Here we are in Vancouver BC - Dave is doing his last ortho course and I came along for the ride. My Mom is at home with the kids - she is really earning her Grandma stripes - two weekends in a row with the brood. Whew. And thanks to Buffy who took Parker to one of his games last weekend while we were away - we sure appreciate that - you're an awesome aunt.

I like Vancouver - big city, quite a melting pot, and a lot to do and see. Our hotel is nice - very modern. I am at a bit of a loss with Dave at his course and no one to talk to - I was trying to explain to Dave that it's strange for me to be alone. I am never alone. I burnt some time at the gym and at a bagel shop - had lunch with Dave and now I am anxiously awaiting a call from the kids at 4pm.

Last weekend was fun - back in Cleveland. It was weird driving around Cleveland - it is amazing how much I have forgotten and how much has changed. I am glad we got to see where Tom and Tracey have been for the last four years and it was exciting to watch them get all packed up and ready for their next phase - San Diego. Their new house looks great and we look forward to seeing them down there. Congrats again to Tom and Tracey. Good luck in the GPR - you'll do well.

The boys are all wearing new ortho appliances - any estimates on how long it takes for one of them to lose one? Who knows - maybe they will surprise us. They are pretty obstructive - they are slurring and spitting everywhere trying to get used to them. Baseball is winding down - and not too soon. What an exasperating schedule. And not the best season - especially for Isaac - too much disappointment and frustration. We would not be surprised if he elects to not play next year. The summer holds plenty of other fun - swim lessons, scout camps - and promises to be busy.

Well - hope everyone's travels are safe this weekend - have a great Memorial Day weekend. Can't help but think of last year's Memorial Day - what a blast, despite the rain.
Adina

Okay so it is down to 2. So lets have a vote on who is the Stinchfield's favorite. Just place a comment for your vote. Blake or Jordin?

Guess an update from me is due. All's well in San Diego. I have lots of fun things coming up in the next couple months so mostly I am looking forward to things although I am having fun in the meantime. I am glad that I have a lot planned though because the lack of Lost for the next 8 months is going to be hard...

I am very excited to be having Tom, Tracey + fam complete their move here so I can start the fun of hanging out with them. It will be great to have them close and to get to show them all the cool San Diego things that we didn't get to see when we were younger.

This week I am very excited about going to see Pirates 3 on Thursday night with a group of friends. Although I am a little surprised that I don't feel like I have seen too much promotion for the movie...but that may be because I am avoiding it because I don't want my opinion to be jaded. I will let you all know what I think...I am pretty dang sure I will love it.

I am also very excited for this next weekend in Gualala. It will be really fun to see everyone and relax in the woods. And to play with Andrew! Although I think I need to pick up a baseball cap before I go because I am not going to be wanting to tame the bangs in the woods for three days.

Work is going well. Still pretty busy. I am continuing to do the norm, publishing and learning new programs. I have decided that I am going to go back to get my MBA full-time instead of part-time. I just don't want it to take another 4 years until I am done, which it would if I continued to work full-time while doing school part-time....just exhausting. So I am going to switch it and do school full-time so I can finish it in 2 years. I have a couple options for part-time work so I am going to explore those but I am sure it will all work out fine. Right now I am just really getting serious about studying for the GMAT so I can take the next step in the application process. Provided everything works as it should I am hoping to start the program hopefully at SDSU in Spring 2008 (end of January).

Training is still going well. I have been slacking a bit in the last couple weeks but I am really determined to stick to it. I have decided that I much prefer running outside to inside on a treadmill. I have been trying to make my last month's gym payment worth it so have been doing the treadmill for the past couple weeks (which may contribute to the slacking) but I am really eager to go outside again...the fresh air and change of scenery really makes a difference. And the exercise really does make me feel so much better when I know that I have kept on track and run what I should. Plus it is always nice to notice changes, even if it is just the kind that you would only notice because you see yourself everyday. I am slowly progressing and I think that re-energizing my plan will help that move forward even faster.

Anyway, I am tired so that is all from me for now. Oh - I am hoping the May Gray will leave San Diego but I think it will last through the June Gloom.... :( Where is the sun? Marnie is white and she needs to tan! Doesn't it understand!?

Ok, really going to sleep now...love you all...

