New Beginnings on a Bus

It doesn't get worse than having your mother show up at your bus stop to take pictures on the first day of school. Well, I guess it could get worse if your mother showed up in her workout clothes with no makeup.....

For posterity, let's name these darling kids:

(left to right) Alea Soboloski, Julia Soderberg, Ashley Mounteer, Marissa Bradshaw, Mallory Jones, Beau Richards, Hannah Hibler, Colton Mayne, Mack Richards, Gage Gygi

Happy Un-Birthday

Having a December birthday is no fun....for Mallory or her mom! Too much snow, too much stress, too much time indoors. So we came up with a glorious idea of celebrating a Half Birthday in the summer. This year the un-birthday party was held at Seven Peaks Waterpark.

Invited guests were:

Marissa Bradshaw, Lauren Halverson....




Also invited was Megan Ann Jones, and the lovely Trevor Harward (Mallory wanted Megan at the party and she was asked to invite one of her friends)





Before driving to the park, we gathered everyone together at our home and opened presents....even Trevor brought a pack of gum to offer as a gift! Lauren gave her a beautiful necklace and matching earrings and Marissa gave her some lotion and lipgloss. (Megan graciously opted to wait until December to even think about giving gifts). Then we piled in the car and took off to the park.


Then the REAL fun began!

After a couple hours of water and sun, the kids gathered at the picnic area and I brought in some sandwiches and chips to munch on for dinner.

Everyone had a great time and it felt much better than one more party in the snow!

Happy Un-Birthday, Mallory!

Sugar Suffering Updates

Well, the first week of no sugar was a self-esteem-raising-YAHOO experience, but the second week is MISERY! I wander around all day feeling famished! Did I really eat that much sugar, or am I dying for a treat just because I've told myself I can't?

I do find it easier to deal with the cravings when I get analytical about it all. It helps me feel motivated to get through it when I look at it as "an experiment". . I have noticed an increased appreciation for the taste of other food. Everything seems sweeter and richer.

So, if I can just get over my need to chop someone's head off while I "power through" the withdrawal....I will one day remark how thrilling this whole experience has been.

A Slice of Heaven

Jon and Kim took a well-deserved vacation to Washington DC so I had the thrill of taking care of Zac for 4 days. It was delightful! Tiring, but delightful. I must admit that old age makes the experience a little more wild, but I loved spending each day with the darling boy (but admittedly Mallory and Megan saved me by helping out so much!). He is so happy and so willing to share his every discovery and newly found vocabulary with those he loves.

His joy for anything and everything was a delight to everyone from the store clerk, to the gas station patrons, to the neighborhood kids....


His uncle Ryan took a special interest in guiding him to the grocery store and sharing their shadows.....






With an adoring store clerk, Zac found a bit of frustration mixed with delight as he figured out the beautiful combination of helium and latex.






There were many moments spent in the high chair trying to decide which food seemed most appropriate for each meal. Yogurt seemed good at breakfast, but a polite "no" told us that yogurt would not be the acceptable meal choice for lunch.



Yet all was done with a smile and a cheery "HI!"

The drawers, the cupboards, the shelves, the garbage can....they were all
adventures waiting to happen!












As each day progressed, his educational pursuits were uppermost on our minds. First, there was the required Music Instruction.

The next course of study was Swimming.

As is always important in teaching any subject....a good example is often the key to learning.

"Ok, Zac, this is how you stand in the BIG pool"

He was a very quick learner....

But as this student quickly progressed, more advanced lessons were necessary...

Hosiery:

A warm towel and a hug made a perfect ending to classtime!

A day at Grandma's could not be complete without several sessions of Swing Time.

GIGGLES AND GLIDING

Well, our time soon ended and so we packed up his (MANY) bags and sadly said goodbye. Our days together have gone fast. Now we will spend the rest of the week wishing we were in that house down the street with Grandma #2.

We LOVE you, Zac!

IT WORKS -- YAHOO!

