Trying to Finish Well!

As most of you weather watchers know this is the week for hot tempts in Seattle and Portland area. We here in Portland have hit over 100* the past two days and predicted for Wednesday & Thursday also. The kids and I have been having water fights and we bought an A/C for the house which has helped keep the kids rooms cool and pushed some cool air into the main area which makes it tolerable. Shane is working his last days at Seed IP Law Group. He's been working there since he came back down from Alaska in 1999. He started as a temp in the Mail Room, got hired on as a Permenant just before we got married in 2000. Started as an Patent Paralegal shortly after that and has been going strong with ups & downs since then. Just continue to pray for us as we are going into this new stage of our lives with Shane going from Full time worker/full time student to Full time student/part time worker. We've lowered the price again on the house in Lake Stevens hopefully someone will thi...

Well our transitioning down to Portland is almost over with. Shane is up in Seattle for a couple days working, the kids and I stayed so that we can keep them on schedule and I can get some work done on the house. No hits on the house, it would be a God thing if we didn't have to pay a mortgage for a while with Shane's last days at Seed come to a close. Here are some pictures for this week, I'll clean up the kids rooms so you can see there new digs. Thanks Carrie for helping build dressers with Shane last week and helping me organize closets.

We had a wonderful week, this past week full of lots of adventures. The biggest was Kelli turning 6! OMGoodness how time has gone quickly. She was able to have a sleepover with her friend Caylee Carter. I believe they had a good time and both want to do it again. On Kelli's actual birthday Aunt Carrie flew into Portland and helped us get the house in Portland a bit more organized and set up. It was a blessing having her with us for a few short days she was able to take between working. Thank you so much for the time! We also got to spend some time with our cousins in Boise before coming back up to Washington. It was fun to spend time with all our cousins we haven't seen for a while.

We are home from Idaho, and up from Portland. Short layover before heading back down, it is stuffed full with repairs, shopping, packing and a six year olds birthday party. Whew. Kids have sinus gunk, we had a wonderful time in Idaho. Thank you Mom & Dad for letting us stay and play, holding kids, and reading stories. It was good to see those who've we got to see. Oh and thankyou for letting me wrestle some bales Dad.:-) It was interesting watching a gaggle of five/six year olds watch a friend open Princess birthday gifts. Man I hope my friends & I weren't that silly at that age, (no wise cracks from the Peanut gallery) :-) I'm thinking with so many great pictures will have to do a slide show to show you.

As suggested we've been busy visiting family this past week. We had a great time at Dawna's annual Backyard BBQ Bash last Sat., then Sunday we packed up the Uhaul and headed down to Portland with one more load. Monday Shane had school, then we loaded up again and headed down to Southern Idaho to spend a week with my Mom & Dad. We've had a great visit so far, the kids got to go fishing and go to a parade. It's been awesome weather wise, but unfortunately the kids have developed allergies trying to turn into Sinus Infections.

New things in our life,.... we have a new mailing, house address, and phone number down in Portland. If I haven't emailed it off to you please let me know via-email and I will get that to you. SO far the transitioning down is going well, don't quite have the next load figured out, might start moving more of the furniture and clothes down. Leave the house in Lake Stevens skeleton function. Don't know seems pretty surreal. Yeah for Shane, he finished his classes for the U of I this week. So after "muffled" years he is going to graduate from U of I. His last week of work is also happening this week. He will work Wednesdays/Thursday thru July then he will be onto a new job in August god willing. I'm thinking about taking advantage to living on a College Campus and going back to school to finish out my college experience and getting a Bachelor's degree in Biblical Foundations. I've sent off request for my transcripts, if I start in Nov. or Feb. of next ye...

This week as a treat to ourselves the kids & I have been hanging out with our Dennis Clan cousins. We spent some time Wednesday with Neva,Jason, & Thomas, then Thursday we went to the Zoo with Aunt Dawna, Cousin Bryn, & Ansley. Today is an off day since it has started to sprinkle here. This is the first rain is 29 days. Oh and exciting news this week Daniel has decided to go poo in the potty chair, so yesterday I let him pick out a cake and Shane is bringing home balloons for the kids tonight .

Well we've started transitioning down to Portland this last Monday. It was good, God blessed us with some very nice neighbors, the Tara & her husband on the right have a Girl Madison, Kelli's age, boy Alex, Daniel's age, and another girl Brooke, Dakota's age. Frankie, whom Shane has met before has a little girl Kelli's age and two more I believe. The house is nice, needs some TLC done to the outside, I'm configuring battle plan on how to situate kids and all our stuff in a different space. We'll see! Shane is busy busy boy this week, He has 5 test for the Psychology class ending Friday, English class ends next Friday and has 2 test this week, plus all the reading and essay's for his Prophets class. kelli's last day of school is today, we'll see how it went. Daniel is starting to go Poo in the potty chair YEAH!! Dakota is going to be moving into a big girl bed this Month. Her potty training is going well also.

