Brady's First Day of Pre-School

Wednesday, August 20th--Much like Elise, Brady was pretty wired this morning. He got up early and must have asked 20 different times when we were going to leave to go to "his pre-school". I sent Elise off to school, jumped in the shower, got Brady dressed and then we were off. On the way, Brady and I had a nice chat about how to behaive in his class and to listen to Mrs. Peterson. We pulled up to Learning Dynamics and saw nothing but chaos in the parking lot. There were cars, parents, and children everywhere. Some of the parents parked a little on the retarded side so it made it difficult for us all to squeeze in. Anyhoo, I walked Brady into his classroom where Mrs. Peterson was there greeting us with a big smile. I love that she and Brady already have a relationship due to the time we spent with her going over his diabetic needs. Brady seems to like her a lot. She's due to have her baby in 3 weeks so she'll be gone for a little while and then be back around Halloween, I believe. We were also able to meet the lady who will be filling in for her and she seems quite nice as well.

Mrs. Peterson asked Brady to find his name on a nametag, posted on the door, and he did so then she put it on his chest. From there, he was not a happy person. He wanted that nametag off and wouldn't go play with the kids until it was off. In typical "desperate times" fashion, I convinced Brady to keep the nametag on and then, when I picked him up, we'd go get a treat. After that he was good to go and went over to play with the other kids in his class. He looked at me and said, "You can go now, mom." I gave him a kiss and a hug and then I left. Surprisingly, I didn't get emotional this time. I drove home and realized I had 2 hours all to myself. Hmmmm, what to do, what to do? Today, I chose to be lazy. Usually, when he's at pre-school and Elise is in school I'll either be cleaning or exercising.

I picked Brady up at 11:15 am and he seemed so much happier, even with the nametag still on! He loved his first day of pre-school and really enjoyed meeting new friends and spending time with Mrs. Peterson. He said Mrs. Peterson sang one of our favorite pre-school songs "Days of the Week" (sung to the tune of the Adaams Family theme song). At the end of class he got a Hershey's kiss from his teacher and then we left. He was content with that being his special treat for wearing his nametag the whole time. As a comfort, for me, I checked Brady's glucose level when we got home and it was perfect. A sure sign all will be well and, for the most part, his diabetes won't be an issue for pre-school. Hooray!

Happy 33rd Birthday Nate!

Tuesday, August 19th--We celebrated Nate's birthday today. He took the day off so I tried to make it special for him, giving him the quiet time he wanted and making him a special dinner, etc. Earlier in the day I took him to lunch, along with Brady. He chose to go to Arby's and seemed to enjoy every bite of his lunch there. From there we went to Wal-Mart to get the rest of the items needed for his birthday dinner. The dinner of choice---my homemade beef stew. It must be pretty tasty considering he use to salivate over my homemade lasagna. He picked out a small white cake for his birthday cake. We'll be celebrating all the Armstrong, August birthdays (there are 4) on Saturday and so there will be a BIG cake for all to enjoy.

The kids and I picked out a few presents and I hope he likes them. While at the Museum of Flight, in Seattle, I found a fleece vest that I thought he might like so I got it. The fact is, I think he looks pretty good in a fleece vest---one of my little quirks! And again, while in Washington, I was shopping at the mall and found a simulated aquarium that lights up and looks like the real deal. Eventually, I think it would be great to have a real aquarium, as does Nate, but for now, this will do. He's been showing interest in a book called: "Presidents and Prophets" by Michael K. Winder. It's a book on the relationship of LDS prophets and US presidents over the years. Michael Winder also went to school with Nate so he wanted to see how great of an author he might be. I look forward to glancing at it as well! And finally, his last gift will come later on tonight. He requested a massage. You'd think, being married to a massage therapist, he would get a massage on a regular basis but no, not the case. I'm usually too tired or too achy or whatever else so he gets neglected. Sorry Nate!

Nathan, Nate, Natey-pooh,

You are everything to me. In six months we will have known each other for 10 years! I'm so happy we've been able to grow and mature together and create a family together. My life is fulfilled with you and I look forward to many more years and eternity with you. You are an amazing dad, I enjoy watching you interact with Elise and Brady. I can see there is true love and true joy when they are with you. I hope you have a wonderful year, full of great times, memories and surprises! Happy Birthday, my love!

