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Louie Giglio - Laminin

If you have never seen this, we would encourage you to watch it! We showed it to the kids tonight. They are learning about Creation on Sunday mornings during JAM (our Sunday School hour) and we thought this would be great for them to see. The girls are in complete AWE right now.

HUGE Savings...

at Rite Aid this morning! I had my list and refused to purchase anything not on the list. I had gone through the sale flyer and had my coupons ready. At the register the cashier was shocked!

**Before sales, Rite Aid +Up Rewards card, and coupons = $63.16 (before tax)
**After all of the above were taken into account = $26.22 (before tax)...that a $36.94 savings!!!

$14.84 of that was just for having a Rite Aid Wellness +Up Rewards Card... and the other $22.10 was from coupons. I spent about 45 minutes on Saturday watching little 30 second video clips on the Rite Aid website for products I knew we would use as a family.


I also left with 3, $1.00 off coupons because of specific purchases that I made.

I'm still in the learning phase of this and hoping to figure out ways to save even more! While at Rite Aid, I was purchasing Cheerios. I had 2 different coupons that I could use. (1 for just the box of Cheerios and another for purchasing a ...box of Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.) I pulled the box of Cheerios off the shelf and just happened to glance back up at it's spot on the shelf and noticed a box behind the box I had taken with an instant $1.00 off. Guess which box went with me to the register?! You got it...the one with that coupon and a bonus savings for me!

Just had to share! Now it's time to get things put away.

Have a great day!

"Chalk Walk"

So this afternoon, once we took Ethan to school, the boys (my very special nephews) and I had lunch and then made a quick trip downtown Lynden for about 10 minutes to see Alyssa and her class as they created their Harvest Art on the sidewalks of Front Street. This is an annual event that the Lynden Chamber of Commerce puts on each year for all of the 3rd grade classes in Lynden. (These classes come from Lynden Christian and Lynden Public schools.)

Alyssa's class had walked from Isom Elementary to Front Street. They got their store front assignments and off they went! Some of the students had thought out what they wanted to put on the sidewalk and had their plans drawn out on paper.

Some of the drawings looked very similar but they were each unique. I was shocked to see that Alyssa and her BFF, Kylie, had almost the same "plans" and they don't even sit near each other in class. I guess it's a GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE kind of thing. They ended up right next to each other on the sidewalk though.

Our little artists got busy fast...

I wasn't able to stay long so tonight, Jason and I took her back to where her drawing was so that she could show us the finished project.

If you would like to go and see her art in person...it is directly in front of Chad's Jewelry on Front Street. It's fun to go and see all of the creativity brought to the City of Lynden. Many of these kids are true artists!

"Aunt of the Year" Award!

I WON!! At least according to Wayne I did. He told me that I was the best auntie ever! I love that boy!!

Now, you might be wondering why I "won" this award...

I couldn't handle hearing that Wayne was going to miss his field trip because it was happening on a non-school day and on a day that both his daddy and mommy had to work. So, since I was having the boys any ways, I volunteered to take all 4 boys to the Everson Fire Hall today so Wayne could join his class on this special day.

Our plan was to be in Everson by 9:45 so that we could take a leisure walk from Tyler and Tanya's house (we needed to get the double stroller on our way for the little guys) to the fire hall. It was a nice plan but didn't totally work out. We ended up taking a very fast walk to the fire hall and were a couple of minutes late but didn't miss much. (We were only 3 minutes late, but Fire Fighter Ken had started promptly at 10:15.)

The boys had a great time watching one of the moms be dressed up like a firefighter. Fire Fighter Ken explained what each piece of the fire suit was for and why each piece is so important.

The next thing the class got to see was the BIG pumper truck. They were in complete AWE of this truck! There were so many neat things to look at. The best part was watching how the fire fighters get the ladders off of the truck. There is a lift that lowers the ladders. (I didn't even know how this happened. Did you?)

Fire Fighter Ken took the kids over to the Ambulance next. They all got to take turns sitting in the back of the ambulance. I'm so glad that I got a picture of Wayne because I totally missed Ethan in the back of the rig.

We eventually made it outside to see the big tanker truck...this is the truck that carries water to fires that don't have a fire hydrant nearby. (Okay, this part I already knew but the kids didn't...HA!) This is also the truck that leads the way to fires and aid calls when there is snow on the ground because the firefighters keep "JAWS", the snow plow, hooked up to the front of the tanker truck to clear the roads so they can get to where they need to go.

