A Tent for Two

I always joked that a 10-man tent was really good for about a family of four or five. I like room to spread out, not walking all over each other. I don't even know if this smaller tent is considered a "two-man" tent or if it's supposed to sleep more. This camping trip it was just the two of us. It's the only time we ever did a camping get-away just us.  It's amazing the difference when you aren't chasing littles around. A different experience for sure! 

The beach without littles was more relaxing too. 

Birthday Dinner and Limo Service

 

While we didn't get the whole Westra clan/Blackham Bunch together for Jen's 36th birthday, Mom/Dad and the younger brothers, and C&C made it for dinner ... and a ride there in a limo! Grayson arranged it all as a surprise. Here's Jen's journal entry from the day:

November 10 (Friday) Happy birthday to me. Gray sent an e-card a two separate flower arrangements. VT dropped off a gift, RS dropped off a card, Mom called. Then a third arrangement was delivered (3x12=36). The babysitter showed up at 6:00 as scheduled ... but no Grayson. Not a huge surprise, I knew he was planning something and it was taking longer then anticipated. Olivia had let the cat out of the bag a little, calling to wish me a happy birthday saying sorry she couldn’t come tonight (letting me know that it was a group gathering). Gray finally showed up around 7:00, with a huge limousine. Inside were Clay and Courtney, my parents, Shane, Alicia and baby Rella, and Derek and Danielle. We drove to Ruby River for dinner, then dropped everyone off. Gray wasn’t overly impressed with the limo service, the ride was a bit jerky (Gray started to get a little carsick), one of the TVs didn’t work, it had a “Vegas” smell, and the driver didn’t know much about the controls (to heat or cool things down). Gray also gave me a new video-recorder as a gift.

 

Memorial Day/Grandpa Gordy

 Every year we go to Grandpa Gordy's Grave ... on the anniversary of the day he passed away, or Memorial Day, or both. During our last visit, as we took the obligatory family photo, I remembered these pictures from years back ... so time for a back post. It's fun to compare the pictures and see just how much everyone changes through the years.

 Cute little Addy

 Ana and Courtney and the babies ...

