We took the kids to the fair on Wednesday and had a ball. It was Military Appreciation day, so we received entrance to the fair AND rodeo for free! YAY! I had also found a sweet deal at Burger king the day before....I could buy all day unlimited wrist bands for $17.00!! (At the fair they were $22.00, so I saved five bucks a band!). Mark and I didn't buy wristbands as we get sick just WATCHING the rides now! hahaha..old age, isn't it grand!

Sam took off on his own for a bit to the 'big kid' rides, while we took the little ones around the smaller rides. Then Sam found us and we all went to look at the 'big rides' as Paige was DYING to go on some. She is so brave (or crazy, not sure which!) and she went with Sam on the Octopus (twice!) and the Gravitron! For those of you unfamiliar with fair rides, this is the big circular room that you go inside of, and it spins so fast that cyntrifical force holds you against the sides...yah..Paige went on that...came out and said 'Mama, you can FLOAT in there!'.....I can see her when she's older...she'll be our adventurous one and give me heart attacks every other week or so! Lovely!

We grabbed a 'fair' dinner...which means everyone got what they wanted! Paige had a HUGE serving of Chili fries with cheese...Ben had a corn dog (as illustrated above!) and Mark and I each had a Gyro...yummers...Sam went off to find his own food and devoured it before he got back to us! hahaha...

The Rodeo was also fun. We only stayed for an hour, but were able to see some great riding and roping! Once the 'Rodeo Royalty' rode out (Miss Kitsap etc) Ben said he wanted to learn how to ride a horse.....he takes after Mark doesn't he?!!

After Rodeo, we went BACK to the rides and midway and stayed until well after dark....and came out stuffed, dizzy and tired......
Nothing like a fair to end the summer....as Templeton said "A fair is a veritable smorgasbord, oragasboard, long after the lights go out..."

And with the closing of summer, our 'regular' routine kicks in...I take Sam to 'maze day' at the high school today. He gets his schedule, locker assignment and lock. Pictures taken and friends caught up with. School clothes shopping for him as well this weekend...supplies are all bought and waiting to be packed off to school.

The days are starting off much cooler, and ending chilly. The sun is still warm during the day, but like Mark said as he left for work the other morning "It smells like hunting season out here". Summer is fun, but fall is still my favorite time of year. It is warm enough for you to remember the hot days of summer, but the air carries with it a hint of things to come. The leaves start to change colour, and our routine picks up in pace. Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner. And before we know it, Christmas will be here, with all the excitement of 'chwistmas swecrets' as Ben calls them. Lots of baking and wrapping and visiting with all our friends...then we settle into the 'soup and stew' months, those long,lazy, chilly days before spring comes around again....
Isn't life grand?

Hugs to you all..
Mark,Jaye and Gang

Yesterday was a big day in Bens life! We took him to his new school and registered him for Kindergarden!! What a big boy he is now! After we did all the paperwork in the office, Ben had to go and have yet another look at his new classroom! He is VERY excited about starting school! We have requested that he be put into the morning class, which would mean that his teacher would be Mrs. Kay, who is a WONDERFUL lady..but then, have you ever heard of any Kindergarden teacher being any less than WONDERFUL?

Also, a big huge CONGRATULATIONS to my best friend Melissa for getting her first teaching job yesterday! Melissa and family recently relocated to Idaho and Mel has been interviewing for teaching jobs since before they left here! Yesterday she was handed a third grade class!!! WAY TO GO MELISSA!! You will totally rock at this! And don't let the little ankle biters get the upper hand! Hehehehe...

We take the kids to the County fair sometime in the next few days (probably tomorrow as it's military appreciation day!). That leaves us with one more week till school starts! YAY! It will be nice to get back to a 'routine' and get more accomplished each day!

Have a great day!
Mark,Jaye and Gang

Yesterday Mark and I and our friend Ami took our kids to the Point Defiance Zoo! They have finally completed all the construction and upgrades and the zoo is AWESOME! Here you can see their newest exhibit of Monkeys! Hehehe.. We have a busy weekend ahead of us (what else is new?). On Saturday we are going 'crabbing'...which for you non coastal people means we are going to the ocean to catch crabs! We will be having a crab feast on Saturday night with Paul and Ami (their daughter is pictured above)...on Sunday we are going to Church (of course!) and then the boys (Mark and Paul) are going to finish our backyard fence while Ami and I get a supply of Lumpias made for our freezers. Lumpias are a wonderful Philipino roll made with a wonton sort of wrapper, full of meat and veggies...then you fry them up crispy and YUMMERS!

