Bathroom Update

After over a year of being an ugly, torn up mess, do I dare say that the bathroom is almost done?! Can I tell you how incredibly exciting this is to me?! I know it sounds boring to the rest of you, but I am sick and tired of sharing my bathroom with everyone else who lives in this house (except my husband, of course), including two grown boys who are moving back into my house very soon.

Mario took this week off and I have kept him busy. The sheet rock has been put up, the mudding and taping done, as well as sanding and then texturing. The painting is done. The vanity has been re-painted. The shower is done. A new vanity light has been installed. The only thing we are waiting on is the tile floor to be installed (Thursday...if all goes as planned). When that is done we can put the vanity back in, install the new toilet and hang up the mirror. See, these all seem relatively simple in light of the work that has already been done. So I finally have enough confidence to pronounce that I believe my bathroom will be done very soon.

I will post the finished product when we are officially done...

If I can stop dancing with delight long enough to type.

The vanity is being spruced up. And those shelves are mighty dirty.

This is where the toilet will go

The finished shower stall...well, minus the faucet at this point.

Happy Anniverary Baby

We made it one year! There were some rough patches, but I do love that man! We celebrated by going to the Portland City Grill on Saturday night. It is on the 30th floor of the US Bank Tower. I thought about my grandma B and how I used to stop and visit her at the bank tower when she worked there. I was in high school and if I was downtown for any reason I'd stop in and say hi. She would always introduce me to everyone she worked with and sometimes we'd go to the cafeteria for a snack.

The restaurant is on the 30th floor with an amazing view. We didn't get a table by the window, but that's OK, I would have felt like everyone else in the restaurant who were looking at the view were watching me. We were close to the window and were able to enjoy the full effect of the view at sunset. The food was wonderful, but seriously I'm not into spending $100 on a meal for two. I'm glad we had some gift certificates left over from wedding presents. Thanks! But the company was perfect and the meal leisurely and I had a wonderful time with my sweetie.

The Business of Being Born

For date night tonight (no kids were home!) we went to Cha, Cha, Cha (yeah! We have one in Milwaukie now!), the library (it was closed), then home to watch a movie. My husband loves me so much that he sat through the entire documentary The Business of Being Born

This is my third time watching this movie and I am never bored by the power of it's message. Ricki Lake did a fabulous job of making a honest movie about midwives and homebirth that would appeal to the general population.

The statistics are mind boggling. As a nation we should be worried that the cesarean section rate increased by 41% between 2000 and 2006. In 2006 the national average for cesarean births was 31%. The World Health Organization recommends a cesarean rate of no more than 15%. Yet 1 in 3 babies are now born via surgical procedure. According to the documentary the United States has the 2nd worst infant mortality rate of developed countries!

I believe that every woman, young woman, teenager and parent to be should see this movie. It is important to know what is happening to women in regards to birth and know that if every woman is educated and given true informed consent then she can choose the birth she wants. I am pro-homebirth and admit to my passion surrounding this issue. I do not believe that every woman should have a homebirth. I do believe that every woman deserves to be informed. I am not against hospital birth. I am grateful for the surgeons (OB's) who are skilled in surgical deliveries necessary in some emergencies. I am skilled in normal vaginal labor and birth.

Here is a sweet waterbirth if you are interested. Not all births are this quiet! This mom was practicing hypnobirthing.

And if you want to watch The Business of Being Born I now own my own copy and would be happy to lend it out!

Happy Birthday Party!

Grandpa's Oldest and Youngest Grandson's

Tyler (1) & Parker (21)

My Handsome Boys

Since he blew out the candles before the first
"Happy Birthday to You" was sung,
we had to recreate the moment.

More Girls Camp Photos

How many girls can you fit into a porta potty?

Apparently 16!

Savannah is proud of her "old lady" fanny pack.
What a fashion statement!

Kitchen duty :)

A moment of rest for the weary camp mom

It Can't be So

It was 21 years ago today that I was in labor with my first child. How can it be that that baby boy is a 21 year old man today? I was so young and full of hope for him. I was only one year older than he is now when he was born.

