Does Will have a future as a doctor?

Sometimes Will feels it is a good idea to trace the bones in his body to create a skeleton. And it makes a lovely lavender bath after.

A Great Tip to Get Gum out of Clothes

Anyone ever gotten gum in your clothes? Well today I did and I found the greatest tip for getting it out. Hot apple cider vinegar (warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds) and a toothbrush! Worked like a charm so I wanted everyone to know. Didn't come out quite as easily from my newly finished hand-knit sweater, but still worked. And it's a natural fix.

Grandma McKeehan Rocks -- 96 and still golfing

The boys and I went on a cross country trip last week on relatively short notice because we received word that my grandma had been diagnosed with cancer. Doctors estimate she has 2 - 3 months left to live. She is an amazing woman. I just wanted to be able to spend some time with her and make sure the boys saw her while she still had some energy and could be her perky self.

Some quick amazing things about my grandma:

1. She just turned 96.
   
2. Has golfed a round of 9 holes of golf every week to this day except in bad weather.
   
3. She has been married over 70 years!
4. She sent me a card on every holiday with $2 dollars in it (Halloween, valentine's day, Columbus day -- she remembered them all).
   
5. She is an amazing card player and gambler -- I was going to visit her this Friday. However, when I called Friday was Casino night. She bragged that she left with only $20. The free bus picked her up at the retirement home, paid for lunch and she wagged her fat gangster knot of cash in front of me of $450when she got back. Not a bad day at the casino for a 96 year old woman.
6. She made us our favorite meal every birthday.
7. Makes the worlds best Easter breakfast hands down.
   
8. Had season tickets to the Oregon State beavers for 30 plus years , during most of their run of almost 3 decades without a winning season (That is where I get my loyalty and sports dedication).
9. She made amazing peanut butter sundaes
10. The doctor asked if she could cut back to 8 glasses of coffee a day -- she said no and maintains her 10 - 12 glasses of coffee a day.

This is a song she used to sing that I think just captures her fun personality (notice the shoulder shake, expressions and smiles as she sings it to my kids and I on our last trip. If only everyone could have a grandma like Grandma McKeehan.

A Miracle on a Monday

Cooper has a good friend named Brady who lives a few doors down the street from us. They have played on the same sports teams and spend lots of time together. Brady ate dinner with us tonight and he is the most helpful boy I have ever seen. Plus, he is an only child, and usually I would expect kids like that to be spoiled and used to being served, but not Brady. When I asked Cooper to set the table, Brady said, "Oh! Can I help?!" Then he pretty much set the whole table including folding the paper towels into pretty little squares.

Then, after dinner, Brady asked if he could do the dishes! Um, yeah! So he led Cooper into doing all the dishes - handwashing them because the rest of the dishes are being washed in the dishwasher. They spent a good 20 minutes doing this and every time Cooper kind of slacked, Brady would call him to action. It was really sweet to hear their conversations, they talked about what kind of sports teams they want to play on when they grow up - pro football for Brady and pro baseball for Cooper though he can't decide whether he wants to be a 1st baseman or pitcher. Then they decided that after their sports careers they could own a restaurant together and they could be the washers!

My favorite was Brady's excitement over the plate that he got SO clean. By the way Brady's shirt is off in the pictures so it wouldn't get wet, not because I'm a pedophile.

A Girl For Will

Will seems to be on the constant lookout for a girl that likes him back. He's moved on from Kennedy - only because "she doesn't like me" he says. The other day he asked me to help him make a special note for a girl on his bus named Alondra. The note was just to alondra, from will, but I did convince him to add a picture or two. Then he told me that he wants to find a girl he can kiss on the lips.

Where does he come up with this stuff? Well, he told me that a boy he sits next to on the bus who is 6 has a girlfriend who is 13 that he kissed on the lips. "But they didn't marry, because he didn't kiss her during a wedding," Will assured me.

I'm hoping that these adorable comments and conversations last forever with Will, I'm sure there will come a time when he is not so eager to share these things with me. Cooper hasn't mentioned anything about girls ever since he told me that he kissed a girl on the bus when he was in kindergarten and I mentioned it to Austin and then Austin asked him about it and he was super embarrassed. So the other day I told Cooper that he needed to always talk to me about girls and his thoughts, etc.

"Do we have to talk about it now, Mom? I'm not even in middle school yet," Cooper responded in a very Cooper-like way.