Well, we are sitting around Tom's house while he is disconnecting the speakers etc...Tracey is packing her suitcases. Their movers are coming tomorrow to pack boxes and Tuesday they will be moved out. Today, we went to the graduation lunch and then to the graduation. it all went very well...Danica even slept during much of it! There are lots of pictures...but I don't have access to them so we'll have to pressure Dad, David or Tom.

Last night we went to the Indians game. Before the game we had a great lunch with Dennis and Lexi. It was so good to see them again. Dad had the kick of being able to use their borrowed Segway. I keep reminding him that he needs the exercise of reallyh walking. After filling up on the delicious lunch....actually more like an early dinner we headed off to the game. Unfortunately they lost...I think Dad and I are bad luck! It was a fitting last Saturday night for Tom in Cleveland, since they spent many evenings there. Hayden is always really into it. Tracey introduced me to their kids area which is pretty cool. Play equipment, inexpensive kid size food and TV's so the parents can still keep in touch with the game.

I don't think I mentioned on the blog yet that I was called as a seminary teacher for next year. I am really looking forward to it, actually. I know it sounds crazy but it does mean that you really get into the scriptures. Martha and Jonna both did it and really enjoyed it...We'll see how much I like the reality of it!

Dad and I are leaving tomorrow morning...David and Adina in the afternoon. Dad bemoans that he actually has to work for two days this week...poor guy! It's been great for him to relax.

Danica is just amazing...she is so tiny but walking all over and acting pretty grown up...but she is the size of most of my 8-9 month olds!!! Hayden as usual is a character. We were playing a game yesterday and he was "drawing" the directions for the game. Part of that was drawing stick figures of the players....Tracey, Hayden and Me...(Danica was there but had a big X over her stick figure since she couldn't play) He was spending a lot of time on mine and putting a lot of lines on the face...Tracey asked him why and he said that he had to make the lines on my face since old people had lines.... Boy, did that put me in my place!!! I looked at the mirror...and he was right!

Brooke and Mike are emerging from the darkness of moving. She wrote a short posting on the Bennett (Beecher) blog and mentioned that they will be back on-line by Tuesday of this week. They are really enjoying their house and the reception for Mike's change of command went well....take the link for further details.

Anyway, I'll go hit the cross-stitch. Melia looks pretty close to really getting going. Marnie, David and Adina really objected to the picture....I was pretty confused too!!!

Love you all,

Mom

You know you're from San Diego if...

-You can snowboard, surf, skate, then go fishing all in the same day

~Your high school had a surf team~

~You can correctly pronounce Tierrasanta, La Jolla, Rancho Penasquitos, San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, and El Cajon~

~There are four distinct seasons: Summer, Not Quite Summer, Almost Summer, and Oh Hey Look Its Summer Again~

~Chula-juana is a real town.~

~Your house is worth more than some small countries~

~You know what MB, OB, IB and PB stand for~

~Every street name is either in Spanish or Spanish related, and you're surprised when other areas don't have this~

~You can determine the accuracy of someone's "i'm ghetto" claim by knowing their high school. For example, El Camino High School or Crawford High School~

~You see weather forcasts for four different climate zones in the same county, and aren't remotely surprised. The Micro Climate Weather~

~You've gone to Mt. Helix in July and known you still need a jacket~

~You've tailgated at Qualcomm Stadium, and for bonus points, also tailgated when it was Jack Murphy Stadium~

~You have a favorite- the WAP or the Zoo~

~You've been on a field trip to see an Imax movie at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center~

~You still call it the Del Mar Fair~

~You say "i'm going to the track" and people know what you mean~

~You understand what May-Gray and June-Gloom is~

~A famous skateboarder/surfer lives in your town~

~There's a North County, a South County, and an East County but no Central County~

~"Mossy Nissan! Mossy Nissan! Mossy Nissan Moves You!"~

~You know what it means when two guys are walking in Hillcrest~

~You know what it means when a girl in a short skirt is walking on El Cajon Blvd~

~You've gotten stuck in the Horton Plaza parking structure traffic after a Padres game~

~You know what "The Merge" is, and will plan your entire day around not being on it during rush hour~

