Thanksgiving Weekend

This year for Thanksgiving we stayed home as per usual. Trevor, My brother and his wife and kids came over. I had baked 4 pies! YUMMY. The turkey turned out so nice. Chris spent four whole days at home and we have done Nothing! Chris is getting antsy and has no idea what to do with himself. He is not very good at doing nothing but he is getting the hang of it. I have done a little sewing, reading and watched a few movies. I burnt my arm last week so the first few days of our vacation I was on drugs and had a tendency to fall asleep. It is threatening to snow and the weather is supposed to be in the thirties all week. I will be locking myself in the house!!! Yeah! I don't do cold. Hopefully, Derek will email me a couple of Thanksgiving pics and I will post them as soon as I can. Oh yeah, other big news is Christian served as an Alter Server for the first time at church last night. He is growing up so fast. I should be getting pics of that soon too. For now I have to go help Chris do nothing.

Jonah and The Priests

Jonah recently participated in his First Reconcilliation. Before he went to Church, I could not get him to actively participate in cleaning his room. After asking him several times to hurry, I decided to change tactics and apply some of that good 'ol Catholic guilt. I said "Jonah, if you don't listen to me and clean your room you will have to talk with the priest about that sin." To which he replied without an ounce of hesitation, "Don't worry mom, I already planned this one." It is good to know he was getting in as many sins as possible because he was pretty pleased with himself after being "absolved." Stating that they "forget what I tell them as soon as I say it" as if that was the coolest thing he ever heard of. Jonah is all about "the confession."

Flood part three....(read in order)

This is a view of our street from Mrs. Tubbs yard. At this point the water had already started to leave. FUN STUFF.
I got in the house about 10am, I was so happy to be home. The house smells a little musty and the yard is messed up with debris. I spent the morning cleaning up with My AWESOME friend Kim. If you see her tell her she rocks. Trevor, surprised me by pulling up shortly after to help. He checked out the furnace and got the heat going. He also changed out my themostat which was older than me. Everything is slowly going back in order. Thanks to everyone who called, sent messages. I really appreciated the support.

Flood part two

This a view from the neighbors house the next day after some of the water had gone away. A little blurry but you get the idea. That night we all stayed at My friend Kims house, who by the way was totally awesome and we are so blessed to have her and her family as friends. When the dealer called he let me know there was a good chance our car was toast. (lovely) We had no idea what had become of the house either. I was paniced. Fortunately, our neighbor who stayed called and went into the house to make sure there wasn't any damage. Thank God, the water never went in the house but stayed at the door. Then a few hours later Kim and I went into town to get a few things out of the car. When we got there the car was in the parking lot. I was a bit irritated that they weren't working on it. When I went into the dealer they told me they had just finished the car! Yeah. I brought the suburban back to Chris and he was very happy. Later that day, we drove down through town and Chris waded into the house and got out a few things we would need for the night. When woke up this morning the water had receeded enough for us to go home yeah!!

The flood part one

The first thing I have to say is I am amazed at how quickly the water rose. We new the flood was coming but had not heard anything specifically about our neighborhood. Others had been notified to evacuate but we had not. I walked the neighborhood at 9pm and all was well. Ihad a feeling we would get water but not this much. At 10pm there was a lot of vehicle comotion outside so I went out to look. I then realized the wate was already quickly approaching and we needed to move Chris's car. Within an hour we had tried to get the cars moved to dry ground. We came back, called a friend and decided to leave. 11pm. We got everyone loaded and tried to head out. No luck, the only option was to try our luck through the water. The suburban stalled about half way through, with Claire and McKenna in the car behind us. We pulled the kids out through the windows and walked them to a truck waiting on the other side. We then waded back into waste high water and pushed the Suburban through. AGGHH. Chris went back for Claire who was stuck with McKenna on the other side. They tried other routes with no luck. The water was coming from both ways out. I called a tow truck and my friend picked up the boys and took them back to her house and put them to sleep. She then came back and waited with me for the tow truck. I got the car towed out and then we went back to try to pick up Chris and Claire. About one o'clock in the morning we got the Sheriff to go in and get them. They put Chris, Claire and Mc Kenna in our canoe and then drove them the rest of the way out. When Chris left the water was knocking on the door!

