Oregon Caves

I'm still posting from our vacation...Did I mention how cool it was yet? JK...everyone knows I can't say enough good things about it. Anyway we went to the Oregon Caves where we climbed over 500 stairs throughout the caves. Hanna and her cousin Bridger were a little scared over some of the inclines and declines of the stairs. Overall it was some pretty cool sites within the middle of the mountain!
One of the "how high are we going" staircases....The room at the top of the staircase was AMAZING!!
Cousin Bridger standing next to one of the cool stalagmites...We actually learned some geology throughout the tour.


So after yesterday's depressing post of mine, I'm doing a tad better. I just never thought owning a business would so hard. My business is not even that big, but the bigger it gets, the more people I have to depend on and people aren't necessarily always reliable! I heard a quote once from a fellow business man that reads, "The best plans are great until you add people, but to have a great plan, you need people." Isn't it ironic....I think it goes to show that a good work ethic needs to be implanted into kids early. So guess what my kids did today, the dishes, laundry, etc! After today's trial at a seven, four, and two year olds work ethic, I've decided I might have to beat it into them, (JK) but we'll keep trying tomorrow. Have I mentioned to anyone about "Miracle Music"? It is going to be my new favorite thing. I tried it once, but wasn't consistent, so we're trying again. It's a morning and evening routine that is set to music. The kids work to brush their teeth before the song is over to earn a point. We keep track of their points and they earn things...CHECK it out if you are struggling with routine like me!!

Cute story about Piper today...She was helping with the laundry and saw that her shirt was dirty and wanted to add it into the washer. The problem was she wanted it out (clean) a few seconds later. Hard lesson to learn that the washer takes time. We learned this by watching her shirt go round and round and pulling out a few other soaking wet things to demonstrate that you couldn't wear things until they were dry.

Alizah's First Crush

Here is a picture of Alizah's first crush. Elder Frost and his companion Elder Kennington has spent a lot of time at our house with dinners, fishing, and just visiting. They came and did sharing time last week and Alizah couldn't stop turning around and looking at Elder Frost. He left our area last week and Alizah beat Hanna senseless when Hanna told her she wouldn't see him anymore. He promised to come back when he gets home, but we'll see! These elders were so great with our kids. They would bring games for the kids to play and constantly was giving out "high fives". The elders also just live up the road from us so we hope to get to know the new companion too!

Today was an extremely rough day at work. It's one of those days, that I needed to post a picture of something that truely matter-my children learning about the gospel. I needed an end to my day that didn't include something to do with work!! Thank-you to all those people that have been a constant presence to my children during this rough last year!!

Beck "Family Tree"

Even though our family has grown so much, we still don't fit around
a tree in the Redwood Forest!!

Maimi Dawn taught Hanna how to tell how old a tree was by counting the lines.

This is one of the reasons our hike didn't last very long. Piper wouldn't let go.. We have another picture of Brandon carrying Alizah. So two out of three of our girls didn't quite get the idea of a "hike"....

The roots of the trees amazed us. This is Hanna and Alizah at the bottom of an uprooted tree. We were also only at the edge of the forest. Everyone told us that the trees even got bigger the deeper into the forest you go.

So I told you Grandma Mimi, that once I got my pictures back I would be posting my regular ones. I figure since you are back from Europe to that you would be checking in with us!!
We are keeping extremely busy because we are trying to take off in a few weeks to go traveling again. Hanna is continuing her piano lessons (actually earning $1/practice session from Grandma Marsha for her gymnastic camp.....I think it's better than just giving her $$$!!), fundraising for meet season by selling cherries, getting her physical (including shots-so brave!) for camp, and swimming her heart out. Alizah completed her first appointment with her new friend Ashley (a behavioral therapist) to help her with her anxiety. Long story short, the appt. was only 20 minutes due to us small town hicks from Moses Lake that got so LOST in Spokane that we were an hour late! I really don't know how it happened exactly. All I do know is that Alizah wasn't the one who needed help with anxiety that day-it was her mom and dad!! We go back twice next week. I'm not sure how I'm going to fit two Spokane trips into next week...it makes me miss a big town where things like this are more readily available. Piper's newest addition to her vocabulary is whenever we ask her to do anything, she answers with "FINE" (of course read between the lines-with an attitude). I wonder where she picks that up- big sisters maybe??? She's currently asleep-note the time-6:00 p.m. We are STRUGGLING with her taking too late of a nap and then going to sleep at night. She still needs a nap so badly, but is so involved with her sisters that she won't slow down.