I wanted to do everything right. I boiled anything that touched his mouth, fed him wholesome food, didn't give him sugar, and loved him all I could. I took him to swimming lessons, ballet class, baseball and basketball practice. He was always full of so much energy! As he got older I realized I needed to learn some things to keep up with his interests. I started reading the sports page so I could converse with him about the current affairs of sports. He had many interests growing up, each one an obsession at that time...beanie babies, pokeman cards, Nintendo, World of Warcraft. He was successful in every sport he tried. Basketball, Soccer, Football, Track. When he decided to do Track & Field he made it to the district finals for the triple jump, just months after beginning the sport! (And of course he was mad that he didn't make it) The next year he narrowly missed going to state.

He is the spitting image of his father! (I hope he got something from me.) Just the other day when he was on stage before he spoke at Sean's funeral, it was like looking at his dad 22 years ago. He is funny, smart, athletic and inquisitive. He writes me wonderful letters for Christmas and Mother's Day. He is a good friend and cares about his family. I know he believes in God. I am proud of who he is.

I have some regrets, but overall I was a good enough mom I think.

This last year has been hard for him. Trying to figure out who he is, what he wants to do. Things haven't come as easily for him as they did before. But I know he will figure it out and become who he is meant to be.

Happy Birthday to you, Parker Joseph Hawes! I love you!

Saying Goodbye

Tonight we attended the funeral for Sean. It was appropriately held in the Auditorium of Rex Putnam High School, where Sean graduated one year ago. It was heartbreaking to attend a funeral with so many young people in attendance. You could feel the shock and grief everywhere. After the service everyone headed to the baseball field (where Sean played many a game) to cry, laugh and share in a memorial that was placed there. One of his best friends dad provided food for everyone. Hot dogs at the baseball field, it was a spectacular and fitting goodbye.

Sean was a young man who had to work for everything he had without support from his family. But he had many friends, close friends, who were brothers to him. My two boys lived with him the last months of his life. When they went swimming last week, they were just out to have fun and forget their troubles for a day. Parker spoke at his funeral tonight. He didn't want to speak any words of regret or sorrow, so he told funny stories about Sean, stories that best friends share. He shared with us that the day Sean died, He Was Happy!

I hope that I can remember to find happiness in my everyday life. To savor the moments with my children and loved ones. To hug them more. To share my joy with them. To appreciate them more. To live with no regret. To remember what is truly important.

I love this picture.
It's true love!

Girls Camp

Even though I'm very tired...and my laundry isn't quite done...and I need to work on my lesson for Young Women tomorrow...This is way more fun~! Here are a few of my favorite shots from camp this week. Our camp leaders put on the most amazing camp this year; the cutest beads for awards, crafts, hiking, swimming, canoeing, games, zip line, obstacle course, quilting, olympics, first aid, emergency preparedness and the rest of certification. And of course the spiritual learning and girl bonding that goes on. The theme of our camp this year was S.O.S. which stood for Serve Our Savior and had a beach/nautical theme. There was a lot of service happening at camp. My group stuck with the SOS theme and we called ourselves Super Outstanding Survivors. The girls group were the Merbabes. And even though Emilia did not want to go to camp, I found her smiling on many occasions!

I will post more pictures later as I gather them from others. There were so many photographers at camp this year I didn't really take too many pictures myself.

Savannah on the obstacle course

My group got to be made up as victims for the "battle"

Emilia & Savannah playing on old fashioned game of stick pull. Emilia kicked her butt!

A smile after jumping off the zip line into the pond...brrrrr

And a little attitude!

A Tragedy

Parker & Sean-WOW Addicts!

While at Girls Camp this week a tragedy in our family happened. While swimming in the Sandy River, Parker and Jordan's roommate, Sean, drowned. All this happened right in front of the boys, who did everything they could to save him.

