on my subtle hints ("Look, Maygen! Snuggies are on sale! I sure which I had one. Hint. Hint.")

It’s electric blue, warm and fuzzy, and long enough to cover my feet and head at the same time. And when my feet get extra cold, I turn it around and put my feet in the arm holes, just like giant fleece socks.

But wait! There's more! It came with an itty bitty booklight…absolutely FREE!

And my favorite feature? It can still keep you warm, snug and looking SUPER COOL while you raise the roof:

The snuggie is not without its drawbacks, however: I wish it had ties in the back like a hospital gown. It's a bit cumbersome to check Facebook, get a snack from the kitchen or answer the door while trying to hold the snuggie in place and keep it from dragging on the ground.

And if I ever tire of using it as a blanket, it's going straight in the dress-up box:

Chia Obama

2010-01-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

Maygen thought it would be hilarious to get her conservative father a Chia Obama for Christmas. It was pretty exciting to watch him grow, almost before our very eyes. However, our excitement quickly turned to disappointment when Little Obama stopped growing, wilted and (gasp!) started to get moldy. Although the mold looked like distinguished graying temples, so kinda cool.

Little Obama was not quite as advertised.... which makes him pretty much like the life-sized version, I guess.

A December to Remember

2010-01-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday and this year was no exception. Having the little kids around made the holiday so fun! We did all kinds of things we haven't done in years: visited Santa, frosted sugar cookies, made a gingerbread house, anticipated Santa's arrival, maintained our "good behavior" for Hermie the elf who watches carefully and reports to Santa, read Christmas stories, watched Christmas movies, danced to Christmas music, volunteered at a canned food drive, made posters of the "gifts" we give to baby Jesus, visited a live nativity, made Christmas crafts and saw lots and lots and lots of Christmas lights. Of course, we also maintained traditions of the past, made even more enjoyable as seen through little eyes. Dave and I had all our kids together for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, which made my holiday perfect.

Here are a few photos of the fun we had during the month of December:

Sleeping on Christmas pillowcases from Grandma Knips

Picking out a tree "just my size"

Maygen and the boy

Enjoying the fruits of our decorating labors

My two little reindeer

Petting a real camel at the live nativity

A visit to Santa Claus

Making the gingerbread house

Playing with playdough Christmas morning

Monkey-see, monkey-do

The kids were suprised with gifts from their three uncles and one aunt currently serving with the National Guard in Kuwait. Each got a camo backpack with their name stitched in both English and Arabic showing the American and Iraqi flags. Very cool!

Dave rented a tractor to move some dirt over the holiday weekend. On Christmas morning, little sister woke up, saw the tractor out the window and exclaimed "Santa brought Dave a tractor!!" Three days later when I told her he was taking the tractor back, she asked "to the North Pole?"

Dave used the tractor for an hour on Christmas morning until the neighbors came over to ask him to stop so they could enjoy their Christmas. Ooops....sorry, Neighbors!

Fun with the after-Christmas recycling

As usual, I didn't get a lot of great pictures on Christmas morning. I don't know if it's because I'm only half awake, or if I'm enjoying the moment too much to worry about the camera. Probably both. I didn't get any good pictures of the three teenagers or of the little kids' Grandma, who joined us on Christmas morning. Also not shown here are two great family parties, one early in the month and one on Christmas Eve. I took so many pictures at those evenings they would each take a post of their own to include them all. So many great memories created in just a few weeks...

The only thing that would have made our holiday better is if my parents could have been here with us. We'll look forward to seeing them at Christmas next year!

Getting caught up...

2009-12-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

Here's a little glimpse into what we've been doing this fall:

Getting caught up on our reading

Playing with goats

Climbing the walls

Hanging out

Riding in a covered wagon

Playing hide and seek

Making cookies

Making a mess

Sunday dinner

Served by a tiny chef

Frosting cookies

And the table

And our faces

Delivering the finished product

Painting birdhouses

Expressing our artistic sides

Having a birthday (and thankfully, getting a haircut)

Getting in touch with our inner Tinkerbell

Getting together with family

Making funny faces at the dinner table

Carving pumpkins

and bigger pumpkins...

Taking wild rides (look closely for the maniac at the wheel)

Making tents in the living room

Dressing up

Filling out

Having fun!

Could this really be the Oregon Coast?

2009-11-10T18:10:00.000-08:00

Back in September we made a trip to Newport with Maygen and the two kiddos. It was a spur of the moment thing, so we quickly packed up and headed out. When I say "packed up", I am speaking metaphorically...not much to pack for a beach trip in Oregon, right? I mean no one ever goes in the water -- it's way to cold to get wet, right? Well as it turned out, David (who packs a change of clothes almost everywhere we go) was the only one to ride home dry and fully clothed. But it was totally worth it!

My curly girls.

Waiting for the next BIG one!

Maygen's excellent photography skills...I would like it better if it wasn't a shot of my backside.

Little sister

Took 5 shots to get both the kids to look at the camera!

Davin (as the kids call him...)

Maygen was a little grossed out by the green foam on the water.

Making a sand pie

and sandy boogers...

Little sister pouting all the way to the car because she didn't want to leave the beach.

Brushing off the sand at the car...

All dried off, making a potty stop before the drive home.

I had one change of kids clothes in the back of the car (purely by accident), so sister wore the top half and brother wore the bottom. Maygen and I rode home wet up to our waists....

