More baby pictures.

About the pictures:

My mom was sure that she was going to have a boy so she made matching pajamas for my dad and I. Well, she didn't have a boy, so she dressed her daughter in them instead. I didn't mind because back then it was all about being fed, having a dry diaper, and staying warm.

In the tub. Those cheeks? I looked like a hamster.

I'm one in these three picutures

In my rocking chair. Both of my girls used it, and now it sits in our living room with one of Christine's dolls in it.

My first birthday. October 1969. My mom made a doll cake for me. I think my mom can make just about anything. My high chair was passed down to the girls just like my chair was. I keep it in the garage. It's definitely not fancy like the ones they make today.

Have a good day!

One of the things my mom found when she was going through boxes when they moved. I don't remember keeping it, but I'm glad I did.

The Eagles vs. the Loggers

A program from the 1983 high school football playoffs at the Tacoma Dome. Soap Lake did not win, but it was still a great time. Getting as far as they did was a huge accomplishment. I had a favorite player on the Mariners (Freddy Garcia) and he is still my favorite. My favorite player on our football team in 1983 was # 62. He was just the cutest thing.

You guys have a great day.

Change is good? I'm trying so hard to see the good in the changes that are happening. Where we will be living, and what my work will be.

Moving doesn't have anything to do with my work. Some things happen that you have no control over and I've found myself out pounding the pavement in search of a job that will support us. Accounting and banking are two jobs that I've had in the past, and both are ok, but they have never been my dream jobs. To work in the health care field with patients, not in a lab or some other behind the scenes job has always been my dream. Because I've been out of accounting and banking for so long, I'm finding the wages to be a little shocking. A job, a house to live in, and the health to make those things possible are three things that I need, it's what we all need. Ok, blah, blah, blah...no more rambling, not what you guys wanted to hear about. I just have to have faith..... right. I'm doing the best that I can, and I feel good about that. You guys have a good day, and thank you to all of you that have given me some really good advice.

Visiting my mom in August. They had sold the motel and didn't have a house yet. We usually don't stay out where they work, but this time we had to.

My mom and her husband cut hay 6 months out of the year. They work from sun up to sun down almost every day. They get a few days off between cuttings so we went over to see them. For 6 months my mom and her husband stay in their camper out in the fields they cut. They get done cutting so late that it just isn't worth going home to sleep, and then get up early the next morning. They moved in April, and just two weeks ago they moved into their new house, so there was no house to go to when we were there. The fields they cut are probably 30 or so miles from Soap Lake. So what does a person do out in the hay fields all day? Jump off hay stacks, haul water (we also swim in the very shallow canal with mud and bugs) play in the dirt, watch the sun rise and set. You get the idea. We are good at roughing it, but we needed something to do. I like just hanging out, but I really needed something to do after a few days in the hay fields. Actually, after the first day I needed something to do. I would have cut hay all day if I could have. The one thing that is hard for me to go without is water for bathing. I don't care if I have to sleep in the dirt as long as I can get a few inches of it off every few days. That's where the canal came in handy. Well, I'm not sure if I was any cleaner after being in the canal. As soon as you get in it stirs up the mud from the bottom. Can you get clean in muddy water? I felt much better after a bath in the canal, so it must have helped a little. My mom really wants us to come over for Thanksgiving. We try to make it over, but some years we just can't. The pictures: Christine showing me her collection of goat heads. You don't go bare foot outside. A few years ago I brought back a huge puncture weed for my neighbors. They had never seen or heard of them. The twin swathers that they drive in a big circle all day long. Everyone have a good day and have a great Thanksgiving.

WHERE WE LIVE

I thought I was pretty good at making the big decisions in my life. I have definitely made some bad decisions in the past, and I'm hoping that this was a good one. We have lived in this house for twelve years. It's the only home Christine knows. The girls (especially Ashley) do not want to move. Two of my friends have told me that maybe it would be better if we lived closer to my mom. My mom would love that, but we love where we live. It's not that I'm so attached to the house, it's more about the location. Our house is OLD, and it has a lot of problems that are not worth fixing. We don't live in a dump, but it is old. The house has no real value. The land has the value. We have had a few close calls when it comes to the wiring starting fires. Every time it was an outlet that started sparking and smoking. Before any smoke was visible you could smell the hot wiring. The house has the old aluminum wiring which is something they quit using years ago for a good reason. I thank God that we were home every time to stop the house from catching on fire. Our house is around 1,300 sq. feet and we have six smoke alarms for that reason. I was the one that made a big decision about our house in the past. I feel like I made the right decision, and I was almost certain that we would have to move in the future when I made that decision. I have been praying about it a lot, and God knows that all I want is what's best for my girls. I have faith and God will be with us every step of the way. Have a good day

