Snoozing in Church

There is a three hour time difference between here and Seattle which made getting up on Sunday morning fairly difficult. Going to bed Saturday night wasn't an issue. We were all exhausted. I went to bed shortly after the kids did (7:45) and was GONE. I'm sure getting to bed that early made responding to the alarm clock this morning a little easier (plus...Taigen brought me coffee!).

Tonight, for the first time ever, Marshall fell asleep in church. He was being a good boy listening to Daddy and looking at his Bible. I felt him lean against my shoulder, which he often does. The next thing I noticed however was that he was very still. I peeked around at him and realized he was out.

Normally Taigen closes the sermon in prayer but tonight he didn't. He said something to the effect of, "Let's turn in our hymnal to page [such-n-such] and sing." Eeek! How was I going to stand up without rudely waking up our sleeping son? Fortunately for me, we have one of the most thoughtful women in our church. She too had noticed Marshall being really still and quickly whispered up to me, "Do you want me to come up there?" She came. I held Marshall's head as I stood up to go play the piano. She grabbed his head and held it as she sat down.

The piano intro didn't wake him up, the congregation singing didn't wake him up, and the closing prayer didn't wake him up. Taigen came down and picked him up but he was still out. Eventually he finally woke up in Daddy's arms. It was way too cute. It must've been the time difference and all that traveling. Either that or it was the long-winded pastor.

And After a Lo-o-o-ong Day...or Two

Remember our flight home from Seattle two years ago? In case you want to refresh your memory, here is the link. It was one very long day (and night).

Our flight from Seattle to Newark, NJ was long, but not unbearable. Marshall sat next to me and was content to color, play with the stickers in his new coloring book that Grandma Sherry gave him and fly his die-cast airplanes on and off his tray. I could tell he was tired, but he didn't take a nap. Flying is way too much fun.

As soon as we landed in NJ, we went to the monitors and double checked our gate. We were only a few gates away. The kids were excited because even though we were close, we still got to use the moving sidewalks. It's a great thrill to them. (Ah! To be young again!) When we arrived at the designated gate, I noticed something was amiss right away. The screen behind the ticket counter did not say "Portland, ME." When we asked, they said that our flight was canceled and that we had to go to gate C Whatever and rebook. (Inward groan) With the two of us, it would have been no big deal. But with two munchkins it makes things a whole lot more tricky.

The line was tremendously long and moving about as fast as a slug does in a garden. The kids and I went and waited at a nearby gate. Fortunately we had packed snacks so at least we had something that resembled a dinner. Marshall and Shaylen asked about a million questions. I think I answered about 999,999 of them with, "Well, we'll have to wait and see what Daddy says."

We finally saw Taigen about an hour and a half later. Our next flight home would be tomorrow morning. The current weather in Portland was stormy. We were going to have to go and stay in a hotel.

It was a comfortable hotel. Really. We had a nice king bed and there was a nice pull-out sofa for the kids to share. We would be comfortable. My only concern was Taigen's snoring. Historically, 5 year-old twins and Taigen's snoring have not meshed well. I thought to myself, "Most hotels have great built-in fans. I'll just blast it all night." Right?

Wrong. This hotel room didn't have a built in fan. It was more "fancy" with a thermostat on the wall. If you wanted air-conditioning noise, you had to turn the temp down. I thought, "I'll turn it down to 68. That should keep it on. Right?"

Wrong. 65? Wrong. 60? Nope. 58? Wrong again.

Finally at about 3:00am I got up and flicked the switch all the way down to probably -40 F. I didn't sleep a wink. Not a wink. The twins did and Taigen did (I know because of the snoring), but I did not. I found that I could be thankful because at least my tossing and turning was on clean sheets in a comfortable bed and not in a germy airport chair.

I looked like a wreck in the morning. Since our luggage was at the airport I had no make-up, no curling iron, no toothbrush. I would have been a prime candidate for those undercover make-over teams that spot you and say, "Oh dahhlink. You looook tewwible! I cahn make you beauuutiful in meenutes. You trust me, okay?"

I'm sure Mike Bowman and Paul Chesebrough have never seen me look worse, but when we met them to pick up our van in Portland I honestly didn't care. I was back home in New England and it never looked better.

(Footnote: We came home, took showers and then went in to church to get things ready for Sunday. Unfortunately, we missed the church's annual Planting Day. I'm not quite sure how much of a help I would've been. I bet even a flower BED might have sounded nice. All that nice, warm mulch. Right?)

