Ice Skating

In our family, we use marble jars for good and bad behavior. It is something we have done off and on since the kids were small and it always works well. When they each fill their jars, they can either take money or a date with mom or dad. This time they all filled their jars at the same time (this doesn't happen very often), and so they chose to go ice skating as a family. Dan and I haven't been ice skating since before we were married, so we were equally excited. It was a blast! The kids all Rollerblade, so they picked up ice skating pretty quickly. The best surprise was seeing my niece (the kid's cousin)Maddie there. She was there with her friends. Definitely something we will do again!

Fun Beach day in January!

Yes, it is January and we are at the beach! The weather has been crazy this year! We always try to get to the beach when we can. Thanks to the holiday and the sun, we were able to escape the valley and enjoy the sand and surf! The water was freezing, but that does NOT ever stop kids! Very fun day with the Mackays and Bensons!

Beach Day!

The first beach day of the summer! Every Thursday is beach day if anyone wants to join us. I haven't seen some of my girl peeps since we moved in November, so it was a fun reunion. Can't wait to get together with them every week! I have really missed them. My brother Joe's family are in town visiting from Utah this week. They all joined us today and burned their precious white, Utah skin. I just love the first burn of the summer. We all got pretty burned too. My kids have their grandma Merrill's skin and their burns are now gone and their tan has started...ok, and maybe cancer too! I know, I am bad, but you have to have a little color right?
This is our group today...

This is Spencer! He was getting too HOT and so he is hiding from the sun. Does that tell you what kind of day it was at the beach. It was so beautiful!!

This is Chelsea and her cute cousin Ashlyn. They are two peas in a pod!

Melanie was our body boarder today. She joined her older cousins in the freezing water. It is only June and still pretty cold out there.
But she had an absolute blast coming in with the waves.

Chelsea couldn't get enough of the water either. She doesn't know how to swim yet, so I won't let her do the whole body boarding thing yet. She goes in waist high though, which scares me sometimes. So glad we have lifeguards close by.

Be prepared to see more beach action in the future! Gotta love it!

4th Grade Top AR Reader

Back in April, Spencer received a HUGE award at his new school. It was for having the most AR Reading points for the month. What is AR? The kids read and complete a book; then they take a computerized comprehension test. Points are given based on the reading level and length of the book. This was out of all the 4th graders in the school. Pretty HUGE right? He got his picture taken and it was posted in the newsletter, library wall, and even in the yearbook.

Spencer LOVES to read, but he didn't always. A little background: In 1st grade, he was assessed and put into a reading resource class to help him develop his reading skills. In second grade, his teachers told us he wasn't fluent and he was suffering greatly. To get him to read, we told him that he could stay up later (past bedtime) if he was reading. We got him books he really enjoyed. It was the very funny series, 'Caption Underpants' that did it for him. He loved these books and loved staying up late reading. By the end of 2nd grade, he was re-assessed and they found that he no longer needed resource. He was excelling in reading and comprehension. Spencer just completed his 4th year of school this week and he is a total show off, reading on a junior high level.

Yesterday Spencer came home with a huge smile. He said he made the 100+ AR club in his class. Meaning all the kids in his class that got 100+ points for reading were going to have a special party. He was pretty excited! He had no idea how many points he made; he would find that out later.

Today at school Spencer's class had an AR reading awards ceremony. He was given an award for receiving the most AR points in his class for the year...250+. One of the boys in his class said, "He beat us all and he came to the school half way through the year."

We are very proud of Spencer today. It has been a good lesson for him, "If you want something bad enough, you have to practice".

Sky High Dance

Melanie has been taking a Hip Hop dance class with her friend Natalie after school for the past 7 weeks. She has loved it! Today was her BIG performance. I wasn't able to get a clear view of Melanie's face the entire time because she was in the back row. Their teacher couldn't be there for the show today, so they did the dance by memory. They did pretty well too. I also taped her practice performance last week, which I think is better. You can't see her at all in that video because she was in the front row, but at least you can see what the dance was like. This was the cutest thing ever! The MPR where they did their performance was just packed full with family and friends. What a great group!

Santa!

Christmas Dress!

Dan's Newest Hobby!

