The House

Some friends and family have not been able to see the house yet, so we thought we'd post a few pictures to catch everyone up. We feel REALLY humbled and blessed to have such a wonderful house. We love living out on a piece of land, so near town, and we are excited about all of the landscaping potential! Thanks to everyone who has helped us move in, get stuff installed and fixed, and painted...thank you. We hope our home can be used for great things and many gatherings for years to come.

The back of the house.

The view from the front porch.

Diaper Heads

What fun can be had with a couple of swim diapers and two little baby heads? Take a look and see!

Emmitt actually liked his and wore it for about an hour after we were done playing. :)

In Memory of Marshall; who came and went

Barry's dream dog, a purebred German Shepherd, came to live with us after we had about 1/4 of our hours complete to pay him off. We made an agreement with the breeder to work for her in lieu of cash. The dog tagged along behind us as we organized and sifted through her massively overcrowded possessions, trying to help her simplify. It was fine work, and well worth the prize of a beautiful and obedient German Shepherd.

The kids LOVED him, especially Elise. She crawled around the house, constantly trying to peek out of a window, or plaster her face to the glass door to see the "doo-doo". She would scream, laugh, and tap his head as I said, "gentle".

A couple days after we got him, he began to act sick. The next week was consumed by watching his liquids, checking his hydration, giving him homeopathic mixes (as instructed by his breeder) and taking him to the vet for fluids, antinausea meds, and antibiotic to fight any secondary infections. Throughout the week, I was sure that Marshall would make it. He was so strong. He was beautiful. He was mine.

When he died I was with him and for the previous hour had known that it was coming. His body was ravaged by the parvo. His heartbeat was irratic and his breathing labored. Still, the moment of his death scared me and was so shocking in it's finality. He was suddenly just a body, without life, without personality, without breath.

Silas had trouble sharing my attention the week of Marshall's illness. He began acting out and (I believe) became resentful of the dog. When we bleached our home and porches, and the following day when we went to the gravesite to have a ceremony, Silas seemed relieved.

The ceremony was even a little fun, having a three year old involved help keep the mood light. We began with a prayer, thanking God for Marshall and the time he was with us. We preceeded by each placing picked wildflowers on the grave and saying something nice about the dog. Silas said, " Marshall, I wish you weren't dead."  Poor kid.

We asked Silas which song we should sing together, to which he replied, "The Zacheus is too little one". So we sang, "Zacheus Was a Wee Little Man", and closed our funeral. Marshall will remain with us and in his grave as the perfect dog that came and went in a week.

East Valley 10 Year Reunion

This past weekend was the East Valley High School 10 year reunion. There was a cruise on Lake CD'A, a park day and a bar night. I went to the latter two events, but I only have a picture from the park. There were more people at the evening events, I think those without kids felt like they shouldn't do the park thing. It was fun to reconnect with friends.

Why Do We Let 3 Year Olds Do Mutton Bustin'?

Silas showed his cowboy colors this weekend at the North Idaho Fair. He wanted to mutton bust, so we paid the fee and turned on the video camera. Poor guy had no idea that the sheep are not as friendly as the neighbor's horse. We did try to warn him, but he had his mind set.


Here's the little buckaroo post-bustin'.

Zip's and the Park

We enjoy the Chewelah park so much. Whenever Barry's parents are with us, we get to go to Zip's after our play time. Silas and the babies love fries...

5th Surgery

Barry had his fifth of the same type of sinus surgery this summer. The doctor was surprised (as they all are) at how much stuff was up in his sinuses. Here's my recovering man.

Grandpa Pat came over to help out during the recovery time. He really helped out; cleaning the garage, going to the dump and recycling our boxes... all things that Barry could have done if he was feeling up to it.

Barry's Birthday

A rather strange, but fun family gathering in honor of Barry's birthday. He turned 28! Oh, we can get a little corny sometimes...

(..couldn't help it!)

Two Peas in a Pod! Double the Fun! Emmitt and Elise are Turning One!

Sorry about the formatting...I'm a little confused by the computer I'm using.

The babies had never opened their own presents before and they each had one from Aunt Angie to rip into. We tore the corner of the paper for them, but they weren't sure what to do. Eventually the big kids "helped" and the presents were opened. Both of them held on to their gifts like they were precious. No one was allowed to take them, especially Elise's. There were screams and arms flailing when we tried to get the sound mechanism to work.












Elise smiled and yelled at her cupcake. She talked to it and tentatively poked her finger into it. She laughed when she tasted her dessert and daintily put her finger in again. It took quite a while for her to finish, in between screaming and poking. Emmitt was as quiet as a chubby little laughing mouse and consumed his in record time.






Emmitt grabbed his cupcake with two fists and giggled. He put it in his mouth and giggled some more! He ate like a sea creature that just digests it's food whole. When his treat was gone, he got to have another, at which he again laughed.

Crashing a Company Picnic :)

We went to the park on a lazy day and found way more than we expected. Oak Harbour Homes had the park loaded with a jumpy house, snow cones, a clown, pinatas, and lawn games. They said we could tag along, so Silas and the twins enjoyed a little more fun than anticipated. There was also a big grey poodle that wanted to get to know the babies.

When Oregon Came to Us

It was quite a special day when the Sadys honored us with a visit here in the wild forests of Eastern Washington. Any obscenity that you see was, of course, the work of Sam...

We had a sweet and brief reunion to fan the flames of our friendship. I was busy playing the couple days they were here, so I almost missed out entirely on the photo opportunities, but I trust that Jenna will post some doosies on her blog shortly.