Love always and forever, Audra

Elise's First Day of 1st Grade

Monday, August 18th--Our alarms clocks were set for 7:00 am but Elise was up at 6:00 am, unable to sleep because she was so excited. She and I quickly got dressed and ready to go and then we were off. I was happy to find that the school was kind of quiet. We chose to have Elise do "A Track", which starts at 8:00 am. There is also a "B Track", which starts a little after 9:00 am. With the two tracks it seems to break up the chaos, somewhat, and the large number of crowds. Elise and I went through the front entrance of Pony Express Elementary and, from there, I asked her to walk me to her classroom. I wanted to see if she remembered how to get to her classroom. It took her a minute but she found her way to room #103, Mrs. Mair's room. Mrs. Mair was in the room along with two of the students in Elise's class. We put Elise's backpack and lunchbox in her cubby and then I took a pic of her with Mrs. Mair. From there we went over to her desk and she sat down to begin a coloring page Mrs. Mair had prepared for all her students. I gave Elise a kiss and a hug then that's when the tears began to flow. No, not from Elise's eyes, she wanted me to just go so she could start coloring. I had tears coming down my face and so I waved good-bye and quickly left. Once I got in the car I just let the tears come. Like I said in my last post, where has the time gone? I am baffled at how quickly life just flies on by. It makes me kind of sad but I'm also excited to see my children grow and learn and experience everything life has to offer them.

On Wednesday, Brady begins his first day of pre-school at Learning Dynamics in Saratoga Springs. Friday, we went in to meet with his teacher, Mrs. Peterson, and the director of the pre-school, to go over his diabetic needs. We were greatly comforted to find that two members of the staff, including the director, had gone to a class concerning Type 1 Diabetes and how to handle a child with the disease, in a pre-school/school setting. Mrs. Peterson's husband is a nurse and he has been going over some things she needs to be aware of, for Brady's sake. Brady will be attending pre-school every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

Today, right after I dropped off Elise, we went over to Learning Dynamics for an open house. Brady was happy to see Mrs. Peterson again and I was happy to see a familiar face in one of the moms bringing her daughter to be in the same class as Brady.

I picked Elise up from school and she said she had a great day. She got to see a lot of her Kindergarten friends at recess time. She loved eating her lunch in the cafeteria. She said she forgot to read my note but saved it to be read at home.

An hour after she got home I asked her if she was tired, considering she got up way too early today. She said she wasn't tired but then I went to check on her and found her sound asleep. My sweet, little girl! What a great, exhausting, first day!

More to come on Wednesday when I have to be emotional all over again for Brady's first day of pre-school. Ay yi yi!

Where has the time gone?

Sunday, August 17th--Oh wow! My baby, my first born, is starting 1st grade tomorrow! I thought Kindergarten was rough for me......no, no, 1st grade has got me far more emotional. Elise will be in school full time now! She'll be responsible for eating lunch on her own and making sure she gets to and from recess. She'll be walking the halls with older children. Kindergarten was in the same building but they still seemed a little secluded. I know we'll all get through this and do beautifully. I know Elise will do well and all will be fine. This is just another milestone and I'm grateful for it but so incredibly nervous and anxious. More to come tomorrow as we drop Elise off for her first full day of school.......well, actually, Mondays are early release but it's only an hour earlier.

Call me cheesy, I dunno, but I packed Elise's first school lunch and then took a pic of it. I always heard about moms sending little notes with their kids lunches and so I did just that. Okay, I'm off to bed. Gotta get up early....blech!

Happy Trails To You, Until We Meet Again.....