First Round of Goodbyes

Imagine Children's Museum

At the recommendation of several ladies with children or grandchildren (Linda, Janny, Becky, Jonie and Ayrian) we decided to go and check out Everett's Imagine Children's Museum. We were definitely not disappointed. It is by far the best children's museum I have ever been to. If we had brought a lunch, I'm sure Marshall and Shaylen could have stayed busy all day. In fact, they might have been able to have a more leisurely time exploring all that is available. There was a mock airplane and control tower, an H2O Room, a pretend farm, train, rock wall, tree house, black light room, veterinary clinic, Italian restaurant, television broadcast room, theatre stage, money room, etc. etc. It is truly an amazing place. The funny thing is, when I asked them what their favorite part was, do you know what they said?

"Seeing the Dreamlifter." Huh? Did I hear that right? Yeah. I did. (Sorry you had to spend all that money Grandma Sherry!) When we went up to the rooftop, the kids were playing on the very cool playground up there when I saw it in the sky. (It's very distinguishable because of it's unusual shape.) I called to them and they watched it ascend up higher in the sky and turn in order to get on its course. It was pretty amazing to see that thing in the air. Still, you would think with all they played with in and out of doors, the airplane would not have been the highlight. Oh well.

We went to Grandma Rutledge's afterwards and I made "Chicken Waikiki Beach" (sweet and sour chicken with rice) for everyone. This is also something I try to do each time we go out there. It's the least I can do for all that everyone does for us. We owe them favors from now until eternity. I am very blessed to have married into this wonderful family.

Tonight starts our goodbyes. That's my least favorite part of vacations. We're thankful for the wonderful, relaxing time we've had here in WA.

Afternoon on the Deck

I just had to post this wonderful picture of the kids with Bob & Ayrian Jorgensen. We went over to their home after lunch today for a great time of fellowship (and homemade cookies). Bob & Ayrian have played an instrumental part in Taigen's life. Since he has (in my opinion) turned out so wonderful, I personally am deeply grateful for the impact they had on him.

We love them like family. Every time we come out, we make it a point to go and spend time with them. They have been gracious enough to listen to our questions, gently offer advice and be good friends. We praise the Lord for the Jorgys.

Water, Golf & Sand

While I'm sure Taigen's had his share of water hazards on the golf course, the water I'm going to talk about was the long-awaited Recreation Center in Mountlake Terrace. I had promised the kids that we could go there one day while we were here in Washington and today was the day!

Taigen had arranged to go golfing with an old friend today as well, but since that wasn't until the afternoon so he was able to join us for our morning swim. It's a wonderful pool and has enough options to keep Sherry, Taigen, the kids and me all happy. As far as the twins were concerned, if it had noodles for them to float with, they were going to be happy! I'm not sure how long we were in there, but let's just say we were raisins when we got out. It was a busy place. Lots and lots of little kids which made for a limited amount of space to play, but Marshall and Shaylen didn't complain.

Taigen was able to take the ferry over to Kingston, eat lunch and play a round of golf at White Horse. The manager knew Taigen's friend, Scott, and gave them a REALLY great deal which made Taigen super happy! I think that's where the happiness with the golf course ended because he said there were a lot of sand traps. When I asked him if he hit every one he kindof gave me the look of "yeah, you pretty much hit the nail on the head." At least he had a great time with Scott. That definitely made up for his poor scores.

Sherry, the kids and I on the other hand, went back to Grandma Rutledge's. On the way back, Sherry stopped and got the kids (and us) a special treat: McDonald's! They were so excited. Grandma Sherry has learned that it doesn't take much to please these kiddos.

A Jolly Holiday

On Monday we leisurely got up and got ready and headed out to see our friends Linda, Janny and Janny's two kids. Linda has been friends with Sherry for a lo-o-o-o-ng time. We always have a wonderful time with her. She's a spunky, lively friend and cracks me up. Unfortunately, Linda's other daughter, Becky couldn't join us, but we still had a great time over coffee and cookies.

I'm very thankful that Marshall and Shaylen have enjoyed meeting and playing with new friends this trip. Sometimes they can linger near my hip (new environment, new toys, new faces), but they really didn't do that at all this time. Hooray! I think it allowed them to have more fun as well since they were with kids their own age and it allowed us to have meaningful conversations with adults.

After lunch at Grandma's, we decided to hit the local park. I put in a call to a friend while the kids played on the playground (both little kids and the big kid-at-heart...see the pictures). When it got too hot, Sherry and Grandma took off so Taigen and I took the kids on a little hike. It was beautiful! The trail wound around and up and down, but it was wonderful to just go and do that. It was peaceful.

I was able to get some great shots from today. I'm kicking myself for not bringing my camera to Linda's house! Oh well. You'll have to just trust me that Linda and Janny are as beautiful and wonderful as their inner-beauty & character.

