My Op Pic: 06.12.2005

Sad Nicholas (he really didn't want his picture taken).

Cheesy, toothless grin form John-Boy. He's wearing his "Luigi" pjs.

I really was trying to get a good picture of my little ham. Taken this morning ... Daniel is wearing his "mario" pjs. They actually have snow dogs on them, but he likes to think he's like Mario (on the nintendo) because he's red. :)

Daniel, well, you can see what he's doing.

This one he was refusing to look at me. :)

Nicholas & "MA" (not pronounced like a mom but like how you would sound out the letter "m") in the laundry basket. :) Taken this morning.

Zoo Day

We have a really neat zoo here in Tacoma. They have been doing a lot to upgrade it -- we aren't sure if this is because the new exhibit they built has brought in more funds, or if they received yet another bond giving them money from the city (well, our taxes, actually). Have you ever noticed that sometimes the way you word something can change how it appears? Like I just said the Zoo received money from the city. That sounds removed from my daily life. "The City" appears to be an entity all is own, with its own funds, kind of like a rich uncle. However, if I were to rephrase that, and say they received money from a tax bond - usually a bond taxing homeowners - well then it brings it closer to home. The same thing happens when the news people report that roads are going to be enlarged or repaired. They keep it far away from you personally. They don't mention that gas prices will rise in order to fund these enlargements or repairs.
Anyways!! On to happier thoughts. :)
Yesterday we went to the zoo. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is a really neat place. They've just opened a new area called "The Kids Zone". The boys love that area!! Point Defiance has also made a new entrance to the zoo, which allows you to see The Sound. That was weird. Before it was shrouded by huge trees. It looks naked now, I am hoping their landscaping plans will soften the entry.
We met with a family we'd met at ice skating. There were a couple other homeschooling families there with us, but I didn't really get to talk to the moms much. It is hard to keep up with three boys when there are a lot of other kids around. There were a couple schools and some daycares there. We saw children running wild, with no adults watching them! (That always amazes me)
We played in the Kids Zone, fed the goats and looked at the aquarium. I must say Point Defiance has done well. The aquarium used to be horribly polluted. Well, not polluted, but the water was horribly cloudy. You couldn't see from the top to the bottom, and when you were downstairs looking through the windows, you could only ever see a couple of feet into the interior. They have cleaned it all up. It is clear now! You can see all the way to the bottom from the top, and all the way through the middle when looking through a window!! We were even there in time to go to the marine discovery center. The boys got to touch different sea creatures that live in the Puget Sound. We touched starfish, clams, kelp, and something else. It was neat. They had fun exploring & learning with their friends, Aaron & Charissa. We also went to the shark exhibit. We'd never been there before -- it was REALLY neat!!!! They have tuna, and other fish and neat sharks. We saw how they breathe because one was lying on the floor of the tank right next to the window. It was really cool. :)
After the aquarium, we went to the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theatre. They have two shows every day showcasing and teaching about different animals and their habitats. They stress conservation a lot, and talk about rainforests a lot, but that is ok.
Nicholas really liked the show. He giggled, clapped, ooohed and aaahed over the birds and different animals. He liked the birds the best, because they flew over our heads. He also liked the porcupine. :) It was neat watching the show with Nicholas because it was the first time he was really interested. He even cuddled with me while we watched.
After the show, we went back to the Kids Zone to play for a few minutes more. I took the boys to the bathroom, because I was afraid Nicholas had wet his pants. I'd asked if he had, and he said no, then said yes. His pants were damp, but he had played in the water at the Kids Zone. When we got to the bathroom, I checked & he was DRY!!! He did great!! Mama was so happy! :)
We left the Kids Zone in a little bit because we were all tired and it was crowded. We looked in the gift shop for a birthday present for Evva, but didn't find anything. :(
The kids were so tired they weren't listening very well on the way to the car, but they got there finally.
At home, I did Quicken and dishes, and they watched a movie. Silly Nicholas ruined his good day -- he wet the floor!!! Arg. Win some, lose some, I guess.
All in all it was a nice day. I hope to get out like that more this summer.
Please continue to pray for us as we still don't know anything about Jef's job.
Monday the 20th, we are having a BBQ for Evva. Her birthday is the 21st. So Doug is going to grill and Jef is going to make cheesecake & potato salad and Marie, Evva & I aren't going to do a thing!!! ;) Well, Marie & I are bringing food, but we're not cooking. :)
Ok, so that was our yesterday. :) If you have any hints on what to get Evva for her birthday, let me know!!