So, my hubby Dan is funny! Like most men, when he finds a new hobby, he goes after it full force. This gets sort of expensive, because most of his hobbies require something pretty pricey to buy in order to do the hobby. Surfing and shooting are ones he continues to participate in and continues adding equipment to. When he first told me about this NEWEST hobby, I have to admit, I wasn't excited! It just sounded dangerous to me. The hobby is spear fishing! Swimming in the deep ocean with a snorkel and sharp object attached to you, just didn't sound very safe to me! He had purchased a spear pole several years ago, but because we lived up North where the water is a lot colder, the "hobby" at that time didn't take off. Thanks to a friend who is a regular "spear fisherman" (is that even what you call them?) Dan, was so excited to give it a try. The first time out, he brought us home 3 bass that were so yummy. Of-course, they were easier to catch with his buddy's "spear gun"...he said. So, for Father's Day, he bought himself a spear gun. I have to say, I am loving this newest hobby now. This was the "catch" this past Saturday!

These are called California Sheep head. It is so yummy! The texture is like lobster...very flaky. The taste? Like fish...or my kids say chicken. They love it!! So yes..I do like this hobby. And the equipment will just have to be part of our emergency survival kit.

House Update #2!

Soo, I know many of you have been wondering what is up with the whole purchasing a house thing, so I thought I would update you all. Well, we have made over 30 offers! Steve, our Realtor has congratulated us and says that is a record for him! Believe it or not, it is an extremely competitive buying market (in our price bracket) here in California! Everything is either a short sale and can take a year to hear anything or we simply get outdid by the "flippin" rich. Flippin meaning the "flippers" who have cash to buy older houses and turn them into new houses. I really hate these people! Sorry, but I do!

Checking the market every hour has been exhausting. After falling in love with about dozen homes just to get rejected, and seeing my doctor for depression/stress, I decided to take a couple weeks off. Just as I do, Steve calls to tell me he is sending over yet another offer to sign. Note: the market is so bad, you have to make offers without seeing houses. So, this is my newest LOVE:




Yes, I have seen it now and have met the owners. It is new inside and out. The owners (a beautiful family) were planning on living there a long time, so redid the house with the best materials. It is nice! It makes me sad that they lost their jobs and now have to give up their home. They do have a happy ending which involves a new job, so don't get too sad!

Yes, they "chose" us after seeing a picture of my beautiful family, and it is ours just as soon as their bank excepts our offer (short sale). There is actually a very funny story behind it, but I should probably wait to tell it on here (Internet). If you are interested, you will have to call me!

So, we have two excepted offers on two different homes in two different cities. We are waiting for the banks to do their part. In the meantime we still keep an eye out and I try not to get stressed out!! Keep us in your prayers!

Blame It All On Facebook!

As you ALL know, I have been neglecting my blog...and I think it's all Facebook's fault. No, really, it is! Facebook is a blog killer. Facebook makes posting/updating and keeping in touch with family and friends so FAST and EASY. It is just perfect for a busy mom! It is really nice to be able to track and keep up with everyone on a daily basis, some of whom I have not seen or talked to in ages.

Because of facebook, I forget to come and blog....I mean after all, I did post our updates in Facebook. Right? See, it IS so Facebook's fault...honest!! What makes this particularly troubling is, we have had a lot going these past several months that might have made a good blog post or three. So, I am going to spend the next few weeks updating my blog. I do have to put it in number order, which some might call cheating, but it just has to be dated and in order. So, keep checking back!!

House Update!

Two days til' Escrow closes and we are signing cancellation papers on the house in Simi! AHHHH!!! We had one last thing to work out with the neighbors and our attorneys before we actually signed over the deposit. An easement issue! We really didn't think it was going to be a big deal. The neighbors to the right of "our" house have been using part of the property for their boat for the past 18 years. They have even built a 3 foot wall on "our" property to encase their boat. The previous owner let them do this for over 18 years and so by law have lost part of their property to them. We of-course, want ALL of the property that is for sale including this RV parking that is actually on our property, that could be used by us. We met with the neighbors the other day along with both agents. The problem was not resolved, which forced us to back out and cancel. The neighbor lady actually said, "we have lived here for over 30 years and have tight relationships with every person on this street. If you force us to take down our wall, you will not have a lot of friends on this street!" Basically saying, "we will all hate you!" NICE!! That is a neighbor I want to live next to!! After some serious discussions and prayer, Dan and I both felt it was WRONG!!! So, we are back out there looking! Wish us luck!