Time With Dear Friends

On Sunday, Taigen had the opportunity to teach Sunday school, sing in the morning service as well as preach both Sunday morning and Sunday night in his home church. Too bad it wasn't a "Pack-A-Pew" Sunday. If it had been, we would have won some prize because we had almost two rows filled.

After the morning service we went over to Grandma Rutledge's and enjoyed rotisserie chicken, potato salad, baked beans, homemade guacamole (Aunt Karen LOVES me) and a plethora of other great food. Everyone descended upon the house so it was good to sit and chat with everyone and relax before the evening service. I love the four-generation photo we got today. Isn't it priceless?

We had to say good-bye to my dear prayer-warrior friend, Marie Dorsett and her daughters after the evening service. They were going to be taking off Monday morning and this would be the last we would see them this vacation. I was so thankful that she was able to come up to WA in order to meet the twins and see Taigen and me. Her daughters Pam and Ronnie are delightful to talk with and I felt as if I've known them my whole life. Marie is a faithful reader of this blog and a sweet gem of a lady. I wish you all could know her. The kids enjoyed adding one more member ("G.G.") to our family.

We were able to go over to the Jorgensen's house after the evening service and spend some time with friends. The conversation was very good and the kids enjoyed playing up in the walk-up loft with their new friends. We are so thankful for the faithful prayers and encouragement of those who have known us for years. They are truly iron-sharpening friends.

Sleep-Over Pictures

Karen emailed me the pictures from the sleep-over so I am finally able to get them up here on the blog. Needless to say, the kids had a great time. We heard reports of hide-and-go-seek, popcorn & vanilla wafer snacks, a tent being set up IN THE LIVING ROOM and lots and lots of other fun.

As promised, the kids got ice cream for breakfast. I think Marshall ate two scoops and Shaylen ate three. We may never know how many Chris and Brett ate.

Karen had also purchased a wonderful puppet "stage" that goes in a doorway. She had an entire bin of puppets for the kids to use. They had a blast!

Brett noticed a great change in the kids. No longer were they quiet and shy around him. The amount of energy a three year old is quite different from a 5 1/2 year old to be sure! You might be wondering who the pretty lady is in the picture below. That is Brett's new girlfriend, Chelsea, that he met at church. She is a sweetie and loves to play with kids! Marshall and Shaylen fell in love with her right away. She's a happy medium of Peter Pan (she'll admit to this herself) and Mary Poppins.

Sleep-Over & Seattle

When Kyle & Taigen were boys they used to go over to Ralph & Karen's for a sleep over. Taigen has talked about the great times he had there as a boy. Karen had put the bug in our ears a long time ago about Marshall & Shaylen having a sleep-over. Her incentive was that the kids could eat ice cream for breakfast. How could they resist that?

Taigen had a phone pow-wow with Karen and worked it out that the kids would spend the night while we had an extended, much-needed date night.

We went over at about 2:30. The kids were so excited. There were no tears and no bouts of worry which was a huge relief to me. This was their very first sleep-over.

We took off and started off our date at Red Robin. I think the nearest one in New England is way down in Massachusetts so every time we get out West, we try and eat there. It is so good!

We enjoyed a very relaxing stay in Seattle overnight and then hit the infamous Public Market. The last time we were here was wa-a-a-a-ay back when we were dating (probably about 13 years ago.) Not much has changed. I was enjoying life immensely! Caramel Macchiato in hand, I was able to see visit THE original Starbucks (picture of the inside on the left). The line just to get a drink in there was SO long. We also stopped by Pike Place Fish Market (Home of the Flying Fish) and snapped up this video for you all to see what takes place there. It's awesome to watch.

We walked around for a while and stopped for a bit to take in the scenery. The Public Market is just a neat place to go and walk around. There are street vendors, fresh fruits, fish, flowers and hole-in-the-wall food places that have incredibly delicious food.

You know what else is at Pike Place Market? Bums. I got complimented twice on my hair by some homeless men. They must've been desperate for money or drunk! One guy said I had great hair and then smoothly worked into wanting $0.45. Go figure! The other homeless guy complimented my hair while I was waiting for the crosswalk signal. I got razzed about it quite a bit when I got back to Grandma Rutledge's and Taigen had informed them all about it. (Remember? I warned you about this family! Tee Hee!) Everyone kept commenting on how great my hair looked. Aren't they all pukes?