~You've been to Belmont Park~

~You've taken the Coaster and laughed at people sitting in traffic on the 5~

~You know the difference between Clairemont Mesa, Kearny Mesa, and Mira Mesa~

~You've gone to Sea World on a warm day and sat in the first few rows at the Shamu Show to get cooled off~

~You've been delayed at the Border Checkpoints on the 5 and the 15~

~Your house doesn't have air conditioning~

~You know it's San Diegan, not San Diegoan, or San Diegoite~

~You has your favorite beach~

~No matter what the weather is, there is always someone walking around in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops~

~You live on, near or are surrounded by hills~

~You hate tourists and their bad driving. GET OFF THE ROAD NORTH DAKOTA, NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE. SERIOUSLY. GO HOME~

~You have family and or friends that have moved to Arizona (Washington in our case!)~

~You used to, and sometimes still do ride the carousel at Seaport Village~

~You know someone who doesn't own pants, and have a neighbor who doesn't seem to own a shirt~

~You know what Santa Ana's are, and that they have literally nothing to do with the city of Santa Ana~

~If the menu doesnt have California burritos on it, forget it, its not real mexican food~

Every one of these is true!! Welcome to San Diego!!!

So I have more than a million things to do but I wanted to take a quick break and decided I would blogg a few funny kid stories as a little stress relief. As for the move, things are coming together and I think it will all be ready by tomorrow night. We’ve deep cleaned everything that is staying here; i.e. walls, windows, shelfs, cabinets, etc. and tried to sort through all our belongings getting rid of what we’re not keeping. The house looks kind of sad with no pictures up and such but I suppose that is how it has to be. We want everything done in advance because we are really looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend with our fun visitors. If things sort out as planned tomorrow then the only thing left to do before the movers come will be to actually pack our suitcases. Yikes, I can’t believe it’s really happening! It all feels really overwhelming still and I am sad to say good bye to our friends but really excited about all the things to come. I just tell myself that our friends will come and visit sometime so it’s not really a good-bye and then I’m just excited and not sad. Hayden is really excited about the move but has had a few emotional moments about leaving and broke down crying about why can’t he just keep going to his old school. Luckily he’s has having a lot of play dates this week which are helping. Today he said to me “So, do you know what’s happening tomorrow?” I wasn’t sure what he was referring to so I said I didn’t know and he said “Grandma Barb and Papa are coming!” He’s obviously very excited!! He wanted to play x-box today so he asked to do a chore and settled on cleaning the bathroom sink. While he was cleaning he said “I want to clean this so it will look all nice and shiny for Grandma Barb and Papa’s arrival tomorrow.” It was pretty cute and I was shocked to hear him use the word “arrival.” Here are a few more stories:

Last week he came up to me and said “I’m not going to preschool anymore mom, I retired.”
He was rambling on about something and start talking about how he never forgets anything and is really smart. So then he starts saying a bunch of letters, ending by spelling his name and saying “I’m H-A-Y-D-E-N and that spells smart!!”

Hayden really likes to do sign language and he frequently uses charades to tell us things or spells out words with his finger in the air. He told Tom he wanted to play the X-Box 360 by writing the following in the air “3-6-D” Tom had to show him the x-box to convince him the real way to do it!

I don’t leave Danica out, she is doing really well although she is tired of us being so busy packing/cleaning and such. She has this awesome new thing where I can ask her if she wants to night-night and then we hold hands, walk back to her room, I put her in the crib and walk away and she just goes to sleep. It’s been working for her naps and bedtime for the last several days, it’s amazing and just what I need right now with being so busy. On the flip side she is starting to show some attitude and has tantrums once in a while where she will throw something, or cling to something and glare at you and such. It takes us by surprise so much it always just makes us laugh to watch her act that way because she is usually so quiet and passive!