After my official declaration of No Sugar....I made it a whole week without killing anyone! That is a major success for a sugar addict! But when I went for my weekly weigh-in....I lost 3 LBS!! I have been gaining and losing a lb here and there for 4 months and so this was a great break through! I'll keep it up and see what happens next week. YAHOO!

30-day challenge

I've decided I need to challenge myself and jump in with both feet.....I just read a great article on doing a 30-Day No Sugar Challenge. So starting now.....until Sept 1st NO SUGAR. I'm not going crazy and reading the catsup bottle for sugar, but here are my rules:

1. No sugar
2. No articficial sweeteners (Splenda, etc)
3. No honey, molasses, or any other sweeteners
4. No Treats!
5. No going Militant and investigating sugar in every condiment, cereal, etc. BE SMART & BALANCED

I'll keep you posted on my withdrawal symtoms and successes. I plan on being a full-fledged Super Heroe by the end of the month!

Thanks for letting me share a goal or two....it keeps me committed!

What to join in? Post me a comment and we'll both do it with a grin on our faces (only to mask the panic in our heads!)

Family Campout 2009

This year's Jones'/Seelos Un-Campout was a different twist to our typical 3-day campout. This time we spent one entire day together at Classic Skating and Waterpark....just to see if we could wear ourselves out in one day instead of three (mission accomplished!)

We started the day--the night before. The adults were invited to come to Alan and DeeAnn's home for dutch oven dinner and civilized conversation. Wes and I gave up attending as we were exhausted the night before while making preparations for everyone to meet at our home for breakfast the next morning (sorry....we're old)

Bright and early the next morning, we had breakfast in our front yard. We set up a beautiful banner (created by Mallory), put tables on the lawn and, with Kline and Carrie, we served ham, hard-boiled eggs (oh, lots of eggs), french toast and toppings, orange juice, and chocolate milk.

You can never have enough hard-boiled eggs! (We thought!). I must admit there has been an abundance of deviled eggs and egg salad sandwiches at our house this week!

And as is typical of any Jones/Seelos activity, the food came and went....but the talking around the tables was eternal. It was great to catch up on everyone's lives, children, adventures, etc.

The kids always love hanging out with Ross.

Then, of course, there is the necessary

"counsel" from the Elderly Wise Ones.....

And then there is all that great DNA!

Cute Cousins!

Cuter Cousins:

CUTEST Cousins:

THIS HARD WORKING COUSIN CAN FINALLY REST!

That Jared Thompson flipped french toast all morning without a moment's rest.....

And then there were the little ones! They were inside, outside, in the garage, on the tramp, everywhere! It was wonderful to see so many cousins who love being together.

In the early afternoon we left our house and went to Classic Skating and Waterpark. The adults were a little overwhelmed at first with all the bright lights, loud music, and a bajillion kids....but it didn't take long for many to get right into things! (Lousy fotos....but when you're going that fast, what else can a photographer do??)

Jon and Zac each did their best to FULLY participate in the video games.

Now who is the REAL Guitar Heroe? (Notice Zac taking notes from the side!)

Wes had a special need to relieve stress.......and he found it! He says he wants a machine like this in his office.

Just down the at the other end of the room were the HUGE Bounce Toys that old and young seemed to find an adventure in. Father against son, brother against brother, Mother (Susan Seelos) against daughter (Ashley Seelos) they fought against each other and the clock to come out as winners! What a charming Eternal Family Moment......

And for some fathers and sons....it was just pretty darn tiring!




And once again, the tableside sharing/talking/counseling/commiserating/comforting
was there in abundance.







By early evening, it was time to leave the Skating/Water Park and head over to a nice, quiet, shady park where the Lindsay & Jodi Jones and Darin & Tina Thompson families prepared some much-needed FOOD! We had fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, and some amazing brownies made by Tina's gifted hands. Thanks, guys!






It was a great day with lots of time to spend with loved ones...to see the family grow, try to kill one another (did I mention anything about shots fired during a Family Laser Tag game??), and to come to appreciate all that we have to offer the world because of the blessings of a wonderful family.