Monday, August 4th--Sadly, time to head back to Utah. My niece, Samantha, woke up feeling quite ill. We debated leaving the next day but I didn't want to make the long drive in one day and I had to be back to work on Wednesday. We decided to make her as comfy as possible and pull over whenever she needed. It was hard to say good-bye to my parents, my sister and her family, as usual. Fortunately, they're coming for Christmas so we'll all be together again in 4 1/2 months. Nate stayed behind and he flew out the next day so he didn't have to miss any work. He was able to hook up to my parents wireless internet to work all day Monday. By the time our 2-day drive ended, my sister, Alishia, and I wished we had spent the HUGE amount of money to fly us all back to Utah!
About an hour into our drive, Samantha began to feel better after an urgent pull-over to the side of the road. Elise and Brady were whiny and fighting a lot. I think we were all just needing some "alone time" and none of us were getting that in a cramped car. The sooner we got back, the better! Tuesday morning, after staying the night in Ontario, OR, Brady threw the monster of all tantrums and tripped on some asphalt, scraping his knee and elbow. I got him cleaned up with colorful band-aids and then we sat down for breakfast at Denny's. Another 9 hours later we made it back to the house where Nate was waiting to greet us after a comfy, SHORT (2 hours), plane trip from SeaTac. And once again, I was happy to let Nate spend one-on-one time, all night, with his lovely children while I went and took a very long bath. Aaaaahhhh.........
In all seriousness, Brady and Elise were just as exhausted as I was. We had a great time in Washington but spent our days filling them full of activities. Rarely, did we get naps or quiet time so, by the end, we were all cranky and it was understandable why they acted the way they did. The next three nights, after we got home, they both slept over 12 hours every night!
Our next trip up to Nana and Papa's might just require us saving a little extra longer to fly instead of drive. It will be well worth it!

A'Hoy There Matey!

Sunday, August 3rd--Our final day before the long road trip back to Utah. We all pitched in and rented an electric boat docked in Poulsbo, WA. Poulsbo is an adorable, small Norwegian town, nearby Silverdale. It's a tourist town along the waterfront. The boat was spacious enough for all 12 of us to sit comfy with a table in the middle for the snacks we packed to enjoy during the two hours we had the boat. Our first captain was Nate. It was his first time ever steering a boat and, I must say, the beginning 10 minutes were a little nerve racking. Once he figured out the steering we were good to go. As we drove out of the boat docking area we came across some sea lions making their home on an old, run-down, dock no longer in use. We all laughed at how funny they looked lounging around and napping on the dock. Some were doing the Kate Winslet/Titanic pose and looking at us curiously. Moving along we headed out into open water. I couldn't help but be amazed at all the million dollar+ homes along the waterfront, many of them had their own private piers and docks. I WANT ONE!!! We passed many other peeps in motor and sail boats out on the water. It's proper, courteous, and just plain fun to wave at other people spending a day on their boats as you pass them by. About 1/2 hour into our boat ride we gave my nephew, Jacob, control over the boat. He's only 16 but his mom, my sister, Alishia, assured us he's a pro since he steers their boat all the time. He didn't disappoint! His favorite thing to do was steer us into the wakes made by other boats. We would be rockin' side to side, front to back and laughin' like crazy! A few of them became a little too much for me but I got over it quickly and we were back to laughin' and having a great time. Halfway into our boat trip we sailed pass Keyport Naval Base. Along one of the docks we spotted more sea lions! Only sea lions would make a nuclear naval base home! Yep, that's right, Keyport is where nuclear weapons are stored. Doesn't it just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing you can rent a boat and sail it right past such a place? Let me tell ya! ha ha ha

Anyway, back to our boat ride. The kids had a great time sticking their hands in the water and looking for jellyfish right at the surface. And thanks to the movie, "Finding Nemo", we had to explain to them not to touch the jellyfish AT ALL, not even the tops. There was a little defiance as they explained that Dory and Marlin discovered they wouldn't get stung as long as they bounced on the tops of the jellyfish, so, naturally, it was okay for them to touch the tops. Not so! We let them know it would be best not to risk getting stung because a jellyfish sting hurts like crazy! Since Elise experienced her first bee sting the day before, she decided to listen to her parents for a change!

Our two hour boat trip came and went pretty fast but we had a wonderful time and will plan on doing it again. We loved visiting and enjoyed the sights. It was the best activity to end our trip on. After we returned the boat we rounded up all the grandkids to take a photo. They moaned and groaned but the final result turned out okay. Later that evening we had our traditional dinner, when at moms house. Mom made up some yummy calzones. They are big pizza pockets that I refuse to learn how to make because I have to use the homemade calzones, made by my mom, as a selling factor whenever I want Nate to come up to Washington with me. He's not so much a fan of the chaos that, naturally, comes when my whole family gets together. I guess the calzones make it bearable! ha ha ha!