Halloween

Before I talk about Halloween I just want to say it is very difficult to keep up a blog. I have taken to clicking on my blog in hopes that I will find someone has posted for me. It never works, I guess I have to do it myself.
Halloween was a lot of fun. Max was a robot which turned out awesome. I loved it. Jonah was Harry Potter which is shocking I know. Christian finally got to be something scary.....A vampire. The boys looked adorable. We went to some friends house and trick or treated the local neighborhood. I had a lot of fun and as always think my kids were the cutest.
It was a crazy day, I had to grocery shop for class party supplies, make 50 sugar cookies, take Jonah to acting, dinner, and then Halloween but it was a great time.
Today I am recovering, I didn't sleep to well last night because of all the wind. Yikes! I will work today, then off to piano lessons and boyscouts. Fun Fun DAY. Now you know why it is hard for me to keep up the blog. I got the kids school pics back and I will be posting them soon. I swear. Happy Halloween, now I just have to get ready for Thanksgiving!

CRAZY, CRAZY, CRAZY and thank God the seahawks won!!!

Oh my, things are extra hectic these days. Christian had a particularly fine soccer game this weekend scoring what they call a hat trick (3 goals). He is getting to be a pretty awesome player. Jonah starts acting tomorrow which is exciting. I go with him on a field trip to a play first and then off to acting and first reconcilliation. Max finished his soccer season and had a great time. He also received an award in the assembly for most laps walked in the kindergarten. Chris works too much and is studying for his test every spare moment he gets. Yesterday we watched the Seahawks of course and was so thankful they won b/c Chris was in a good mood while studying. Christian had to leave for a Church meeting at 1pm right after the Rams scored in the 4th with 1:44 left to go. I had the pleasure of picking him up at church with the good news. It was great to watch him go from bummed to elated in 2 seconds. As for me I am just running around doing what I can to keep the house running smoothly. I also try to spend as much time as I can in the class and on field trips so I can keep an eye on what those crazy people are teaching them. Just kidding. Our teachers are great!!! I go for the teachers protection. I have been watching Greys anatomy and the Office to appease a few people and I am liking them. Other than that same stuff different day. I need to get some pics posted. I will work on that this week.

Been A Long Time

It has been a few days since I have BLOGGED. We have been real busy. The boys had their walk a thon fundraiser on Friday. All the boys did well. Christian ran 30 of his 38 laps for a grand total of 8.5 miles (I've been told). Jonah also had an amazing time doing 30 laps of his own. Which is about 7ish miles. Max worked the walk a thon with me so he got to be there all day for both morning and afternoon, finish 30 laps himself. I am pretty sure Max walked the most in the whole kindergarten. Jonah was tied for the top in his class and I think only one other student beat Christian (one of his best friends, Cooper, who is in fact the energizer bunny.) Another one of his bestfriends Ian tied. These boys are hard core. I love it and am proud of them all. It is nice that he has such a strong group of buddies to hang with.
Chris got home from his trip last Tuesday and spent the day at home with me and some time in each of the kids class rooms. It is always nice to volunteer in the room so you can actual see how your child relates/behaves. I also spy on them when they don't think I am looking so I get a true behavioral analysis. Chris had fun on his trip and is now back in the grind again. I must admit that I miss him terribly when he is gone.
As for me I am finally feeling like I am getting into the rhythm of motherhood that I have been searching for, for almost nine years. I also redid Chris and I's room while he was gone and surprised him. I am happy with how it looks and can't wait to redo the floors in there. Only the boys' room is left! Yeah.

Been Tagged

Ok, here are five things you may or may not know. In my case, I am sure everyone knows because I am such a blabber mouth.

1. Here is one no one should know. I sometimes wear tinkerbell underwear. No kidding.
2. Sometimes I secretly wish God would un-fix my hubby and give me a girl. (good back up plan in case adopting my asian baby falls through) About as likely as me winning the lotto.
3. Jane Austin is my absolute fav... I have read pride and prejudice more times than I care to admit. I could probably recite the whole movie and I love Mr. Darcy (colin firth from the original). Yes, I realize he is an older man. But nothing is better than him walking out of the pond soaking wet!
4. I often dance in my living room when no one is around. Like a Virgin, Disco, you name it. I am also a fabulous singer when the music is blarring and no one is around. Too bad you can't have background music in American Idol because YOU CAN'T TOUCH THIS!
5. I will chose a restraunt based on what kind of soda products they carry. Diet Coke RULES... pepsi DROOLS. Real mature I know but I have walked out of a restraunt before. Pathetic