I don't remember such a warm day in the water since I was a kid and we used to body surf at Harris Beach. Everytime I've been at the beach in the last 20 years, the water was so cold it took my breath away. But that day we played in the waves for close to two hours without feeling the least bit chilly. The sun was shining, the water was warm and there no wind at all. By the end of the afternoon, we were all soaked and sandy, and had sore cheeks from laughing and smiling so much. It was the best day I've had in a long, long time.

Little Friends

2009-10-14T16:36:00.001-07:00

We spent the last couple of months of the summer hanging with two of the coolest little people we know...

Sunday afternoon project: Making a sail boat out of a Home depot paint stirring stick.

I love this boy!!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Dave. The best part? Tiny little feet on his face. He'd do just about anything for these kids, which is one of the many reasons I love him.

Little sister helping with the eternal remodel.

My favorite picture of the kids from the summer. A rare moment when they are both smiling and looking at the camera at the same time!

Family Non-Camping

2009-09-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Every year my family (mom, dad, siblings, spouses and grandkids) go on a camping trip together. This year, since we have a bunch of bad backs, little kids and a great desire for indoor plumbing, we decided to rent a house instead. I was a little bummed, because I love camping, but the house was great. It's in a vacation home development near Lake of the Woods, between Medford and Klamath Falls. It was totally secluded, well-appointed and 5 minutes from the lake (unless you make a wrong turn like Dave and I did and end up in Klamath Falls).

Activities this year included:

Teaching the little kids how to Jitterbug

Playing in the dirt

Dave's guided boat tours around the lake for anyone under age 10.

Watching movies in the den (aka "adult time")

Scooter rides

Nature hike

Letting the 4 year old take pictures...

Treading water

Poker with G-pa (considerably more work for G-pa since the average age of the player this year was 3.5 and they were more interested in eating the "skittle money" than learning the rules of Black Jack)

Other fun pictures:

My boy (really my sister Marcie's, but he should be mine...)

Mom and the Hamburgler

Dad

Jake at the Lake

Buddies on a log

Did you know that Rhinos are indigenous to Southern Oregon?

What happens when you get too many members of my family in a small space:

enough noxious gasses to blow you right out the door.

The annual last-day-of-camping photo.

The best part of non-camping I didn't get a picture of because it happened at a distance of 20 yards in the dark of night. Jake had a burning desire to see a racoon, so we left some bread on the patio and sat in the darkened house waiting for one to visit. Dave -- being the 12 year old that he truly is -- decided to give the kids a show, so he draped the brown leather poker-table cover over his back and snuck out into the yard where we could see him, but not very well. He crawled on his hands and knees over about 30 feet of dirt and gravel so he could let the kids think they had seen a wild animal. The adults in the room were cracking up so much we almost peed our pants, but the kids totally believed it and loved it! It was like an episode of Animal Kingdom...

Can't wait 'til next year...

Friends

2009-09-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

In July I went to my 20-year high school reunion. High school was difficult for me. I was painfully shy and self-conscious. I was a big nerd, who loved honors classes, math team and brain bowl. I never dated and had no idea how to dress, wear my hair or talk to boys. I had close girlfriends, though. We spent hours together giggling, writing notes and driving our "circuit" around the neighborhoods of our crushes. My best friend was also named Jen. We had a million private jokes, liked all the same boys, finished each others sentences and were often accused of sharing a brain.

In 11th grade English, I was asked to write a "definition" essay, explaining in five paragraphs any word, concept or idea of my choice. I chose to define the term "popularity". It was a bitter social commentary from a sad, unpopular girl containing fairly specific references to the popular kids at school. Unfortunately, I got an A and my teacher posted it on her wall. Before I realized what she had done, all the popular kids read my essay and I became a social pariah.

I spent the rest of that year and the next hanging out with my friends, working a couple of jobs, and keeping my head down at school, trying to avoid the evil glares and whispers -- real and imagined -- from the "elite" kids. I was thrilled to graduate and move on, so much so that I lost contact with most of my high school friends.

In the past 20 years, I've seen Jen twice -- once at her wedding reception and once at mine. Although we both went to BYU, we didn't remain close for reasons I can't put my finger on. Despite our separate lives, I knew I couldn't handle the reunion without her, so we got in contact and went together to the Friday event. We picked up right where we left off 20 years ago and had a great time! At one point, I mentioned my popularity essay to Jen -- it was such a formative event in my life, I thought everyone would remember it as clearly as I do. But she didn't remember, and I felt better. If my best friend didn't remember, surely the subbjects of my essay had also forgotten.

Saturday morning Jen left for California and I attended that evening's event with another group of wonderful old friends. This event had a very different vibe than the night before. Everyone quickly went back to their old cliques and groups. Suddenly I was the self-conscious, shy nerd all over again. The beautiful people were still beautiful...the nerds were still nerds... Everyone else seemed okay with their roles, but I felt out of place. Looking for a little solace, I struck up a conversation with the one "popular" friend I had back then. He was still as nice as I remembered. As we were saying goodbye, he said "Hey, remember that essay you wrote?" HUH?? I could not believe he remembered after 20 years! Apparently it had hurt his feelings back then because he thought we were friends. I felt like a heel, and all those awful feelings of Junior and Senior year came flooding back. I left the reunion in a bit of a funk, full of self-pity.