Okay, last story. After family home evening we were playing the m&m game. Hayden added a new version where after the regular game he picks a number of m&m’s and we make one row in the middle of the table and we all roll for that row. Well this week it was a row of three and Hayden was the first to roll a three. We congratulated him on being a winner and he said “We’re all winners!” He gave an m&m to me, one to Tom and I expected him to just eat the last one but he bit it half and gave half to Danica. It was very cute! During the family home evening lesson we were each taking turns naming people that we love and all on his own Hayden thought to mention the “new baby”, it was very sweet. Speaking of the new baby, she is doing well. I had my last doctor’s appointment today and everything checked out great. I have my records to transfer to my new doctor in San Diego so hopefully everything will go smoothly. My doctor here is really hopeful that I won’t need another c-section and put several notes in my chart and told me to have my new doctor call him if there are any questions. I too hope that I don’t have another c-section!!
Okay, I’m off to clean under the kitchen sink...it’s pretty scary down there! Then perhaps I”ll go to bed! Tom is at the Indian’s game, it was in rain delay so I’m sure he’ll be home late!

http://www.leavenworthmarathon.com/Images/Oktoberfest%20Half-Marathon.pdf

Well we went for Melia's 6 month check up and she is 19 lbs 7 oz and 28 inches long. She is in the 95th percentile for both and 90th percentile for her head! She is a big girl. We are loving every minute with her. She is SO close to crawling and she is mimicking us when we say stuff like Da da. We are trying to get her used to outside. She gets really scared for some reason and starts crying! But we are slowing getting her to like it.
I just started doing a cycling/spinning class on campus with my friend Emilynn. The school has a bunch of free fitness classes either early in the morning or at night. So we are doing that class for a hour Monday through Thursday and then Saturday mornings. There are also some yoga and pilates that we might go to too. She is getting a root canal done tomorrow though so I am dragging Treven with me. I am determined to not make excuses! I love it though. It kicks your butt, but I feel so good afterwards.
Thanks Mike for the xbox. We did get it! I hope the move is going well with you all and I can't wait to find out what the baby is!
Happy Late Mother's Day to all of you! I just had a relaxing weekend... Treven used to work only 1 weekend every 3 weekends. But now (since it is the summer) they have to work two weekends on and one weekend off. So he had to work this weekend. It is okay though! More money!
We are selling the Volkswagen GTI right now. It isn't necessary. It just would be nicer to have more extra money and Treven is getting a motorcycle. I know, scary. But I trust him. He doesn't mess around on bikes. He already got his permit and is practicing on his friend's bike. The bike he is planning on getting gets between 100-110 miles to the gallon. It is 250CC bike so it will be good for him!
Well that is what is going on in our lives. Oh! I forgot! I got my official letter that I am accepted to fast grad so I am now going year round until next year and I will be done! That sounds soooo nice!!! :)
Well love you all!
Kimberly

It's beautiful here today - makes me very anxious for the summer months.

Dave and I leave Friday a.m. for Cleveland - I think K&B leave on Thursday. I am excited to make the trip, just Dave and I, but I am experiencing the normal anxiety that always comes with leaving the kids. I know they'll be fine - my Mom is flying in to stay with them and Buffy has offered to help out a bit. It is a universal truth and a devastating realization: I need them more than they need me.

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day - we went over to spend it with K&B and B&B - had a BBQ and sat around the fire, eating s'mores and watching the kids down sodas like water. It was Mom's day - so I didn't have to care. Thanks to the men for making all that happen and for not letting the ladies lift a finger.

Dave is ever busy - when he's not working, he's thinking about it and planning meetings or improvements. We still run together when we can - he is kind enough to run with me, even though I know I slow him down. But - it's really good for me. We got our room in Leavenworth - you have to stay 2 nights due to Oktoberfest - and rooms go quickly, so plan accordingly. I know Brian & Paige are planning on driving up to the race that morning - some may inquire about staying with them.

Mike & Brooke - hope the move went well. Did your mailing address change? I would like to send Sadie's BD gift, but want to send it to the correct address. Let us know.

Well - I'm off to get out into the sun while it lasts!
Adina

Mom,

No internet or phone access during the move made it hard to wish you well. Blogging from work between our 299th and 300th carload...We love you. Will write more later.

Mike, Brooke and kids

I too looked with love at my picture of Mother next to my bed when I made my bed this morning. Please read Martha's words...she said it so beautifully and with such great pictures...I just sat here and wept and smiled thinking of what a great mother we had. She was truly exceptional. It is so hard to have in-laws and grandchildren that have not had the privilege yet of knowing her...although the grandchildren may have known her in the preexistence...

Everytime I rock in that rocker, I think of her rocking me in the Berkeley house and looking over the SF bay area at all the lights. I think of her very scratchy voice singing anyway and the love that I felt when she did....

