Baby Shower

March 10, two of my dear friends Katie and Diane through me an amazing and most wonderful baby shower. It was held at my parent-in-laws' house where all our friends and family (women that is) came and celebrated with me. Except that the only down side was that my mom and grandmother were not there, they were in California... but we had them on the phone the whole time that I opened presents.... so they heard all the oooh-ing and ahhh-ing. Isabelle is one lucky little girl baby, she got so many great things, including a scrapbook that all the guests made a page for, and is now ready to plop in photos.

Here are a few photos from the shower.

This beautiful baby carriage cake was home made by Aunt Betsy ... Chocolate carriage and Lemon filled base.



Our niece Sophia was was looking for the cake... how cute is she, growing up and tall so fast.










Since my family couldn't be up here at the time of the shower, we were on the phone with them, listening to all that went on at the shower. This photo is of me giving a 'hug' to them... hugging the phone. Silly... yes, but very funny.



This blanket was hand made by Eric's Great Aunt Eleanor.










Ok, so here was a shock when I opened this box... It is a little night gown... that used to be mine... My grandmother had saved it for all these years and gave it to baby Isabelle.



My friend Katie, who came up with the plans for a fabulous baby shower.

Thank you!!

Old Friend

It has been a while, yes I know, however, I have many excuses... busy at work, busy tutoring and busy coaching gymnastics.... oh yeah, and being pregnant literally reduces the the womans' brain by 1/3 its working size... brain cells are taken by the baby... yes, that is the science teacher coming in here. :) On top of that we have a new camera, which is so amazing and wonderful... a canon 5D, so I am learning how to work that. :) It is GREAT. I have taken so many photos, but a problem arose.... how do I get them off the camera?? I have now figured that out (yeah), so now I am going to back track and update the last few months. To catch up with photos, you will have to go back to Eric's 30th...

Now here are the big points in the last few months. ....


Unfortunately, an old friend of Eric's was unable to come to his 30th surprise party, but for a surprise on its own, his friend Eric (nickname E-Rock) came up in February. It was nice for old friends to get back in touch, especially after 10 years. E-Rock's little brother, Justin, also came and hung out with them.




L-->R
Justin, E-Rock and Eric

Baby News

There is no real news about the baby, except that all is well. I feel like a whale, but no one believes that I am already 7 months... Supposedly I am small for that. Anyways, we are registered at Babies R Us and Babysupermall.com

Other news, Gymanstics season has started, therefore I have started coaching. No worries, I am not spotting the girls as the tumble or do cartwheels on the beam (my apparatus). But I am in heaven being able to coach again.

SURPRISE!

Eric's 30th was just a few weeks ago, so his family, some California friends and I planned a surprise party for him. After, months of planning, we successfully surprised Eric. We had an awesome cover story... a friends' babyshower with an open bar. Yes... we found some holes in our story, but we were able to fill them without much suspision.

The food was stupendous! Eric's aunt from Portland did most of the cooking along with Eric's mom. And the crowd was perfect! Even though there was snow and ice all over the ground, there was a wonderful turn out. Thank you to all who came and celebrated with us.

We got a lot of photos, however, we got a new camera a couple of days earlier, a sweet cannon, but it didnt come with the right cable to get the photos from the camera to the computer. So as soon as that comes in, you will have to wait for the shocked face of Eric... who is now 30.

Don't rub it in. ;)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

It's 2007! Can you believe it?!? So many wonderful things will happen this year.

We are having a new addition to our family, friends are experiencing amazing moves for work, or are going back to school in their first choice schools! Family is in great health!

Portland Trip

Some photos from our trip down to Portland visiting cousins.

Christmas

Christmas this year was wonderful. Not only did we get our power back, it stayed on through the holidays and through the visit of my family that stayed with us. YEAH!

Growing up, we had all sorts of tradtions that I tried to keep this year and in future years. One is a Beef Fondu dinner. We cook our own beef in the fondu pots and dip them in delicious sauces and eat until we cant move. Of course there is my Grandmothers yummy cranberry salad. This is probably my most favorite dinner ever!! Another fun thing that we do during dinner is open those poppers, that have prizes and paper crowns and silly jokes. And yes, we wear the crowns through dinner.

Left to right - Eric, my Grandmother, Mom and Dad.