 Blackham Boys Blue

... and of course, the group shot

March 2006

Moments in March 2006

• BABY BLESSING: We blessed Colton and had everyone over to the house after. The 9:00 church hour may have deterred some, which is fine, as our house isn't that great for entertaining.
• DERBY DAYS: Gray has been setting up the new track in the basement to try out, and he hosted a work derby for Hamlet Homes. He helped the boys make cars for that, and as Landon had a science fair project due, we experimented with where to place the weight (in the back is best). 
• WORK SHIFTS: Grayson interviewed and accepted an offer with Symphony Homes and will be changing jobs. He and a friend also built a house in Bountiful that they are selling on the side.  We went up with the Blackham clan to check it out, and Callahan fell into a puddle and got all wet. Luckily I had a "bedtime backpack" in the car with underwear and pajamas for him to change into. 
• MORE DENTAL DAYS: Landon had to have an extraction, Callahan some work on space maintainers, I had to have some cavities filled. Lots of trips to the dentist again. Dang teeth!
• BETTER BABYSITTING: There were quite a few babysitters, but Cooper is doing better. He started to cry once as one came over but she was prepared and pulled a little toy out of her bag and Cooper turned and said "Bye-bye mom" ...
• IDENT-A-KID CARDS: Took the kids to the school for pictures and the little "Ident-a-kid" cards (just in case, updated pictures/fingerprints, description). The kids like them, think they are like a driver's license. 
• SEEING SPOTS: I have some little circle stickers that I use to mark the date on the bottles of breastmilk I’ve pumped, and one morning I came out to find Cooper playing with them. He had put them all over his face and hands.
• FAMILY FUN: Out to the folks a few times, lunch with Mom. We had the two Jensen boys over for a sleepover while Rick was in town for meetings. A big Blackham Bash with all things Italian (lasagna, spaghetti, fettuccini, pizza). 
• INTO THE MOUTH: Cooper has never been one to put everything in his mouth, but then one day I caught him eating the fishfood, and then later putting a little marble in his mouth. Why is it that kids will put yucky things in their mouth...but not their dinner?
• TOILET TROUBLE: We’ve had a little problem with the potty backing up and clogging occasionally, and while it has never actually overflowed, and I don’t get mad at the kids when it happens, it has totally freaked Keaton out. Every time he goes to flush he says “I wonder if it will clog, I hope it doesn’t clog”. Many times he just leaves it without flushing, which is rather unpleasant for the rest of the family.
• SLIVERS: Keaton got a sliver in his hand and we tried to get it out. I got about half out, but the rest was just embedded too deep. It wasn’t hurting him, so we just let it be, and a few days later we tried again and got it out without any trouble. That same day Callahan showed me a “line” on his thumb...it was a sliver going over halfway down under the nail. OUCH! He said it didn’t hurt and he couldn’t even remember when it happened. Then it apparently fell out before I had a chance to try and get it out. Weird, isn’t putting something under the fingernails a torture device? Callahan wasn’t even fazed.
• KITTY-KITTY: A little black kitty was around outside. The boys loved playing with it and brought it in the house for a while, made a little house for it outside. Maybe someday ...
• TV TROUBLE: Our fairly new TV has gone bad, lines all through it. We do have a warranty, so looking into repair/replacement.
• BATTLESTAR: With Grayson’s new Ipod Video he can download television programs ($1.99 each) and he’s become hooked on “Battlestar Galactica” from the Sci-Fi cable channel. He showed me one, and then we got the miniseries from Blockbuster. He then bought the Season One set. I thought this was going to be something we could watch together, but apparently he can’t wait and keeps watching without me!
• RASH REMEDY: Colton had such a bad diaper rash I took him into the doctor. Got a prescription which cleared it up pretty quick.
• BAND-AIDS & BOOBOOS: Cooper got a little ouchie on his head, I don’t even remember how it happened. It really wasn’t bad, just a small circle in the middle of his forehead. But...he just wouldn’t leave it alone. He would pick at it and rub it, getting blood all over and I was afraid it was never going to heal. I finally covered it up with a bandage, but of course he pulled it off. I tried a few more times, and finally used a “Toy Story” band-aid which Cooper left on for several days. It wasn’t quite there, so when it came off, I replaced it with a “Pooh” one. Everyone would say “what happened” as the band-aid was so very visible. Cooper picked right up on this question, and when I had a bandage on my thumb he looked at me so concerned and asked “wha happnen? Ouchie hurt?”

Check out the Email Updates on the WriteOn blog for family recaps sent at the time, or Jen'sJournal for details on the day to day. 

Wiggle Uncle Kolby

 

Back in 2005, Grayson ruptured his Achilles tendon. He had surgery and needed to rest for several weeks. He would sit and watch "The Wiggles" with little Cooper for company. He probably wouldn't have given the silly show much notice otherwise, but unable to get up and move around, he looked a little closer and thought that one of the dancers in the background looked like Uncle Kolby. 

It was the lifeguard character. Red shorts, yellow "lifeguard" tank top, zinc oxide across the nose and a swim cap on the head. It became a bit of a family joke, and the kids would point out "Uncle Kolby" during "The Wiggle Groove" and a couple other numbers.  It probably is NOT Kolby's twin, but just the build of the body, the quick glimpses and just imagining Kolby dressed and dancing like that was enough to make everyone laugh a lot!

When Kolby's family and the rest of the Blackham's were over (it may have been for Callahan's birthday, or Colton's baby blessing) we showed the Wiggles video to the family to see if they thought there was a resemblance too. Much laughter ensued ...

Here's our home movies ...https://youtu.be/sBvxsFc50as
... and a complete clip of the silly song
https://youtu.be/PuUPWonWkhc

February 2006

February started off with Landon accompanying Grayson on the Hamlet Homes annual trip ... generally for spouses, but not really in the cards with a new baby. They were off to Cancun.

The kids were off-track for the first half of the month. It has its pros and cons ... it's nice having the bigger boys around to watch the babies while I run Keaton to preschool (he's not off-track) but, then the kids are around and needing to be entertained. They are really good boys though. Landon and Callahan had some dental work during this off track time, as did I (finishing up my root canal).  Callahan went to a Jazz game with his Junior Jazz team, which wrapped up their season. The boys had a sleepover at Maga's house (not baby Colton ... not yet).  Tamagotchis have been popular ... but maybe should be called Tama-lost-ees, as Landon kept misplacing his.  LOTS of scout stuff this month, kept Grayson really busy!