Everything I have done right as a Mother is probably due to her example.

I am also so proud of all the other mother's in our family...what great mothers my grandchildren have! I hope all you guys are spoiling them rotten today!

I love you all,

Barb

Just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mother's in our family! And of course a special wish to Mom. Thank you so much for being the greatest mom ever! I am so glad that you are mine. :) I love you very very much and I hope that you are really enjoying this day for you and I can't wait to see you in a couple weeks. :)

Love,
Marnie

Mom/Grandma, We hope you have a great day today and that you are able to relax and enjoy the day for you! We love you and can't wait to see you soon. Also to the other mothers in our family, have a great day and you are all such fabulous mothers and I look up to you when I am trying to be a better mom. We love you all! Love, Anne Peter and Andrew :)

The story behind the "no hair" thing is that, last Sunday in our Priests' Quorum meeting we had 8 of our 9 priests present. The ninth priest went home after Sacrament Mtg in a wheel chair. He was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer and has had one side removed, lymph nodes removed and some other surgery. 17 years old, active, varsity swimmer, etc......a real blow to a soon-to-be Senior in high school. So, in the Sunday meeting, the 8 young men voted unamiously to shave their heads in support of this young brother who was going to shave his head tonight and go into chemo tomorrow for six months.

Well, one other leader and I agreed to cut our hair a day earlier than the priests. That was Tuesday. Last night, Wednesday, the 8 boys met with the two of us and had their locks removed. After the locking, we all travelled to the home of the affected priest and surprised him with our change of hairstyles. With a great look of amazement, he followed by having his mother cut his hair in front of a group of his quorum brethren and leaders. An awesome event and wonderful to see the gleam in his eyes.

This was a great lesson for all of us gathered there, especially the 8 young men plus the honored one. We all gave him handshakes, hugs and an offer to pray for him often. It was a good night; a very good night. R/ Kenn

http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-may0807-pit_bull.4bed35f2.html

Well I guess it has been quite awhile since we have last wrote but I guess it is both Peter and my faults since he could have written too.

Volleyball is over and is somewhat bittersweet. As happy as I am to have it over, I am going to miss the girls and hopefully will be seeing them this summer as well as next year. The last two weekends we had tournaments back to back in Reno and then SLC. I guess I just forget all the time but girls are so much drama especially at the age of 15 and 16....it is crazy to watch what these girls do to each other no matter how good of friends they are. But we had fun and were able to end up the best placement all season in the region at number 15. I do think the girls could have made it into the top ten but the team was very inconsistent and hurt us at times that were crucial.

School is almost over for the semester. I have one more final to take on Thursday and my last spring semester is over. I start an 8 week online class next week and then just one more semester left. I absolutely cannot wait to be done and ready to be out of school.

Peter continues to work hard at his job sometimes staying up till 3 in the morning to finish a report for a very important project. He is definitely getting recognized for it as he showed me last night that they gave him a gift card to texas roadhouse for the extra time he put in on that report. His knee continues to bother him but doesn't keep him from playing baseball with the company baseball team.

We are very excited to go to Gualala this year and Peter is even more than I am I think. He wants to leave even earlier than scheduled so that we don't miss anything on Friday.

Andrew is growing everyday and is getting into everything. His new obsession is the bathroom and doors(opening and closing them....not quite successful either way most of the time because he is in the way). He is loving the grass more and more each day and will actually crawl on it now if he has something he really wants to get to. He turns 10 months at the end of the month and I still can't believe that the time has flown by so fast.

We are just playing it up in Boise and fixing up the landscaping on the house to make it look better than it was when we moved in. You all are always welcome and I am not kidding about it. We better be seeing you all this summer than can in one way or another.

We love you all and hope to see you soon.