Four Week Check

Well, I can't post my calorie count because I don't have all my papers with me. But I weighed myself at Kamali's & Tina's ... (drumroll please)

I LOST 8 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's two pounds a week, which I have discovered, is exactly what I want to do. :) More than that would be too fast, and less than that would be bad. :)

So yeah!! :)

Our weekend

Hello! Happy Monday evening.
This was an eventful weekend, even though we didn't get to do what we were supposed to do.
Sunday we were supposed to go down to Vancouver to see Matt, Sarah & Baby Max. Jef came home Saturday night not feeling really well. He'd had to stay late at work, and then just kept feeling worse. We woke up Sunday morning and Jef felt horrible. His allergies were horrible, and he still felt sick like the night before. Matt called us around 11 a.m. to see if we'd left. We hadn't, although we were considering it. (we really want to see Baby Max) Jef talked to Matt, and told him our concerns - we didn't want to get the baby sick. So we decided to go down in a couple weeks.
Poor Jef had a terrible day. We went out in the evening to look at the garden, and Jef had to come in quickly because his allergies started again. :( We did have fun as a family, though!! :)
Today was really nice. We'd decided yesterday to make sure we got out of the house today. We are tired of wasting beautiful, sunny days.
The morning was leisurely. The kids played Nintendo, Jef studied and I got ready. Nicholas even got to read Thomas (the Tank Engine) with Daddy. :)
We told the boys we were going to the bank, Costco, and Kamali & Tina's. We went to Fred Meyer, and picked up lady bugs (among other things - oh wait - I have to vent -- Fred Meyer sells their tuna 2/$.84. It doesn't say on the little price tag (which happens to be on the bottom shelf) that price is only good for so many. We get up to the check out and it only lets us get four cans at that price!!!! What is up with that???!!! Arg. Sometimes I hate Fred Meyer.). Since we got lady bugs we decided to stop off at home to drop them off (we didn't want them to get squished). We turned into the alley & Nicholas says, "No! Costco!!" He remembered our "list". It was too funny. After Costco, we had to come home again, because we'd bought a box of ice cream things (it has sandwiches, bars & cones). We turned into the alley, and Nicholas says, "No! Aunt Lolly, Aunt Tina's!!!!" It was so funny!!
After we dropped off the ice cream, we headed over to Kamali's & Tina's. Jef worked on his business card and Nicholas napped. Then Tina came home & we went to the park. We stopped at McDonald's on the way. I got a Cobb salad with crispy chicken (470 calories). The kids got happy meals & Jef got the new Tillamook bacon cheddar cheeseburger & fries. YUM!!
The park was fun. The boys got to play on some big toys & Sadie, Sydney & Susie (Kamali's & Tina's dogs) got to run around and play! :) We got out the kites (they were in the trunk) and flew them. :) Well, I flew the Pooh Bear kite, but Jef, Kamali & the boys had trouble with theirs. :( They did get them going finally, though, so that was good.
We met some kids at the park (it was actually a school field). I was vividly reminded of why I don't want the boys in public school. Holy cow!!!! The things I heard kids saying!!!! Young kids, to boot!!! It was awful. I liked the kids who played with us just fine, but the kids playing basketball were horrible. Sometimes I just want to cover the boys' ears.
After the park, we went to Kamali's & Tina's again. Jef worked on his business card some more. He is making it in Publisher, but Kinko's can't print them from Publisher. The file has to be formatted in Adobe Acrobat (which we hate). He finally got it to look right so we left. :)
Now we are home and chilling out. The kids crashed.
Have you ever tried Diet Coke with Splenda? You should. I like it. No aspartame to mess up your brain!!! Now I have to try Pepsi One which is supposed to be made with Splenda too.
Anyways, I've rambled long enough. Tomorrow is going to be fun. We are going to the Zoo with five other homeschool families. Should be fun. :) I'll be sure to let you know.

Here's a picture of the DuCom family! Matt, Sarah & Baby Max (and a bear whose name I don't know).

My Op Pic

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Zoo Day

Monday, June 13, 2005

Four Week Check

Our weekend

Sunday, June 12, 2005

About Me

Friendly Sites

Fun Stuff

Previous Posts

Archives