It's Official!

Well I guess there's no time like the present to tell all. Due to the water contamination at my Mom's, I'M PREGNANT!! Between October and February there will be four new grandbabies for my Mom and Pop! Can you believe that!?! It's definitely contagious, me being last in the pack. Brianne, watch out!! Even if you're not trying...it just keeps happening!

We are so excited to for the opportunity to add another little one to our family. I'm almost 9 weeks along on Monday, due February 4th. I was able to go home to Pullman for my first appointment and we were already able to hear the heartbeat. There is nothing like that sound in the world. Even when it's my third child it still makes me grin ear to ear. I can't wait to hold this baby in my arms...and I have a long way to go. I feel more tired this time around, but that may be due to the fact that with the last two I was working full time and always tired. Maybe I didn't know the difference. Other then that, I'm great, I just need to start making time for naps.

Pray that we'll sell our Focus SVT, I don't think it will hold us any longer. Hopefully we can find a good family car, and maybe I can talk Matt into buying a minivan! (Don't count on it!)

So Long!

It has been so long since I have done a post. I just haven't had a lot to say. The next month will be better, we have a lot going on. First Jayni's birthday party tomorrow, the boys' birthdays next weekend plus my best friends wedding, the next weekend Leisha's baby shower and we're doing a birthday party for the boys'. Then the last weekend is the annual Chlarson Family Reunion!! I can't wait! So as you can see I promise I will be better!

We haven't done a whole lot. The most fun we have had is going to the Aquatic Center. Other then that we've mostly just sat around the house playing and trying to keep up on life. On Wednesday Cynthia, the boys and I went back to Pullman for a Dr appointment and shopping for bunk beds. We found the cutest bunk beds (We forgot to take pics!) and Cynthia bought them for the boys' birthday. To bad they don't get to sleep in them until August! So here are some pics, sadly these are the only pics I've taken lately. I need to get energized!

The boys sharing a chair eating otter pops!!Malcolm thinking he needs to hold Quinn on his lap.Quinn poolside in his element, a true Hawaiian!In the summer his nickname is "Little Hawaiian", he tans so dark and fast!Malcolm eating the super rope. I made the mistake of buying him his own, and the next day we took Jayni with us,(no pics), and he threw a fit when I told him he had to share!

Father's Day

How lucky I am to be married to Matthew! He is such a wonderful father to our handsome boys. He is very attentive to them and loves to play with them. He's so helpful to me with them also. From the very start when Malcolm was born he was helpful. The first night home from the hospital he took Malcolm so I could get a few hours of much needed sleep. He just loved him too. We would fight over (not literally) who got to hold him and such...but we never fought over the diaper changing. While I was working full-time after Malcolm was born he had the opportunity just to have time as the two of them. They bonded very quickly. Both the boys love their Daddy, and all the things he loves too...motorcycles, video games...etc. Happy Father's Day Matthew. I am so thankful for you and your love for our children!
I can't think of Father's Day with out thinking of my own Daddy! (All my pictures of Dad are at home.) I miss him so much and Father's Day without him is hard. My Dad wasn't perfect, but after you lose someone you tend to think only of the good, that's not a bad thing. It was hard not living with my Dad. I cried for him a lot, even after high school. I didn't see him a lot, between my teenage years of being all about friends, and Dad being a farmer and father of 16 kids...we didn't have much opportunities to have time together. It's hard not to regret all the times I missed out on. I wish he would have taken more time to be involved in my life...and I wish I would have taken more time to be involved in his. I also regret not calling him after getting engaged and Matt talking to him. Every time that day that I thought of calling him, I just thought I would call him later that night. I think I didn't want to make a big deal out of it...I don't know...I just put it off, and then I never had the opportunity to talk to him again. Man I missed out!!! But in reality, I can't change the past. I only rarely think about the regrets, I am mostly just grateful for how long Dad was in my life.

Thinking of Dad on Father's Day makes me think of everything I did love about him. Now I won't be able to write this list without totally bawling. (Hopefully I can write through the tears!) I loved his nerdy sense of humor. I loved his laugh. I loved his cheesy smile. I loved how he loved farming. I loved the way he smelt after his shower...much better then when he'd come home. The smell of carmex and Vaseline intensive care lotion and stetson aftershave remind me of Dad! I loved when he would sing rock-a-bye-baby off key. He would only sing it to the little ones...but every once in a while he would come to my room and sing it to me. I loved how he loved to play. When he would wrestle with the boys. He always had to win. I didn't love when he'd wear his high school wrestling singlet. When we would go Tri-Cities with the youth to hockey game, and he would do Chinese fire drills. Play kick the can with us. What I loved and miss the most is when he would hold me on his lap, even when I was 19, and rock me. I miss feeling like a Daddy's little girl.

Dad really was fun. Dad was THE BEST slalom water skier!! I'm serious, he was great at it. He would wear his hat and sunglasses because most the time he wouldn't even wreck. But when he did, he would lose his stuff. He would also hoot and holler while he was skiing. He would cut the wake so hard that he would almost be horizontal with the water. I loved watching him. Twin lakes was some of the best memories. I love all the times we shared on the boat. Although I'm not that great, and it's been many years...I have always loved slaloming. I'm always wanted to be as good as my Dad. I love you so much Daddy. I miss you and still cry for you! I can't wait to see you again.

(There's a picture of Dad I have that is almost like this. It just reminds me of watching Dad water ski. Of course this doesn't look like Dad.)