Nana & Papa's rugrats, er, grandkids:

Top: Jacob (16)

Middle: Samantha (12), Keven (8), Brady (3)

Bottom: Elise (6)

Singles Ward Reunion

Saturday, August 2nd---Nate, the kids, and I went over to Waterfront Park in Silverdale, WA, to meet up with some old friends from the singles ward I attended from 1995-1999. I had a blast in my singles ward, perhaps, even too much fun! The ward wasn't a stereotypical "meat market", where barely-out-of-high-school girls come in hopes of getting married ASAP. No way! The majority came to strengthen their testimonies and hang out with single peeps their own age. I met some of the most amazing people and am so honored to have been friends with them. I miss the activities, testimony meetings, FHE's, and dances. It was wonderful to meet up with some of these people and talk about old times and find out how they're doing now. My sister, Amanda, attended the ward then too so she came with her husband, Ben, and son, Keven.

As I was catching up with friends, Nate took the kids to the beach. This area of Washington doesn't really have "sand", it's more like dirt and small rocks mixed with tons of clam/oyster/muscle shells and large rocks with barnacles all over them. It's a young explorers dream! The tide was out quite a bit so the kids had a blast picking up rocks and finding many little baby crabs underneath them. Elise giggled when she picked the little crabs up. There was lots of seaweed all over too. It made for messy shoes and feet but it was worth all the fun they had. After exploring the beach they walked the long pier and then down to the boat dock. The views from Waterfront Park are breath-taking. On a clear day you can see Mt. Rainier and the Cascade Mountain range. If I can ever convince Nate to move us up to Silverdale I would LOVE to own a waterfront home nearby this park so I can have the view right outside my back door---of course, a house with this view would cost, at least, 1/2 a million dollars. Pocket change, right?

On a side note: Poor Elise, as we were packing up and getting ready to leave she got her very first bee sting. The bee was checking out the inside of her hand when she closed it. She didn't know the bee was there and, needless to say, it hurt a lot. While the whole thing was quite dramatic for her I was relieved to discover Elise is not allergic to bees. Since I am, I got a little worried. To get her to calm down we went over to Dairy Queen and got her an Oreo Blizzard. I think the cold cup helped the redness and slight swelling to go down so she was fine and all was well again. Phew!

Mariners vs. Orioles

Friday, August 1st--Thursday was spent hangin' out with my friend, Donna and her daughter, Sydney (almost 2). We had a great time shopping at the local mall and catching up. Elise, Brady and Sydney loved playing together and touching plenty of things they weren't suppose to (do I detect a trend? ha ha). I was able to find some birthday presents for the many birthdays our family has in August.

Friday was the day I was looking forward to the most. It was the day I picked Nate up at the SeaTac airport. My sister, Alishia, said we could leave the kids with her and my parents and they'd take care of them so I could pick Nate up and then the two of us head to a baseball game in Seattle--the Seattle Mariners verses the Baltimore Orioles. She then made the date night even better by suggesting we get a hotel since the game and traveling across the ferry would get us back to my parents house pretty late. HOOORAYY! Nate's plane was on time and we got to Safeco Field in plenty of time to get some dinner and hit the giftshop. We found small Mariners bats for the kids, purple for Elise and bluish-green for Brady. Nate got terrific seats along third base from E-Bay. We had a great time even though the Mariners lost and played horribly until the 9th inning. We left right before the 9th so we didn't get to witness the extra runs they made, most of the people at the game had left too. Nate and I were able to make it to the Seattle ferry terminal before the crowds got too bad. As we waited, we went over to the pier and I told him some history about the Seattle highrises. The ferry ride was quite nice, just the two of us. With all the small, tired, grumpy children on the boat we found ourselves being thankful for the rare date nights we get, especially for this one. The ferry docked in Bremerton and we were on our way to a hotel, for the night. We stayed at the Silverdale Waterfront Hotel. It's a pretty nice hotel right along Dyes Inlet. The views are spectacular!

