Updates....

Well, there are a few updates to mention today. We just got out of court for Alyx's sentencing, and the final decision by the judge is that she will be committed to Idaho state for an indefinite period of time. What happens first is that she will go to Nampa to be assessed, and from there they will decide where the best facility is to place her. We are hoping this will be in Lewiston, as that is the closest place to us, or in Nampa, which is close to Twin for Marmee and GG. At this place, she will be going to massive counseling and also to school. The whole point of this is to help her get through her behavior issues and work on therapy to help her change her way of thinking. We all have a lot riding on this, and after she is out, we are planning to have her move back in here. Chris and I are really excited for this to be moving along, since juvie is not a good place for her. When she gets out, all your support will be greatly appreciated. We will be doing a lot of family counseling, etc. to get ready to welcome her back home. So, all in all, at least a decision is final and we know what's going to happen. We love Alyx and just so want her to be happy and be a part of our family. She says to tell everyone hi and she loves you all so much!

For greater news, Calli is almost adopted! We will go in front of the judge next week and he will sign her papers, and then that's that- she officially belongs to Chris AND me!!! I'm super excited for this, and it's a really big deal to Calli, so we are going to do a little something to celebrate after wards. I feel so extremely blessed to have all these wonderful little souls in my life, and I am so thankful to have met their daddy- what a wonderful gift to give me for marrying him!

Oktoberfest!!!

OH wow- Oktoberfest was quite the whirlwind!!! A couple of months ago, our friend Chad and I decided to surprise Chris for an early birthday present by taking him to Leavenworth, WA for their annual Oktoberfest. This is a little bavarian town in the middle of Washington- it feels like you were dropped into the middle of Germany though! All the townspeople wear German clothing, all the buildings are German style- even McDonalds... and everyone is there to have a good time- apparently another tradition is crazy hats- there are hat booths everywhere and I hardly ever saw the same hat twice on all those people. All in all, a great weekend getaway with friends, and I think Chris had a wonderful time!! The pictures are of the Maipole- yes, that's how it is spelled- then there was an awesome Christmas store called Kris Kringl- amazing stuff!, and we also took pics of the dancers, yodelers, and Cowbell girls... they were from Munich- very entertaining!

Happy 5th Anniversay to Us!!!

I can't believe it has been five years since Chris and I got married! How time flies when you're having..... life! (and fun).... We had a terrific day- Chris woke up super early and snuck out to get me breakfast in bed- flowers, candles, the whole shabang.... Then- my Mom would be so proud- we got up, got the kids ready for the day and did yardwork! We all worked together and got the back yard in top shape again- it was a little overdue.... After that- we took the kids to Karen and Sandra's- their favorite babysitters- and we were FREE!!! Chris has been working at the Spokane Fair this week for his company- so we used his pass and went to the fair without kids- quite fun! We rode some very scary rides, got our picture done by a cartoonist, and wandered around people-watching.... all in all, a very great day.

I love you Chris- you are my best friend forever and I want to grow old and wrinkly with you! Thank you for marrying me and giving me the most wonderful children a mom could ask for!!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL- MAMA'S ON VACATION NOW!

Ah, the first day of school has arrived!!! Teagyn and Calli are now both in school- Calli started third grade (can't believe it) and Teags started preschool..... Calli would like you to notice her very cool black boots and new dress, and Teags had a great first day. I picked her up and took her out to lunch today and she said she didn't want to go back because she couldn't remember all the kids names, but we talked it out! She is in the Bluebirds class, and Calli's teacher is Mrs. Gutz. So, all in all a great first day so far- Calli is due home anytime and we will hear all about it. Love you all- it was a very nice day for me too- got more work done in the fastest time ever without any little ones here!

Just good pictures....

random picss....

We sure had a good time this last weekend.... chris and I went up to Silver Mountain to see a concert- it was soooo cold- 45 degrees on top of the mountain! in august! it did warm up for awhile, but about halfway through, we got absolutely dumped on- we spent about an hour waiting in the rain and cold and wind for the next gondola down the mountain- it was super fun though! The girls had a great time with our friend Sandra- she took them to an art show and then they made cupcakes, etc....

Our humble garden.....

This is our garden this year- last year we didn't really know what we were doing, and we planted WAY too much stuff- half of it didn't grow because there wasn't room. So this year we stuck with a simple plan and did tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.... the crazy purple flowers you see are called "elephant's head" and you can actually use the seeds after they die- you can grind them up and cook it like oatmeal- very good for you- it's called amaranth. So, the tomatoes are going nuts- wish I could send you all some- they taste sooooo good- I eat them just like my dad- sliced up with a little salt and pepper on top!