Our New Home!

So, the moment you have all been waiting for...here is the house. It is now final! There were a few (or several) things we asked the owners to do (that is why it took so long to tell you all for sure) before we released our contingencies. We were/are completely shocked and overjoyed they have agreed to do most of those things. Escrow is supposed to close July 17th, (so fast), but we already know it will be a few weeks after that. Wow, this has been a very stressful ordeal, but we are sooo excited. It is a cute, small thing (compared to what we have been living in for the past 4 years), but it has a fantastic floor plan. It is not the 3000 SQ house we dream of, but it is a small 1750+ house in California just 36 miles from the beach (the warm one). It is located in a great neighborhood in Simi Valley/Santa Susana. It is on the East side, so east that if you go anymore east, you will hit the 'other valley'-SF Valley (where Dan grew up). We have already met several of our neighbors who seem very cool. No, it is not in Newbury Park, which made ME very sad at first, but we (I, mostly) are willing to sacrifice. The commute for Dan from Simi to Westwood will be much shorter and much easier, so we are excited for that! It has 4 bedrooms and two baths. We have a very fun park right in our backyard (see pictures). The kids are all excited about that! It has a big apple tree in the front yard and a nice climbing tree for Melanie in the back.

The owners just recently moved out, so I will need to get some inside shots for you all. Note: there are some shots of the inside online, but it is sort of hard to look past all the clutter the previous owners had. The house has beautiful, newer hardwood floors throughout. It will have a brand new roof this next week (we hope). We will need to scrape ceilings and paint before move in. So, those looking for a service project, please contact us soon! We will also have to re-due the kitchen eventually and the driveway. So, we have a little work ahead of us but it is move in ready, which is hard to find around here in this very competitive price bracket of ours. We really are sooo excited. Can't wait to start our new life in a new area!

Three years Later...

Dan's mom has this first picture on her desk at work. It was taken 3 years ago. Three years later she wanted it updated. Can you see a change in the kids? Look how fat Chelsea is!! The Clinger Grandchildren!!

NASA Gives Space Station Crew 'Go' to Drink Recycled Water

Spencer and I were watching the news one morning and they were talking about this. Spencer was so funny! He was totally freaking out!

NASA's Mission Control gave the Expedition 19 astronaut crew aboard the International Space Station a "go" to drink water that the station's new recycling system has purified.

NASA Photo: Expedition 19 Crew on International Space Station Toast Their New Recyled BrewMission Control radioed the news to the crew Wednesday, following a report from the Water Recovery System team that station program managers approved. The decision is an important milestone in the development of the station's environmental and life support systems, which will begin supporting six-person crews at the end of May.

Expedition 19 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineers Mike Barratt and Koichi Wakata celebrated the decision with a toast in the Destiny laboratory.

"This has been the stuff of science fiction. Everybody's talked about recycling water in a closed loop system, but nobody's ever done it before. Here we are today with the first round of recycled water," said Barratt. "We're really happy for this day and for the team that put this together. This is the kind of technology that will get us to the moon and further."

"This is an important milestone in the development of the space station," said Kirk Shireman, International Space Station deputy program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This system will reduce the amount of water we must launch to the station once the shuttle retires and also test out a key technology required for sending humans on long duration missions to the moon and Mars."

Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-126 mission delivered the Water Recovery System to the station in November 2008. Mission Specialist Don Pettit and Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke installed the equipment before Endeavour's departure. The system has been processing urine into purified water since shuttle Discovery's STS-119 crew delivered and installed a replacement Urine Processing Assembly in March. The system is tied into the station's Waste and Hygiene Compartment toilet and recovers and recycles moisture from the station's atmosphere.

The crews of STS-126, Expedition 18 and STS-119 returned samples of the recycled water to Earth. A total of 5.28 gallons (20 liters) of recycled water were tested for purity at the Water and Microbiology Laboratories at Johnson. A special Space Station Program Control Board meeting on April 27 reviewed the analysis, which showed contaminants were well below established limits, and concurred that the water is safe and healthy to drink. Mission managers elected to postpone consumption until a sticky check valve in the Urine Processing Assembly was removed May 18.

