March 2017

Okay, March catch-up starting with pictures! I guess I should say ONLY in pictures. Boom. Done.

just goofin around looking all grown up. No big deal.

Blake was trying to avoid the schoolwork.

The kids are enjoying Karate and passed their belt tests with flying colors

my story off Rian will be shared at his memorial but suffice it to say that loosing Rian Fiske to cancer will make this month an update I won't every forget. Being at a deathbed is not something you take lightly and it was a sorrowful joy to minister to the family in their day of loss. I am looking forward to continuing to be there for them in any way I am able.

Wai Lana! hahahahaha

Our comet cloud

lots of flowers were needed this March. . .

someone discovered this costume now fits

Just a few pictures of my time at the Fiske house on the morning of Rian's passing. 

 I told him to look "serious"

Fun times with fam at MoPop

 beautiful light on a random afternoon

 back to the MoPop

 sensei ken runs the show. 

Nat and Daniel came for a visit and we had the best time at the MoPop. Daniel really liked the sci-fi section and the kids couldn't get enough of the music area and this weird game in the indie games section that four of them could play at a time. I love how much fun the cousins have together. 

What else is important about March? The Bulldogs made it to the Final Four. whoot! 

CORRECTION THE BULLDOGS ARE CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THE FINALS

February 2017

February, I can't even remember you. Okay so. . . .Valentines Day? I think we went the weekend before to the Spaghetti Factory and we had a pretty good time. I remember the kids being a little unruly in moments but for the most part quirky and actually FUN to hang out with. They have thought and opinions and carry on a conversation. You know it only took like ten years of raising them but I can feel us turning a corner to that sweet spot of joyful family interaction before the teen years ruin it all. Hee hee. The kids are still doing Karate and swimming. Blake has piano. Trinity has choir, girlscouts, and therapy. Isaac has four hours of therapy a week still. I honestly don't remember much particulars about the month. Jeremy and I made it to the Star Trek exhibit before it closed. It wasn't nearly as cool as the star wars one. Fun to see some costumes I guess and the models of the Enterprise were neat but let me tell you costumes from the eighties were pretty basic! Apparently I need to work harder at this blog thing because simply not remembering a month of happenings is pretty not cool. Oh yeah! I went to the Fuller Conference on Worship and Arts. INTERESTING stuff. Long story short it was thought provoking but not about the topic they had. It simply fired me up for what was laid on my heart last year: to incorporate more of the arts into our church body experience. Of course the night it ended I sat in bed with an idea for Lent blooming in my mind and I HAD to take action. I met with Michelle and Lucas from church and we hammered out a plan. While not exactly my original vision it enabled Michelle to begin a prayer wall she has greatly been desiring to get up and running so I feel like it really worked out well for all. Lent has become one of my most favorite seasons as it really prepares my heart for Resurrection Sunday. 

 receiving their white belt stripe from sensei Diane

 the art installation at Cascadia worship and arts conference

 "I am locutus of Borg"

 always nice when no one shows up and your kid gets a private lesson

 only one of the best books ever for speaking to me as an artist

 Cascadia again. I really liked tis guys art.

Dec. pt. 2 AND January. My how time flies!

So part two of December. It was a blur. I made it through the Christmas Eve services and really enjoyed the fruits of our efforts. It was the first year I've participated in them as I usually travel. Then (since we are crazy) I got back home at 6:30 in the evening and Jeremy had the car completely loaded up, dogs, kids, presents and all. We arrived at my moms in the wee hours of the morning. That turned out to be okay because in the meantime my brother and his family had gotten the stomach bug from the in-laws. So we actually pushed back Christmas like three days. It was sort of fun to put Christmas music on two days after Christmas with the holiday anticipation still intact and everyone elses' celebrations were done. We got to see my Aunt's new place and visit with the kids. Blake and Trinity really enjoyed hanging out with Meaghan and Vince. I'm super happy about them being closer to us!
I really took no pictures. I just made an effort to be present this year. I suppose I might regret that at some point when there is NO pictures of my kids Christmas 2016 but it felt really nice. We stayed through the new year riding snowmobiles, enjoying game night, and hitting some of our favorite places. We even got to catch up with three out of four of Jeremy's old college friends who happened to be having a game night themselves while we were in Spokane one evening. Good to see you Jodi, SAra, and Shanna! Then it was an easy drive home where who the heck knows what we did the first few weeks of January! Ha Ha, well I know we started school back in on the 10th. Second Semester of EEL tutoring has been going really well. I've been enjoying group dynamics and not feeling like it's too much. There was one week though that I definitely was getting a little lost. Fortunately there is grace for that. Talked to some people at the public school about the parent partnership program and it sounds really amazing. I'm still a little up in the air about what will work the best for us at Trinity reaches high school age. I'm glad I will get at least one year of challenge starting this fall to see if I feel it's a great fit or not. That would still give to time to get her in two years of the Parent Partnership thing if that seems a better choice. My grandma miller turned 91! I called her but I hate that both my grandmas are in Arizona on their own. They don't complain but seriously, they are both over 90 and I just worry about what will happen if their health declines which of course it's going to at some point.
So in January, Blake quit parkour and all three took up Karate. It's been super good for Isaac. He is asked to be still when listening and to follow instructions. He is using memory work to remember the kata's he is learning. It's just been a great fit for his focus issues. I feel Blake will benefit from their strict rules on respect and excellence in behavior and academics. The tricky thing is the class blake and trin are in are technically to stop at age 11. Trinity is already 12 but they let me fudge so I could have them all together, plus she really functions in some ways more at an 11 year old level anyway. But in July (as I'm thinking ahead because it's cheaper to sign up for like seven months) she will be thirteen. They then throw the kids in with adults and lessons are at 7:00. That is not going to work for me so I'm frustrated. I'd love to talk to them about having a homeschool class earlier like at three that would encompass like 4-12 grade. I think they would get a ton of kids. It's not ideal for me to have back to back hours (isaac, then the big kids) but it would be better than a lesson at four then not until seven. Not sure what to do for it. I can't think of any other major changes in January. There has been improvement for sure in Trinity's anxiety with a combination of medication and supplements that a naturopath has recommended. It's been very encouraging to see her more engaged in every aspect of life, girlscouts and choir are no longer the worst part of her day. So thankful for this improvement. We've had to throw down some new rules, restricting her phone time as she has not been faithful with our demands. Also there are new family rules on the wall as the children had a night where they simply could NOT be kind to each other. We called a family time-put and talked about what might help this situation because it was simply not going to work for us that they treat each other that way. There has been some improvement. Blake has well has had some new expectations put on his behavior. For a while I will admit I was letting things slide. I just had a lot on my plate and I didn't have the time or inclination to follow through on consistent discipline but lucky me it totally had a snowball effect and his entitled attitude had to be checked. So I've been working hard on it. I think I see some light at the end of the bad behavior tunnel. Next up I would love to get more hardcore about his and Isaac's diet. I think Isaac would follow his brother and actually like quite a few things. Blake may not like them but he still has to try them. Sigh. A mother's work is never done. Trinity even recorded a song and officially auditioned for America's Got Talent! (a bucket list thing for her)  And here we are in the first week of February. Eep!