-Anne

Mommy and me


This is a result of trying to walk along the furniture and getting spooked by dad














This is what happens when mom gets called to nursery and dad has to take care of me and change my diaper



















I tried to crawl into my toy box and got stuck...all mom and dad did was laugh and take a picture

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18553877

We move in only 16 days, I can’t believe it!! It’s all coming to an end too quickly! I am sooooo excited to move but at the same time I am sad to leave and feel like there is so much to do. I’m coming to the sad realization that I won’t be able to fit in the trip to Palmyra that I was hoping to and wondering how much else I won’t get done! Last week we sorted through the basement and I am feeling much better about that so hopefully once I get a few more things done I will quit stressing!
This weekend we went up to Michigan and stayed with the Leary’s and had a great time! We left on Friday and came back today after lunch, we took Sophie Debaltzo with us so she could play with her cousins too. The trip was sparked by the fact that Tom bought tickets to a Ben Gibbard concert that was in Detroit on Saturday night. When we were trying to think of baby sitting options for the kids we realized what a perfect chance this was to see everyone in the area and it worked out perfectly. Paige was great to let us stay there even though Kate just had her appendix out and they watched the kids for us. Hayden was so excited to go that he didn’t even want to go to preschool on Friday because he just wanted to leave! He seemed to enjoy himself and really loved doing a lemonade stand with “Sophie and those two other girls!” Pete was great to play games with him and keep him happy. What a lucky kid! Danica had all the attention she could want and unfortunately didn’t let the kids play with her as much they would have liked but she did fine, that’s just how she is! We had a great time and I wish we had done it sooner! The concert was great, Ben’s music is really good and he did a fun show. We ended up standing from about 6pm-11pm and our legs were really tired but it was worth it!
In other news, we went to an Indians game last week and had a great time. The kids did well, seemed to actually enjoy it and the Indians won! We want to go again on the Saturday night before graduation, what do you think K&B and D&A? Also, D&A, what is your flight itinerary again? Do you have any specific things you want to make sure you do while you are here? People you want to see? My friend has offered to babysit if we want a kid free dinner or lunch or something.
Hmmm....let’s see, I should add some updates on the kids since they grow so fast and do so many funny things. Danica is so good with her hands it’s getting dangerous! She has mastered opening zip lock bags (something Hayden just barely learned which was great because he couldn’t get into the snacks unless I helped him!), she climbs up in her highchair and does the buckle herself (which is actually useful), but the most dangerous is that tonight she finally unlocked the back door all by herself. She pushed the kitchen stool over to the door and turned the dead bolt until she got it open, she got off the stool, moved it out the way and opened the door!! I was shocked! She’s been trying for the last week but I figured she wouldn’t ever actually get it. I thought maybe I hadn’t completely locked the door so I relocked it she had it done again really quickly! Yikes! The door doesn’t go the outside but it leads to the steep, yucky stairs to the basement! For now, I will obviously just keep the stool up and out of her reach!! Good thing she is really short!
Hayden says funny things so often I can’t even remember them now. I know we were laughing at him a lot this weekend but I can’t remember why... I”m getting too tired... I’ll try to remember and post them tomorrow.
Good night!

I heard about this randomly on one of the gossip blogs that I read! Thought we could help out -

Hey guys - this band Five for Fighting has done a really cool thing. Check it out:

Autism Speaks created a music video of the Five for Fighting song, "World", which features images of autistic children and their families. It is a truly moving video and was the work of Bill Shea.

The band is generously donating $0.49 to Autism Speaks for each time the video is viewed - the funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure.

When you have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along to your friends and family. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal.

Help find a cure! All ya gotta do is click and watch. Again and again!

Things are going well. I have been busy at work with a lot of various things: marketing, publishing, contracts, pedicures... ;) My office took us all to get pedicures today for our staff meeting. They used the excuse that it was for Administrative Professionals Day which was last week but it was really because one of the women at the office had never had one. Even our shipping manager (only guy) came! It was pretty fun and they bought us lunch afterward. I work in a very fun place. I like it a lot. :)


I went to a Padres game the other day which I am hoping to do more often this season. I really do like the new stadium downtown, just a really cool atmosphere and downtown San Diego is one of my favorite places. It was my friend, Lauren Palazzo's, birthday so a couple of us went and got the cheap seats which are actually pretty sweet. Much less crowded. And the Padres won!

I am hoping to see Spiderman this weekend but I am not sure when I can. It is selling out like crazy down here and I don't really feel like paying for it if I am not even going to get a good seat...so we will see. I really do want to see it though. My friend Nicole has already seen it and is just about to go in to see it again at the midnight show - she called and told me it was awesome.

