High Desert Museum

While my mom was down we went to visit the High Desert Museum. It was really cool. There are several indoor and outdoor exhibits. There is so much stuff that it'll take more than one day to cover it all. I am thinking of getting a membership since we will be here all summer. The kids favorite exhibit was the river otter. You could see it above water and then below around the side of the tank. It came right up to the window.

There was a birds of prey exhibit.

I was probably 3 feet from a turkey vulture. Then they brought out a merlin, a small falcon, and a snowy owl. They were right there, you could practicaly touch them. It was really fascinating. Of course the kids got tired of it long before the adults did

There was an old saw mill and cabin that you could walk through. An interactive kids site that they could put on costumes and play with puppets. There were fish tanks with salmon and trout in them, (that was Journey's favorite). There was a rattlesnake, a couple scorpians and some lizards. The kids were more interested in the animals than any historical information. But they had a really interesting Native American exhibit. The lights were dimmed low and they had music and background noise playing. Several different teepees were inside and out.

Happy 1st Birthday Journey

It's gone by way too fast but here it is. You are one year old already. You are walking, climbing and pestering your siblings. You're shy and sweet. You are scared of dogs but love cats. You are a dipper, love ketchup, mayo and ranch dressing. You are willing to try anything at least twice. You want to do anything that big brother or big sister are doing and don't let your limitations frustrate you. You are amazing and astounding. I cherish everyday that I get to spend with you. I love you little dude.

Poor things

Well the baby fish did not make it. I think they got eaten by the frog. Poor momma. So we went out an got a couple more fish because the kids were so dissapointed. I am glad that we don't have any other pets. They keep asking for a kitten or a puppy but it's just too much work and not really fair to the animals to be living in such a small space.

I'm thinking about starting up a home business. Making dress up clothes. I don't know how it would work. I already have a lot on my plate and finding time to sew would be hard. But Randy supports me. Said that if it gets up and running he'll learn to sew and help me. That'll be interesting. I think he's excited for any chance to get out of his job and is willing to let me try just about anything I want. I think that it could be fun and rewarding but I don't know anything about running a business. Jeez I can't even balance my checkbook. How am I supposed to keep track of the finances? I'll make up a few things and see if they sell on E-bay. If so I guess I'll read up on small business and interenet business. There is a lot of literature out there nowadays. Okay enough babbling.

Babies

Well I killed our old fish and after a proper period of mourning we recently aquired some new ones. Well we bought four guppies yesterday and this morning were suprised to find 10 fish in our tank. Yes one of my fish is a momma. Must have been pregnant when I got her. Not sure how that happened because they kept male and females in different tanks. The kids are very happy and excited. The babies are about the size of a grain of rice. Very tiny, silvery-grey things. They flit about very fast and excited. The fish and the children.

Speaking of flitting. Journey has started walking. He's getting quiet good at it. Letting go and walking a few feet now before he plops onto his butt. He has yeat to fall face first. Smart boy, learned to fall first. He is also practicing standing and bending over and picking things up. He is so proud of himself when he does this. It's so cute the huge grin on his face and the squeeling noises. Now I'm sad because he's growing up too fast.

where we are now

Central Oregon.
Hot, high desert. Although I've been surprised at how much rain we've been getting. For the last few days there have been thunderstorms every evening. Morning is hot and sunny. I've gotten burnt alread. Curse my fair skin. They kids however are all tanning like the the bunch of injuns that they are. I'm sure that is politically incorrect. Should I have said Native Americans? Don't really care. Journey seems to be the only one who has inherited my fair skin, he also has red hair. Where did that come from?

Our park is surrounded by pine trees. We have had a little furry, fluffy tailed visitor a couple evenings. Very cute but not friendly. Turn your head towards it and it bolts. There are lots of birds. I bought a book with North American wildlife for the kids to try and identify some animals, bugs and plants. So far we havn't seen anything really exciting other than the bunny.

We went to see the largest pine tree in Oregon. Not really that tall, i think that the top fell off at some point. But the circumfranse was enormous. It's estimated to be over 500 years old. That's really old here in logging teritorry. I left my camera at my mom's so I will post pictures later.

Cottage Grove, Oregon

We were staying in the Cottage Grove area for two weeks. I love it down there. I think I love it mostly because that's where my husband and I grew up. Our families still live there. My husband's family has been there so long that they have a road named after them. It was wonderful visiting with our families. I had a daquari party with my mom and sister. Went shopping for books with my sister in law. We went to the park and ate ice cream. Just hung out together. I am one of those lucky people who happened to have married into a family that I love just as much as my own. They are wonderful supportive people.

We stayed in the Village Green Park the first week because it was close to in laws. But it was right next to Walmart and there were some weirdos camping out in the parking lot there so we moved. But it would be nice if you were staying in the hotel. It used to be a luxery resort and has the most amazing gardens. It got neglected for several years but there are new owners that are reviving it.