While I am at camp I have no cell phone coverage and there is no way to call up to the camp. It is also not usually allowed that the leaders leave camp unless it is urgent. But some divine intervention took place because the night of the drowning, our camp leader gave all of the leaders the night off. She also gave me and my partner permission to run into town to go to the store. Minutes after gaining cell coverage my phone rang. It was Parker, beyond upset, telling me what had happened. I was so grateful for the circumstances that enabled me to talk to my son after such a tragedy. I was able to call Mario so that he could be at the boys apartment as they arrived home. And I was also able to call the boys' dad. The boys said they did not want me to come home from girls camp, but I was able to call them many times the rest of the week from the camp office phone. It was difficult to be away from them, but I also knew there was not much I could do for them. They were surrounded by many friends over the next several days.

I was so thankful that the lives of my sons were sparred. I was sad and afraid of the danger our children put themselves in. We teach them and pray for them, yet we have to send them out into the world to make their own choices and suffer the consequences. This is the way of the world that God has given us. He has given us our free agency so that we can learn and grow, and part of that is to suffer. I suffer as I watch my children suffer. I give thanks for their safety and life today!

Sean Thomas Chancellor, you are in Heaven with those who love you! You will be missed!

CYO Basketball League Champs
(Jordan, middle right; Sean, right)

Heading Off to Girls Camp

This year we add Emilia to our Girls Camp adventure. Mario was planning to come to camp with us as a camp dad. We were so excited to have him there, but work took the priority and he is heading to Boston to attend a conference at Harvard. Savannah and I are excited to share the camp experience with Emilia, but she is apprehensive and unsure about going. Savannah will be a Junior Counselor in Emilia's group, which means she will sleep in her cabin and be involved in all of the activities with her. This should be a comfort to her. I will once again be a camp mom to the 4th year girls with my good friend, Trina. Trina and I get a bonus for being camp moms to the 4th years, since we get to go on their High Adventure with them before Girls Camp. Last week we took them camping at Jessie Honeyman State Park where we hiked the sand dunes and went on a dune buggy ride. It was a lot of fun and the weather was incredible!

I have been busy with camp preparations all week. I am excited to share my sewing accomplishments, especially since I am NOT a seamstress! The girls began making pajamas with the youth group at church, but since we missed a night of activities we had to finish them up at home. The girls and I had a successful joint effort at modifying and finishing the pajamas just in time to take to camp. They are wildly cute!



While we were in Seaside a couple of weeks ago I saw the cutest mermaid suit that would be perfect for Savannah and Emilia's skit at camp...but no way was I going to pay $20 for it! So I went home and recreated it. Now if I can just get that skirt finished that I began two months ago...uhg.

Well, we are off to camp bright and early tomorrow morning! Wish us well!

Welcome to my blog

I'm here to share a little bit of my life with my family and friends. Since so many of you are not a part of my everyday life I thought it would be fun to keep in touch in a new and different way. Can I entice you to begin your own blog....it's very easy! I've become a bit of a stalker on other's blogs, so I thought it was time to venture out on my own and see what happens. I figure if no one else reads this, at the least it will be a little family history of what goes on in our daily life.

Mario and I are exhausted from our weekend of home projects. The fence is up so Amos can roam the yard without our constant attention. The new light fixture is up in our bathroom, and it's beautiful! (Thanks, honey!) The downstairs bathroom is continuing to slowly progress...one more coat of mud and then sanding and then texture before I can take over and paint. Yippee...the shower is done! The yard got a little TLC. The moldy carpet downstairs came up. (If only I could get the girls to pick up their rooms). And I was busy working on last minute projects getting ready for girls camp. Not to mention I successfully found a one piece bathing suit for Savannah after 3 days of shopping every store in town, while listening to her tell me how awful it is to be a size 0! Don't we all feel sorry for her!

We did take a few moments to have dinner with friends on the 4th and a movie with Emilia today. Thursday night we took the girls downtown for some serious people watching, greasy food and soul music at the Waterfront Blues Festival.

Here's a picture of the stinky dog who has stolen my heart!