Still loving Lost. I am extremely excited for next week and the end of the season. Although I am very sad that in 3 weeks there will be no Lost until January... :(

My friend Kelly that I worked with at Sport Chalet is getting married next Friday so I will be going to that. Should be fun. I haven't seen her in a while and weddings are always fun.


I also have been working on learning a few new tricks in Photoshop. Here is a picture of me from last Saturday I think - I changed it up a bit and I like it much better now. Anyone who wants to see what some 'airbrushing' would look like in their own photos/portraits, send them my way! Practice is practice!

All I can think of for now. Good to hear from everyone!

I finally had my fill of working 50-60 hours per week and submitted my letter to my Monday OMS practice that I am leaving. I will finish what I have on the schedule over the next few weeks until I have finished my last case. I suspect that by the time we leave for Cleveland, all the outstanding procedures will be completed and we can have our Mondays back. That should allow mom and I to travel to visit many of you who are within a weekend's reach, and that includes all but our overseas family. We'll get back to them too. We will still continue my previous job with Willamette. Our retirement plans have changed and we are looking to make the big move in 2013 so we can get on with our mission and whatever else there is out there for us to do. Thank you for your loving support. Many events have triggered our decision, but the biggest is the feeling that we need to get out and do what is best at this time. L/ Dad

So... does our new little baby get a fun little girl or a fun little boy to play with? We can't wait to hear!

Tracey and kids

Life is ever busy. Dave is home from his travels - I think he will actually be home for a few weeks! In May we head out to Tom's graduation and then I will join Dave on his trips to British Columbia and Arizona. After a week off, we will all head down to CA for my sister's wedding. Dave has loved the courses he has taken so far and is very excited about where the practice is going. He took his team on this last trip to B.C., so they are also getting a good idea about what his plans are.

Isaac and Parker's games keep us running around. Isaac's team is a little intense for my liking. His coaches are intense, I should say. Constantly controlling the games by calling "Time!" every other minute, yelling at the umpires, kicking the dirt and throwing their hats down when there is a call they don't like. Yea - the coaches. It's no wonder the kids throw their arms up in the air when they strike out and huff off the field. Anyway - it's just frustrating. We've worked really hard to teach Isaac that he plays for fun and for camaraderie - then he gets on this team. Any advice? Parker's team is less intense, though his coach does take liberties in scolding the kids - I keep a close vigil, so Parker escapes much of it.

Taylor has growing pains - literally. His legs feel sore, but it never stops him from riding his bike or running around the court. He told his teacher last week that she needed to call me and tell me to get X-rays for his legs. She suggested he talk to me about it and he replied, "I did -and she is doing nothing!" Mother of the Year Award, here I come.

Morgan is registering for Kindergarten this week - she had all her shots last week and her left arm swelled up like a balloon. The swelling is down now; my next challenge is convincing her that she has to wait until the fall to start. She had the shots - now she wants to go.

I had another lovely encounter with our neighbor last week. She came over under the guise of inviting me to a cooking class, but after speaking with her, I am certain she really just wanted to discuss Bailey. In her oh-so-sweet voice, she informed me that Bailey barks ' constantly' when we leave the house and she and her husband are 'trying really hard' but it's very disruptive. She then suggested a 'shock collar' and taking her for more walks - 'maybe she's bored'. My thoughts: maybe she's a dog. And she's a smart dog - she doesn't bark when we are home, she waits until we leave. Perfect. I was sure to be sympathetic without apologizing. This is the same lady that told us she didn't believe in 'painting her lawn, like some other people' (she's referring to the TruGreen treatments we get). There is a part of me that smiles then when I see her front lawn completely dead from crane flies. I know - I'm not a very nice person.

Love you all - have a good week!
Adina

Sorry we don't have any embarrassing picture to put on here from your childhood. But happy birthday anyhow. Hope you are able to relax a little!! Love Brent and Buffy

Career-wise I am about to hit my starting QB job. I take command of H Company on th 10th of May. I feel a very heavy weight on my shoulders as I take responsibility for 200 guys and oh yeah...51 million dollars of vehicles and equipment. Add that on top of the fact we are going somewhere hot (in more ways than one) soon for a long time, and I have a lot going on right now. (I will never use specifics on this blog, and I request you do not either. The bad guys love search engines and we don't need the Stinchfields targeted.) Brooke is amazing, responding with grace amidst a very trying year that never seems to get better. It must mean the blessings are just waiting to flow soon. I will continue to hold out hope for that.