While we enjoyed the game, the rest of our family took Brady and Elise to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza, rides, games and prizes. They had a great time and won plenty of tickets for cool prizes. Nate and I felt so blessed to know that the kids, especially Brady, were in good hands.
We had a wonderful evening. I'm so glad we were able to go and all worked out for everyone to have a good time. The next morning we were back at my parents house and the kids were so happy to see Nate again after not seeing him for a week. I was happy to let him spend as much one-on-one time with them as he wanted! he he he

Our Day At the Boeing Museum of Flight

Wednesday, July 30th--In the morning we caught the ferry to head over to Seattle. We got to the ferry terminal with plenty of time to spare so we want the pier and took pictures. The tide was out so it was pretty stinky but still quite pretty to look at the view and all. The kids loved the ferry boat ride! They had a great time going outside, on the deck, and watching the waves. The ferry ride was about an hour long. From there we had a quick drive to the Museum of Flight, right next to Boeing (where airplanes are made). A tour guide met us at the front door and we were off. The very first photo I took was of a model plane built from a scetch Leonardo DaVinci made of his idea of how flying would work. Based on the scetch, it's been proven the plane would never work--too heavy. This scetch and some others, by DaVinci, were purchased for millions of dollars by the richest man in the world---and a local---Bill Gates. Along the way we saw several other exact-scale models of airplanes people tried to invent and get to fly, like the Wright Brothers. The kids were quite fascinated until the tour guide became a little too long-winded. So I broke away from the group and found a kids section. Brady and Elise had a blast climbing into, actual, small airplanes and playing with the all the fun things. Elise tried a hang-gliding simulator. For her age, she did pretty well! Next, Brady got a hot-air balloon to rise, with the help of Papa. There were displays all over telling the children how airplane equipment works. And, of course, the kids wanted to touch EVERYTHING! Some things they weren't suppose to but I was impressed at how safe the museum is for people of all ages. We ate lunch at the cafe, inside the museum. Then we were off for a quick walk across the street to see the first Concord. The Concord is an extremely fast airplane that can cross the Atlantic from the East Coast of the US to Europe within hours. The plane, itself, is a little different looking but the inside looks the same as any typical airliner. Next to the Concord is an original Air Force One. It is not the Air Force One that John F. Kennedy used but Lyndon B. Johnson did, as Kennedy's vice president. Other presidents used the plane prior to the Kennedy era. The inside was preserved with all the original furnishings and equipment from the 50's and 60's. Whoever had the chance to ride in this plane got treated very well! After touring these two airplanes we went over to the gift shop and I got the kids some t-shirts and toy airplanes. The Blue Angels were practicing for the weekend celebration of SeaFair, on a airstrip right next to the museum. I bought Brady a Blue Angels t-shirt. While getting ready to leave we got to watch one of the Blue Angels take off. Within 4-5 seconds the pilot had the plane buried in the clouds. It was amazing! The sound of the jet plane take off was incredibly loud but so worth the small glimpse of what the Blue Angel team is capable of. Had we known SeaFair was in a few days we would have waited to come to the museum and catch the real air show. I can only imagine what a sight! Maybe next time. Once we were all in cars and ready to head back we discovered it was too late to catch another ferry so we drove back home. It's the same amount of time as the ferry, just not as relaxing. What a fun day! Brady and Elise loved it and I loved watching them enjoy their time looking at all the airplanes.

Our 2008 Washington Trip

July 26-August 5: We had a great and exhausting time visiting family back in my hometowns of Bremerton and Silverdale, Washington. I made the 1000 mile, 18 hour (lots of stops!) trip with my kids, my sister, Alishia, and her two kids, Samantha & Jacob. The first day we stopped in La Grande, Oregon, to stay the night. The next morning we were back on the road and stopped in Pendleton, OR, to head to Wal-Mart in hopes of finding a new portable DVD player. The one Nate and I bought 4 years ago was no longer working. I found the perfect one with 2 screens and much less bulk to it, compared to the 4-year-old one. We made it to Bremerton, WA, just in time for dinner. Mom cooked a yummy roast w/potato's. The kids were very happy to see Nana and Papa and stay at their house for the next week. The kids have a hard time comprehending that their own mom grew up in that house. Shortly after our tasty dinner, my sister, Amanda and her husband, Ben, came over with their son, Keven. It didn't take too long before the kids were bouncing off the walls, full of hyper-activity.
We were PLEASANTLY PLEASED to have high 60's and 70's weather the whole time. It was wonderful, to say the least. It was well worth the daily laundry I had to do because I only packed one pair of jeans and one jacket for each of us. The rest were summer clothes---imagine that! The first 2 days were spent hangin' out at the house and around town. On Tuesday we discovered Brady and Elise's feet had grown since they wore tennishoes, a few months ago, so we went to the store to get new shoes. From there we all went to a place that does go-cart racing and had a good time doing that. This was also my moms 58th birthday so we headed to the local buffet for dinner.