Oh-cute story too, did you know the price for the neighborhood lemonade stand is now up to $1?? And people still buy it!! That dates me I guess, because we sold it for 10 cents!!

"Crab Beach"

The girls had never been to the beach before. We lucked out and the weather was hot, so the water wasn't so shockingly cold. The kids didn't go too far out in the water, but they enjoyed collecting shells for hours. They built a castle with all of their shells with Maimi Dawn. Alizah called the beach "crab beach" because there were TONS of dead crabs that had washed up. Dad did find one live hermit crab that the kids killed before the trip was over. We did bring it back with us along with a bucket of other shells, sand in our shorts, and wet traveling clothes.

TreeHouse Vacation

The " Yurtree" treehouse that we slept in with the poor souls from the Widmier family that had to share with us. You'll hear the sickness story later in the post. Thanks Britt and family for putting up with the cries for chocolate milk, ba ba's, advil for me, sleeptalking, and snoring! Although, poor souls to us for having to put up with the loud CRASHES in the middle of then night from Collin breaking the bed...twice!!

I thought Korbi's treehouse was the coolest, although she had the biggest bugs in hers!! Refer to her blog for the evidence.....

Our wonderful family, (minus Kalan-so sad he was missing) that has grown so much
and actually made it through the entire week without any fights!!
SO...I was the loser of the posting. I was the last, so anyone that reads all of my sister's blogs will be hearing repeats of a few stories, but since this is my family's history, I need to write my account of our vacation.
Papa Goose and Maimi Dawn bought a week of camping in the treehouses in Cave Junction, Oregon for our Christmas present last year. It was the best idea that I truely hope they continue. There were memories that we will have that last much longer than 15 minutes of present opening in a crazy Christmas morning.
We had a rough trip down to Oregon with Piper throwing so many times that we actually ended up buying her a new car seat. I washed her in a Kmart's bathroom sink on one of our stops and bought garbage bags to put the pillows and blankets in that we collected along the way. Poor Piper, she was such a trooper. She was pretty clingy and sluggish the whole trip, but really did hang in there! After 12 hours of driving, we arrived to the treehouses and I went right to bed with what I thought was just the after-effects of the ride, but became convinced it was strep only after a few hours. I begged Korbi's left over penicillin (which I was repremanded by a doctor later) because she had strep the week before. She only had four doses left, but it did help me through the next few days as we hiked through the Oregon caves, swam in the water hole, collected shells at the beach, and tried to hug the Redwood forest's trees. We had an amazing time with everyone and the kids didn't want to leave. We belly-danced in the mountains, climbed rope bridges to Papa's treehouse twenty feet above the ground, and swung on the rope swing. The treehouse crew provided us with breakfast every morning and then we would bbque or eat foil dinners at night. I will definately be taking my kids back here. It's funny because despite that this might have been my personal worst vacation it was at the same time- my best because of the memories it provided for my kids. On the way back to Moses Lake we stopped in Portland to break up the drive. When we pulled into Moses Lake, I stopped at the clinic and got more Penicillin for the strep throat that still had not gotten better. Just yesterday I ended up with a shot in the rearend because it still had not gone away. I think it might have been the hiking, swimming, etc. that provoked it, but how could I rest when we were actually vacationing in treehouses???? Now that I've gotten my pictures back, I will be updating and doing much better on my blog. Sorry everyone for the vacation from my blog, so much has kept us so busy, but I've got lots of pictures to share!

Scientist Hanna

The "Stick Bot" is Hanna's patented invention that "picks up garbage.
It sticks to him when there's garbage on the ground."

"Stick Bot" made from a phone, tape, paper towel dowel, etc. Her "take-apart" was the hardest thing at Science Camp. The kids had to bring something that could be taken apart and then invent something using the parts. Hanna got frustrated one of the days because she couldn't think that "hard, hard, hard."!