We relaxed at Grandma's for a bit until the kids got there with Ralph and Karen. Grandma was expecting very special guests today. Her dear friend Marie Dorsett and her two daughters were traveling up from Oregon to meet the twins and see us. Wasn't that nice? Marie is one of my biggest blog fans. I think she and Grandma look at the blog every day and then call each other to discuss the new Joos news. She is a dear lady and I have loved her for quite some time even though I have never really met her. She is one of my prayer warriors.

Taigen grilled hot dogs, brats and hamburgers. Chris (Taigen's cousin) is north for the weekend so we were finally able to spend some time with him. Altogether, we had 14 people over at Grandma's for dinner. It was a great time.

Since the kids got to bed later last night (I'm sure they were too excited to sleep!), we didn't stay long, but got them home, bathed and in bed. Tomorrow will be another busy but good day. When Karen emails photos of the sleep-over, I'll post them. They even set up a tent in the living room. Is that cool, or what?

The Long-Awaited Boeing Tour

Today we decided to take the kids to the Future Flight Museum that is connected with the Everett, WA Boeing plant. Our only concern was that there was a four-foot height requirement for the official tour. For Marshall, that's not an issue. Shaylen is two inches short. We took two cars, just in case.

It was incredible to just walk into the museum. There was a store off to the left that immediately caught our attention. It was a Christmas list waiting to happen. After asking a couple of people about the height requirement, the tour guide came out and said that if Shaylen stood on her tippy toes she'd be able to see over the railings, but that we were not allowed to lift her up at all. Hooray for Shaylen! She could go! What a relief.

We watched a brief video and then loaded up on a bus that took us over to the actual plant. Today we saw them making 777's for Air France, a couple of 747's and the much anticipated 787. It was awesome to watch history in the making...literally. As we drove back to the museum, we were able to see THE very first Dreamliner (787) as well as the Dreamlifter (a remodified 747 used to transport fuselage parts for the Dreamliner). In fact, they informed us that today was the very first day that they started up the Dreamliner's engines, so it's "maiden voyage" is in the not-to-distant future.

After our 90 minute tour, we went down into the museum and were able to look at some engines, a mock-up of the Dreamliner and take a bunch of pictures. Then...it was time for the store. It seemed like the store was made for Marshall, but we couldn't buy everything, obviously. Marshall found a book on passenger jets and it was even on sale! We walked away with a few souveniers and lots of ideas for birthdays and Christmas.
Above: Here's Marshall & Shaylen inside a Boeing 747 engine. Even I could stand up inside with room to spare!

Let the Spoiling Begin!

We have started on our vacation in full force. That not only means the resting part of vacation, but also the spoiling. Not only do we have Grandma Sherry doing the spoiling, but we also have Great Grandma Rutledge, Uncle Ralph, Aunt Karen, Chris & Brett (and Brett's girlfriend Chelsea).

Yesterday we kindof hung down. After a very leisurely morning (complete with Starbucks) and lunch, we headed over to Grandma Rutledge's. Grandma dropped a bomb on us in the first few minutes we were there: She was wanting to buy a new computer.

Before I continue with the explanation of our Wednesday, you have to understand Taigen's family. They give each other a hard time constantly. It is hilarious to listen to, but no one is immune. One of the things we've given Grandma a hard time about was her ancient computer. I think that computer was purchased back when Taigen and I were first married. I remember being there when it was bought. It is slow and works off of dial-up. Grandma is a very patient person so she was able to live with it, but it drove the rest of us crazy.

So, to hear that Grandma was ready to break down and buy a new one was shocking. While she was in the Spending Money mood, Taigen and I grabbed her, went off to Best Buy and got her all set up! Today, I'm going to be calling Comcast for her to set up high speed internet. She'll hopefully be able to look at all of the videos & slideshows (finally)on this blog by the end of the time we are here.

Yesterday evening we went to Taigen's home church. It's always good to see friends. Looking forward to more time with them on Sunday.

By the way, the kids aren't the only ones getting spoiled. I'm sitting here sipping my Starbucks for the second day in a row. Today we are hopefully headed to Boeing to get a tour for our airplane-loving son. Who knows, maybe when we get over to Grandma Rutledge's today she'll be ready to replace her electric lawn mower.

Early Christmas Pinings

If I were to say, "All I want for Christmas is..." you would most likely finish the phrase by saying, "my two front teeth." Am I right?

I'm thinking before long, our son will be hoping for those two new front teeth. At the dentist's appointment a month or so ago, the dental hygienist noticed one of Marshall's teeth was loose. He now has two teeth that are loose and behind one of them I can see the tip of the new tooth coming in. He is awfully proud of his "big boy" status. Before he could celebrate this new found maturity though, he needed to confirm that it wouldn't require shots in order for the teeth to come out.