 

Towards the end of our time at the Fire Hall, Fire Fighter Ken asked for a couple of volunteers to demonstrate Stop, Drop and Roll. I was so proud of Wayne for being the first one to raise his hand and volunteer. Here he is, with 2 other boys, showing his class how to do it...

 

 

The boys all had a great time with Wayne's class. These two little guys did amazing...they were in such amazement of the big trucks they just sat staring at everything and everyone.

I am so glad that it worked out to participate in this fun activity. Thank you Tyler and Tanya for allowing me to spend time with your boys each week and for allowing me to take Wayne to his special field trip. I love your boys like they were my own!

Bump, Set, Spike!

We have been running to practices and watching games. What an exciting time! This year has been better than last year for volleyball. Last year was Brenna's first year and she wasn't really sure what to do. This year, she got more serves over the net in her first game than she did the first half of last year. The girls are really starting to go for those crazy serves and not backing away from them as much. We are really hoping to find some camps for her to attend to help her improve even more. Brenna loves volleyball and we don't want her to not be playing through high school because we didn't get her as involved with it as we could have. So, if you know of any camps out there...LET US KNOW!!

Here are a few pictures from the past couple of weeks. At this point, we are 2-0!! Go team!

Game #1:

 

Game #2:

Practicing before the game started.

Wait for it...

Got it! And, YES! It went over!! Go Brenna!!

**Thank you Tanya, my sil, for the tips on camera settings and Photoshop tricks to get these pictures to even look this good. The lighting at the middle school is horrible so the pictures come out very yellow. At least this year I feel like I have some decent photos to scrap with!

A weekend away...

Did you notice? I just added the Weekend to Remember promo videos on the left sidebar.

FamilyLife Weekend to Remember conferences are amazing! It's a great time to get away with your spouse to do a "tune-up" on things and re-connect. Or, maybe you are in a marriage that is at "rock bottom" and you are looking for a "last chance" event. Consider attending the conference!

When registering, mention our group "SCHEIB" and receive a huge savings! The group rate is $79 per person...the non-group rate is $159 per person.

We would love to answer any questions you might have.

He's been waiting for this day!

Today could have come a whole lot faster for Ethan. He was been waiting for this day for weeks! For awhile, he was convinced this day would never come and that I was keeping him from it. What day is this day???

PRESCHOOL!

We have talking about Ethan going to a new Preschool this year for several months. He has been asking daily since the girls have returned to school..."is today the day?" "are you ever going to let me go mom?" We saw Ms. Janet one day (she is a good family friend and also one of Ethan's new teachers) and she was able to convince Ethan that it wasn't time for school yet because the classroom wasn't ready for any of the kids to be there. That helped for about a week. And then, cousin Wayne started preschool. Ethan didn't think it was fair at all.

Friday, we were able to visit Ethan's new class and see some of his classmates. He was a little overwhelmed but was even more ready for today to come.

So, before the cousins arrived this morning, we took our "back-to-school" picture. I just knew that with extra kiddos here, I would probably forget to take this picture.

When we arrived at school, he took off and acted like he didn't me there.

That is until we arrived to the classroom. Once we got there he wanted me by him and helping him. Of course, with this being a new preschool to our family, I wasn't sure of the arrival routine. Thankfully, Ms. Janet was there to assist and Ethan responded very well to her.

We started out with the "check-in". Ethan had to move his name from "home" to "school". Miss Gidget is in the picture here helping each of the kids.

Once he checked-in, we headed over to the hooks to hang up his backpack. He found his name and hung his backpack up in the corresponding section.

(Hey...looks like the reflectors on his backpack really do work! Glad the flash went off to help us check this minor detail. HA!)

Next, he got to choose a tub of "table toys" and then he needed to go find his name tag on a table so he knew where to sit.

He looked so big sitting there ready to go. I have no worries that his first day is going to be great!

Wayne is excited that he gets to ride with me to go get Ethan from school. We can't wait to hear about Ethan's day. It is going to be so fun having the two boys together and hearing about each of their Preschools and how they compare them.

Now that Ethan is back in Preschool, it's time to get a solid daily routine set around here. I still have not found a job and am trying to make the most of my time at home but these past couple of weeks, I have just been enjoying my time with Ethan

Cement Truck = 4 very excited boys!

Today was "Auntie Day"! This is the day when Wayne, Weston and Wyatt get to come and spend the day with us while their daddy and mommy are at work.