Space station crews will monitor the purity of the recycled water with on-board equipment and periodically send down samples for testing on Earth.

Melanie's talk

Today Melanie will be giving a talk in church today. Her talk is on how faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ can strengthen my home and family. I thought I would share her talk because it is about a time when my children gained a true testimony of faith and prayer. Here is her talk:

This is me and Carnell. I like to call him Grandpa, because he has always been like one to me. Sometimes on Sundays he comes to my house for dinner. He doesn’t live very far, but when he goes home, he always calls us on the phone to tell us he made it home safe. One night after leaving our house, he did not call. We waited and waited and he still did not call to let us know he made it home. I noticed my Grandpa Merrill getting worried. Grandpa Merrill got in his car and drove to Carnell’s house. Carnell was not there. Grandpa Merrill drove all the streets in Newbury Park looking for him. He was no where! My family and I were very worried. I was worried he might me hurt. My daddy asked if I would like to go help look for him. We drove for a long time, but did not see him. As a family, we all knelt down and said a prayer that Carnell would be safe and be found. We called the police and they had all the police looking for him. We could even heard helicopters. It was now very, very late and way past my bedtime. It was hard to fall asleep. My mommy told me to say another prayer and to have faith that he would be found. When I woke up in the morning, Carnell was still missing. Then all of the sudden the phone rang, it was Carnell’s neighbor. His car was in his driveway. He had gotten very lost, but made it home safely. I know that it was my prayers to Heavenly Father and my faith in Jesus that helped my family find Carnell. I am thankful for prayer and for my faith. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

2 Roosters

My mom sent this this to me and I am still laughing! I love it!

What Is For DINNER?

About 1:00 this afternoon I got a call from Dan. He asked if I would have the kitchen sink cleaned because he was coming home with dinner. Him and his buddies all have spears and so today they all went spear fishing.
This is what he came home with.

Most of the fish were Rock. I had never even heard of Rock fish before, so I was a little nervous. The kids loved watching Dan "do his stuff", cleaning and gutting them. I, not so much. I had my bottle of bleach and kept spraying it everywhere. During the picture above, Spencer noticed one of the fish still moving his gills and mouth. Sure enough when Dan put him into the sink full of water, he splash around wildly. It kind of freaked Spencer out! He sat and watched those fish very closely!

So, my new favorite fish is Rock! It is the best tasting fish! The kids really loved it! Chelsea kept saying, "yummy" as she took bites. They all told Dan that he should have brought home more. So, with a hunter of a husband, I have to say we are pretty set if the economy gets bad and we can't afford to buy food. Who needs a year supply when you have a spear and a gun??

It's National Jedi Day!

Spencer wants to know why he has to go to school today when it is clearly a holiday. I asked him what he would do all day if I let him stay home. He said, "watch all 6 stars wars movies and play with my lightsaber." Ummm...sounds good to me!

FACEinHOLE

I have to explain...Chelsea said to me today that she wished she was a barbie. OK, so I searched for barbie and found this very funny site. Now she says she wants to buys THESE barbies. UMMM!!
Create your own FACEinHOLE

COLE!

Those of you that know Spencer, know that he is TERRIFIED of dogs! He was attacked by one when he was 4 and has not forgotten it. It doesn't matter the size and it doesn't USUALLY matter if you tell him that "he won't hurt you!" It could be the nicest dog, Spencer is terrified! It is sad actually. When he is invited to a friends house, the first thing he asks is if they have a dog. He won't go if they do. Well, this past week, my brother John got his family a dog. We knew they were looking for a large dog and that made Spencer nervous becasue we spend a lt of time at the Merrill's house. Well, this is Cole and Cole is a LOVE. He is a fully trained, full bred, 1 year old golden retriever. They got him here. If you are interested you could read more about him here. Tonight, we had a little family birthday party over at my brother's house. We were excited, but a little nervous to see Spencer with Cole. We really didn't know what would happen. Madison (Spencer's closest cousin and pal) introduced Cole to him slowly. He was a little scared at first, but by the end of the evening, he was holding the leach and walking him around the house. Yeah for Cole. We plan to go over often to overcome his fear.