After we finish dinner, we finish opening our presents, in which we were very spoiled this year. Then, of course, we go to bed early so that Santa can come. :)

Christmas morning, we eat a traditional quiche and then look to see what Santa brought. This year, Santa actually made a special visit... Literally down our long driveway. He drove up in a spruced up, shiny red 1949 original to Ravensdale Firetruck. He and his elf asked if we had any children... we said not yet, but one on the way. They gave us, or rather our little girl her first toy, a pink Care Bear.

My dad, far right, was so into this old firetruck that he went out and started chatting with the fire chief. Hahaha, my dad is so funny!

After we spent a wonderufl morning together, my parents and grandmother went back to their house and Eric and I went to Eric's parents to celebrate Christmas and have dinner there.

Our camera ran out of juice, so we didn't get many pics there, however, all the boys got some Seahawks gear, including little Sophia. We had just enough juice to get this one shot of them in their new gear.

It's a ...

GIRL

Yes, we are pretty in Pink!!

Merry Christmas ...

... From the both of us!

Powerless

Ok, so being in the dark really stinks! We lost power last Thursday night about 9:30 pm. The good thing here, is that it wasn't just us in the country that lost power, it was everywhere. Even Federal Way... which meant that I didn't have to work on Friday, because our school was out of power too. :) However, our house became freezing cold... Friday, Saturday... still no power. Our food was all lost... we had stocked up the outside freezer too with food, since my family is coming over for Chrsitmas to stay a few days... a few hundred dollars of food gone. :( Sunday, still no power, but Eric and I decided we couldn't do the cold anymore (though we had a fire in the living room going, it didn't heat up more then that room), so we headed over to his parents for a warm night, and an oven cooked meal. (So far we had been eatting using our camping gear and canned foods.. yumm) .

Monday, no power still.

Tuesday - Power restored - 9:30 am! Yeah, so we went to the store to get some food and ice for our cooler, (fridge was still very warm). NO ICE could be found and stores had wiped clean there shelves of all the food that had gone bad... :( so we got what we could, plus some juice and left it out on the deck to keep cold. :) We got warm, and were happy. Our neighbor called... saddened becuase they still had no power... But that was short lived, for we lost power again Wednesday morning about 6 am. GREAT! My Grandmother was due to arrive around 2... I ran to our country store, hoping they had ice, they did... grabbed some bags, came home, filled 2 coolers with our food and hoped that the power would come back. Our neighbors called, sorta laughing... teasing us that they would still be warm... they have a generator and a VERY nice wood stove that throws out heat to the whole house. (We may be looking into this for next winter). Our house, back to being ready for company, almost... (we dismantled the fireplace decorations to build the fire, and we really couldn't clean very well by candle lit), was headed back for the dismal cold. (yes there were many a time you could see our breath, and alot of the time that it was warmer outside then in our house).

However, there was light at the end of the tunnel. About 2, the power returned to us once again (by the way, it is Thursday, and we still have power - hopefully I didn't just jinx it). We vacuumed and dusted and last minute cleaned to make the house grandmother approaved (which is way different then cleaning for a party or for parents), and an hour later, the family arrived. Phew! ! ! Time to relax. Well, more like entertain for the nest 5 days, in hopes that no more trees fall on any more power lines.

Sorry, no pics on this entry, no power means no camera. :)

PS.... our neighbors still are out of power. Their expected date to get it back is Friday.

PPS... we know what we're having, but you will have to wait till Santa brings you the news. :)

Our First Snow of the Season!

Yeah!! This morning we woke to find a beautiful white filling our eyes in each direction. It had snowed a couple of inches. Granted, by now, it has mostly melted away, but I can guarentee there will be more snow in the near future. Here is a cute photo of our kids... goat kids that is in the snow. They werent too keen in walking in it at first, there is now a little path for them to walk.

Thanksgiving

It's the holiday season!! My favorite time of year. Time with family and friends, decorating, giving, and lots of eatting. ( I get to, I am eatting for two, remember).

We spent Thanksgiving with Eric's parents this year, mine were in Cali, spending the day (and a few weeks) with my grandmother and other family.



Eric and Me



The Girls (L-Karen, M-Me, R-Kristi)















The Prib Family (Karen, her husband Charlie and his parents)

Eric's Parents, Vicki and Mike












My parents are bringing up my grandmother in a few weeks to spend Christmas at our house. We are very excited, it is going to be our first tree in our house! I have missed having a tree, or a time to decorate the house. Grammy is going to spend four days with us prior to Christmas and then my parents will be joining us for Chsitmas Eve dinner. Look forward to more photos coming as the holiday season progresses.

Pumpkin Carving

Oh, what fun... Eric and I went to a carving party. Pictures really say everything, so enjoy.