"The Super, Duper, Roller Coaster" made by Hanna's group. The kids used things to build a roller coaster by experimenting with different heights for various speeds for the marble.
Alizah and Piper really liked this one!

The MARS rover. Each group had to make a rover and experiment with the different environments on Mars. Hanna said the most important thing they had to make sure
and have on Mars was a bathroom...

Camp Invention was a great experience for Hanna. She enjoyed the arts & crafts and building the Sludge City/Recycling Town best. I think she takes after me and is more English/Arts inclined. I also think she thought the week would be more test tube science projects, but it was good to get her thinking "outside the box" and working with different kids as a team. I loved being able to let her be apart of a science project and sure appreciate all those who gave her money for her birthday so that she could go!!

Oh just a little comment on comments posted after the lyme disease post. No, the picture posted of the lyme disease was not Hanna's arm, but the SEVEN bulls-eye spots on her body looked IDENTICAL to the picture!!! Craziness huh??? I wonder why I had waited so long to take her in....

Hanna's First Dive

Her swim teacher Heather has been coming to a neighbor's pool to teach the girls to swim. Hanna has taken off like a fish! She's starting diving and after a little convincing started on the edge of the pool....

Going into the water....Just to show she actually ended in the water (which I wasn't sure was going to happen at the start of the diving lesson!)
They were finished and Hanna asked, "Can't I try it off the board?". So here she is.... She's swimming front crawl, back stroke across the whole pool. We want to do another week after we get back from vacation, but we have to be better about washing my "blondies" hair this time..tints of green were beginning to show today. So off I went to a hair salon to buy chlorine shampoo! Alizah's first lesson was spent holding onto the ladder for dear life and today Heather dunked her under and that was the end of that lesson! She spent the rest of the lesson digging bugs out of the pool with the scooper....so it goes. We'll try again tomorrow. Piper on the other hand is my second fish! She's going under the water already, blowing bubbles, and floating like an X. SHE EVEN JUMPED OFF THE DIVING BOARD!!! We were a little shocked, she's so different from the other girls. She's probably going to be my gymnast!! I am so impressed with their teacher. She's a former gymnast/coach turned diver and so good with kids! I'm not sure we are paying her enough...but does any teacher get paid what they are worth??? Sorry, just a little plug for all those wonderful teachers out there.

"THE APPOINTMENT"

The day that we've waited a year for finally came yesterday!! Alizah had been showing me a few "red flags" as far as her development/behavior, etc. was concerned for the last few years. I became concerned over time and had her referred last year to a developmental pediatrician in Spokane that specializes in childhood anxiety. There's of course no way for me to list all of the things that I was concerned about. Most people that interact with know that she is a "special spirit" to say the least and she has a few quirks that are just Lizah. Anyway, me being the educator mixed in with a little parent paranoia/concern took her to the appointment. The EXCELLENT doctor spent over 2 hours with us listening to me describe her behavior, expressing my concerns, and observing her. The doctor diagnosed Alizah with all the anxiety disorders like social anxiety and we are watching the OCD (obsessive/compulsive) symptoms. The doctor was worried about the self-soothing techniques that she saw during the appointment and the way she repeated things over and over for the two hours. She is thinking that the OCD behaviors are just a result of the severe anxiety and not the actual OCD disorder so she will treat the anxiety first with some type of therapy sessions to teach her how to control her emotions. I will have to research some of these, but I do hope they will help the quiet rage that we have been seeing lately. She also said she needs to enrolled in another pre-school for next year. I'm going to have such a hard time paying for something that I do myself. I'm also checking into a possible ballet class that might suffice the "get away from mom" that she needs. She also suggested getting a small pet that belongs to Alizah like a kitten or puppy. Not sure about this either. I don't like house animals, but Alizah needs to connect with something that she can take care of so we'll see. ..All in all in was pretty traumatic appointment for Alizah (with no actual events other than the talking and observation!), but hopefully mom and dad will learn techniques to help Alizah. Alizah and I did enjoy a nice lunch and a little shopping. What kept her going in the appointment was the promise of going to Target for oreos. Sometime long ago we must have gotten oreos at a target because that's all she wanted there. She must have not cued into the fact that they sell toys there too! Lucky mom, I got away with nothing more than cookies and a swimsuit for a brave little girl who faced her "doctor" fear and made it home!