Yesterday, the neighbors were having some work done at their house and they ended up tearing out their entire sidewalk. I kind of wondered when the hole was going to be filled in but didn't think much of it today. I was too busy caring for 4 boys to worry about what was going to be happening next door.

At about 11:30, I heard the beeping of a truck backing up. I remembered then about the project going on next door. I asked Ethan to go look out the window and to tell me what he saw. I didn't want to announce what I thought it was just in case it was just the garbage truck coming later than normal. Well, my initial thought was right! Ethan was quickly yelling, "It's a cement truck Mom...it's a cement truck." In no time at all, I had the three big boys up on the couch. I walked over with Wyatt and he instantly wanted in on the action. I couldn't resist getting this picture...

Yes, I realize that Weston has no pants on. He was in too big of a hurry to get back to playing after a diaper change. And, yes, I realize that Ethan is still in his pajamas at 11:30 in the morning. It's days like this that he rarely gets dressed. He loves to be in his pajamas and the days that the cousins are over are a good excuse to just stay in them. No worries though, he was dressed within a few hours of this picture because we had to go get Brenna from school. And, Weston had pants on by then as well!

Okay, back from that little rabbit trail. The boys had so much fun watching the guys outside working. I couldn't believe how long Wyatt actually stood there with the boys. No worries, once the picture was taken I was right behind Wyatt!

I wonder if there will be anything exciting happening in the neighborhood next week when the boys are back? I should see which neighbor I can convince to have the cement truck back...HAHA!

I love these days with the boys! It is so fun to watch them all interact together. It's always a great time for Ethan to be able to spend time with his "brothers from another mother".

Thanks Tyler and Tanya for letting us take care of your boys while you are at work. We love having them here!

First Day of School 2010

Another year of school has started. This year wasn't like the past couple of years where both girls were going to Elementary and everything about the school was familiar. Nope! This year, we were starting our first day of school at the Middle School.

Brenna was so excited to get to school and get her year started. She has grown up so much this past year and we knew that she was ready but it was hard for this momma to believe that we were headed to middle school already. Where have the years gone?

Brenna's teacher this year is Mrs. Revak. And, yes! I got my annual picture of student and teacher on the first day of school. I'm sure this was the last year for this picture to happen.

It was hard to leave her at school and I am so glad that I wasn't the only momma walking her 6th grader to class and not wanting to leave. Another mom and I decided that we would walk out together. We just needed that extra support that our kiddos were growing up and they would be fine. There's just something scary about middle school.

When I picked Brenna up at the end of the day, she had nothing but great things to report. I was so thankful. Of course, it was a little weird for her, having to change classes and all but she really seemed to enjoy it. I just hope this continues all year!

Once I had Brenna at school, it was time to focus on Alyssa.

Alyssa is a 3rd grader this year and was finally headed down the "big kid" hall. Her teacher this year is Mrs. Boyd. Alyssa had been hoping all summer long that she would get Mrs. Boyd as a teacher and we had only found out a few days before school started that she in fact got her.

Mrs. Boyd is an amazing teacher and we are excited about our year with her! She just became a mommy earlier this year and realizes now just how special these types of pictures are. (I'm sure deep down though, she is dreading the day she has to start taking these pictures. HA!)

We got Alyssa settled in her desk, making sure she had all of her supplies where they needed to go. She was thrilled that not only was her BFF, Kylie, in her class but Mrs. Boyd had put their desks next to each other, not know that they were BFF's.

Alyssa was excited to get back to school and to start learning again. It is so nice to have a child who loves school so much that they "play" school all summer long. I am looking forward to watching Alyssa grow this year and am excited about all the things she will be learning. It was a great feeling having her come home after her first day filled with excitement and great reports on how things went!

Ethan and I headed for home once we had the girls at school. It was weird having just my little boy home with me, alone. We decided that our house was too quiet and met some friends down at McDonald's for some play time. From there, we decided to do a little school shopping for Ethan. I had picked up a few things while out shopping for the girls but wanted to have some special time shopping with Ethan and letting him pick out a couple of things. As we were getting in the van, he asked if he could invite Grammy to come along. I called Mom, she was just finishing with her hair appointment so we met her at her house after her appointment and we headed to Bellingham. Unfortunately, the trip wasn't as successful as I had hoped. I love getting things for Ethan at Old Navy and they were wiped out. There wasn't much on their racks in the boys section. And Target really wasn't much better. I guess we should have gone earlier...oh well! We found a couple of cute things.

A day at sea...