After talking to my husband later that night, I came to a realization. I have spent a lot of my life focusing on the negative and not recognizing or appreciating my blessings. Seeing old friends -- both at the reunion and during an earlier visit with my Utah friends -- made me realize how blessed I have been. I have had really, really great friends in my life. Fantastic friends. Incredible friends. The kind of friends with whom I could completely be myself, flaws and all. The kind of friends who cried with me through the ugly times, cheered me on in the rocky times and celebrated with me in the good times. The kind of friends who treated me like family when I was far away from my own. The kind of friends who helped raise my daughter and made me a better mother. The kind of friends who could come back into my life after decades apart, without missing a step.

So this way-too-long post is dedicated to all those "old" friends. And to my "current" friends -- the ones who share their family with me, who force me to go to (and like) book club, the ones I work with who inspire me to be a better person. And, of course, to my sisters who have been my friends from the very beginning. Lastly, to my husband, my best friend. Thank you everyone. I would not be the same without you.

Jen, Jen & Sally - 1989

Shawn, Sally, Jen & Jen - 2009

Jen & Dave Plus Eight

2009-08-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

I love my nieces and nephews. They are a constant source of entertainment, smiles and laughter. I also have a couple of "little friends" at church who love to hang out with us and we love spending time with. So I thought... Let's have a party! I invited all of the kids over for a sleepover. Their parents came with them for an evening of food and games, then departed around 8pm, leaving us to party like rockstars with the kids, eight of them in all. Ages: just barely 2, 2, almost 3, 4, almost 5, 5, 7 and 9.

Here's what we did:

1. WATER FIGHT! What do when there are 20 people in your house and it's so stinkin' hot outside that the A/C can only cool it to 85 degrees inside? Take turns spraying each other in the face with the hose, of course.

2. Post-Water Fight Hair Styling, a la Alfalfa

3. American Idol Auditions. This kid has a bright future, if he can only learn to speak English.

4. Formed a band. I was just a groupie...not cool enough to be part of the band.

5. Set up a giant air mattress & couch combination bed. Not easy to blow up air mattresses with five kids performing item number six....

6. AIR MATRESS TRAMPOLINE!!

7. Cuddled with Maygen. Which turned into....

8. DOG PILE ON MAYGEN!

9. Missed Mom (just a little), but Maygen and Eliot made it all OK.

10. Settled in bed.

11. Watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I thought they'd settle down and fall asleep. Unfortunately, that didn't happen until I turned the movie off at 12:30 a.m.

12. Breakfast. Two of the boys woke up at 6:30 a.m., then woke everyone else up while being VERY QUIET!

Things we did not do:

1. Sleep in Maygen's bed. Although several of the little ones begged and pleaded, Maygen put her foot down. Then she ended up crawling in bed with one of them to watch the movie.

2. Braid each other's hair, play truth or dare, put someone's hand in a bowl of warm water or any of the other usual sleepover fare. Give it a few years...

3. SLEEP. At least not me. The kids did very well, except for the one that woke up crying at 2:00am. And the one that woke up crying at 2:30. And the one the woke up crying at 3:00am. The good news? The littlest boy (who is very attached to his mom and just turned two) slept soundly through the night. As did Dave.

One of my nieces asked if we could do it again the next week. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Our Summer So Far

2009-08-05T17:58:00.001-07:00

It's already halfway over and I don't know where it went! Here are a few of the highlights (minus Youth Conference...I forgot the camera, but we had a great time rafting with the kids):

GIRLS CAMP!!!

Our cabin and girls! So much fun...I really didn't want to go to camp this year, but was so glad I did. Loved my co-leaders, loved my girls, loved the food, loved it all!!

Maygen, leading the YCL2's in a line dance (above) and dressed up for Vintage day (below). The girls thought that 80's clothes qualified as "vintage"... I think of them more as "last season."

JOSH GRADUATED!!!

Grandpa Hiser came from Wyoming for the big day. Congratulations Josh!!

THE GIRLS' BIRTHDAY

Seventeen! Can you believe it??

MAYGEN GOES TO EFY!!

Maygen was lucky enough to get into BYU-Provo for EFY, through their automated lottery process. She and her friend Taelor went together. Because of a housing shortage they placed the girls in off-campus housing, so they had a whole apartment at the Riviera. They had a fabulous time!

UTAH!!!

While Maygen was at EFY, I had a little fun myself! Dave and Katie joined us mid-week and we spent our time with friends and seeing the Utah sights.

Reunion with my King Henry buddies.

The girls at the Draper temple

Dave, Katie and I on top of the Conference Center, my favorite part of the temple square tour.

The Shuman kids at my favorite Utah "hotel". Their mom, Linda, was my best friend in my SLC days. They live in Sandy and we visit them as often as possible. Zach (the red shirt) was just a baby when I moved away...They've grown a little bit since then!

Friday Night Date

2009-07-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

$4.18 - Cherry Limeades at Sonic

$3 - cheeseburgers and onion rings at DQ

$47 - books at Borders

Not talking about the business for 3 hours? PRICELESS.

Holy Bees Batman!

2009-06-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, we were relaxing in front of the TV when we heard a buzzing sound and saw a black cloud outside the living room window. We looked out and this is what we saw:

A swarm of honey bees had descended upon our house! It was scary, but also very cool. Not something you see everyday.