My Princess

SORRY LADIES -- It is a Bank Holiday so Dad is making a blog entry.

Baby girls are amazing. I love having boys, but now, having sufficiently ensured my kids have some interest in sports (it will not be all ballet, drama class, and choir practice), I am REALLY loving Paris. She just can really do no wrong in my eyes and I love everything about her -- for now.

This is at a baseball game that was like in the 30's. There she is still smiling and cheering her brother on (Picture Courtesy of John Mixon -- What a friend, not just along for the ride, but adding value!).

And I know some of you are thinking what about Will? He sure seems like a drama candidate? Maybe, and that would be fine, but I actually think he is going to shock everyone and be the most talented athlete yet. That is if they will just finally let him wear the gear!

An Historic Election

I've been reflecting on this bit of history I have been witness to in this presidential election. Barack Obama is our country's first African-American president. While watching coverage of his victory, I have seen people in Martin Luther King Jr.'s church cheering and crying with joy, the streets of Harlem are filled with people celebrating, and Jesse Jackson shed tears over the victory (though that may just be because he wasn't the one elected). It is amazing that we have come so far as a country - from slavery and segregation and prejudice to electing our first black president. President- elect Obama has huge expectations to live up to within our country and around the world. He definitely inspires hope in people and I was impressed that in his campaign victory speech he addressed those do not support him yet, and he will be their president too. I like that and I hope he can bring our country together. It will be interesting to see how he meets the challenge and fulfills his campaign promises.

Last night while watching the election coverage, I saw a bit of new technology that I couldn't believe and wonder if one day our children will feel is commonplace. In the CNN studio in New York, they had a reporter beamed in from Chicago through a hologram. This was accomplished with technology with computers and cameras. It was like the hologram that they have on Star Wars. They also had this huge touchscreen that had percentages of the candidates who were winning in individual states and statistics about the demographics.

I was in the car for four hours yesterday driving the kids to the apple orchard in Flat Rock, NC and listened to NPR the whole way. They were doing specials about the different experiences of people voting around the nation. There were first-time voters, older voters, new US citizen voters, etc. I felt a new respect for our freedom and opportunity to vote in an election that will be fairly counted, not manipulated like in other countries. Also, we have the privilege to vote without fear of retaliation for our choice. I am blessed to live in this free nation and felt a renewed gratitude for this privilege that I have taken for granted.

Whitewater Rafting with Dave & Jessica

Fast Sunday

Today the boys actually had their suits on, I think their socks matched and their hair was even combed for church so we thought it would be a good time to document it. Not to mention that we arrived at church in time for the sacrament to be passed - I think I have forgotten lately that's the whole reason for sacrament meeting. Will had on a tuxedo shirt and a little bow of Paris' for a bow tie - a little of his creativity within the bounds of acceptable attire for church.

Don't we all get hungry by the time church is over on fast Sunday? The drive home can take centuries while our bellies growl for lunch. Paris thought of her own solution to this problem.

Mixon Weekend

We got lucky enough to have another west coast visitor last weekend. John Mixon, a great friend of Austin's from high school came out from Seattle for a visit. He also got to tour Five Guys, the Whitewater Center, Mara Baseball Fields and the Q-Shack and even make an appearance at Cooper's baseball team party. Plus, many delightful hours with our kids. In Seattle, John lives an exciting life as a single with a great job, fun hobbies and the chance to actually sleep in and take naps anytime he wants. Therefore, I'm sure the family weekend with the McKeehan's was probably a bit lame for him, but we loved seeing him and appreciated him coming to see us.

Fuhriman Weekend!

Our friends, Dave and Jessica Fuhriman made the trek to NC recently and we had a great time showing them the local sites. There was Five Guys, Mara Baseball Fields, the Whitewater Center, Niko for sushi and the Q-shack for North Carolina barbecue. These are the official visiting locations for people who come to NC if anyone was wondering. Plus they got several quality hours with our delightful and energetic kids.

Dave, sorry your head is cut off, but it is a good picture otherwise and after all Will was taking the picture :)

Fun Halloween Pictures

A little busy

I got a little busy the other day with some serious online shopping and then I heard Paris yelling from upstairs. When I got to the bathroom upstairs this is what I found:

And yes, I did leave her to run downstairs and get the camera real quick.