Kyle Clark Bollinger

Announcing the arrival of our beautiful baby boy--Kyle Clark Bollinger. He was born last Thursday Sept. 3rd and weighed 6# 13 oz. He is absolutely adorable and we are thrilled to have him here.

He has a fair amount of dark brown hair and the perfect little features of an angelic newborn.

He has had a bit of an issue with some high bili levels which in turn have caused some extra-sleepless nights but he seems to have turned the corner and his levels are dropping now instead of rising so we are hoping that the near-constant feedings can be reduced after Tuesday.

My mom and dad have been here to help and I must say that they have indeed been a Godsend!!! I cannot imagine what I would have done last week without them. I'm not quite sure how I will ever be able to show them or let them know how much I appreciate their sacrifices in coming all the way up here and in working so hard to help take care of me and my family. Maybe that is the nature of children--we never really appreciate the extent to which our parents sacrifice and love their children--at least until we have children of our own and begin to make sacrifices of our own.

I certanly am enjoying this new little baby though. Knowing that this is my last, I am a little more conscious of the passing time and how fleeting it is and I hope that I will not worry about the hardships of a newborn and will just enjoy being with him, cuddling him, smelling him, kissing him and just loving him.

Which is harder?

I'm not sure which has been harder...

Being without Jeff for 10 days

Or

Being without my camera!


Thank goodness they both get home tonight!

Informed Decsions

This is why I support and listen to Ron Paul. Take the time to watch this!!!! Whether you are Republican or Democrat--He makes Sense! He's right on the money and the fact is----It is time for TRUTH to once again reign in America not the platforms and secret agendas that currently blot our national politics. I know that the election is over but there is much that we can and should be paying attention too and raising our voices to either oppose or support. If you are not sure where you stand on ANY particular issue--before you make up your mind--find out what Ron Paul has said about it and just see if that doesn't make things a lot clearer in your mind so that you can make a much more informed decision. It may surprise you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG_HuFtP8w8

Getting Crafty

I decided to get a little bit crafty one recent afternoon so I made Addison a quick, super-easy little skirt. I had been saving this fabric for ages and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally put it to use. The skirt itself is just a plain, straight skirt with an elastic waistband. There is nothing fancy about it but Addy LOVES it! I think she likes it so much because it is just so dang comfortable. It is made out of stretchy, knit fabric. No sooner does it come out of the wash and she has it on again. For some reason, this little girl loves wearing skirts. I can hardly ever get her to wear shorts during the summertime--but give her a little skirt and she's happy as a lark. This particular skirt is great because I don't have to worry about whether or not she is going to ruin it by playing in it. --It's all about playtime. If she wants to run, jump, climb trees, swing or anything else while wearing it--it's ok with me. She hasn't quite figured out what things actually match and what doesn't yet but At least with this particular skirt the "clashing" is somewhat minimized based on the small aspect of the pattern and general neutrality of grey.We went to the library the other day for the kids summer activity hour. They were tie-dying t-shirts. All three of the kids had fun tie-dying their shirts. It was a really fun activity and all of the shirts actually came out really cute. Andrew's is a navy blue color. He's not in this particular picture because I can't seem to get all three kids to wear their shirts at the same time. Andrew wears his about every other day. It's kind of like Addy with the skirt--It never really hits his drawer--He just pulls it out of the clean laundry pile and puts it on.--the problem is, my son is sort of a neat freak. He can't seem to stand a dirty shirt, so as soon as he gets a speck of dirt on it--off it goes and into the laundry shute. One day we'll get it all together and I'll be able to snap some pictures with them all in their cute little shirts.

Huckleberry Adventures

We decided to play hookie from the real world on Tuesday and head out into the wild, blue yonder for some good old-fashioned huckleberry picking. My friend Kristine and I along with our combined 6 kids (and the dog) loaded up the snacks, berry pails and swimming gear and drove on up to Bald Mtn. lookout to find some of those sometimes reticent huckleberries and have a bit of fun.


The kids loved climbing the big lookout tower to the top. The view was stunning! You could see for miles in any direction. The tower itself is kind of neat in that you can actually rent it out to camp overnight in it. It had a bed, fridge, sink, and stove with 360 degree windows to take in the breathtaking panoramic scenery.



I love taking off into the great outdoors. Almost any excuse is good enough for me. Huckleberry picking however, turned out to be a great excuse. The kids all got along pretty well, the dog had a nice day out, the company and conversation was of course fun. Not to mention that I love huckelberries and am looking forward to multiple huckleberry smoothies and huckleberry ice cream and huckleberry milkshakes etc. etc. this winter.



When the kids got tired of picking they entertained themselves playing in the woods


After we were all hot and tired of picking berries we piled in the truck, headed down the mountain and over to Laird park for a cool swim in the river. Kaylee, Isaac, and Addison had fun taking turns jumping off the dam into the river. Sometimes I'm surprised by how brave they can be one minute and how, at other times, their fear can get the better of them over something that to my mind is not near as scary. Go figure, I guess it's just like food--I'm often amazed by what they actually like (ie. fried onions or artichoke hearts) and what they decide not to like (ie. Kool Aid or grilled cheese sandwiches). But I digress...

Andrew, Jackson and Corbin had plenty of fun too--playing in the shallows, digging in the sand, throwing rocks in the water and generally just being boys.

No one wanted to leave but we had to get back to pick up Brody. I half expected my kids to zonk out as soon as we hit the highway but they were having too much fun fighting the whole way home. It was that--"I'm so exhausted that I have absolutely no more reasoning capability" sort of fighting. Good thing I still had a few more snacks left.

Before Green Gables

Last week when I was sick as a dog--coughing my lungs up and constantly trying not to pee my pants I needed some sort of diversion. Mother-in-law to the rescue! She had sent this book to my sister-in-law just recently giving it high reviews. I decided to pilfer it the last time I was up there. Thank goodness I did! It was just the ticket! I needed something that required VERY LITTLE energy and yet occupied my mind to a sufficient degree that I could have brief respites of calm-without coughing and making my weary abdominal muscles work anymore than they absolutely had to.

Long story short and without anymore whining---I loved it!

I have always been a fan of Anne of Green Gables and I, like many others have wanted there to be more to Annes story. I didn't want it to end. I was a little leary at first though, knowing that often when a different author tries to continue the series it usually comes out flat and not nearly as good as the original author's work. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by how wonderfully this book fits in with L.M. Montgomery's original series. It feels the same! It was easy to read, entertaining, full of fun details that seem very much in alignment with the "real" Anne books. The book is actually a prequel to the series that we know and love. It tells the story of Annes early life before she was adopted by the Cuthberts. There is plenty of substance in the book to give a person cause to think without detracting from the sheer entertainment value of a good story. So, for whatever it's worth, I give my two thumbs up and suddenly feel the need to break out my Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea movies to watch for the thousandth time.

Berry Pickin'

Took the kids up to a Strawberry farm in Spokane. We picked about 50 # of Strawberries. Addy was my best Strawberry picker of the day. She kicked butt. Andrew couldn't stop eating them and Kaylee couldn't stop asking questions about them.

This is what 50 pounds of Strawberry jam looks like. I have a whole shelf dedicated to Strawberry jam in my freezer. I may not have a whole year supply of some things but at least I have my jam taken care of. Priorities!!! lol