Tuesday, April 28, 2009

I have been terrible about uploading pictures I have taken. Until tonight. I had 180 on this card and I am sure I have that many on a few other cards but I am going to share some of my favorites from the last few months. I am sorry there seem to be so many but I had a hard time narrowing it down to these few. Ethan has three things he likes to sleep with. His blanket, a boy baby doll, and his tiger. I had to take a picture of my sweetness. I have many pictures of Ethan sleeping because he is a sound sleeper. I can do whatever I please while he sleeps and he will never wake. I have NO pictures of Alicia sleeping as I can just touch the door to her room and she wakes.

The preschool and kindergartners from the Christian School took a field trip to our towns fire department. They are a good group of kids. And yes there are two sets of twins in the picture.

I like to take a picture on Easter in front of the same spot every year. !
This year a daffodil had fallen off nearby so they were playing around with it. Looking at this picture I am faced with the fact that my children are getting older. WAAAA!!!!

Alicia's birthday fell at a rather bad time this year. We had a lot going on the weeks around it. So a few weeks later during spring break I had a few of her church girlfriends over for her first sleepover. We invited 3 but only 2 made it. It is fun to look at this picture. The three have very different looks but they sure do act alike. Like little 7 year old girls giggling and having a great time. Alicia really had more of a birthday month and I think she loved this!

Ethan does not like the dentist. Alicia loves the whole idea but Ethan not so much. This picture makes me laugh. He did not want to have any xrays taken. We ended up only get one side done and he started to cry and wouldn't do the other side. We will be going to a children's dentist next time.

At the Christian School every Wednesday they have chapel. Last Wednesday Alicia's class was in charge of it. They did some fun songs and a little play. It was cute. I think we will be sending Alicia to public school next year but I will miss these times where they learn more about God, and are encouraged to talk about Him in front of others.


I guess I will stop for now. But these photos give you a bit of an idea of what us Wilson's have been up to the last few months.

Monday, April 27, 2009

So this weekend I got away from the kids and life with my husband. We went to a marriage retreat that our church does every year. Most years we are not able to go as it falls in tax season but this year it fell later! It was in Bend at the Riverhouse. The last few years I guess they have been at really great resorts so some were let down with this hotel. The rooms were old but the conference center was gorgeous. Very nice.
Our speakers, Eddie and Esther Shigley, were good. I think there heart is more for parenting though. They have great insights into children and ways to help your kids expereince God NOW.
It was a fun time. I really enjoyed just getting away with Ben.

On another note, if you, or someone you know, is thinking of putting in an air conditioner or heat pump I have friend, who put in ours a few years back, who is looking for work. It is pretty slow this year and I thought I would give him a plug. He owns Focus Heating & Construction.

Monday, April 20, 2009

So we went down to my old stomping grounds. First I hadn't been down there since the holidays and some big things had happened since then. The city decided to put sidewalks in and so they tore down 4 HUGE trees in front of my parents house. They have left a mess and haven't started the sidewalks yet so it is very strange to drive up to my old home and see. After the initial shock the boys took off to the ice cream parlor before heading to the golf store. Us girls headed to the ballet. I have been to my fair share of ballets, most at the Hult, but this one was special. And it did not let me down. But here I must say I let you all down. I forgot my camera back at my moms house. So no pictures. Okay, that aside, I loved the way they did Peter Pan! I even found myself crying a few times. It was beautiful. The costumes were awesome, the ballerinas were superb, but it was more then that.

Two of the ballerinas spoke before the ballet started. The first young lady spoke of how the are arts suffering across the US. When people don't have money going to a ballet is a luxury. Then the young man spoke of seeing Peter Pan when he was 4 and wanting to be the crocodile as a child, that night he was playing the crocodile. Hearing all this I could not help but crying when watching my daughter captivated when Tinkerbell opened the armoire and came out, or when the crocidile started to tick tock. Or when the kids around us would ask to take ballet lessons or ask if the crocodile was real! I do not want children to lose chances to see ballets, plays, operas. It is sad really.

Anyway, I loved this ballet. It is my favorite I have seen to date. I could have gone and seen it again. Tinkerbell was really good at letting us know exactly what she was feeling with her facials and body movements. One part I loved was when Tinkerbell was ratting out Wendy to Captain Hook and they used shadows on a large backdrop. It was really really beautiful.

The weird thing was they used music that was a bit strange. Not music I would have chosen but it worked. It was kind of alienish/new age/lullabyish. I don't know what it was but my mom and Alicia really enjoyed the music an I felt it made the ballet more modern.

After the ballet we went back to my parents for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. It was a really nice day.

Saturday, April 18, 2009


When I was about Alicia's age my great aunt, hmmm or maybe my grandma I cannot remember, bought tickets for us to go see Peter Pan at the Hult Center. I LOVED it. At least I think I did. I really can't remember much except what mom has told me. But I know I must have because I loved going to the Hult, even as a child. I love watching ballets. They are beautiful. I am not artistic AT ALL so to see these people create such magic with their bodies just moves me.

So, as you can imagine, I am really looking forward to taking my daughter back to the Hult to watch Peter Pan tomorrow! Last year my mom told me they were coming and I decided to forgo The Nutcracker, which I hope will become our annual or biannual Christmas tradition, and she bought tickets for this instead. For months Alicia has looked forward to this. Hopefully tomorrow night I will have some pictures from our afternoon out.

Then my parents are having us over for an Easter egg hunt and dinner! Should be a great day.

And by the way, if you have never been to the Hult Center you should GO. Eugene is known for their artsy people and some of the best have come through the Hult Center. No need to always go to Portland.

O, and I should add that the boys are going to a really really great golf shop down there when we go. Ben got money there for Christmas and he has some things he needs to get. So they will have some male sport bonding while Alicia and I are off doing female ballet bonding. :)

Friday, April 17, 2009

Good come-on line

I heard a great "line" today on a rerun of West Wing. One of the men, Sam Seaborne, saw one of his co-workers in a beautiful dress and he said, "you could make a good dog break his leash." I love that line. LOVE IT!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I don't beleive in coincidences

So I went grocery shopping on Monday, my shopping day for the week. I spent my budget for the week and then realized I needed laundry soap that evening. I thought about going out and getting it today but I am really really trying to stay on budget. (I am not very good at it and I am trying to get better) I told myself I would go tomorrow. Just wondering how long I could put it off. When I got home from picking up Ethan from school I had a box on my doorstep. It was from *********, a site I am a member of. ********is a site that lets me occasionally try out a new product and then tell them what I think of it. Well I got detergent! It made me laugh! I know God probably was getting a giggle out of it too. My God is BIG, he is so BIG he decided to give me a laugh and let me have some detergent for free and therefore stay on budget. He cares about the little things in our lives.

He is my Jehovah-Jireh, my provider. (Genesis 22:14)

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Happy Birthday

Donna's 29!
What a great year. The last in your 20's, the last where you can feel somewhat young. :)

Hope you have a great day and you can feel a bit like a princess.

I LOVE YOU my sister in law!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

lessons learned from school breaks

So we had a good time over spring break. It was just what we needed to get ready for the end of the school year. But we were only back 7 days before we had Easter break, well grades/parent-teacher conferences and Good Friday. This break was too much. We were all bored and got on each other nerves. So I have been planning summer the last few days. My kids LOVE school. So we will do some sort of summer school. I have come up with 10 themes that will each take one week from the summer. I am getting many great ideas and lesson plans off the Internet and then when I have enough for each theme I will plan out each day of the week. I am so excited. There is so many great sites for teachers out there! It will be interesting to have a 5 and 7 year old who are at very different levels but I think it will be really good for them and me. They want to be busy all the time and if I have not planned anything I don't do anything. So I hope to have the whole summer planned and organized by the beginning of June. Plus there are a few things to buy and if I had waited to the last minute I would never have found some things, like maps and a globe and sending in for the kids caterpillar/butterflies.

So here are the units I am planning right now. As I find new sites I may adjust this some.
insects, Oregon, USA, world geography, planets/stars, weather, oceans, earthquakes/volcanoes, rain forests (possibly just forests or trees), deserts/polar regions

I am WAY excited for summer now. I have a lot of work ahead of me the next few weeks/months but am really enjoying the process. And Alicia has been excited as she has seen and read some of the things I am finding.


I know some of my faithful readers are teachers so if you have any great ideas please add them. I am still looking for more stuff on each theme at this point, especially deserts and polar regions. O, and how to incorporate the Bible into each theme. Some will be easy, like God made insects and which day were they created or how He can control weather, etc but some will be harder. So I would love help there as well.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

small piece of good news

Last summer we drove down to the Redwoods. On the way back we stopped off at Cape Blanco on 101 Southern Oregon to go potty. It was way off the course and we were not sure where we were actually going but we ended up at this isolated beach/campground with cool little cabins to rent. We spent hours on that beach and only saw one other family. It was beautiful and isolated and we knew right then we wanted to go back the next summer. So I went to book us in February and I was too late, they were already booked! I was ticked at myself and Ben was a little upset that I had waited so long to book. I have checked in daily since then to see if there has been any openings. We really needed weekends to open up as Ben took so many vacation days off in January leaving few days he can take off the rest of the year. In reality I was hoping for anything, ANYTHING to open up. Today a weekend in August opened up! Seriously. This was such good news for me. So we get to go back down to that great beach and spend two nights in the little cabins. I cannot wait. This was something I needed today.

God is good to me. He is good all the time.

10 things

What are ten things you are thankful for RIGHT NOW. And tag you are it! I think we should try more often to remember the things that are good in our lives!

1. No school today so I can sleep in.
2. I was in NEED of some sun so I am thankful for a few days of that.
3. For good college friends! NO, THE BEST college friends.
4. For the Holy Spirit!
5. A husband I can trust and follow.
6. For flowers, without them my yard would look depressing.
7. Stayton Christian School, my kids are learning so much.
8. BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS
9. for weekends
10. hot showers!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

appreciating the small gifts

It is amazing to me how we can learn from people we have never met. I have followed Darian's battle with cancer through friends who go to church with him and his parents. They have kept me up to date as he found out he had cancer, had a leg removed, has signs of hope and then when cancer returned. This time the cancer is slowly taking his life. I am sure his parents do not feel it is slow enough. Their last update on Darian BROKE my heart. Darian's mom wrote this in her blog, "I know that the amount of times I am going to hear 'Mom,' and then some sort of a request is getting fewer and fewer-so I'm embracing each one of them." This was such a real reminder to me to be so happy when my kids ask for things, when they say mommy, and when they just need me to hug them. These moments are not guarranteed to us. They are all gifts from God. I need to slow down and appreciate each gift for what it is.

Monday, April 6, 2009

This is for my expo referrals.. . . . ..

So you know who you are. :) I have been watching your videos like crazy so you can be in the top 20 in the running for the $1000.00. But, uhhhhmmmmm, you are not boosting my videos. lol. :)

So maybe a peek or two (or MORE) at my video would be nice.

But if one of you won the $1000.00 I would be very thrilled!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Just a few more weeks.

Today we went to the beach. This was on the calendar for a few weeks from now but it turned into a beautiful day and we decided to go. We are getting antsy for Ben to be done working Saturdays and extra hours. REALLY ANTSY. It's hard on the kids and in turn is hard on me. Anyway, I digressed, we decided after first service we would head out. It was a great beach day. Not really warm but SUNNY and surprisingly not very crowded. We played a few hours and then headed to McMennamins for lunch. We felt revived and then Ben went to get his Starbucks Mocha for the ride home and came out with strawberry frappacinos for the kids! And they were free. I guess they were giving free samples and some old lady stole the last one from Ben so they made two big size ones for his kids! What a treat! They NEVER EVER get them so they were in heaven all the way home. I may have to buy these for long car rides. They seriously were QUIET for a very long time.

When we got home the kids made cookies with Ben. This is a treat for them. One they love to cook and two they love to be with their daddy.

It was a good day and I think we can make it a few more weeks before we see Ben more.

Friday, April 3, 2009

I should be ashamed to do this. . .

but I am not. :)

There is a contest at expotv.com this month. We can upload one video and they will take 20 of the 400 entered to possible win $1000.00. All you have to do to help me get to be one of the 20 is watch my video! They are taking the 20 top watched videos and then randomly choosing a winner. So here is my video. if you have 2 minutes can you go watch it. Hey you can turn it on and walk away and I sill get the credit. http://www.expotv.com/videos/reviews/2/36/Suave-for-Kids-3-in-1-Shampoo-Condition/293698

I may have tried to look better if I had thought I would be doing this, but o, well.

Thanks girls!

THE APPLE

This is something I have been contemplating lately. I heard a song that was talking about Eve eating the apple and bringing sin to the world. Here's the thing. Even if Eve was strong enough to resist Satan and did not eat that apple and they walked with God until their death. Even if the world had never known sin and was perfect until the day I was born I am pretty sure I would have eaten that apple. I would not have had enough strength to resist! I have a heart full of sin.

I have been struggling with weird bits of jealousy. Not for the things people have or things I want but, and here is the weird thing, for the positions others are in. I was jealous that some friends got to go visit Lisa in the hospital, that one of my friends organized the dinners for the family before I did. And really the list goes on. Don't get me wrong, even in the midst of these feelings I am relieved that Lisa, and the others, have friends willing to do whatever needs to be done, but I still feel those twangs of jealousy.

Here is the real thing. I should be on my knees praying fervently for these people. Not just occasional prayers but when I am wishing for something to do for those in pain, I really should be talking to my Heavenly Father on their behalf!

So that is where I am at this week. I can't stop crying at any given moment for Lisa and her baby and for Darian and his family. Tonight I am going to bed a bit earlier because at 4 am Saturday morning I will be heading to my church to pray during Foothills prayer vigil. I am pretty sure I will be a wreck. I will need a huge box of tissue and can only hope that I actually get words out.

I guess I feel like I should apologize. Because if Eve didn't bring sin into the world I would have. I am even more aware this week that Jesus dying on the cross was FOR ME. He was dying for my sins, He knew.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

update

Can you continue to pray for this family? Lisa was able to hold her son for half and hour (correction she held him for an hour AND a half!). That is a blessing, a blessing she had been praying for. I know it is going to be hard for them to see this as a blessing as they just lost a son but I pray that at some point they do and can be comforted by that.

This death has really effected me. I am not sure why, but I just can't stop from crying for this family. There has been so much pain and death lately. It's hard to see people you know, care for, or are close to go through such devastating events. But I stand firm in the knowledge that God loves us and he feels our pain with us. He never wanted the world to be like this and someday we will see a heaven that is free from all this crud.

calling you to prayer

One of my friends, a mom of a first grader in Alicia's class, had a baby today. Her baby has had MAJOR problems, he has what is called Meckel Gruber Syndrome, most of her pregnancy and they knew she would lose the baby. It was just a matter of when. She really wanted to hold her baby before he died so she was looking forward to this day. I heard that she had her baby today. I am calling you all to prayer. I am not sure if it is too late but I believe in miracles and so I call you to pray that they see a miracle and cannot find a thing wrong with him. I pray that everyone around will see a miracle today. It breaks my heart to know this family may go through a loss of a baby.

I have not heard anything about where they are at in this process but if they have lost Logan can you pray for the family. Lisa is one of the most amazing people and she has two other children who will be dealing with a loss of a brother.

Please be in prayer for them.

If you want to read more here is her blog, http://leesesroom.blogspot.com/