We discovered that they were all hovering, waiting their turn to fly into their new hive -- a hole in our house!! We have a hole in our siding that was made by a woodpecker. It's on the tallest part of our house, so we hadn't gotten around to patching it for lack of a 30 foot ladder. So now the woodpecker hole has become a beehive:

Dave spent about 30 minutes yesterday calling every exterminator in the book. No one was answering on Sunday, but he found a guy in McMinnville who harvests the bees and takes them home with him. He said he would come and get the bees, but he'd have to charge us $250 AND cut a gaping whole in the sheetrock on the INSIDE of our house! I don't think so.... I recognize the value of bees, and would like to get rid of them humanely, but my house is already a disaster...I'd like to leave the walls intact.

So on to Plan B. Dave wanted to put on a long sleeve shirt and climb the wall with a can of Black Flag. I think (hope) I've convinced him to call a professional. Either way the bees will be gone before Book Club on Thursday. Hopefully Dave will still be around.

Toilets, Hitler and the Beach...who knew?

2009-06-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

A couple of Sundays ago, we got out of church and decided to take our Sunday nap on the beach. We grabbed the girls and headed to Lincoln City where the weather was gorgeous.

The drive over was hilarious. Katie was in rare form and talked non-stop -- Maygen could hardly get a word in edgewise. The topics revolved around what she's been learning on TV... How Hitler could have been "amazing" if only he'd used his powers for good, an in-depth analysis of the Kennedy conspiracy, what dirty jobs she wouldn't mind doing, and how toilets are made. Of this last one, she said "It's pretty much amazing...all my life I've wanted to know how toilets are made." Really? Toilets? All your life? Shows how little I know what goes on in her head...

The moral to this story is: Who needs public education when you have cable?

Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion

2009-05-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

On Mother's Day, I had a lovely day. Dave spent all day cooking me a huge meal and Katie came over for dinner. After Katie left, Dave, Maygen and I were playing a game and listening to music. A John Denver song came on and I started getting teary. Dave, of course, leaned over and gave me a big hug, but Maygen just stared at her lap. I made a joke about being handicapped in our game because I couldn't see the cards through my tears, but Maygen just sat there, not knowing what to do. So I said to Dave, "Poor Maygen, it makes her nervous when Jen gets emotional!"

To which she replied "It makes me nervous when anyone gets emotional! Especially babies...."

I thought that was so funny I couldn't stop laughing...or crying...mostly laughing. Looking back I'm not sure how funny it really was, but it was the perfect end to a wonderful Mother's Day. Thanks Maygen!

(I have to give credit to "Steel Magnolias" for the title of this post. It's always been a favorite quote.)

Don't Laugh!

2009-05-19T17:31:00.001-07:00

My food storage looked much more plentiful when it was packed in boxes in the garage...

The good news is my storage room is done! And we are getting serious about preparedness. It may have taken a worldwide economic crisis, swine flu and Obama in the white house, but we are now seeing the "signs of the times" with much more clarity.

Last night, we were finishing the shelving and talking about what foods we need to buy. So far I've got enough rice, beans and chicken broth to last us for a few months. I told Dave we have pinto beans, kidney beans, split peas and "small red beans" (that's the actual name) and said I wanted to pick up some lima beans because Maygen and I like them. He pantomimed barfing for about ten minutes and then lectured us about the evils of lima beans. He went so far as to say that he thinks 95% of all people -- if left with only their food storage after a disaster -- would rather eat their own poop than lima beans. He even dared me to post a poll on my blog so he can prove he is right. So here it is.... What do you think???

Slip Slidin' Away!

2009-05-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

Our back yard is huge and unlandscaped, with a giant slope running through it that is good for nothing...or so I thought! While I was taking a little nap today, Dave and Josh turned the back yard into a waterpark, for the benefit of some little friends who spent the weekend with us.

The biggest kid

The big kids just don't slide as well as the little monkeys...

Give me a call if you want to spend the day at the Hiser Hills Waterpark!

Easter Pics

2009-05-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

We decided to color Easter eggs again this year, although we haven't done it in years. It's one of those things that became "uncool" about the time the kids hit puberty. But the girls had a blast with the grease crayon and beads and Dave channeled his inner Martha. Note: there are no pictures of my eggs...apparently they weren't picture worthy. Mine were the first to be cracked when Dave and Maygen made deviled eggs -- so that their eggs could remain intact as long as possible!

The finished product

Maygen's Masterpiece

Katie's work of art

Yes, that is painter's tape....

Dave's finished collection.... The blue one says "Please don't eat me" -- Not "Pepsi don't eat me", like I thought.

Maygen had "crazy eyes" all night. Maybe she was high from the dye pellets. Those things can't be healthy.

Two and a half cats

2009-04-28T17:19:00.001-07:00

We have two cats, Sammie and Roxy. Sammie is my sweet boy, the best kitty ever. Roxy is the devil incarnate. I HATE her. For a few years now I have been wanting to throw her into the river tied to a big rock. Before you go judging me, come spend a day at my house. She is constantly under my feet, constantly begging for food , constantly leaving black hair everywhere. She has been in our family for nearly 7 years and in that time she has shattered the glass on the storm door, left claw marks on every window sill of my old house, shredded too many screens to count and peed on my comforter while I was out of town. But her best trick is bringing dead and live animals into the house. She has left dead rats, mice and birds around the house (usually right where I will step on them) and brought LIVE moles and snakes into the girls' bedrooms. Now she is old too FAT to catch animals her main purpose in life is annoying me. So if you know someone who wants an evil cat, let me know. I will ask no questions about what they plan to do with (or to) her.