Back in Iraq

The last time I saw David I was 17 years old. He sent me some pictures just the other day. David is an old friend from high school. A few of you (Kim, Melanie, Toni) remember him from Soap Lake. He left in August. I feel bad because he was back for a year and I never went to see him. I was planning to go see him before he left. I know, bad Josie. I have no excuse. We do keep in touch through e-mail. Have a good day. A picture of where he is staying.

What are you thankful for?

One of the local bread stores in town gives a cookie (not just any cookie, it's huge) to any child that draws a picture of whatever their theme is at the time. They put it up in their store to display for a few weeks. Christine was five years old when she drew this picture. I think it's beautiful because she could have drawn a computer, toys or a t.v. She is thankful for her stuff, but a house is definitely something to be very thankful for. P.S. I really like her upstairs windows. She loves two story houses. Whenever she draws a house it always has an upstairs. Have a good day!

Ashley 9 and Christine 6 months. It's hard to believe that Christine is now the same age that Ashley was in this picture.

My girls look nothing alike, even though they are half sisters. Christine was just white when she was little. Sunscreen did nothing to protect her. I had to smear her face with zinc oxide/diaper rash cream in the Summer. She would burn within minutes with regular sunscreen. Ashley doesn't burn easily because she has always had the darker skin tone. Can you even see Christine in that white dress? I'm kidding. When she was two I started using sunscreen instead of diaper cream. No more white face and funny looks from people. Have a good day

Animals and their names.

Ashley is always asking Christine and I for names for all the baby rabbits she has. She is running out of names and I told her to start naming them 1,2,3 and the letters of the alphabet. I was four years old when my parents got me this dog. She was such a tiny little puppy. I was having a really hard time deciding what to name her. I finally had it down to three names, and I just couldn't decide, so I gave her all three. Sissy Lassie Francie. Calling her was a little more difficult, and confusing for her I'm sure. She was the sweetest dog. My sweet Sissy Lassie Francie. Have a good day! Oh, and I think I know where Christine got her very large cheeks. When she was younger people would come up to me an comment on them

Just a reminder. The power of ONE.

If you click on the one.org banner on the top right corner of my blog you can add your name/sign the Declaration. Click on sign the Declaration on the right side of the page under take action. Right now 2,412,190 people are standing as one. You could be number 2,412,191. Take ONE minute today to sign the ONE Declaration and lend them your voice in the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty. Have a good day. Josie

Christine was one very sick girl. She is still on the road to recovery. The flu, pneumonia and five days in the hospital.

Christine woke up Tuesday (Halloween) with the flu. She had been counting down the days to go trick or treating and she was so upset that she couldn't go. The next day she had a horrible cough. That evening I was sitting by her and she was having a difficult time breathing. I told her it was time to go to the hospital. I really thought that they would write her a prescription for an antibiotic, and then send us home. I was wrong. Her oxygen level was very low, and her x-ray came back showing that her right lung was full of gunk. Dr. said he wanted her to stay overnight. She was on oxygen, taking oral antibiotics and being pumped with antibiotics through her IV. We both got to sleep at 4:00 a.m. The Dr. came in at 6:00 a.m. and told me that her breathing was not good, and that she would be in the hospital for a few days. Every two hours she was having some kind of treatment done. Respitory Dr.s had her using a nebulizer every four hours to treat her lungs with medication. Later that morning she asked me if I thought that anyone would come to see her. I told her that for sure people would be coming to see her. I just hadn't had the time to call anyone yet. When our neighbors ( we only have one neighbor) left one evening Christine said to me, "I am so popular." She got worse before she started getting better. I was so worried about her. So, after five days they said she could go home. I was ready to go home. She was never left alone at the hospital. Ashley came up a few times so I could go home and get some stuff done. I slept in her room every night. Christine has never stayed overnight in a hospital since her birth. We have been to the emergency room a few times, but we always went home the same night. Her treatments will continue at home until she is 100%. Everyone have a good day. The picture of her with her stuffed animals was taken the day she got to go home. Monday the 6th.

DIFFICULTIES WITH BLOGGER

Some of my posts have changed their layout on their own. It makes it a little difficult to match the text with the pictures. Sorry about that guys.