Nothing really new happening just staying level on the activities going on in our lives. Next Monday the transitioning down to Portland takes place, not sure how long it will take, were hoping a Month of Monday trips will get us moved down there. But there are so many hurdles still. We are also tentatively planning a trip down to Mom & Dad's, & swing into Boise, while Shane doesn't have class around the 4th. Oh and Seth rolled over last Thursday/Friday. Boy I should have marked it on the Calendar, I put it on Facebook! SO I'll have to look back what date that happened. :-) Silly Kristi

sometimes life is just up in the air, I know were will be landing just not sure when will be landing. :-) Which is okay, God has His timing and it is perfect. I'm trying not to be impatient or worry but it seems like human nature to do so. Other things going on Kelli has little over two weeks left of school. Seth turns 4 months this month, Shane is busy doing homework every night from the 3 different classes he's taking right now, Daniel has an over abundance of energy, and I've got to keep training Dakota not to scream about Everything. We've only had one person in the 12 days the house has been on the market come and look at it, which is okay. Our realtor is going to have an open house during the week for other realtors to come check out the house. It's a beautiful day and has been gorgeous weather this spring. Oh and my iris I transplanted 4 or 5 years ago I've got one finally producing flowers!!

We had a sunshine filled Memorial Day Weekend. The kids and I enjoyed the warm weather and played outside most of the weekend. Shane got various tidy up projects done and did school work. Shane did take breaks occassionally to come outside to enjoy the sunshine also. Not a lot going on, the awards ceremony for Awana's is tomorrow night for Kelli & Daniel. Enjoy the pictures

As most of those who read this know I do not do sitting still very well. I know its some ingrained part of me that has to be going or doing something all the time or else I'm asleep. This has always been ongoing and I've learned to deal with the idealness by either quilting (which hasn't been done since Daniel was born), or reading books. I averaged at one time a book per day when pregnant. Know it's about a book every two days if I'm really into the book or I can make on last a week. So the reason for me sitting on my hands is we got the house listed and ready to sell this past weekend. Shane & I don't want to put any more money into it than we already have. SO I'm starting deep cleaning like cupboards, pulling weeds (yuck), you can only sweep you floor so often, and I'm currently caught up on laundry. Also I've packed as many boxes as I need to live on basics alone. My house has never been this clean. Not since we moved in. We get to start m...

I can mostly say that I'm done with projects that have "never been done", "haven't been done since before or after kids", "waiting for spring", are as done as there going to get. My Fred, Marie, & Shane were a great help getting these things done these past two weeks. I now have weekly cleaning catch up, to do. We had a pleasent time with Fred & Marie, hopefully didn't wear them to out. :-) It was great having an adult per child ratio while they were here. Lots of laughs, games, visiting was done. They pulled out of our driveway yesterday and are heading back to Alaska this week Daniel's 4th birthday is this week, still haven't decided what to do. Might be dinner out somewhere special this year since everything is transitional. Hope all the Moms had a wonderful Mothers Day. I did.

Well it's been and interesting two weeks. As many of you know my Grandma Dennis passed away this past week. She was a very special lady, who would watch me when I was sick and couldn't go to school, always have a hug and kiss for me, and like my parents a very stable consitant presence in my life. We are still working on getting the house ready to sell. I think like most people have said "you can always find a project to do". So I'm calling it good once I get the doors finished painting which Shane bless his heart did this weekend. His Mom & Dad were big help keeping Kelli & Daniel from under foot. I also need to reset some of the brick that we pulled up from having the septic pumped last week. I'm also a new owner of a 1999 Dodge Van . (Pictures to come) We have been considering replacing the Pacifica with something bigger for a while, and god kind of just dropped this into our laps. Shane was very considerate and did keep my requirements in mi...

Feel like I should update on what is happening in our lives. As I told my Dad "Crazy is the new normal". For those who don't know we are going to be listing our house for sale so in July we can move down to Portland for Shane to start the Seminary Program at Multnomah were is he currently going to school. So I've been doing Spring cleaning with a twist. We've both been doing projects that I've figured "never been done" since we've lived here 6 years almost 7. "Haven't been done" since Kelli was born, or pregnant with Daniel. "Need to do yearly" but haven't gotten to it this year. So between taking Kelli to school, keeping Daniel out of things, Dakota potty training herself, and feeding Seth; I've been working on these projects. Oh and all of them have sinus/allergy stuff going on. Oye! Like I've said "Crazy is the new normal" around here. :-)Playing "Hide & Seek" with Dad Chad showi...