The subject of this post, however, is our "half" cat. His name is "J.J", short for "Jabber Jaws". Well, that's what we call him. Apparently his real name is "Rummy", given to him by his actual owners, our neighbors. But since he discovered our cat door, he spends more time at our house than his own -- probably because the neighbors have two children under the age of five. He is very sweet, soft and cuddly. He comes in and meows for Sammie and they run off to play. He naps on our couch or beds. He eats our cat food and watches TV with us. We joke with the neighbors about the need to collect "cat support" from them. But I'd keep him around for free.

Now Maygen wants a new kitty. I draw the line at THREE and a HALF cats. I'm already a little crazy, but I don't need to be the crazy cat lady. Plus at the rate Roxy is eating I'll soon be spending more on cat food than I do people on food. Unless I decide to go with the river & rock plan...

J.J.

How do you spell "Annoying"?

2009-04-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

D-A-V-E

He has lovely eyes, but you wouldn't know from looking at pictures. And yes, he does it on purpose. Just to aggravate me. It works well.

I GIVE UP.

KATIEBUG

2009-04-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

It took me awhile, but here it is....post 4 of 4 in the Hiser family quadrilogy. This one was harder for me to write. I have to be careful how much I think about Katie....My sister calls it "compartmentalizing". She's been gone over six months now, so it's gotten a little easier, but still brings me to tears now and again. We talk and/or see each other a couple times a week, which I am happy about. She is looking for a job, still living from place to place and still with Adam. She looks good and seems happy, so that will have to suffice for now.

Mom and Katie, March 2009

KATIE:

...Was was an expensive baby. She was born 36 hours before the "maternity clause" in my health insurance kicked in. So I spent the next seven years paying off the hospital bill, $25 a month.

...Is a picky eater. This is wholly my fault for serving only spaghettios, PB&J, popsicles and McDonald's for the first 5 years of her life. Bad, bad mommy.

...Is a gifted writer. She has written many short stories and poems that would move you to tears. She keeps her emotions close and usually only lets them out in her writing. Classic case of "still waters running deep."

...Called vomit "barth" until she was 8 or 9 (instead of "barf"). I thought it was cute and didn't want to correct her because it was the last vestige of my baby girl.

...Loves little kids. She has always had a special bond with her cousins, Jake and Austin, especially. They adore her and miss her like crazy.

...Is a "people person". That apple fell very far from this antisocial tree. She can make conversation with anyone and is kind to everyone.

...Hates gossip, cattiness and all that other teenage girl nastiness.

...Has perfect eyebrows. She will never have to tweeze a single hair.

...Looks exactly like her father. There's not much of me in her at all, except for her independent nature.

...Wanted to be known as "Kate" for several years in grade school. Katie is her actual name -- not short for anything more formal -- so she wanted a "grown up" name. A few people still call her that, but not many.

...Made me sing John Denver love songs to her every night at bedtime until she was 8.

...Is an excellent driver.

...Makes friends easily. I was always jealous of this quality.

...Is silly, loud and full of life. The house is too quiet without her.

Katie is a beautiful girl, inside and out. She has been the source of my greatest joys and my deepest heartaches. Still, she is the best thing that ever happened to me and I will always be grateful for the lessons that being her mother taught me.

The Family that Serves Together...

2009-03-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog entries to bring you this breaking news story out of Lovell, WY. Dave has 4 siblings deploying to Kuwait together next month, so the local news did an interview with them and Grandma & Grandpa Hiser. Pretty cool!!

KCWY NEWS CLIP

Nice job Steven, Stacey, Brian and Natalie. We'll miss you!

Joshie-foo

2009-03-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

This is a tough one! I must admit that I don't know him as well as the girls. Not entirely my fault, as I've only spent 2-4 days a month with him for the last 4 years. Here's what I know...

He is known to answer to the name "Joshie-foo", bestowed on him by his sisters, Maygie-poo and Katie-woo.

He is 3 or 4 inches taller than his dad, but weighs 50 pounds less.

He is very athletic and coordinated.

He has been dancing Ballet since he was about 6 years old and is very good at it!

He is the technical director of the Corvallis High School production of "The Wiz."

His plans after high school center around a converted bio-diesel school bus and a map of America.

He loves fruit. He will take fresh fruit over candy or other snacks and will choose home-cooking over eating out every time.

He is a good cook, and likes to cook for us on the Sundays he comes to visit.

He was baptised & confirmed a member of the church on Sunday. (Yay!)

He is very logical and literal.

His grades don't always reflect it, but he is a very smart cookie!
He hates pictures and will usually hide behind his hand when a camera is near. (Good thing we took pictures at the baptism or I wouldn't have a recent picture showing his face.)

He is a senior and will graduate in June.

He is loved and adored by his many little cousins. He's turning into a kid-magnet like his dad.

He lives with his mom in Corvallis, but we wish he lived with us!!

Maygen Lorea

2009-02-28T17:39:00.001-08:00

Maygen....

....likes to sleep in (she got up at 2:30 pm today!)

....can dance on the tips of her toes.

....loves zebra stripes.