Costume contest at Petco. Oct-06

Christine entered her rabbit (Baby) in this years pet costume contest. She entered a few years ago and got second place. This time she won first place. Her prizes were a blue ribbon, a petco gift card, a sack of cat food and a certificate. At the judges table they had put dog treats in bags to give to all the contestants. When they saw that Christine had a rabbit they filled a bag with hay for her, although I'm sure she would have loved the dog treats. It was so nice of them. I think part of the reason she won is because everyone brings their dogs, and when a different animal is entered they think it's cute. The judges thought she was just the cutest. Baby will stay on her back while you're holding her forever without struggling to turn over. Christine put a doll dress, bloomers and shoes on her. We forgot the doll bottle. When she entered her a few years ago she walked around the store with the bottle up to her mouth. Sooooooooooooo cute. Baby kept her dress and bloomers dry. Believe it or not she is potty trained. She will wait until she is put back in her cage to go. Have a good day!

Picking pumpkins at the public pool. That could be a tongue twister.

Friday night the pool had their annual pumpkin swim. We invited Dillon to go along. When the lifegaurd gave the signal everyone got in the pool and picked out their pumpkin. Of course you had to swim with the pumpkins first, that was the best part. It was a lot of fun. For $5.00 you got to swim for three hours with pumpkins, take a pumpkin home, bob for apples and have treats. The lifegaurd had fun sparying all the kids. No I wasn't watching the lifegaurd, I was watching the kids :) Have a super duper day! Christine is not in the second to last picture, it's a picture of other people and pumpkins.

FALL CARNIVAL AND COSTUME CONTEST

I signed up weeks ago to help with the fall carnival. I talked Ashley into helping out. She was planning to take Christine around to play the games, but they didn't have enough people to help out, so they were in charge of the fishing game. I was in the same room doing the bowling game. You know, you stack the coffee cans and the kids roll the ball to see how many they can knock over. Then they get to pick a prize. The girls played fair and rolled the ball like you do when bowling. The boys on the other hand, didn't like the rules, so most of them kicked the ball instead of rolling it. It's been a looooooooooong time since I've been hit with a playground ball. They were only 10 feet away from the cans, so when they kicked and missed the cans, they got me. Two hours of kickball was plenty for me. We had fun, and Christine got to go around to the games with Ashley for the last half hour.

ASHLEY GOT A LITTLE CREATIVE THIS YEAR WITH HER PUMPKIN CARVING, AND CHRISTINE DECIDED THAT HER PUMPKIN NEEDED SURGERY, SO IT WENT UNDER THE KNIFE.

SO EXCITED

Christine entered her cigar box guitar in the Lynden fair. After the Lynden fair was over, the things that the girls entered in our county fair were sent down to Puyallup. They were judged and put on display. After the fair they sent everything back to our local 4-H office. When I picked up Christine's guitar it had a sweet "Special Merit" ribbon along with a blue ribbon tied to it. When Christine saw it she was sooooo excited. It's the little things, like seeing your nine year old get so excited over her accomplishments. Have a good day

CHRISTINE'S SENSITIVE SIDE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. MOST OF THE TIME IT'S AT BEDTIME WHEN SHE IS REALLY TIRED AND EMOTIONAL.

More everyday things. This is really long. It's details about bedtime and Christine. Bad dreams, stuffed animals, and a sensitive girl. Christine came out of her room tonight after being in bed for maybe five minutes. She said that she was thinking about a bad dream she had the other night so she couldn't go to sleep. We both went to my room and got in bed. She started crying and I of course asked her what was wrong, other than her bad dream. She told me that she feels so bad about not giving her stuffed animals enough attention, and that the ones on the bottom of the container never get ANY attention. She said that they are never comfortable because they are all heaped together, and upside down. I told her that they are all together, and that they get a lot of attention from each other. She said that when you have stuffed animals you need to give all of them attention, and she said that the ones at the bottom don't even see daylight. So, we got all of them out of their tub and she gave each one a hug and put some at the foot of my bed and between our pillows. The others she put carefully back in their tub. She said that she doesn't want anymore stuffed animals because she has too many already, and she can't give them all attention. I told her that when relatives ask me what she wants for Christmas, I will tell them that she has plenty of stuffed animals. How do kids end up with soooooooo many stuffed animals? She doesn't want anyone to get their feelings hurt by telling them that she doesn't want more. When all the animals were comfy and ready for bed I told her that she really needed to get to sleep. She said that she had too much on her mind and that she just couldn't sleep. So I started talking to her about her dance lessons and how much she has learned. I asked her if she wanted me to sing to her and she said, "no I'm fine." My singing would probably cause her to have nightmares. Singing is not one of my talents. Her stuffed animals talked to her as well. Well, I talk for them. I'm really not nuts. Almost done. I asked her if she wanted me to rub her back so she would get sleepy, (A friend of hers had head lice so I have been checking her every day to make sure there is nothing moving on her head) and she said no that she wanted me to check her for head lice because that makes her sleepy. It's the playing with the hair thing, it makes me sleepy too. I checked for lice until she fell asleep, which was just a few minutes. Before I left the room I moved some of the animals around on the bed so she would know that they were awake and having fun. She knows that they don't really move or have feelings, but she loves them like they do. I went through the same thing with my stuffed animals. I'm ok with not spending time with them now ( I'm kidding) and I promise I don't share my bed with twenty animals every night, but every once in awhile, I do. So, I really should go check on all of them, and make room for myself in my bed. Goodnight and have a good day tomorrow.