I also have to mention Mike my step Dad. What a great guy he is. He has always been there for us kids and supported us in everything. He has gone to several family things on the Bushman side that I'm sure is awkward and uncomfortable. I love him for loving us. I'm proud to call him my Dad! I love you Pop!! Happy Father's Day!

An Unplanned Day With Milo

So on Sunday Mel was saying she was going to send Milo to Grandma Bushman's to pick strawberries Monday. I decided I wanted to go. I am about out of freezer jam. So Monday morning me and the boys set out for a few hours of strawberry picking. Milo came with Nathan and Dane a few minutes later and we had a fun time visiting and picking strawberries. Milo also started throwing the bad strawberries at me, so we took turns throwing strawberries. I made contact more than Milo did. Grandma showed up an hour or so after we got there. She had been getting more produce in Mattawa for her produce stand. We enjoyed spending some time with her.

Mel called Milo while we were picking and was wondering if he would go to Mattawa to pick cherries at her Grandma's. He was reluctant, but then decided and asked me to go. At first I was like no way, but for some reason I figured I might as well continue while I had the bee in my bonnet. So here's Milo and I on our journey. I do not take good self portrait pictures.Here are our little travelers. We stopped in "The State of George", as Nathan called it, and ate at the truck stop. The kids had corn dogs and jojo's and Milo and I had Subway. Yummy! I think people thought we were crazy with 4 kids...haha!Here are my pickings. I ended up making 50 (8oz.) jars of strawberry jam last night. Luckily Mom has a freezer for it all. I'm thinking of trying cherry jam, I just don't know if I would like it...I've never had it before. How fun! I love being a stay at home mom and having the freedom to go and do this kind of stuff. Before I never had the time or energy. Doesn't all the fruit look delicious.

Much Needed Time With Family

After five and half years of Dad not having a headstone, (and many more for Nathan and Jacquelyn), they finally have one. A very kind and generous man in Quincy had this done. Uncle Wallace organized a little family get together on Sunday. We all went to the cemetery and then to Uncle Wallace's for a BBQ.

This is the headstone. Unfortunately mine and Nathan's names are misspelled. Not a big deal to me. We shared memories/thoughts about Dad and then had a family prayer. Many tears were shed, especially on my part! The spirit was so strong. What a blessing it is to know that families are forever! Our family might be apart now, but we can all strive to be back together in the eternities!!At the BBQ, Carter had to show off his talent. What a goof ball.Then of course Milo thought he had to give it a try. Not to any success. I guess the goof balls run in the family!Here are 10 of the 14 living siblings. Jason was busy working and couldn't get off work. I called him like 3 times trying to have him try again. Tyler lives in California and obviously couldn't be there. Malissa and Amanda live on the coast and had their responsibilities there. What a cute big family!!What a good time we had as a family. We were in much need of having sometime together. I greatly missed all that couldn't be there. I especially miss Tyler!! I haven't seen him for 3 years. From the pictures I have seen he is probably taller then me...how can that be so! I miss him! Thank you Uncle Wallace for being in tune to know that this was needed. I love all my family!!!!

It was also Grandma Bushman's 84th birthday. (I wish I would have taken a picture of her!!) Can you believe that!?! She's still going strong too. She loves to work and she doesn't want to stop. She says if she stops then her body won't work as well anymore. I love her! What a wonderful women she is. I wish I had more time to just sit with her and pick her brain. I told her she must have all the secrets to raising a successful family since none of her children has ever strayed from the gospel and all have strong testimonies. She says they just worked them to death and they didn't have any opportunity to goof off. Well I guess when I have a house, I need to have a garden for my kids to work in. I could never do a farm!!

Not Much To Say

Is it already Friday!?! Where has the week gone. I don't have much to say, just had to post a little about last week.

Last Tuesday I was going to go home. We were moving into a bigger apartment and I wanted to start the cleaning and packing. I woke up on Tuesday really sick. I can't remember the last time I ever felt that sick. I could barely function and walking up the stairs was HARD! I would get to the top and have to sit down. I'm so glad that's over.

We moved from a 2 bedroom apartment into a 3 bedroom. We just moved across the parking lot in the same complex, so the layout of the apartment was the same just another bedroom and bathroom. On Wednesday Mom, Brianne and Leisha were all so kind to come and help me for the day. Leisha watched the kids, while Mom and Brianne cleaned my new apartment. I had great plans to move one room at a time since it was the same layout and everything could go in the same place. On Thursday morning the kids slept in while I got ready, I thought the day was starting out perfect. Then Quinn got up and wasn't acting like himself. He ended up throwing up, so I knew I wouldn't be getting much done. Thursday night Matt talked Tom (Brianne's husband) to come with him and help him move the big stuff. They worked like mad men and moved almost everything over that night. We even slept in our own beds in the new apartment. Although they ruined my plans for nice organization, they got it done.

Mom and Pop came down Friday night and spent the night. Mom helped me clean the old apartment and get everything cleaned and organized in the new. It wasn't a bad move, since everything already had it's place. I can go home to just having to hang pictures. Thanks everyone for the help...I really needed it and it made it go so fast!

The boys were worn out. They were both asleep within 20 minutes. (It's hard to take a picture while your driving!) Matt rode his motorcycle home, and I was nervous the whole 2 hours. At one point he kicked off one of his side panels to the bike and I had to turn around and get it. That scared me!

These are all the 3 year old cousins at Mom's on Sunday night. How cute...and they all suck their thumbs. (Although Malcolm isn't in this picture.) This peace and quiet only lasted for about 5 minutes.