....wants to be a dentist.

....is a methodical perfectionist -- just like dear ol' dad.

....is a good cook.

....is an excellent student.

....doesn't know how to pronounce her middle name.

....has great fashion sense.

....has naturally curly hair, but prefers to straighten it.

....drives a rockin' Buick Regal.

....almost never gets mad.

....is fun to shop with.

....will let little boys chase her in circles around our house for hours.

....will let little girls play with her hair and call her "Mayden".

....is an expert drummer on Rock Band 1 and 2.

....has a purple striped bedroom.

....takes 25 minute showers.

....likes kiwi italian sodas.

....doesn't like cooked onions.

....can text at 357 wpm.

It has been almost a year since Maygen came to live with us full time, and I have loved every minute of it! She is a joy to have around and so much fun to hang out with.

We love you Maygie-poo!

A family blog?

2009-02-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

As you can see, my blog is called "Hiser Family". But you may have noticed that the majority of the posts are about me and very little is posted about the actual Hiser family... I considered renaming the blog something cute, catchy and memorable and dedicating it solely to my thoughts (officially.) Unfortunately, as I am very much an inside-the-box thinker, I could not come up with a good title. So I am left with living up to the current title and posting about my family.

My plan is to write 4 posts, one about each member of my family. Unless I get sidetracked and want to talk about myself some more, which is a distinct possibility. I will start with the easiest first.....

DAVE

He is my perfect match. The yin to my yang, the jelly to my peanut butter.

He drives me crazy and keeps me sane, all at the same time.

There has never been a child anywhere in the world that did not love and adore Dave. He is a kid-magnet. Probably because he is a big kid himself. In fact, I'm pretty sure the book in the picture above was written for him.

He can fix anything....plumbing, electrical, mechanical, automotive, whatever...he's a handyman in the truest sense of the word.

He is a perfectionist. He dots every "i" crosses every "t" in everything he does. Projects may take years to get done with all the dotting and crossing, but in the end, the results are as close to perfect as he can get them.

He is both a night-owl and a morning person. He usually stays up until after midnight and gets up by 5:30. And he can go, go, go all the hours in between without getting tired.

He is a die-hard republican. He loves Fox News, hates the liberal media and wishes Reagan could still be president.

He has natural rhythm and is a great dancer. Unfortunately, he married a woman with no rhythm and three left feet.

He is a people-person. He loves talking on the phone, meeting new people and being the center of attention.

He would give the shirt off his back to pretty much anyone who asked for it.

He is an awful singer, but can karaoke the heck out of "A Boy Named Sue" or "Because I Got High".

That's Dave, in a nutshell. If you don't know him, you should really meet him. He's pretty great, if I do say so myself.

Music Lover Once Again

2009-02-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

Everyone told me I would love my iPod and I do. But not for the reasons I thought I would. Yes, the technology is great. Boxes and boxes of CD's and tapes condensed into one little box, small enough to fit in my hand... Being able to take every CD in your collection with you on a road trip... color pictures of the album covers on the screen ... and cool little games to play. But the thing that I love MOST about the iPod is that it's got me listening to music again. I used to be obsessed with music. I always had a walkman with me, everywhere I went. I had a six-disc changer in my car that I kept constantly loaded. I went to every concert I could afford. Weekends were spent making mix tapes and scouring my friends' tape and CD collections for new albums to dub or burn. But somewhere along the line (about the time I became a homeowner) I lost the zest for music. My money was needed for things like roto-rooter and drywall instead of CD's and concerts. And who has time to go peruse all their CD's, finally settling on the same 5 or 6 albums every time...then remember to change them every 30 minutes when you get bored or they run out? So I stopped playing CD's while I was at home, stopped taking them with me in the car, stopped caring much about music at all...

...Until now! I filled 25 of my iPod's 120GB -- more than my laptop has, by the way -- and I am in seventh heaven. I wander around the house doing dishes and folding laundry to the sounds of my past. Today while I was working, I listened to Rosemary Clooney, The Backstreet Boys, Beauty & the Beast, Sarah MacLachlan, the Beach Boys and the soundtrack to Buffy: The Musical. Tomorrow, I'm having a private "John" concert: Bon Jovi, Denver, Mellencamp, Cash and Hiatt. I haven't been this excited about music since I bought my first CD player in 1993.

And yes -- I own a Backstreet Boys CD -- Three, in fact! I was the cool mom that took her 12 year-old to the concert in 2004 with near-front row tickets. So I guess I have been to one concert in the last ten years... :)

A sick woman...

2009-02-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

I must have caught a disease or something... I am a person who is basically lazy. If there is a chore that can be put off, I will. If something needs to be cooked or mended or otherwise fixed, it goes on my "when I get to it" list... But this week something happened. Maybe it's spring fever, I don't know. For the last seven days, I have been a whirling dervish of activity. I mended the patchwork quilt on my bed that has been coming unpatched for six years, I pruned the bushes in the front yard, repotted all my houseplants, touched up the scratches on all my scuffed furniture, organized my CD's, baked cookies, took 8 bags of crap to Goodwill and boxed up miscellaneous stuff for storage. AND THAT WAS JUST THE LAST 24 HOURS! Seriously...someone get me to a doctor...I've been looking around for cows to milk....

My playroom

2009-02-01T19:26:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Ikea and my handy hubby, my hobby room is finally ready for hobbies! Yay!!

