Our busy lives...

So apparently I'm not very faithful about this. But in my defense things have been super crazy around here. We just have busy schedules and not enough time to do all of the things we desire. As I mentioned before I'm going to college. I'm currently 2 quarters away from graduation and things are getting a little stressful. The 2 classes I'm taking right now are very homework intensive and THAT's not fitting into our busy schedule very well.

A typical week in our home right now looks kinda like this...
Sunday ~ Sunday school and Church from 9:30-12 than the last couple of weeks we've had rehearsals for the Christmas pageant that's coming up. Last week we also had Christmas Choir practice and Drama rehearsal on Sunday afternoon. On Sundays we also do a bible study with my brother and sister-in-law at 6:00.

Monday ~ Morning class for me, school for the girls than usually Drama Team meetings from 6:30-8

Tuesday ~ Morning and afternoon classes for me, school for the girls than I co-teach an afterschool Good News Club at Kaylee's school from 3:30-5

Wednesday ~ Morning class for me, school for the girls than from 6-8 we head back to the church for Faith and Fun Night for which I am one of the secretaries. After dropping off extra kids I usually get home about 8:30 or so.

Thursday ~ Morning and afternoon classes for me and school for the girls. AND our first free evening of the week!

Friday ~ Morning class for me and school for the girls and another free evening.

Saturday ~ This is usually the day we work around the house. Well, at least the day I work around the house. I also sing with the Praise Band at church and we have practice from 7-8:30.

So do you see why I haven't been very faithful about getting new stuff on here?


Now that Thanksgiving is coming we are getting into the holiday mood. I'm not as into it yet as Cutzi (I haven't broke out the Christmas CD's yet!) but getting there.

This Friday starts "The 4 weeks of Brinkley Birthday's" around here. Ezekiel will be 1 on Friday the 28th, than Kaylee will be 9 the following Friday the 5th, and my birthday is the 6th, then Timber (my nephew and Ezekiel's daddy) is the following Friday the 12th, than Kia will be 15 on Friday the 19th, than Christmas is 6 days later!

It makes me tired just thinking about it.

And just to make things a little more interesting around here I'm working on switching bedrooms with the girls. They need the bigger bedroom more than I do but I'm definately painting that little bedroom before I move my stuff in there! That means I'll have to sleep on the couch for a few days but I'll just have to live with that.

So in a nutshell, that's what's going on in our lives...

The place I love

We all know it rains...a lot...in western Washington.

It has been raining here for the last 3 days, non-stop! Don't get me wrong, I'm not really complaining! Well, maybe a little, but not much really.


As I sit here listening to the rain hit the windows and pound on the roof (that's what happens when you live in an easybake oven) I think of my parents who had over 10 feet of snow last year. Yeah, I'm ok with a little rain!!! This is a picture my mom took standing in her dining room looking out (or trying to look out anyway!).

In western Washington we have a little thing called "showers". Now I know, you may be thinking "Duh! I have a shower in my house too! Several in fact!", but that's not the kind of showers I'm talking about. If you're from around here, you know that there is definitely a difference between "rain" and "showers".

The thing is, it's all wet and it's all cold! Sometimes it's fun to stand in the rain and just get soaked. Providing you're someplace like your house where after you go for your little adventure outside you can come inside and take a warm shower! When you're coming out of the grocery store with a full cart and it seriously looks like God is taking a shower, that's not so much fun.





When you're driving and you have the wipers on high and you STILL can't see anything? Yeah, that's not so much fun either.




But the best thing about the rain?

It makes everything green! And I'm not talking about the moss growing on the siding of the house!

I love that in the summer, we have green grass.

I really love that when I plant flowers, if I forget to water...it's really ok because it's probably gonna rain and I won't have to water anyway.

So, there ARE some good things about the rain!

Halloween!!!

This year we did things a little different. Usually I take Kaylee trick-or-treating in the neighborhood around her school and we always hit the house where they have coffee for the parents and hot chocolate and popcorn for the kids. I love that house!!! This year Kia and her friend Lidia took Kaylee and Lidia's 2 nephews out in the neighborhood around her house. Nice for me since that meant that wouldn't have to walk around in the cold but alas...my little angel is still afraid of most things Halloween and called me to come walk with her. I ended up driving the van around to a few houses then they all decided they had enough so I took the rest of the kids back to Lidia's and Kaylee and I went to Uncle and Auntie's to spend the night. All in all it was a good night and Kaylee got "just enough candy". (her words!)

Today we had to come home so Kaylee could go to her friends birthday party then we're headed back to Uncle and Auntie's for the night. We're housesitting again this weekend while they are gone to the Family Life conference in Coeur d'Alane.

Little Miss Dolly is busy as ever and has now discovered how to get up on the coffee table. Bad girl!!! That's an old picture of her but she still looks pretty much the same.