Earlier in the week, Tyler called and told me he was taking Wayne crabbing on Saturday morning and wanted to know if we had three people from our family wanting to go along. I told him we would have no problem filling those seats.

So, at 8:00 Saturday morning, Tyler and Wayne pulled up and Jason, Ethan and Brenna headed out with them. I put Brenna in charge of pictures because I knew that the dads would be pre-occupied to take any pictures. She did get Uncle Tyler to take this one!

They had a great time even though some sea sickness was involved. Once the pots were set, they headed over to Lummi Island to let the kids get out and stretch a little. I'm sure Ethan and Wayne were in much need of some running around. They all had some snacks and waited for the time to come when they would head back out to pull up the pots. They put out six pots and this is one of them after being pulled into the boat.

Tyler measured each one to make sure they were keeping only legal sizes.

By the time they were finished pulling the pots, they had limited out and had a full ice chest and 5-gallon bucket.

I'm not sure what Uncle Tyler was thinking but he decided to let Brenna "drive" the boat a little on their way back in. I guess each of the boys helped Tyler "drive" also but Brenna and Jason weren't feeling very well when it was Ethan's turn so there is no picture of him "driving" the boat.

I'm so thankful for the beautiful weather they had. There had been a chance of rain but that burned off and they had blue skies!

Later that evening, we headed over to Tyler and Tanya's for crab and corn for dinner! You can't go crabbing and not eat any of it. We ended up with about 13 cups of crab from this trip in the freezer to be used for yummy meals throughout the fall and winter. Can't wait for crabbing season next year! We are going to have to get in on a trip again...hint, hint! Tyler, thanks for including our family on this little crabbing adventure. Next time, I will make sure my crew takes their Dramamine before they leave the house!

A trip to Harborview

Saturday afternoon, we headed down to Harborview to visit Nathan. Nathan had to have another surgery on his leg to help get his hip and knee moving more. (For those of you who might be new to the blog...Nathan is a family friend who was in a serious motorcycle accident in April.)

When the kids heard that Nathan would be having this surgery they all requested that they get to go with us to visit. We didn't take them with us during Nathan's initial hospital stay and they were pretty bummed. They just didn't understand how serious things were then.

Nathan was so ready to see the kids...especially Ethan. They've become cartoon watchin' buddies.

"Aunt" Janice loved having the girls there.

It was great to be there to visit and to help pass the time. We were able to see Nathan stand and Ethan's mouth about dropped to the floor when he saw Nathan standing. I think Ethan had envisioned Nathan having to just lay in a hospital bed like before.

Eventually, Nathan had to use his special machine to help bend his knee and handed the controls over to Ethan. Nathan is one brave boy! He had shown Ethan the stop button and Ethan would push it when Nathan would tell him to. Ethan thought this was great! They also spent some time together playing Ethan's video games.

**Nathan...you mean the world to Ethan! God has done so many miracles with your body and we are praying for more!

Before leaving we had to get a picture of Nathan and the three kiddos.

I am so glad that we were able to make the trip down to Seattle. Yay, the drive was long, but it was so worth it just to see these four smiles!

A day at the fair!

Thursday was our day to go to the Northwest Washington Fair here in Lynden! The kids were excited to go and see the animals and ride on the rides. Jason and I were more excited for the evening event! HA!!

We started our time out by going through the small animals barns. We like to get these out of the way first because the chickens are always so loud.

When we went through the cow barn we came upon a calf that had just been born. We had only missed it by a couple of minutes. Ethan was super excited to see a brand new calf.

The kids had a great time at the "Animal Experience". They were able to pet the animals and hold some of the smaller ones. Ethan's favorite was the donkey.

We eventually made it to the rides. This was our best year for rides yet. They had so much fun together and not once did we have any upset because they had to ride with someone they didn't know if they were all unable to fit in the same seat. The girls just took turns riding with Ethan.

I can't believe we let Ethan go on this next ride. Where has our baby gone? It just seemed wrong that he was able to ride on the "big kid" rides. Aagh!

We headed for home with the kids and got them started on dinner and settled until the neighbors picked them up for movie night at their house.

Jason and I couldn't get back to the fair fast enough. When we arrived back at the fair, we grabbed dinner and headed over to the grandstands to watch the horse shows. After the horse shows, we made our way back out to the Grandstand Entrance to wait in line for re-entrance for the Casting Crowns concert.

This was an amazing concert! We were so excited in March when we found out they were coming to the fair. We decided then that this would be our way of celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary. Our seats were ground level and we were in the 7th row. What a night!