Sometime this week Sam will be coming home. He is on a camping trip with his Dad and as always, there are no set 'limits' or 'visitations'! Sams Dad and I are very open about raising our kids together and don't even have a parenting plan (we have NEVER spent one second in a court room even for our divorce!). Wouldn't it be nice if all divorces and remaining years of co-child rearing could be this way??? It is really what is best for the mental and emotional health of the kids, but it takes two adults willing to do this in order for it to work. And sadly, as we all know, there is usually one person in a divorce who is more interested in revenge against their 'ex' than they are with the health of their child...ok, I'll get off my soap box now...NOW you know why I want to get into family law! hahaha...

Hugs to you all..
Have a great week!
Mark,Jaye and Gang

It's amazing how quickly our time with Shelby flew by! Nine weeks came and went in the blink of an eye it feels like! We know Shelby was excited to see her Mom again...get back into her routine and get back with her friends, but we also know she had an absolute ball out here! Paige and Shelby did more giggling and laughing than any two girls this summer. While Ben was counting the days until she left (too much estrogen in the house for HIM!), Paige is going to really miss having her big sister around! Shelby is a lovely, wonderful, smart, funny girl with a heart that is pure gold (can you tell I am a proud bonus mom? hehe).

Anyways...we are draining the last drops out of our summer break. Sam's Dad and Sam went to Oregon to camp for a week. Lilly bug is having a two day sleep over at our house and then Paige will go to her house for a few days. On Wednesday, Ami and I are taking the kids to Point Defiance Zoo (pictures I promise!) . Next week brings reminders that school is just around the corner. I have to register Ben for Kindergarden, and Sam has his high school orientation. Just so that we don't get TOTALLY bummed out about summer being almost over, we will be going to the Kitsap County Fair next weekend. Nothing like ending the summer with a good old fashioned fair and rodeo. We have some of the best bull riders in the States come to this fair to show off their stuff....and get their stuff battered! hahaha....

You also know that summer is almost over when I receive our Christmas Card catalog and have actually placed our order for Christmas cards (we get them personalized every year!). Ok, ok, ok...for those of you who know me well, I will admit...I am VERY anal about being organized and I am completely, unabashedly NUTS about Christmas! :) . So for those of you who are groaning out there about me already having done my Christmas cards, let me just rub it in a little more- I've already started buying gifts! hahahahhahahahahaha...Gotta LOVE Christmas! (Sam HAS forbid me to play Christmas music before Thanksgiving! haha).

Hope all of you have a wonderful week....don't forget to keep in touch with us!
pinger29@web-o.net

Hugs to you all...
Mark,Jaye and Gang

Well, after all the things we've been up to lately, Morpheus looks how we all feel! Exhausted! We took Sam to the Airport on Wednesday, as he flew out to visit Gramma Laa and Katie! On Friday, we took the remaining kids for a 'day of activity'! We started out by going bowling, and all the kids did really well. Shelby almost broke 100 in one game! After bowling, we headed to the park on base so the kids could feed the ducks. We found one duck all on her own, and it appears that she's lost her 'quacker'! She makes all the motions of quacking, but no sound comes out. We aren't sure how long she can last, hopefully the rest of the ducks will allow her to hang around at least on the fringes of the flock! After the park, we went to the kids newest favorite restaurant...Kings Wok Buffet. After dinner we headed back to base for a double feature (I told you it was a day of activity!). We saw Garfield 2 and Cars! Both were GREAT movies.....the only one who wanted to see Cars was Ben, but we are ALL glad we saw it, one of the best family movies we've seen in a long time!

Mark had duty on Saturday, so the kids and I hung out and played games/watched movies and sorted out school clothes etc! (Yup, that time of year again!).

Sunday was Mark and my 8th Anniversary! We've been together for ten years, married for eight! Not sure where the time went....but it sure has flown by fast! Mark bought me a beautiful silver watch and a gold chain, and I bought him a gameboy! Romantic hey? hehehe...

This week we pick Sam up at the airport (Thursday) and take Shelby to the airport (Saturday). We've taken the kids to the lake and played lots of games and are doing alot of 'sorting' around here in preperation for fall.

Hope all of you have a great week!

Mark,Jaye and Gang