NEED A PET SITTER? CHRISTINE'S FIRST PET SITTING JOB.

A few months ago Christine was telling me that she wanted a job so she could earn some money. We were thinking about all of the different things she could do. Nine year olds don't have a lot of choices when it comes to work. She has a book for eight to twelve year olds about different jobs you can do. Right away she said she wanted to make cookies and sell them in front of stores. Ummmmmmm, no. I told her that stores don't let just anyone sell food outside their doors, and she wanted to do it every weekend! So I suggested doing what her sister did when she was around her age. Christine typed up this flyer and we put them up at all the feed stores, and I put an add in the paper. She waited patiently for someone to call. About a month ago she got a call. The family had one cat (Jackson) and he needed to have someone give him his pill (he has epilepsy) twice a day and feed him. Luckily they didn't live too far away. Ashley has had some jobs out in the county, and it just wasn't worth the gas and time when she was getting paid very little. So it's a little like a lemonade stand, your kids earn some money and you lose some. It's all perfectly ok with me, it's just one of those things that you do for your kids, and they learn a lot about responsibility. The lady she was pet sitting for told us that she was going to tell her friends about Christine and her pet sitting. I'm not sure that I can keep up with her and all of her activities. If she gets busy with pet sitting, it means that I will too. You guys have a super day!

BEING AN ORGAN DONOR

My mom was telling me last week that she needed to go in and have her drivers license renewed. I was looking at her license and it didn't say that she was an organ donor. I told her that she could be one if she told them at the licensing department. She asked me if I was a donor and I said yes. I know you can choose which organs you want to donate or you can donate them all. She couldn't believe that I was willing to donate my organs. I have never once thought about not being a donor. My organs would be doing absolutely nothing to help anyone if they stayed in my body. I told my mom that she wouldn't miss her organs if she decided to donate them. I'm writing this because of her reply when I asked her why she wouldn't donate. She says that she doesn't want any doctors to start removing her organs when she might still be alive. So, because the doctors have a limited amount of time to remove the organs, and get them to their new owner, she is worried that they might take them too soon. O.k. I know that people have been burried alive, but not very recently that I know of. I just wasn't expecting that answer from her. I couldn't change her mind, and she didn't even try to change mine because she knows that she never could. I know that people have different reasons for choosing not to donate, and I'm not saying that it's wrong if people don't donate, because it's not. It's a personal decision that everyone has the right to make for themselves. For me, knowing that I could save a life by giving away something that I no longer needed, made it easy for me to decide. I just think my mom has a very unique reason for choosing not to donate. I tried to reassure her by telling her that technology has come a long way, and that I was almost certain that the doctors wouldn't start cutting until they were 97% sure, that they could. I had to tell her that just for fun. She knows I was kidding. I hope this didn't upset anyone. I meant for this to be a positive post. Have a good day!

TWO OF MY VERY FAVORITE PICTURES OF ASHLEY. PIG TAILS ON TODDLERS ARE THE CUTEST THING.

Ashley when she was two on the wooden steer that grandpa Jay used for roping practice. Filling the water tub for the cows. She loved taking care of the animals.

MORE PICTURES OF THE GIRLS.

I think they were bored. Nicole seven months old, and sooooooo cute. Ashley five, Nicole four. They played so well together. There was no yelling or fighting between them.