Not the best shot.... pumpkin guts.



Party Shot

Oooh, nice lion!



Look at all our pretty pumpkins... We did a good job!!

HI

I'm so sorry that it has been so long since the last update. Life is going great though!! I am loving Kilo. A lot has happened there since my last update. I got hired as a 6th grade teacher of soc. st., math and science. Though about 4 weeks ago, our PE teacher got her dream job as a high school health teacher, and took that job, leaving her PE spot open. Then our 8th grade science teacher REALLY wanted that spot, so she took that spot, leaving that science spot open. When I was offered that postion I jumped for joy... that is my qualification, that is what I spent two years going to night school getting my masters for... science! So I took it. Though that position came with 2 PE classes (a 6th and 8th grade PE). Of course this left my old 6th grade spot open. My friend PJ took that spot, she was the last one left from the 'bad school' and she of course said yes in a heart beat. The only bad news was that that principal at the other school messed everything up (there are of course much stronger words that can me used ;), and didnt release PJ for an additional week, past the agreed upon date. So I had to teach my new 8th grade class, learn PE (which I am still struggling at but enjoying) and make sub-plans for a week for my old 6th graders. Let me tell you... that is tough!!! and stessfull!!

Eric is doing well. We did get his new car, but the dealership that we were going to get the orange car sold that car two days prior... and this was after a Eric put a down payment down. (words....) So, we got that money back and went elsewhere to get a car. We still got him the Dodge Caliber, but in black with red highlights inside. It is pretty sweet. :) Other then that, he is still going strong at Microsoft and his band is doing great. They have another gig this week.

We have started the slow, and I mean slow process of remodeling our kitchen. We bought a new sink. hehehe... yes, you can laugh, but those that know us know that we literally take things slowly, but we do eventually finish our projects, (we have so many). Money and time... we can all relate!

Nothing new on the baby front. I go to a specialist each time I visit my OB. I am considered high risk and get two checks each month to check for any problems.

All the other kids are good. Nautalis cuddles under the covers every night, now that it is getting colder. The goats are good... so cute in their little houses. Chickens are good too, though we havent let them out recently. There has been a lone coyote out in the area, we saw him twice in our yard about a week ago.

I'll send pics of halloween later this week after I tweek them... hehehe. Though I will give you a heads up... Eric picked them out. ;)

Fun Times and More

I have just returned from a fun weekend as an ASB advisor, chaperoning 12 middle schoolers to Camp Cispis (east of Centralia). It is a leadership camp, to help educate students to become great leaders for 'tomorrow.' Though it was a blast, I am EXHAUSTED! Here are a couple photos.

(I guess we should have told them how to make a pyramid first. All part of the learning experience. hahaha)

Other BIG news, at work. There has been a major shift at Kilo MS. One of our PE teachers got her dream job as a health teacher at a high school, therefore leaving open a PE spot. There is an 8th grade science teacher who has dreamed of teaching only PE, so she has taken that opening... which left open an 8th grade science... I got offered that spot AND took it! That is my dream (though I have to teach two PE classes... that will be an adventure). So that leaves my 6th grade spot open... My friend PJ is going to take it, and leave that 'place' we were at last year. BIG changes!! WONDERFUL changes!!

No Baby Morceau news, next check is in two weeks. I'll keep you posted.

News!!

Hi everyone,

It has been a long time since I posted, I am sorry about that, but with my new job, and other news that I will tell in a minute, we have been incredibly busy.

First, Eric is doing great! Though he got into an accident (not his fault, he was stopped and some guy crashed into him, never stepping on the breaks) where his car got totaled. So he went to borrow his parents truck and the first day he used it, its battery and alternated died. Now he has his mom's car, but it just got a flat tire. All in the last two weeks. He doesn't seem to have much luck with cars right now. But that will soon change!! We went car shopping this weekend, and found one we like, a 2007 Dodge Caliber, that he is going to go to Idaho to buy (we will save about $1500 buying it there). And the color.... orange... I know, an orange car!! But at least people will see him. ;)

Me? I am doing good. I am in absolute heaven now that I am back at Kilo. So much better then my last school, (which I have heard through the grapevine is deteriating fast). I am far busier then I would have imagined, but loving it. I am an ASB advisor (for those of you not knowing school terminology, ASB is the student body gov.), I am an assisstant gymnastics coach (for the beam), and I now teach three subjects, (math, science and soc. st.) instead of just one. And I am back teaching 6th graders, so different from 8th graders which I am used to. hahaha They are so little. :)

Other news?? well..... yes, there is something, a little something else too.... :)

WE ARE EXPECTING!! We are looking forward to meeting Baby Morceau in late April.