Facebook Fan

2009-01-26T21:43:00.000-08:00

How great is Facebook? If you'd asked me six months ago, I would have said it was ridiculous. But in the past couple of months since I signed up, I've been able to get in touch with so many friends from high school, the old home ward, college and elsewhere. It has been such fun catching up with people that I haven't talked to in 20+ years. Even more fun are the fabulous pictures from the 80's that everyone posts to remind us of the good old days. I could do without the pokes, the lil green patch and kidnap requests, but I love hearing what everyone is up to. Here are a few things I've learned on Facebook:

That everyone knows everyone....it truly is a small world afterall.
That the glamorous people from high school turned out to be regular, boring adults.
That I don't remember many of the people that I went to school with every day for 4 years -- even when I look them up in the yearbook. How self-absorbed was I?
That the (not so) secret love of my college life was a survivor of the plane crash in the Hudson.
That some of the my best friends are ones I hadn't talked to for 20 years.
That NONE of my book club friends have Facebook accounts (What's up with that??)
That my Gay-dar was pretty accurate in the 80's and early 90's.
That some people never change, and others have changed so much I hardly recognize them.
That I miss all my King Henry friends so much!! Can't wait for the reunion...
That I'm much older than I thought I was... kids I used to babysit have kids of their own.
That some people have way too much time on their hands.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-10T13:41:00.001-08:00

Waiting patiently for their turn to open...

Good to the last drop!

Val and Wonky

The old and the pregnant, all tuckered out.

Katie and mom

G-ma and Austin

Maygen and Katie

Snowed in!

2008-12-16T23:38:00.000-08:00

Sunday night, we babysat our nephews Jake & Austin while their parents went to a holiday party (or tried to....it got cancelled at the last minute due to the nasty weather). We decided it was safer to keep the boys overnight, so they hung out with me until Monday afternoon and helped us decorate the tree Sunday night.

The finished product!! ....After some strategic re-hanging of the ornaments the boys put on....

There's no place like Home Town Buffet

2008-11-29T10:22:00.000-08:00

Sadly, there were no Thanksgiving leftovers in our house this year, but there were also no dishes or hours of cooking in a kitchen smaller than most people's closets. And we still had homemade dessert afterwards, which is the most important part, right? I think I want a real dinner again next year, but eating out was a nice alternative this year.

The birthday boy and Syd.

Matt, Tyler & Val

Me and my mini-me, Hannah

Jake and Uncle Dave

Grandma and the Hamburglar (aka Jocelyn)

Marcie, Brian & Maygen

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR :

2008-11-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

My husband
Katie, Maygen and Josh
That I am not cooking Thanksgiving dinner today
Fall leaves and crisp weather
Reuniting with old friends
A safe, warm house
The people who work at Freddie’s on Thanksgiving morning so I can rescue myself from poor planning.
Bookclub and good books
Fond memories
The Comcast guys who restored my internet connection afterhours last night.
Soft pillows
Good friends
Pumpkin pie (or any dessert with pumpkin in it)
Text messaging and email
Warm sweatshirts and comfortable jeans
That Maygen dropped Dave’s toothpaste in the toilet and not mine while cleaning this morning.
The price of gas
Family photos
Carbs
Salem 4th Ward and the sisters I work with in Relief Society
Good health
Learning to cook (and liking it!)
Mom & Dad
Nieces and nephews
My relationships with my siblings and their spouses

The thing I am most grateful for is the gospel of Jesus Christ and my testimony of the Plan of Happiness. I am thankful every day that I know who I am, where I am going, and that there is more to life than what we know here on earth. I am grateful to my parents who taught me that my Heavenly Father loves me. No matter where my choices have taken me, I have always known there was a place I belonged, a path I was meant to walk. Making that journey with Dave is the best gift I could ask for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday!

2008-11-20T17:40:00.000-08:00

Today my blog is one year old! It's been an interesting year, full of lots of changes -- some good, some not so good. But I'm glad that I documented it in some form, if only for my own sake. Reading through my first couple of posts from last November gave me a chuckle and reminded me of some things I had forgotten. (If it happened before yesterday, there is a good chance I've forgotten.) So thanks again, Book Club girls, for the inspiration to start a blog. And thanks to everyone who visits it -- for indulging my delusions that people care what I have to say!

Happiness

2008-11-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

Since most everyone knows by now that Katie is not living at home, I guess it's safe to blog about it. It's been the consuming issue in my life since she left two months ago. It is devastating of course, but I've been coping moderately well. More so the last couple of weeks than the first month she was gone.

Yesterday, I was babysitting my nephews, and Jake (the five-year-old) put it into perspective for me. He, said "Aunt Jen, there are two things that are really sad about your house: One, that Katie doesn't live here anymore... and two, that you don't have Ice Age II: The Meltdown on DVD." Leave it to a kindergardener to put things in perspective.

So to accompany my tale of woe, I'm posting another of the "top ten" idea lists that my mom suggested for my blog entries. While wading through the ugliness of "mother guilt", I've been thinking a lot about how to stay happy when things around you fall apart:

10 keys to finding happiness (according to Jen):

• Surround yourself with people who love and support you
• Live what you believe to be true
• Remember that marriage is hard work, but completely worth it
• Relax a little bit each day
• Do service for others whenever you can
• Do something for yourself once in awhile
• Love your kids -- unconditionally
• Set goals, something to look forward to and work towards.
• Forgive others
• Forgive yourself

The last one's a doozy, but I'm getting there.