We had Valentine's Day, Callahan's birthday (oops, the cake stuck ... oh well, it still tastes good even if it doesn't look good!) and President's Day (that one is not super exciting, but the boys were out of school).

Check out the Email Updates sent to family for recaps, or Jen'sJournal for all the day to day details.

January 2006

• HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL: The end of December had been a hospital stay for the birth of Colton, and then back when he spiked a fever with flu. We were released on New Years Day. Needed to restock groceries and such ... Gray offered to go but my list was so long and I thought getting out might be good. I was in the parking lot at Walmart when I realized I was wearing slippers instead of shoes (#peopleofWalmart).
• CONSTIPATED COOPER: Poor little guy has had trouble pooping for quite a while now. He will say “Stinky owie, stinky owie” over and over again. While I was in the hospital with Colton I mentioned to Grayson that he could try a suppository, but Grayson stated emphatically that he would not be “doing any inserting in that area.”
• BABYSITTER BLUES: Cooper has often been stressed about babysitters, but he is really bad now. Whenever anyone comes over (whether they will be tending or not) Cooper will start screaming!
• BASKETBALL BOYS: The three older boys are all on teams. Games and practices!
• TOOTH TROUBLE: I had to go in for a root canal ... the pain was enough that I was actually excited to go in. It had been giving me trouble for a while, but I hadn't dared make an appointment while pregnant (not sure when labor might start up). I had taken the medication in the hospital after Colton was born more for my tooth than for post-birth pain. Also got the big boys into the dentist for checkups ... they need to go back for dental work :(
• DERBY DAYS: Gray bought a pinewood derby track and set it up downstairs in the unfinished area.  A bunch of little friends came over, a basement full of boys trying it out.
• BABY BLESSING: We went to Addie's baby blessing, held in the clubhouse of their condo. They'd had a scare and had ended up in the hospital with her, glad everything is okay!

Catch the EMAIL UPDATES sent out in January in the WriteOn blog, and there's also Jen'sJournal for more in depth details ...

Callahan's Thank-You to Clay&Courtney

(Backdated Blogging)

Clayton was cleaning out his emails when he came upon this one I sent him back on September 1, 2005. I wrote "Callahan drew a picture of the carnival last Friday as a thank you to both of you. You can see Courtney holding the fish he won. I have the original for you too when we see you next."  Of course, now we know that digital is the way to go! Whereas the original is likely trashed somewhere, we still have this scanned treasure. 

I have my journal from Jan2006 on ... I'm not positive what happened to the previous years. I know we had a computer crash at one point, and lost a lot of stuff. I wish I had my journal entries, or my gmail (we started gmail in 2009) for records to remember more of what was going on.

I think this was a back-to-school carnival at Columbia. Grayson was out of commission with his ruptured Achilles tendon, and I was pregnant with Colton. But that means Courtney was pregnant with Addie at the time too. I guess maybe it was just too much for me to attempt with little Cooper and Keaton. Landon still would have been at Columbia too ... not sure if he went to the carnival too? He's not in the picture ;) 

I have a LOT of saved stuff I should scan and blog ... I love to see the kids old artwork and writing. 

Easter 2005

Easter 2005 was in March. March 27 to be exact. Before the big day, the Blackham boys did a little egg dying. Cooper doesn't look like he was enjoying it much, but we got smiles from the other boys, and a lot of colored eggs.

Easter morning ...

... the day before, we'd had the egg hunt with cousins at Grandma and Grandpa Westra's house.

... and cute Keaton made paper ears and got a cute nose and whiskers at preschool!

I didn't seem to see any video from Easter this year.

Jen's Favorite Books

As I mentioned in another post (here), "Pride and Prejudice" is one of my all time favorite novels. Another one from childhood, is "Sonny Elephant" (I'm lucky to own my copy, as it's been out of print for a long time). I have read, and LOVED so many books ... I'll feature a few favorites below then list more that I recall with a positive memory :) ... as you will probably see, I liked books in a SERIES ... it is so nice to have a continuing story, and not have to wonder about what you are going to read next!