We moved next to Pass Creek Park, in Curtain, Or. It is a County park that is just lvoely. It has all the rv hookups, showers and laundry facilities. There is a arge pond with geese, ducks and about a dozen goslings. There are also two friendly newtria. Which for those of you who haven't seen them are like a cross between a beaver and a rat. Imagine a beaver with a rat tail. So ugly they are almost cute. They come up to the shore and beg like the ducks and geese. There were play structures and picnic tables. We really enjoyed it there. Next on to Central Oregon, Bend area. Will update later.

Busy

We came down here for what was supposed to be a week right before Easter. We'll be here the rest of the week and probably next week too. Sapphire got sick, then Journey, now he has an ear infection. We are staying at a lovely park that has a big pond with geese and goselings. They are so cute, all lined up following behind their mommy. It has a swingset and a big slide. It does not however have wifi so I won't be on much. After we get settled in the next job I'll be able to post more.

My husband works too hard

My husband works too hard. He is getting a lot better. I keep trying to tell him to delegate. He's in a position where he can tell other people what to do and relax a little but he works harder than most of the guys on his crew. He pays for it too. He may be young but his body doesn't think it is. He has had two GI bleeds. He's under thirty. When your doctor says it's just a freak of nature thing it can't be good. He's hurt his back several times, luckily nothing too serious, pulled muscles and like. It's only a matter of time though.

I really feel like he got the bum deal in our marriage. When we first got together we had plans. I was in high school sort of. I was in the teen parent program which is a self paced program so that you can graduate early if you work at it. I graduated a year early, with a 4.0 my senior year too. I got better grades after I had a baby. Then I went to college. I took night, weekend, and telecourse classes to get my associates degree. Well the plan was to have a baby, take a year off, then go to the university and finish my degree. Once I got a good job that paid at least as much as his did I would work and he would stay home.

Things didn't go as planned. I went to the university for a semester. Did a very small internship. Realized that I hated what I was majoring in. So I went back to the community college and tried to get into the nursing program. It's so competitive and I had so many credits of unrelated classes that weren't doing much for my grade point. You basically had to have work experience as a CNA, and a 4.0 to get into the program. So that was out of the question now. We talked about moving so that I could enter into a different program. But then life got in the way, another baby, and now traveling. So things didn't work out as planned.

I feel at times that he resents me crapping out on my end of the deal. I had a chance to go to school and I blew it to have more kids. I could still finish my degree and get a job but I love being a stay at home mom. I would have to put my kids into daycare to finish school and then the first year or two that I started a new job. I don't want that. I wish that there was something that I could do at home and make enough money at that my dh didn't have to work at his crappy job.

I'm such a dork

I get a little thrill when I get to the end of the post and do the spell check and nothing is misspelled. I am such a dork.

I haven't been writing much lately. I've started a few things but I'm always distracted. It's something that I miss. Writing here isn't the same. It's my creative outlet, stress relief, and my passion. I feel like I'm missing a part of me when I haven't written anything in awhile. It's so much a part of who I am that I am lost without it.

My booby baby

He's so funny. It cracks me up how excited he gets sometimes. Do bottle fed babies get that way? We lay down together at night and he starts giggling. After he latches on and gets a few nibbles he looks up and smiles around my boob. It's the cutest thing ever. Nothing brings a smile to my face faster. With milk dribbling down his chin, trying smile around his dinner. It's a lot cuter than when Kenzie chews with his mouth open.

The smallest thing may make a difference

A week or two ago I went to a thrift store that supports the local animal shelter. They had some cats on display and the kids were petting them. There was another woman there petting them also. We struck up a conversation about past pets since neither of us have any right now. She is also living in a trailer and traveling with her husband but she doesn't have any children. She had MS and doesn't feel like she could handle children as her health isn't good. We talked for awhile and she eventually asked if I knew where the animal shelter was. It happens to be right next to our rv park and I gave her some general directions.

I took the kids to the shelter today to pet the cats and such. She was there. It's funny because although I remember the conversation well I didn't really think anything of it. I talk to people at stores or the park all the time. Well it really made a difference to her. She'd been feeling so isolated up here. Right after she left the store she went to the shelter and volunteered. She's been volunteering there since then and loves it. It's funny that something so simple as a 10 minute conversation and giving someone directions could make a difference. It really warms my heart.

We are going back to the shelter tomorrow to visit. I'd like to start up at least a penpal relationship since we are supposed to be leaving Thursday.

Blaah

I feel like going back to bed. It's going to be one of those days I'm sure. I have lots of things that I need to do but I don't feel like getting off my butt. I'm still wearing my pj's. In fact so are all of the kids. yeah that was a fragment. So I hope that I didn't drag everyone down with the sheer boredom of this post.

My Treasure Map

Beyond Expectations!