Hmmm, maybe at least one tooth will come out in Washington. Wouldn't that be something? I'm getting the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it. Let's just hope his father can conveniently be around for the tooth's grand exit. I'll just follow it up afterwards with the Cash-ola...there's less blood involved.

Turkey-Lurkey Anyone?

I guess today was a day of firsts. We had an Oriole couple at our feeder today, something else is a first today, but that's my next post, and then, this evening, we saw a wild turkey in our backyard! He ran quickly once he saw us, but not before I grabbed the camera and captured him on "digital film."

Shaylen said he would have tasted yummy.

A Brand New Couple

Today I was chatting with Taigen, discussing what all needed to be done or packed in order to help get us ready for our upcoming WA trip. I turned to glance outside and noticed an Oriole at our feeder! These are not frequent attenders. In fact, I can only recall one other time that I've seen one. I quickly grabbed the camera and hoped he would not fly away. He went away from the feeder as I focused the lens, but only went up to a nearby branch. I snapped a few photos of him and noticed the female close by. Unfortunately, she flew away too quickly for me to get a picture of her. I'm so excited for the new couple in our neighborhood. I hope they come back.

A Garden To Sow...A Garden to Tend...A Garden to Keep: Our Ladies' Spring Banquet

Remember my post from last year regarding our Ladies' Tea? We issued a challenge to the ladies to sign up for a table and decorate it. I was amazed at the creativity the ladies had! The tables were awesome. This year, starting last September, the ladies of HBC been studying through the Fruits of the Spirit. I thought a fitting conclusion to our year would be a garden-themed banquet. We came up with a theme of A Garden to Sow...A Garden to Tend...A Garden to Keep.

Instead of having the ladies sign up for just a table, we had them sign up for a table with a designated color. I hoped that it wouldn't stifle their creativity. Boy was I wrong! The ladies pulled out all the stops and the tables looked so beautiful. We had ladies sign up for: sage green, light blue, light pink, deep pink, light purple, dark purple, peach, pale yellow, white, & burgundy. (I'll let you guess which one I did. If you look closely...I've given you the answer.)

I didn't plan all this by the way. I had the help of my Organization Queen, Ashley Norris. Because of her, the banquet went very well. We had almost sixty ladies sign up. I was so thankful for all of her help and all of the time involved to make things run smoothly.

Dale Tock and Allan Bishop were excellent caterers. The food was top-notch! We had a chicken wraps (with apples and walnuts...yum!), beautiful salads, fruit, yogurt and chips. As usual, several men and young men in our church were our servers so we didn't have to lift a finger during the meal time (or after for dishes). One of our men volunteered to take photographs of each family too. What a blessing!

You'll notice several pictures of bouquets of flowers intermittently placed around the church. Those were made by a dear lady named Lena. She does this every so often around the church as her ministry. She did an excellent job getting the church ready for spring and for our banquet. If you look closely in the arrangements you'll notice packets of seeds or butterflies or even miniature gloves, shovels or rakes. What a nice touch for our banquet!

You'll also notice in the slide show pictures of several fresh potted plants. Ashley gave me the idea this year to ask a local nursery if they would be willing to let us borrow plants to help decorate our lobby. Tuttle's Red Barn in Dover (just two minutes from the church) was very gracious is letting us use some of their beautiful flowers. (We even sold some for them the day of the banquet!)

Mrs. Kristine Dean from Weare, NH (pronounced "wear") was our speaker this year and she did a wonderful job of concluding our study on the Fruits of the Spirit. It was definitely a devotional to take to heart.

What a great finish to a great year of meetings with our ladies. I am so thankful for our church family. God is so good to us.

Time for Goodbyes

Monday night I packed as much as I could and got ready for today. I loathe goodbyes. I wanted to be able to leisurely hug and snuggle and reiterate how much I love my family.

Dad took us to the airport. He was going to hang around a bit since my brother in law was flying in at 11:30. I was going to miss him by 10 minutes!!! Bummer. We sat and chatted and then when it was time, Dad waited and waved and signed "I love you" as we went through security. That's always a tear-jerker!

It was such a memorable trip and we had a great time. I'm so thankful to my dear husband for making this trip possible and for Dad and Cathy who thought of the thing in the first place.

One last airplane note: the pilot on this last flight into Detroit was especially kind and took the time to show Marshall buttons and let him turn on some things. Then, as I was snapping up photos, he took off his captain's hat and placed it on Marshall's head. You would have thought he had handed Marshall the moon!

Reading Hour

Marshall and Shaylen brought their readers to CO so that they could read to someone other than Taigen or me. Dad, Cathy & Stephanie all jumped on the opportunity to hear the kids read.