A couple of good things: this is the moment I have been waiting for in my career and I am incredibly excited, the baby is healthy -- we just don't know the gender yet, we get to move into a newer, bigger home 11-18 May, and the weather here is amazing right now.

The trip with Mom and Dad was fantastic. Hopefully he has shown you the pictures that were not uploaded - it takes a while to upload from here. It was an unforgettable experience and it came just at the right time. The Italian Alps, called the Dolomites where we drove through, are the most amazing mountains I have seen. It took us a while to get through the Alps going the way we went, but it really was worth it.

Jane is doing great in school; she just made the honor role and we are very proud of her improvement this year. Sadie is great; limping around with a bandage on her foot from a recent surgery to remove a large cyst on her heel. Ellyn is happy and the joy of our lives, but no progress to report. She did try to insert a videotape in the VHS when she was very frustrated about no movie, that made us happy as she was doing something cognitive to solve her problem.

We love you all and think of you often.

I thought I would add a couple pictures of the home... since no one is posting these last few days. We have put up drapes downstairs and in our bedroom. I still think the blue walls in the bedroom look different on photo than in real life. I'm thinking of crisp white bed linens to contrast with the walls and floor... but I will be waiting untill I start working again which will probably be the 7th. Next week I have to do the HR paperwork (big hospital process), physical and drug testing. That's it for now.
Buffy

Hello All,
It has been a while since I have blogged and I thought I would post an overdue update on my job situation. Basically, I've been waiting to post so I could place some good news at the end of the discouraging news.
I have been thinking about leaving my first PT job for a while and even interviewed with a possible employer when I got the surprise of my life... my job fired me! They are a small PT practice that has been struggling for some time to get more patients in their clinics with not the best of results lately. I even had a few work days when I spent the entire day (or most of it) not treating patients because there were none. So this place gave me a 2 week severence package and a not so nicely put and abrupt goodbye.
So, it has been a roller coaster of a ride and after really digging into my job search I found myself trying to keep up with all of the recruiter calls and posting resumes. Seriously, the phone has not stopped ringing since the day after I started posting on job sites online almost 2 weeks ago. Just ask Barb because I think I got about 4 recruiter calls (which I ignored)while we spent the morning and lunch together this week.
So I now have 2 good job options/offers to chose from. One is with The Vancouver Clinic who would pay substantially more than I last made (11,000 more with ability to make more through productivity like a doctor), you get to make your own schedule and you get a laptop. But, they are a physician owned PT clinic which is a big no no with my profession at large for possible non-compete law violations. Plus they have this contract that you have to sign that says you can't work in Southern Washington for 18 months after you leave the company (what the heck is that??). And the other is with Rebound which is based out of Southwest Washington Hospital. It would be in their Fishers Landing clinic. It has great benefits, great continuing education support, I get to dictate all my notes which is sweet, I hear they get free Blazers and Lacross tickets, and the pay is a little bit more than I last made. So does it sound like a tough decision? Let me know if you dissagree, but I think I'm going with Rebound so I don't have to compromise ethics or sign some weird contract.
Well, that's about it for now. I am glad I can say to Brent that we don't have to worry because I am soon to be gainfully employed again. I think it has been a good learning experience in what type of job or setting I really want compared to my first job and that there are a lot of choices right now for PTs.
Buffy

Adina,
Thank you for the recipe. Treven loved it and he wants me to make it like every week now, or so he says. He ate all of it in like a day and a half after I made it. Just wanted to let you know that it was a hit!

Brent,
I would like some of those cds that you showed me when I was there. I will call you sometime to go through them and tell you which ones we would like. Mom will take them to CA over Memorial Day weekend. Thanks!

Kimberly

I don't know how many of you that I told about Attilia's great grandson. Attilia is the italian woman who lives at Grandma's facility. He was born with leukemia in October. There is a website for him that I just found out about yesterday. When I looked it up, I found that he died this morning. It is worth looking at though...what a sad situation!! It is http://trevorkott.com

Kim....love the pictures of the apartment and darling Melia. She looks just like you did as a baby!!!

Love,

Mom