A collage view of my treasure maps. I used several pieces of paper to signify different areas of my life. Beyond Expectations is a big theme that runs through a lot of it. I know that growing up I always felt that lived up to peoples expectations and they weren't very high. So one of my goals, hopes, desires for this next year is to live beyond expectations, mine, my family's and just what everyone else thinks of me. It's nice to be a little suprising.

This is my dream house. Sorry it's a little fuzzy, I don't have a scanner. It's hard to take a picture of a picture. Not the best drawing but it's a visualization of what I would love to have.

A little poem about what I want from my writing

The words come is spurts,
every now and then
like rain drops
growing on my page
flowers of knowledge
touching your heart
with beauty and grace.

Kid Pics

I took the kids out on a little drive to take some spring pics before sil came to visit.


The Marcus Whitman. A very snazzy expensive hotel, very visable and recognizable once you enter town. Fluffy clouds and blue sky out the car window.Cherry trees along second st. Some farm land in the area, large farming community here.

Finally some decent weather

All week it has been raining. They've gotten almost their whole monthly average rainfall here already and it's not a week into the month. It was nice today though. A little overcast but warm. I took the kids for a walk. We were taking a dirt path that runs behind the park to the golf course. The park is right up against the course, just a small burm in between them. Anyways we were walking along, picking up rocks and suddenly I hear this screeching. It wasn't my kids. It was a bird, on the ground, on her nest. Not even in the grass or anything, just in the dirt. Not a very smart bird, although I didn't see her until she started squawking at me. The kids thought that was really neat. Especially Sapphire, she wants to be an animal control officer when she grows up. Watches animal cops on Animal planet all the time. She's so sensitive, she was crying because of some things on the show the other day.

Then there is me...an animal killer. Not on purpose, don't get all pissed off. You see the only pets we had are some goldfish, about 8 of them in a 20 gallon tank. It's a pain to drain when we move but the kids like it. So I put a bottle of infants advil on the tank and it tipped over. Well the lid must not of been on all the way because our fish started slowly dying off. At first it was just the little ones and I thought that Dorthy, our big one, was getting hungry. But then the rest started floating and we discovered the bottle. It had probably been a week. We took the remain three fish out and put them in clean bowl of water but to no avail. I drugged out fish to death. Bad pet owner. And they let me have kids....

New tricks

Journey is learning to stand on his own. He pulls himself up to something and then lets go and just stands there for as long as he feels brave enough. It's exciting and sad at the same time. He's my last baby and he's growing up too fast. He also got a new tooth on the top and is constantly grinding his teeth together. I'm hoping once the novelty of that wears off he'll stop.

I learned a new trick too.

I also converted to cloth diapers. Still using regular at night but just until I find a good night diaper. It's going pretty well. I am constantly doing laundry anyways, what's another load? I am such a flower child, I think I was born in the wrong era.

Whitman Mission

My sil came to visit for a couple days. I think we wore her out. We went to the park, swimming in her hotel pool, a few wineries and the Whitman Mission http://www.nps.gov/whmi/

Very sad story but the history of the place was beautiful. We all had lots of fun and combined a history lesson for Sapphire.

For Jen

Just to let you know that I am partway through the next chapter, will have it up by Friday.

May be MIA

My sil is coming to visit us. She's bringing her 12 yr. son with her. We'll be going to some local spots. I don't really know where. When we first came up here we went to the Fort Walla Walla museum but it's closed right now. So, the park, some wineries. Heck if I know, not too good at entertaining. On other notes. Wifi here is on the fritz again. Drives me insane.

Spring is here. I'm gong to take the kids out with cameras and we are going to capture some spring pictures. I LOVE Spring!

Journey has been doing this little purring noise. He sounds like a boat motor when he really gets going. It cracks me up. Also "mamamama" all the time, seems like especially whenever I am in front of the sink. I think it's his love of water. He's fascinated with the vacuum. Today I had the hose attachment out and was cleaning the cushions of the dinette. I set the hose down for a second to move the cushion. He crawls over and sucks his cheek up. He was more fascinated than scared. I was laughing hysterically, after I removed it of course. Don't worry, no vacuum hickeys for him.

Household chores

I really hate to clean. I think it was all that time I spent as a housekeeper at a hotel. Some of the things that I found...we wont' go into that. No really that's just a convenient excuse I have always been a bad housekeeper. Even as a child I surrounded myself with chaos. I think it's just my personality. I don't like things tidy. Not to say that I am a slob. My carpets are vacuumed, my dishes washed and clothes laundered and folded. I just tend to leave books and papers scattered wherever I am at the moment. I always seem to be in the middle of some project that never seems to get finished. I just procrastinate, they do get finished, eventually.

I married a man who enjoys tidiness and order. I know that I drive him insane. He loves me anyway. How tidy are you? Are you one of those clean, everything has it's place kind of people, or a closet pack rat?