Busy Week

It has been such a busy week for the Duvalls. We went to the Puyallup Fair and saw Little Big Town (our favorite band). Christian and Jonah were finally tall enough to ride a real roller coaster. We took them on the Wild Cat and they had a blast. Max was hypnotized by the band and Jonah loved the lights. The kids sang their hearts out to their favorite songs. We were in the 14th row. The kids were dancing in the isle and one of the girls bent down and waved at them from the stage. They thought that was cool. Chris left today for a long camp out. He is headed to Mt. St. Helens and then to tour a couple of lakes. He should take some awesome pictures of the dome. I think he is very excited. Christian is getting a chance to see one of the best Seahawk games this year. He was invited to go to the game against the Giants on Sunday. He is going to love it. Look for him on TV. Claire and I have decided to try our hand at camping this weekend. It should be very impressive. We are taking the kids up to the pass and should have fun. Wish us Luck. I will post any pictures that I take.

waiting on family portraits

We had family portraits taken this weekend. I can't wait to see them.
Chris is preparing for a backpacking trip this weekend. He will be climbing Mt. St. Helens and looking at the volcano dome. That should be cool. Christian had another soccer game this weekend. I like to watch him play (however I still hate soccer). Max plays every Tuesday and Wednesday and is absolutely adorable. He has perfected his flying kick. Jonah has been in lego heaven the last few day and making Max play whatever game he can think of. Life as per usual is crazy. We got some great work done to the house this weekend thanks to Chris's Parents. I am so happy. When I look in the kitchen I feel complete. FINALLY! Max's room and the bathroom are also 100% finished with the exception of a few minor paint touch ups. I almost have a complete house again. Don't fret though I will be tearing up the boys's room soon. Keep you posted.

Family pictures will be able to be viewed at www.lynnsnowphoto.com I can't wait.

Lazy Morning

This morning started out very nice with a cup of coffee and a movie. Grandma and Papa are here and we all are just laying around chillin. What a nice Saturday morning.

Max and Annie Ride the Bus

The most tramatic thing about the first day of school for ME was the bus. That of course was Max's favorite part. Like an insane person I followed the bus and met him at school to make sure all was well. Of course it was. He liked the bus so well that afterschool he rode it home and I picked him up from the bus stop only to take him directly back to school for Christians soccer practice. As you can tell in the picture he liked the bus a lot.

Max's first day of school

Max's firstday of school was a big hit. He woke up in the morning and said "Do I go to school today?" I said "yes" and he responded with an "I'm so excited" (arms in the air!). He knew his teacher and is just across the hall from Jonah. He was happy to see Jonah in line with him in the hall for recess. I can NOT believe my baby is in Kindergarten. I of course cried like a baby when I left him there. He just sat their impatiently waiting for me to leave so he could get down to business.

Jonah's first day

Jonah was the first to be ready this morning. He was very excited. There is a new boy (to our school) Jonah befriended him and was showing him around the school. What a good boy. Jonah is with a good group of kids and he is very excited. He was so eager that when he got to his desk he sat right down and got to work. I had to remind him he was early and still had time to go out to play. Love that Jonah.

christians first day

Christian started off his first day of school on the right foot. He got up, ate, practiced piano and was off on the bus. I of course met the bus at school because I am ridiculous. I walked him to class and took a photo. I like his teacher and he has some great friends in his class. I can't believe my boy is in the 3rd grade.

Haystack

The family decided to hike Mt. Si. It was a difficult Hike but the kids did great. They made the four mile climb in 2hrs. 40 min. Ending at an elevation of approx. 4,160 ft. This was such a fun trip for us. We ate lunch at the top and spent a long time exploring various trails up at the top. The kids are learning about various plants, trees, wildlife etc. They never miss a chance to point out natures toilet paper. We still are planning lots of other local hikes in the area. Chris is going to do Mt. Saint Helens next week. I will keep everyone posted on how that goes.

Dear Jen

Ok, so you have talked me in to doing this and I am completely confused. I am sure I will figure it out soon. You will be so proud. In the mean time, I am just testing out the system.