kirklandreddyfamily

How does the garden grow?

2010-06-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

We have a huge yard but the trouble is we don't have a lot of great sunny spots. Our neighbors all have huge trees that shady our yard. So gardening is a challenge. To be honest our backyard is neglected and our front yard gets the most attention. We have done several things out front and someday I will focus on the back. I stick with some of the traditional things that my grandparents did when this was their house. Things like growing tomatos under the frount windows along the foundation of the house. Pat thinks this is totally strange but it is the best spot we have! It bothers him that we grow our "garden" in the front yard but our options are limited!

So this year I have been at the Farmer's Market and have picked up a lot of my plants there. The tomato plants were great and are doing very well. We have an apple tree in the middle of the yard that is getting huge and is loaded with apples! This one tree has 3 different types of apples. It has some black spots on the leaves which I think is apple scab, I guess it is a bad year. I have noticed that a lot of my plants are yellow but I think that it is the lack of sun. So hurry up summer!

My grape vines that line the sidewalk to our house our looking great. Last year was the first year that I actually had grapes. I planted these 6 years ago, it took 5 years to get grapes. But last year we had a lot of grapes and this year it looks like the harvest will double! They are concord grapes which are my favorite! The kids love to squeeze them out of their skin eating only the center of the grape.

Meet Dora, the newest member of the family!

2010-06-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

So, we have expanded! We made a trip to the feed store to get more fencing and I did not expect to see any bunnies. The lady had said that she would call Pat when they got more bunnies in. Well, when we got there the first thing the kids spotted were the bunnies. There was a white and black spotted bunny that is similar to Sunny or a tan bunny with gray. Ciara wanted her bunny and was not leaving without it! She picked out the tan bunny who is now named Dora! She promised to use the potty if she got the bunny. I feel for it! Needless to say, she is still in diapers!

The two bunnies who we now know are girls are not friends! They don't want to be in the same cage so now I have two cages to change! These girls are messy.

Miss Dora has huge back feet so I think that she is going to be a big bunny. She is supposed to be a dwarf but she is already larger that Sunny. She is a really sweet bunny and lets Ciara hold her without a problem. Welcome to our crazy life!

So The Ark Continues With our New Member!

2010-05-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

So I made the mistake of taking the kids to the Monroe Feed Store! We went to get a piece of fencing to make a trellis and end up with......I child who is in tears because all he wants is a bunny! Ok, so if I bring home another animal, I may be single! So save your tears for daddy. And Daddy bought it hook, line, and sinker! What? That wasn't supposed to happen!

Patches cried, "All I want is to bring the bunny home because he is homeless!". So Daddy says, "Ok, be good this weekend and I will buy you the bunny!". I think my husband must be ill because he is never for more animals. But he justified it by saying that Patrick is so responsible and he feeds the dogs. Oh, and it is is graduation present!

Sunday morning, dad and son head out to get their bunny! Ok, so is it a boy or girl! No one is quite sure. So what do you name a non-gender specific bunny?? Sunny, of course! Just like the Easter bunny that we visited!

So we have added to the Ark! 2 dogs, 2 cat, several wild ducks, and a bunny. But you say there is only one bunny. Not so fast! My husband came home for lunch today and said, "Don't you think Ciara should get a bunny, too? Ok, maybe he is really, really sick! So today after work Daddy will take the kiddos to pick up another bunny! I cannot say that I don't love the little addition but give it a week! Oh, did I mention that they think that these critters should live in the HOUSE! We will have to see about that! Sunny is a cute bunny!

Patrick’s Lego’s

2010-01-27T19:40:00.001-08:00

Patrick has really begun to love Lego's. He had received a few gift cards for Christmas and one for being a ring bearer which he spent last week on Legos. Patrick really likes the houses. We bought him a Lego house for Christmas which was his first big Lego set. I don't remember Lego's coming with extensive directions that they come with now! There are large book that come with each set. Maybe that is why they are so expensive. They look so big and cool on the package.

Pat and Patrick have been spending hours building their Lego creations. I did get a chance last week to build the "Crabby Shack" with Patrick. Pat gets incredibly frustrated with putting these things together. So

Snow Much Fun!

2010-01-27T19:31:00.001-08:00

We have really been enjoying our house in Roslyn. The snow has been great, although I fear that it is almost all gone now. Patrick has been loved all the sledding that he has been able to do. You cannot get him in the house. But the best part is that he can sled right off the back patio, down the hill to the alley. No more searching for just the right spot to sled.

We have been riding the snowmobile, now that we are down to one, but Friday we should get the other one out of the shop. I think we have a future snowmobiler on our hands. Patrick is absolutely addicted to riding. He begs and pleads to go out. Now if we could just get Ciara to love the snow! (Maybe next year). Patrick's only request is "Mom, cannot you go slow like Daddy?" Not a chance kid! We can ride right out our backdoor to the Coal Miners Trail which takes us just about anywhere we want to go! Next year, we hope to find a small 120 snowmobile for Patrick, I think he will be ready.

New Year’s Meal Planning!

2010-01-11T08:36:00.001-08:00

One of my resolutions this year was to start Meal Planning—Rachel is my inspiration. Rachel is very organized in that respect and I admire that. I cannot imagine myself that organized but I am giving it a shot! Just not yet! You see my oven went out about 2 month ago and you never really know how much you depend on something until you don't have it. I baked my Christmas cookies at the cabin and we had steak for Christmas dinner. It all worked out but I am ready to bake again. We had decided to wait until we got home from our trip. So we are home and then do you just put in a new stove? No! I have to look around and decided to do a mini facelift of our tired kitchen. So needless to say we still do not have a stove. But today, I think and hope is the day! I just have to go to the hardware store for some wire and wire a plug in because the old wires are too short!

So what projects did I start?

When I pulled out the stove –I ripped out the stupid linoleum that surrounded the stove and was peeling since the day grandpa put it in!

That I decided to replace with tile. But trying picking out tile, there are so many choices. Do you go blue, green, or neutral browns? Well, I have to admit I went boring but safe beige and browns! We went with white appliances because if I were going to go with stainless I would only do that with a full remodel! And stainless has proven to be a lot of work at the cabin! It is very frustrating to be cleaning all the time and it never looks clean. So, maybe when I get granite, new cabinets, and the kids have left home!!! But for now white it is!

So I have tiled around my stove, put in a new white hood fan, hooked up the gas to the stove, put in one new fixture above the sink, and installed a dishwasher (which I have not had for 3+ years)!

What I have left to do is wire the plug in for the stove, get my faux granite looking linoleum, 2 more light fixtures, build the faux drop ceiling above the cabinets, finish the glass tile backsplash (after countertops), and finish painting! And of course, clean up all the mess! I will be happy to have a stove this afternoon!

Pop Pop's Wedding

2010-01-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

On December 29th, 2009, my father in law was married. We made this winter trip back to NJ for this wedding. After 50 + years of marriage, Pat's mother died 3 years ago. My father in law meet Madelyn and they have now married. All of their grandchildren were in the wedding and my husband was best man. My little man was so cute in his suit and loved the attention of being the ringbearer!

New Jersey

2010-01-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day, we loaded up the 3 kids and 15 or so bags to head to the airport. We were headed out on a flight to Newark at 11:30 am. My husband is from NJ and I have never been but we had to go for his father's wedding on Dec 29th. The cheapest flights were on Christmas Day and return New Years Eve. Those would be the days we fly. I had Pat call about the rental car before we left home because our flight was supposed to be in at 11:30 pm so I wanted to make sure we had a car. We booked on Expedia and National was the only agency with a SUV.

The flight was long and I get motion sickness so it was even longer for me. This was Ciara's first flight and she was so tired that I figured she would sleep. No, I was totally wrong, she never slept a wink on the plane. She was up and down the whole 5+ hours. Too make things worst she has been fighting a cold and is super whiny! We survived made it off the plane to be greeted by Patches two favorite cousins, Rose and Steph! They watched the kids while we waited for our luggage, which were the last 2 piece off the plane! But the carseat did not make it! We had to go to the Alaska office and eventually they found our carseat. Rose and Steph said they would see us back at Aunt Kate's and left. When we got to the rental car office we were informed that they had no cars! No cars??? Confirmed reservation and paid for but they have no cars! My husband ran out to all the agencies to find a car but no one had cars! We sat in the rental car agency for 2+ hours with luggage and kids everywhere!

Rose came back to pick up Patches and Ciara but could only get a few pieces of luggage. Rose and Steph are the brave ladies I know Ciara screamed the whole way--she is not used to being away from me! My husband's sister Maureen came after the rest of us. So in 2 cars and several hours we made it to my sister in law Kate's house. We were greeted by several family members which was a bit overwhelming but very nice! My husband has 6 sisters.

Maureen was so great to let us use her car, plan a trip to NY, wash clothes, bathe kids, and feed us! Thank you so much for your kindness! Kate let us take over her home which was very brave. Thank you! Rose and Steph were excellent caretakers for the kiddos! Nicholas was the bravest 12 year old boy, I know to push a stroller through NY crowds and on the train!

This trip was quite and adventure! I am so happy to be home. "There is no place like home!"

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-02T08:39:00.001-08:00

I just was not as festive as I am normally! I feel bad that I did not go all out and decorate. I just was not in the mood. I feel bad because this was a very exciting year for Patrick and in a way I feel that I let him down. He was so into Christmas and I just could not force myself to get in the spirit. We had your basic Christmas tree that was entirely decorated by the kids. Nothing fancy, just everything they could grab out of the bins. Pink and white lights along with the primary colored bubbling lights! We flew out Christmas day to New Jersey to see Pat's family and for his father's wedding. I have to say I was happy to get home and see no trace of Christmas, accept for the lone gingerbread house on the fireplace. My mother and brother had disposed or packed everything else up and put it in the attic until next year! If I had to do it, it would be awhile. I still have not unpacked our luggage!

Why Don’t I blog?

2010-01-02T08:00:00.001-08:00

I just cannot get it together enough to blog on a regular basis! But I am working on it! It is one of those New Year's resolutions! I know I can do it but I just get lazy. No more excuses, I will blog!

Christmas Tree Hunting

2009-11-30T13:32:00.000-08:00

We decided that as a family we would go find our own Christmas tree in the forest near Salmon La Sac. We bought permits and headed to the forest before dinner on Thanksgiving! There was no snow in the Roslyn but as we headed toward Salmon La Sac there was a lot of snow. We looked around then we got a little stuck in the snow in the hills, an hour before dark. Not so fun but it was only temporary and we went home treeless!

Next day, Friday, we headed up again but this time we went with Steven and his monster truck and winch. Again, we got a late start but knew we were not getting stuck! We probably would have done fine and got our 2 trees but had to stop and help the Chevy out of the snow. A guy had got his Suburban with bald trees and snowmobile trailer stuck --even with 4 guys trying to dig him out he was not going anywhere fast. Steven hooked him up and winched him out! Then Steven had to back down the road and across the bridge--about a 1/2 mile down the narrow icy road. Once the guy loaded up and was out of the way we were able to go up we wemt up the hill until we could only see snowmobile tracks but we were stuck now! Tied off to a tree Steven had to winch us out! On the way down, we searched the dark forest and found a tree! One down and one to go! We were on our way home! Tomorrow, we would get the other tree!

Thanksgiving at Preschool

2009-11-30T13:25:00.000-08:00

Patrick had a classroom feast on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. They made their own food and shared it family style! They are so cute at 5 years old! Patrick has been so excited for Thanksgiving this year. We planned to have our Thanksgiving feast and spend the weekend with our family in Roslyn this year!

He was very excited to be dressed as a Pilgrim/Indian!

Disney On Ice--What a Surprise!

2009-11-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't really keep up on the events coming to town but I saw a commercial on TV for Disney On Ice! It peaked my interested so I decided to check out Ticketmaster and see how much ticket were! Of course there were no tickets to be had. So what do should you do? Head to craigslist, of course! I love browsing Craiglist!
So there slim pickings on Craiglist but there was a brand new post for 3 tickets--second row on the ice! It was a miracle! And at face value. Emailed the seller and arranged pickup the next day!
We were not sure how Ciara would do because she is our runner--always on the go! But it was wonderful and she did great!

I had been to Disney On Ice 10 years ago with Kailey and most of it was the same but I had never seen CARS! It was wonderfully entertaining! Love it all!

Well, the tickets, though not cheap, were the cheapest part of the night! $12 for a sno-cone in a Disney collector cup! $7 for a little box of popcorn and who knows how much the other little treats that Pat bought were! It was definitely worth it! We escaped buying the $20 light up toys.

It was hard to get pictures but I got a few good ones! I should have charged the battery, it was a low and the pictures tend not to be as good when the battery is not fully charged.

Thank you, Daddy for taking us to the show, can we go to the really Disneyland?(Patches)

Well, kiddos, we are thinking of going to Disneyland for Christmas next year! I think it would be fun to go during Christmas. Thinking back as a child, I cannot remember what I got for Christmas at 6 or 7 years old but I can remember events. I want to create memories for my children not just buy them gifts!

Special Birthday Guests for Patches!

2009-11-17T10:06:00.001-08:00

Patrick's 5th Birthday was on Halloween! His cousins Rose & Steph wanted to surprise for his birthday and come to visit from NJ. Patrick has been asking for the past couple years why Ciara always gets special guests on her birthday. There is no real answer for that but for the past 3 years, since Ciara was born, Pat's family has come to visit! The first year Pop-Pop came to visit a month after Ciara was born, the next year Pop-pop,(the girls-as Patches says) Steph and Rose came out, then this year Aunt Lori, Rose, and Steph came out to visit for a week! We usually spend the week of Ciara's birthday site seeing and traveling the Oregon Coast and Crater Lake! So I can see why Patches feels a little left out because of the timing.

Well, the girls pulled it off! They arrived on Friday, October 30 and rented a car so that they could arrive at our house as a total surprise! Patches was absolutely in heaven! Although, it was a short visit, with Rose and Steph leaving Sunday morning at 4am, it was very special and meaningful to Patches! It was his "best Birthday ever", he claims! Thanks you Rose and Steph for coming to visit! We love you! I hope you will come see us soon and stay longer! We love having you visit!

South 47 Farm --Corn Maze

2009-09-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we headed out to meet Patrick's friend from school, Jackson and his family at the corn maze. We were a little worried that it would be muddy due to Saturday's rain but it wasn't to bad, just a little slippery in spots. Ciara fell a few times when she was running to catch uop with the bigger kids! When we left our house with all three kids across the backseat, Kailey, Ciara, and Patrick, there was not a peep all the way there! This is an amazing feat, usually there is total choas. Of course, I forgot Patrick's boots so he had to wear his Crocs but did fine. The corn maze is $7 per person which I think is a little high!

They give you a "map" of the corn maze but it is not really a useful map. There are eight questions throughout the maze, if you answer the question right the maze is about a mile if you answer incorrectly it can be 2 miles. We never found #5 but got the rest of them. Halfway through the maze Patrick said " Can we go home? This place is too "corny"!" The things that these kids say crack me up! But there are so many option after answering the question that I think we walked a lot farther! Ciara would not walk most of the way so Pat and I took turns carrying her--definately not stroller friendly but maybe a wagon would work! There are a lot of photo opportunitys throughoput the farm which is all free! There is a hay ride which would have been fun but we did not have enough time and Ciara was ready to crash--she was so tired!

It is worth checking out if you have not been there! We will be going back in October for a preschool fieldtrip. But I am very happy that we were able to spend some time with Jackson and his family before Samantha goes on her book tour in October!

So far behind!

2009-09-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

I am so far behind on blogging that I don't even know where to start! It has been a long time but Kim got on me a couple weeks ago so I have decided that I have to do something. Well, then the problems started. First, I had forgot my password to blogger. I guess it has been a long time. I got frustrated because it won't send me email to reset the password. Then my beloved camera had to go in for repairs because I could not get the USB to connect so I am now almost two weeks without my camera. I have an old camera but it just isn't the same.

Leavenworth for Grandma's Birthday

2009-09-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, we headed to Leavenworth for Grandma's birthday (my mom). It was a pretty drive, the leaves are just starting to change and once we got out of Sultan the rain stopped! It was raining buckets when we left home!

The kids had a great time at the Meadowbrook Farms, just past Leavenworth! That is were we started our day! There were a lot of photo opportunities and fun things for the kids to do! They have swings, even little bees for the little ones. There is a "trike" park with little roads and signs set up for the kids. They have hay rides and cow tractor rides! The cows rides were a big hit! Patrick and Kailey went 3 times!

We took a family photo! And several photos with the kids on the tractor, old car, and at the petting zoo! We spent a long time checking out the store they have some much in there which you would not expect to see in a little fruit stand! The kids loved feeding the animals. Ciara and Patrick did very well holding there hands out flat to feed the goats, llamas, ducks, cow, and many other animals. After three "cow" rides we were ready to hit the town!