The high price of good, ol' fashioned family fun

2008-10-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

I have never considered myself a "cat person". I probably still wouldn't if someone asked me. In fact if our black cat, Roxy, got hit by a bus, I'd likely say 'good riddance to El Diablo.' But we have another cat, Sammie, a little orange kitty (who is now very big) who has somehow become my baby. When we got him last summer, he was meant to be Katie's as a replacement for Max, who had died unexpectedly. But he attached himself to me and now he's my boy.

Well, my baby got an owie this week and had to go to the vet. He'd been bitten by something dastardly (many creatures live in our backyard jungle -- there's no telling which one got him.) He got an abscess on his neck and had to have minor surgery. At least that's what they told me -- the "minor" bill came to almost $600!! For an hour of anesthesia to suck out a little puss. I'm not sure if my sweet boy is worth that. Heck, I'm not sure my kids are worth that. I was able to talk them down to $450, but still... The worst part is that this was our third trip to the vet for bite wounds in the last six months. Ouch! Plus I had to suffer through the animal-worshippers at Companion Pet Clinic telling me that if I really loved my pets I would keep them indoors. Whatever.

Fortunately, I got my money's worth watching Sammie still half drunk on anesthesia with his e-collar on last night. He ran in circles trying to escape it, bumped into every corner and got his head caught in the banister railing. And watching him try to lap water out of a bowl is like something on the Cartoon Network. (Yes, I'm the kind of person who will laugh at you when you fall down. I'll help you get up, but chuckle at the memory for days.) The saddest -- and funniest -- part is watching him try to get his "fix". Sammie must have been weaned too soon, and has a fetish for burying his nose in any available warm spot, preferably necks. Seriously, he looks like an addict jonesing for a hit when he wants a little neck action. So watching him fruitlessly try to shove his nose into necks with the collar on was stinkin' hilarious for this sadistic pet owner. Who says pets aren't worth the trouble??

About 30 seconds after I tied it on. Too bad I wasn't smart enough to put the camera in video mode.

Sammie, trying to get his fix on Maygen

Currently accepting campaign contributions:

2008-10-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Please remember to VOTE on November 4. (Click on the word "vote" and watch the video to see who's getting my vote.)

Boredom and motivation

2008-10-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

Ten things I should never do when I’m bored (but I do!):

· Eat
· Surf the internet
· Eat
· Watch mindless TV
· Eat
· Play games on my phone
· Eat
· Nap
· Eat
· Spend money

Ten things I should do when I’m bored (but I don’t!):

· Sewing/mending
· Housecleaning
· Scrapbooking
· Play a game with my kids
· Journal/blog
· Organize the house
· Paint a room
· Visit with family/friends
· Bake
· Yardwork

I have always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. As a single mom, I worked through most of Katie’s childhood…so I’ve been bugging Dave to get our business running to the point that he wouldn’t need me as much. Well, I’m down to about 20 hours a week of work that I do completely from home. I am at a total loss as to what to do with the rest of my time! The laundry and cleaning don't take long. I hate daytime TV. I don't like to cook. I don’t have a regular lunch date with anyone. I should go to the gym, but I don’t. My kids are nearly grown and are gone most of the time. Even when they're around, they are self-sufficient. I think about doing the things on my "should do" list, but I lack motivation (although I did scrapbook 4 pages recently!). So I end up filling my days with -- of course -- work! It’s all I’ve done for so long that I can’t figure out how to function in any other way. How do moms keep motivated when no one is watching??

Just for fun...

2008-10-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Sylvie-Anne's blog:

YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car): Shasti Volvo

YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie): Mint chocolate chip

YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name): J-His

YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal): Green Giraffe

YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, hometown city): Elizabeth Medford

YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first): Hisje

SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink): The black lime rickey

STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Clean laundry swedish fish (no one will be stuffing $$'s in my g-string with that name...)

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names): Kay Gilbert

WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Gillette Galveston ... Ah, Mr. Gillette, my first grown-up crush. It didn't even phase me the day he leaned over the desk of kid next to me and farted in my face. Must have been true love.

CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”): Strawberry Hoodie

Last day of summer fun!

2008-09-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

On the Friday before Labor day, we decided to get out of Dodge and spend some time together. We drove to the coast with no particular plan. First, we ate lunch at Mo's in Lincoln City, then drove to Newport, stopping at Devil's Punchbowl on the way. We bought $30 worth of candy at our favorite bayfront candy store and gorged ourselves on salt water taffy and swedish fish. The girls were dying to go to the Aquarium (go figure...) so we spent an hour or two wandering around there. My favorites were the jellyfish and the anchovies.

The anchovies just swim endlessly in a big loop following the fish in front of them. Kind of the lemmings of the sea, I suppose.

After the aquarium, we went to Yaquina Head which was by far the best part of the day. We wandered around the light house and tide pools for awhile and saw lots of sea life.

On the way home, we stopped at the casino because the we love the buffet (or we used to....) They expanded their selection and raised the prices! There is no buffet in the world that is worth $100. All in all it was a great day. We took Josh back to his mom's the next day and the girls have started school again. Goodbye summer -- see you again in 9 months!