Ok, so I made you read some boring stuff before the exciting stuff... but if I put it first, you wouldn't have read the rest. ;) At 8wks, we got to see the heart beat and got the first photo. To pre-answer some of your questions.... We will be finding out the gender, I have been nauses, and incredibly tired... fatigue is harsh, especially for someone who is used to being on the go all the time. The cravings question?? none of those, but there are massive food aversions: chocolate, pizza, chips, anything with salt on it and all sweet stuff.... hahaha.

Anyways, that is our big news. We of course will keep you updated. If you have questions, please comment and I will answer them in the next update.

Miss everyone!

GOT IT!

I am a little late in this entry, and it is late in coming, however I got the job that I interviewed for at my former school. I found out Wednesday morning, moved all my things that afternoon, and now settling in a wonderful school. Not only am I back at Kilo, but I am the ASB (student body) advisor, and an assistant gymnastics coach (beam).

YEAH!!

Las Veags

We just got back from Las Vegas, Nevada. What a blast!! We went with two other couples, dear friends of ours and 3 of us had never been there before. Therefore, we toured the strip... which means a TON of walking. Tip: Wear really good walking shoes, I got a blister on my baby toe within 5 hours of being there.
We stayed at the Paris hotel, 'we-we', which is a beautiful hotel. One of my favorites because of the motif as was the Venitian. The best casino in my opinion was at Mandalay Bay... it is a 'movie' casino. hehehe I know you are wondering how much I lost in gambling. All in all, between Eric and I, we only lost about $40. Not bad... though with the food, drinks and cab rides, we spent a pretty penny... The casino I played my first hand of Texas Holdem' was at the Hard Rock... small casino, but pays well. :) I did great at the beginning, but them I lost it all... spent about 2 hours at the table, on $60.. not bad, I guess. Eric played at that table too, and won his money back that he lost at a blackjack table, along with some of mine. The biggest win, I think, was when Eric made $60 at a penny slot machine... nice huh? I also tried two plays at Roulette, lost of course... but now I can say I did it. whoopie.

That is about all I can tell you about the trip... you know the saying... "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" Hahaha

I hope you enjoy the photos.
See that smile? Penny slots.. the way win $$$.


Dinner at Bautista's Hole In The Wall. Great Italian restaurant, with a sweet, little old man that went around to all the tables with his accordian and singing great Italian 'oldies' like "That's Amore"


Us in front of one of the Paris Hotel's bars... This quickly became our bar, which we designated a meeting place, and a great place to chat.


Us in front of the fountain in front of the Paris Hotel.


This was a shot that is beautiful and had to be taken. I believe it was at the Wynn Hotel.

The rest of the photos are of some of the animals we saw.

1. Eric at Shark Reef
2. A golden crocodile at Shark Reef
3. A tiger at the Mirage... He wanted to get back in to his air conditioned room. haha
4. A sweet Lioness, perched
















PS... I forgot to mention one small thing... Vegas is HOT HOT HOT. And I do mean its temperature, crazy hot. What was neat was that there were some misting fans that helped to keep you cooler (a tiny bit).

PPS... One thing that was even crazier was the fact that you could leave a bar, or restaurant with your drinks... And walk down the main road with them... Yes, I had to do it (many times)... Big Margaritas... YUM! :)

What a trip!!

Check this out!

Our 'kids' were very hyper today... head butting, running sideways, jumping every which way. I tried taking some photos, but they moved so fast they all came out blurry. This one was the least blurry...
"Daisy Dukin'"
I bet they were showing off for our nieghbors who are back visiting us from Naples, Italy. John was Parrot's first 'dad.' Check this out... I bet Parrot remembers him.


Of course, right before this shot, Parrot pecked John in the face, but they made up for this shot. Now, if only we can get this close to him. :)

Random Shots

While camping, I practiced my photography hobby... these are just some of the better ones. :) I never knew there was so much you could do at the beach!

Student driver.


"The Foot"
This is one of my favorite shots of the whole trip. It is a piece of driftwood that we found that resembles a foot... a little disturbing, but incredibly cool!!

Horse riding on the beach... so neat! But so expensive for a short walking ride. I would have done it if I could of raced down the beach. Maybe someday.


Dune Buggy


Kite Flyer


Man and his dogs











I also worked on some portrait shots: