Sweet Potato

We started Elli on solids a couple of weeks ago. Her favorite? Sweet Potatos!

Halloween

Halloween was so much fun this year. The kids really got into it & there was so much to do, that Halloween in our house lasted about a week! It was great! Plus, the kids got mundo useage out of their costumes. What were the kids this year? Well, Nicholas choose to be Fred Jones from Scooby-Doo (talk about a super easy costume!), Sean was an Incredible (from the Disney Movie Incredibles-found at the Goodwill Spooktakular sale!), and Elizabeth was a third baby frog (all 3 of the kids wore the same frog costume their first Halloween). I think this was one of the cheapest costume years yet. We started the Halloween festivities off by carving pumpkins the weekend before Halloween. The kids & I found faces on the internet & then Ray drew them and did the carving. The boys thought that the innards were pretty disgusting and used spoons to dig them out. Then on Monday, Uncle Bret & his girlfriend Heather took the boys out pumpkin hunting at one of the local produce stores. They had a blast despite the rainy conditions. Nicholas came home with a pumpkin that had to be carried by Uncle Bret & Sean came home with 3 little pumpkins...1 for him, 1 for Elizabeth & 1 for Aunt Natalie who was visiting. Then it was off to our friends the Prasil's for a fun Halloween party with our All Saints group! The kids had a fun time running around playing in their costumes & they all looked so cute! The next couple of days were spent trying to track down a HUGE size bag of popcorn for Sean's special helper day at Preschool, which happened to fall on their Halloween party. So, Monster Hands were the choosen snack (gloves filled with popcorn & candy corn for finger nails). Thursday came & Sean was extatic! He got to wear his costume to school, Mom & Elli got to come in to volunteer for the morning & it was the Halloween party & his special helper day! It was a lot of fun. The kids all played games and got tons "prizes". Then on Friday was Nicholas's Halloween party at school & they played games with their school families (groups of kids from all grades). Then he celebrated the rest of the afternoon at his soccer coaches house having a Halloween party their with some of his soccer friends. That night the 5 of us headed down to the school for their Family Fun Festival where we celebrated the night away with lots of games. Saturday night we went to our good friend's the Wimer's who live just down the street from us. We trick or treated the neighborhood & then enjoyed pizza and playing and visiting. The guys sat in the driveway around the fire ring & handed out candy while us Moms took the kids out. It was soooo much fun. And for those of you not familiar with our neighborhood...we should seriously be on the news! Jeremy & Sarah had 305 trick or treaters at their house, the neighbors across the street from us had over 600. One of the families in the neighborhood actually rented an outhouse & placed it in their driveway with a sign "Public Restroom". It's NUTS! Here's some pics from our Halloween week!

Wow, Time flies

Wow, I hadn't realized it's been so long since I lasted posted. Well, what have the Remacle's been up too??? Let me count the many crazy's of our life!
-Soccer: Nicholas started soccer again this fall and is loving it. We have practices on Thursday nights & then games on Saturday. He's quite the little player this year and has even scored his first few goals. He's on a team with lots of his friends from school which is fun. We've met some new parents this season & gotten to know some parents better. It's been fun so far & Sean & Elizabeth seem to be okay soccer fans.
-Birthday parties: Wow, who knew that having two kids in school would be a life altering equation! It's wonderful that the boys have made soooo many friends at school & between the two, we've had at least 5 parties since school started.
-A.C.T.I.O.N. Auction: This is the annual auction (biggest fundraiser) for the school the boys attend. For the last few years, Tonia and I have been in charge of setting up the live auction displays. This year, Tonia was out of town the week prior to the Auction so, I pitched in with keeping track of inventory down at the school. It was a lot of fun to be able to be involved with this side of the auction. I always look forward to Auction weekend.
-My first Memory Works Event: I hosted my first Memory Works event with an Open House. There was a great turnout and I very much appreciated all of the support my friends & family have given to me. I love the products that I'm selling & am very excited that my friends & family are just as excited. The Open House was a huge success and I had a blast getting ready for it and sharing my products with my friends and family.
-Life in General: The kiddos have definately been keeping us on our toes. Ray's been out of town a lot the last few weeks and it seems that the flu spread throughout the family. Ray had it for a couple of weeks & even took a day off work, I had it bad enough I had to call my mom in to help with the kids & both boys also had it. We think Elli had a touch of it however, with a baby who knows. Elizabeth is growing so fast & it's hard to believe that she's already 4 months old. She's started showing us how to grow spit bubbles and zerberts. It's hilarious to watch her get this big old grin on her face and then hit us with the spit bubble, zerbert noises. Thats when she really lets loose and she knows she has our attention, she's even starting to try and giggle. Her other latest is that she's almost rolling over...if she could just get that arm out from under her, she'd be there! The boys are both busy with field trips and school. Nicholas has reading homework every night and it's fun to just sit down with the boys and read stories. We've also been working on workbooks to try and identify letters of the alphabet that he's struggling with. Sean also likes to work on "homework" with Nicholas and does his workbook too.
Well, that's pretty much life around here. Crazy!

The Things Kids Say

I'm still giggling over this and it's only been a few minutes since he said it! I sent the boys into brush their teeth...I go in to check on them as things tend to get a little out of control with a 5 year old & a 3 year old alone in the bathroom. Anyway, Nicholas has wet down his hair to comb it, it's looking a little too wild for me so, I take the comb and start re-working it. Apparently I wasn't doing it right since I was trying to make it look different than the way he wanted it. He wanted a combover, yes he's only 5 (apparently he doesn't realize that this will be a dreaded hairstyle in the future). So, I give him his combover, finish the job & the next thing I know, Nicholas is checking himself out in the mirror with some googly eye movements and completes his admiring of himself with a "Hellllooo, Handsome!" I died laughing! Where kids come up some of this stuff is beyond me however, it made my morning so I had to share.

Elizabeth's Baptism

On Sunday August 23rd, we had Elli baptised at our church. Tom & Tonia are her Godparents. Elli did great and didn't even cry, despite the fact Father dumped a bunch of Holy Water right in her eye! She had a beautiful gown made by her Great Grandma Grace and she looked absolutely adorable! We had a BBQ afterwards with the family & friends who were able to attend. It was a great day & a lot of fun.

First Day of School

The boys started school...Nicholas started Kindergarten the last week of August & Sean started Playschool on the 1st of September. Both boys are loving school. Nicholas gets especially excited on days he gets to stay all day (which are normally Tuesday & Friday) because he gets to eat lunch at school...he always gets Chocolate Milk! Sean loves his school and had to tell me all about the Safety Trees (where they go in case of an evacuation) and that Mr. Bross came to his school. He's still having a hard time with Nicholas being in Kindergarten and misses him quite bit. However, both boys are loving school. I'm still adjusting to Sean being in school & I know his buddy Graham misses him when he's there too. It's weird not having Nicholas around in the afternoons when he stays all day. I love the fact though that both boys love school, their teachers, and all of the activities that they get to do. Once again, both Ray & I feel so blessed to be able to send the boys to All Saints.

My Latest Adventure

For my birthday this year, I wanted to become a Memory Works Consultant. Something that would get me motivated on my scrapbooking hobby & help earn a little extra income for our Disney trip in 2010 (and of course those nasty bills). My kit just came in the mail yesterday and I have been having a blast checking out the catalog & compiling my "wish list" of all those cool products a scrapbooker just can't live without! :0) So far, I have the first page of Elizabeth's scrapbook all planned out...now I guess it's time to order some product and pictures! Here's a link for all of you scrapbookers to check out...www.memory-works.com!

Swing Batter!

For Ray's Birthday, the kids & I got him 2 tickets to the Aug. 8 Seattle Mariners game against Tampa Bay. He could take anybody he wanted...well, I got chosen by default (heehee) and Elizabeth was the consulation prize. It was a great quick weekend away. Ray, Elli & I left early Saturday morning and dropped the boys off with my parents. They were very excited to get to spend the night with Grandma Judy & Papa Ray & Chris & Senna. Ray & I arrived in Seattle around 1:30 after a few stops along the way for Elli. We were just a block away from the Space Needle and so we walked up there for a quick look around. Ray had never been there before & it had been several years since I had. Imagine my surprise to find a carnival has been set up right at the base of the Space Needle. Complete with booths for games and rides. Yes, this appears to be a permanent addition to the Space Needle. I was very disappointed to see this, as it took away from the atmosphere. Anyway, we took a shuttle over to the game around 4:30 and walked around Safeco Field for a couple of hours before the game started at 7. It was such a fun atmosphere! We decided that this was going to become a yearly tradition for our family. Next year...the boys will get to go & Elli will stay home with Grandma & Papa. The game was fun, despite me spending a couple of innings in the bathroom with a hungry Elli & a couple of bad sports fans from the other team sitting next to us. Seattle lost after a very bad start with Snell's pitching. The Mariners just couldn't get it together that night. However, we still had a nice weekend with each other and some one-on-one time with Elizabeth. Here's a few pics...

Boise

Last Thursday, Ray called me early in the morning and said he needed to go down to Twin Falls to check out a job for work and asked if the kids and I would like to be dropped off in Boise. So, I rounded up clean clothes, packed the suitcases, changed the oil in the car and we were ready to go! Friday morning we loaded up the kids and headed to Boise for Elizabeth's first Boise trip. The kids did pretty good on the way down. Ray dropped us off in Boise and then headed for Twin. The kids & I headed over to the mall (we stayed at the AmeriTel right in the mall parking lot) after we relaxed a bit. Then it was back to the motel for some swimming. The boys had fun playing in the water for a little while then it was back to the room to wait for Aunt Natalie to get off work. She got to the room about the same time as Ray, then we walked over to TGIF's for a late dinner. The next day we met up with Natalie & Mas and played at Toys R Us for an hour or so, then it was off to the main attraction...Chuck E Cheese's! It has become standard tradition that whenever we go to Boise we hit Chuck E Cheese's at least one time. We played for close to 3 hours, won 740 tickets, and came home with 2 bags of cotton candy, 2 rocket shooters, 2 dum dum suckers, and 2 air head candies. The ride home was horrendous and we had 2 screamers pretty much the whole way (Elli & Sean). It was not a fun car ride. However, at least the kids & I were able to get out of town and the time in Boise was fun.

Fishing at Soldier's Meadow

Early Saturday morning, Ray suggested we go fishing for something to do. We woke up the kids, loaded up the car (and yes once again half the house) and headed up to Soldier's Meadow for some fishing. It was fun, much more successful than the first fishing trip. Ray caught 7 fish, I caught one (using the lucky Scooby Doo fishing pole), and Nicholas caught his first fish...a bass. The boys had fun throwing rocks in the water, Elizabeth enjoyed hanging out and helping me supervise. It was a short trip, as the kids got restless, thus we were home by 11:00am. Needless to say, we had a pretty relaxing morning in the great outdoors.

Elizabeth's first swim

Friday Ray got home from work early. It was nice to have him home early so we could all just play and hang out. Seaners decided he wanted to play in his pool. So, Elizabeth & I headed out to help him clean it out. We've decided that Elli is an outdoor girl & a little water baby. She hung out in her bouncy until the pool got cleaned out, then Sean & I decided to take her swimming. While the pool filled, we found her a little swimmer diaper (which was way to big for her...Ray called it her hip waders) and then took her for a dip. She loved it! Daddy had to come out and check her out and I roped him into taking some pics.

Potlatch Days

Every year, Potlatch holds its annual Potlatch Days celebration. This year, they were dedicating the VFW Memorial and my Uncle was the guest speaker. Ray was working, so I took the boys up to watch the parade and the dedication. This was the first time in 12 years that I have been back to Potlatch for the Potlatch Days celebration. The boys had a blast watching the parade and came home with a ziploc full of candy. My Uncle gave a wonderful speech and the dedication was very nice...I even found my Grandpa Bidlake's name on one of the plaques, which was very special. We didn't stay for long...just long enough to watch the parade and the dedication, then we headed out to my Grandparents for a visit and to let the kids cool off. Here's some pics...

Fun at the Beach

Over the weekend I had a last minute surprise...my good friend, Candy, and her husband and kids were in town and wanted to get together at the beach on Saturday. All of the kids (including babies) are very close in age and always have a great time playing together. We get to see eachother about once a year and it never seems to amaze me how the kids just naturally have so much fun together...almost like they play together on a pretty regular basis. It was great visiting with Candy and Chris and seeing their new little girl, Lucy. Lucy and Elizabeth are just 2 days apart, and already have lots in common...they like to sleep, cry, and eat. Already the greatest of friends!

Picnic at Castle Park

The boys have been asking to go to Castle Park (aka Webster School Playground) for several weeks. Things have just never worked out to go. So, I decided one afternoon to have a picnic in the park...we headed to McDonald's for their free cheeseburgers from the Summer Reading Program, loaded up a cooler with some drinks, chips, and snacks and off we headed to the park for a fun couple of hours. The boys love Castle Park and had a great time. I even got to see Sean slide down the fireman pole for the first time, he thought that was really cool & had a huge ole grin on his face afterwards.

4th of July

As is our yearly 4th of July tradition, we headed up to the Greencreek celebration to celebrate the day with Tom & Tonia and their kids and Tonia's family. This is a wonderful, small town, event that is held and is a fun time for everybody. We started with a wonderful pancake, sausage, bacon, eggs, and hashbrown breakfast. Then it was off to the outside to let the kids run and play. There is a riding lawn mower train, a little car ride and a bouncing castle for the kids. There is also a small store where the kids can purchase items from bow & arrows, to pirate/ninja swords, to candy necklaces (can you tell what came home with us?) It's also a nice time for us adults to just visit with friends we haven't seen in a while, as we can just let the kids run and know that they are in a safe environment. There was a time or two where one of the kids was MIA however, all you had to do was look for a few minutes and they usually turned up in the jumping castle or the cars. That evening we headed over for an housewarming/4th of July party at Aaron & Amanda Remacle's. The kids all had a blast playing on the slip & slide, lighting off fireworks, eating, and just being kids. Aaron & Amanda have a wonderful new home that overlooks the river and the Valley firework show. It was relaxing just sitting there on the deck with a lot of great friends and watching all of the kids ooohhh and awww over the fireworks. Needless to say, we had some very tired kids on the way home. Thanks to the Schumacher, Jones, and Remacle Family's for a wonderful 4th of July.

Fishing!

Saturday morning Ray had the great idea to go fishing. Sean got a new fishing pole for Christmas and we finally had a relaxing weekend to try it out. We loaded up the kids, (and half the house), and headed off for Moose Creek Reservoir. We had a good time their last year and thought we would try it out again this year. The location was a flop (no fish) however, we had a wonderful Saturday in the great outdoors. Nicholas had a bite after Daddy let him put a real lure on his line. Ray caught a small baby fish. Sean just had fun throwing his plastic fish in the water. Elli took a long nap and I supervised from the edge. It was a blast! Nobody fell in, Nichols didn't "catch" anybody, and all of the fishing poles were accounted for when we were done!

Elli & Brenna

Friday Tracie & Brenna came up to spend the day so, Tracie & I took the opportunity to dress the girls in their matching outfits and capture "the moment"! The girls are almost exactly 2 months apart.

Elizabeth Kay

Well, you can definately tell life has been a little busy here in the Remacle household since I haven't given any updates in a few weeks! Elizabeth Kay arrived on June 18th at 8:41pm. She weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs 13.5 oz and was 19.5 inches long. She has a little scuff off brown hair. She is the apple of her Daddy's eye and already has her big brothers wrapped around her little finger. As for Mommy....she's already my little princess and doesn't tolerate playing dress-up. :-) Life has definately changed in our world and we are loving it (despite lack of sleep). The boys have officially been moved to their new bedroom downstairs and are enjoying the amount of room to play. Nicholas has taken the role of big brother very seriously and is my little helper. He loves to take care of her when she starts fussing and it's a very common thing to hear "It's okay, big brother's here". He also is puke & binky patrol in the backseat and loves to give step by step commentaries on her puke, facial expressions, or crying. Sean is still adjusting to being a big brother and the middle child. He helps out once in a while by giving her the binky or her monkey. He has started to really like to hold her and pet her hair or cheek. He's very gentle with her and it's very sweet to see him grin up at us while looking at her. However, she is definately a Daddy's girl and cuddles right up in his arms when he's home. She can be spitting mad and crying up a storm and all you have to do is give her to Daddy and she's calm as can be. We are loving having our little Elizabeth here.

Updates on Remacle Life

Well, life has been interesting around here. Ray's been busy working, getting the basement ready for the boys, and trying to keep dibs on my status throughout the days. The boys have been living the summer life and have been busy on the slip & slide, playing in their pool, and just enjoying summer. They are signed up for the reading program at the library and we've been going to storytime once a week. I'm hoping to get Nicholas signed up for swimming lessons here in a few weeks and he will be attending Vacation Bible School through our church right after the 4th of July and is very much looking forward to that. I've just been traveling back & forth to Moscow for dr appointments and a few "Soda Teasers" complete with false labor & visits to Gritman. I have decided that I'm not going to the hospital anymore unless my water breaks...so, I guess if this kid wants to come out, he/she had better break my water first or Nicholas will be delivering! :-) Other than that, we've just been veggin' out, reading, playing outside, and livin' life!

First Days of Summer

Sunday was a wonderful day here in Lewiston...weather was at a whopping 90 degrees, the sun was shining and the kids were in a great mood. Ray took us down to Dairy Queen (I was craving a milk shake) and we had ice cream treats and french fries. On the way home, Ray told the kids he had a surprise for them. They guessed and guessed all the way home and finally guessed correctly as we were pulling in the driveway...the surprise...it was finally warm enough for the kids to get out Sean's new slip & slide he got for his birthday. Everytime the sun shone between February and Sunday, all we heard was "we can get out the slip & slide!". Nope, unfortunately just because the sun shines doesn't mean it's warm enough to play in the water. Well, Ray set it up for them while they changed into their swim shorts & I lathered them up with sunscreen. They had a blast! Then they had to get out their swimming pool and play in that, too. They played so hard and were definately pooped by the time bedtime rolled around. All I can say is "Thanks Aunt Natalie & Mas for giving Seaner's the slip & slide. We enjoyed a nice quite bedtime without any fights and the boys enjoyed a beautiful day outside having fun."

The Basement Floor

Over the past six years (since we bought the house) Ray has slowly been working on finishing the basement. Granted, the first year or two we lived here, not much happened in our catch all. Now, six years later, Ray is rapidly completing another chapter on our basement. The flooring is going in throughout the boys soon to be new room, the family room, and the "Man Room". It is beautiful. He spent all of Saturday and an hour or so on Sunday getting as much done as possible. He finished up the boys' room which he started the weekend before and completed pretty much all of the family room and a small portion of the "Man Room". It looks wonderful. The boys are loving their new room and even started moving a couple of toys down. Although, we have had to remind them that there is still a little work to do in there and they can't move down everything yet. I'll add some more pictures of the floor when I get them! Here's a quick preview of what it looked like before Saturday.