Almost everyone has heard of "Anne of Green Gables" ... it was made into a great television movie (whereas the first movie actually stays quite true to book #1, the followup sequel takes a few more liberties, taking the next three books and mashing them into the one movie, turning three book characters into one, etc. ... but I did still really enjoy the movie!) Not everyone is aware that this wonderful series keeps going, eight books total. While I read the first several "Anne" books while I was a teenager, I didn't discover the final two until after I was married. I remember Grayson coming home one day to find me SOBBING ... (yes a spoiler, it has a sad part) ... one of the few books to actually hit me that hard.

Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums ... those were the first books I read in the "Dragonridgers of Pern" collection (which includes over a dozen books). Sometimes I wonder where writers get such an imagination to create completely different worlds like this! This "Harper Hall Trilogy" is aimed at younger (maybe middle-school) readers, then another trilogy (Dragonflight, Dragonquest, The White Dragon) is a little more advanced (I believe the library has them in the adult rather than the youth section). The second trilogy actually starts years before the one pictured above, but then ends afterward, with several crossovers between the two books. Several situations are portrayed in both trilogies, but from different perspectives in the various books. After the two trilogies there are several follow up books (some that go back and revisit the past, and others that take up the story and go forward). I LOVED these books. The author has other books, but none really captured me until I found the "Freedom's Landing" trilogy a few years back, and it was another set I really enjoyed.

Ok ... so far you can see I like romance and fantasy ... now how to describe Herriot's "All Creatures Great and Small" series? You don't get more down to earth than these books. Set in Yorkshire England in the 1930s, this is the first person narrative of a country veterinarian. It is considered fiction, although it is based on true life experiences of the author. I know ... it doesn't really sound like an appealing book, but it IS ... it's funny, it's tender, it's informative ... it's just wonderful! Four followup books in the series continue the stories.

As I started reflecting back on my reading throughout the years, SO many wonderful stories come to mind. This list is mainly for me I guess ... I was thinking I should write them down so I don't forget, but these books have already stood the test of time, as it's been over 25 years since I originally read them. Through the years, most of these have been collected and added to my personal library. I'd love to know if others have fond memories of any of these, and if they appeal at all to kids today ...

Elementary Age Favorites:

• The Chronicals of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: Classic seven book series. I read them as a teenager several times. Not long ago I read them all again, a book a day for a week. Some powerful imagery.
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare: I remember reading this book in elementary school, so 5th or 6th grade. I distinctly recall the entire class watching a program on PBS, where this book was being told while and artist drew illustrations. This award winning book was probably my first "historical romance" ... it IS a romance!
• The Great Brain series by J.D. Fitzgerald. Fiction, based on the author's childhood in Utah in the late 1800s. While my brothers and sister's favorite was "The Great Brain at the Academy" ... mine was "Me and My Little Brain". I loved these stories.
• The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key. Never quite as well known as his "Witch Mountain" stories, which were made into movies I loved (but I loved the books too). Similar though, as in the main character is from somewhere else ... another planet? Another time? Read it and find out :)
• Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink: I was introduced to this book as it was read aloud to the class in 3rd grade. In this story, two young sisters end up shipwrecked on an island with four babies to tend to. I think it appealed to me as a young girl, as I loved babies, just like the girls in the book and figured I would have done just as well in such a situation :) The same author also wrote Caddie Woodlawn, which is another great story, although I don't think I reread it as much as I did "Baby Island" ... which I'm glad to see is still in print.
• No Flying in the House by Betty Brock: Another book from 3rd grade. The same author wrote "The Shades" which is another favorite. While the latter cannot be found (I'm lucky enough to own a copy), the former, "No Flying in the House" is available today. I loved the story and thought Disney should have made it into a movie ... although I did reread it as an adult and ... it wasn't quite as good as I remembered it.
• E.B White Books: Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little were turned into movies, but I think my favorite of White's books was "Trumpet of the Swan". Maybe because there is no movie version to distract me from the book version, it lives in my imagination.
• Beverly Cleary Books: I loved Henry Huggins (more than Ramona), Ribsy, Socks and Ralph Mouse.
• Carolyn Haywood Books: Just a step or two easier reading than Beverly Cleary, another set of books about a boy (Little Eddie) and a girl and her sister (Betsy and Star) and miscellaneous other books, "The Mixed-Up Twins" standing out in my memory.
• Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Books by Betty McDonald: I adored these, and they are books a parent would like a child to read, as they all had "lessons" to be learned, taught by the magical Mrs. Piggle Wiggle ... what to do if a child won't clean their room, or doesn't want to go to bed. Imaginative solutions to common childhood issues.
• More: Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of Monkeys by Wilson Rawls. The Wishing Tree and other "witch" books by Ruth Chew. All of a Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor. Call it Courage by Armstrong Perry. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. The "Indian in the Cupboard" books by Lynne Reid Banks.

Middle School Favorites:

• Interstellar Pig and Singularity by William Sleator: Accidentally involving earth in an intergalactic game and dealing with time speeding up are the themes of these two books.
• Marrow of the World by Ruth Nichols: Ok, truthfully, I can't totally remember the story of this book, but I do remember it making an impact on me enough that I did search it out and buy it (which is hard to do, as it is out of print) ... I just pulled it out to reread.
• The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson: It's a bit of a horrific plot line ... a virus wipes out anyone over the age of twelve, leaving gangs of children to fend for themselves.
• A Gift of Magic and other books by Lois Duncan: Half of these books deal with something supernatural, while the others are more "realistic" thrillers. I loved reading these throughout my middle school years.
• I Think This is Where We Came In and other books by Phyllis Anderson Wood: There were several books by this author that touched my teen-aged self, as I look through the titles, I can't remember the stories for sure, but the titles I recall reading are: Song of the Shaggy Canary, Win Me and You Lose and I've Missed a Sunset or Three.
• One Child by Torey Hayden: A true story about a teacher and an abused little girl.
• The Family Nobody Wanted by Helen Doss: A true story about a young couple unable to have children who turn to adoption.

High School and On ...

• Required Reading: I remember being SO confused by "The Brothers Karamazov"(everyone seemed to have three different names) but actually liking the book."Lord of the Flies" really disturbed me. "Heart of Darkness" ... that was a true challenge. I remember a positive experience with "Sound and the Fury" ... I can't remember if "Flowers for Algernon" was required at one point, or if I read it on my own ... it's a favorite! Also 1984 and Brave New World ...
• Historical Fiction by Irving Stone: Based on fact, these fictionalized stories from the lives of many famous people (John Adams, Michaelangelo, Freud, etc.) were both interesting and informative.
• A Woman of Independent Means by Elizabeth Hailey: I don't recall the story specifically, but the PRESENTATION of this book was so different that it stayed with me. It's presented as outgoing letters. Such an interesting concept. Later in life, I actually would collect all my correspondence, keeping it on file because of this book. Another book with an interesting presentation is "Up the Down Staircase" which has handwritten notes, school assignments, etc. as much of the book.

Recent Reading: Thinking on new novels that have come out in the past decade or so ... I've read the entire Work and the Glory Series, all the Harry Potter books, the Twilight series, The Hunger Games series .... I'm reviewing ones the kids have also read in the Chapter Books link ...

And in 2012 two HUGE thing happened ...

• I discovered DIGITAL (Kindle Fire and Kindle apps on the ipod mainly, but I've tried the NookApp, Overdrive, iBooks and a couple other digital offerings) which has totally gotten me back into reading. I mean READING reading, like several books a month. One problem I had, was just having material on hand. No longer a problem. There are so many free offerings, and borrowing from the library no longer requires a trip in. Now I have too many books I want to read just waiting for me. And it's so convenient now, instead of lugging a book around, just in case I might get a minute, I whip out my iPhone, which I have with me anyway. And it's so much lighter than a heavy, hardbound book (even paperbacks can be cumbersome), and I don't need a lamp or book light when it's dark. I just have to make sure I keep my digital devices charged.
• I discovered GOODREADS ... a social site for keeping track of what you've read, what you want to read, what you thought, what your friends are reading and what they have liked. It's been so great to keep track of everything. You can create different shelves (so I know if I own the book in my Kindle cloud, or if it's one I can borrow from the library). I love seeing everyone's ratings, and writing down what I thought of each book. You can see if your friends are reading and liking the same books. So while I may not be adding to this post, I'm very active on my GoodReads account and would love to see you there (see my profile HERE).