We went walked through town checking out all the tourist shops! Got some great fudge and cookies at the gingerbread house! Had an early prime rib dinner at the Soup Celler. Then it was time to get back on the road and head back to the rain. It was a fun day and minimal fighting among the siblings. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Easter Egg Dye

2009-04-09T20:55:00.001-07:00

Easter egg dyeing is always fun with little hands! Ciara was after the dye cups but managed not to spill any!! Patrick had Grandma write names on all the eggs so that everyone would have their own egg. Patrick's egg is pink, of course. He is a really big helper!

Easter Cookies

2009-04-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today was the day to decorate our Easter cut out cookies! This year at 4, Patrick is really into celebrating the holidays! Which for him means cookies. He has been talking about these cookies all week! So it was supposed to rain today so today was the day! We had to be at Pump It Up by 11:15 AM to meet with his Preschool class. Even though they are on Spring break this week--we could not have asked for better weather! Hopefully, it we can stay rain free Saturday and Sunday for the Easter egg hunts! We are heading to Roslyn for the day on Saturday to celebrate Easter at Suncadia. They have an Easter egg hunt, carnival, and breakfast with the Easter Bunny! Willy Wonka Waffles, who could pass that up! Well, here are Patches Famous Cookies!

Easter Bunny ot Torture!

2009-04-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

I decided I would take the two younger kiddos to see Mr. Easter Bunny on Wednesday! Ciara was fine with the Easter bunny until it was time to sit on his lap then it was total meltdown time! It was more like torture! It was the same way with Kailey at this age!

Cake Walk -- Cupcake Pops!

2009-03-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

Patrick's preschool is having there annual carnival today! I had volunteered to make treats for the cake walk. I was wondering what I could make that would be a mess by the time I delievered it to school. I always am disappointed when the frosting gets all over--gross. I searched the internet for "creative cupcakes" and came across the most amazing lady, "Bakerella". She make incredible "cake pops". Thank you, Bakerella! Anyway, I kind took the easy way, I made mini cupcakes and then dipped them in the chocolate melts! This made packaging easy and best of all no frosting mess! I think that they turned out really cute! I package them in packages of six like we where instructed to do. I wrapped each individual one and put the 6 in a take-out container with a little shredded paper! My kids loved them. Now, will they do well at the cake walk. They were fun to make!

Ciara Trip to the ER

2009-03-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

Ciara jumped off her little dolly bed and landed face first on the hardwood floor. She never tried to catch her fall. I actually thought it was a lot worse because there was blood everywhere. I decided to take her to the ER not knowing if they would stitch her lip or not. She had put three teeth through her bottom lip. Dr. decided not to stitch the lip because she would probably chew the stitches out before we got home. Not to mention it sounded horrible. They would have to put her in a pillow case and tie her tight. I am so happy that she did not have to get stitches! Poor baby girl!
*****4 days later: her lip is healing great! Much faster than I expect! Not that it slowed her down any****

Patrick & Ciara Go to the Dentist!

2009-02-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

Patrick and Ciara got to go see Dr. Wendy for a dental check up. Patrick was that a star patient. They were able to find all the sugar bugs that were finding! Ciara wanted no part of this visit! They each received a SpongeBob tooth brush, toy from the treasure box and best of all a dinner certificate for Red Robin! Patrick passed the test--no cavities! Ciara would not open her mouth other except when I turned her upside down. Dr. Wendy got a quick look, maybe next time she will get a look! We will be back in 6 months!

Ciara's First Hair Cut!

2009-01-30T13:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I had put it off long enough. It was time for Ciara's first hair cut. January 30th we went to see Jackie! Patrick kept saying that Ciara has "old man hair". When asked why, he said, he touches her ears and is funny in the front. Poor Ciara! It is true, her hair was over her ears and she has long hair in the front--kind of like a comb over!
With both kids in tow, Pat, and my mother we went to see Jackie. Ciara was fine in the salon and had just been there 2 weeks prior to watch Patrick get his hair cut. Patrick used to go to Earl's barbershop until he had a bad experience with one of the barbers. He had always sat on my huband's lap but this barber refused to let him do that and he freaked out. So ever since, he will only let Jackie cut his hair at the salon that my mom goes to!

Pat was nominated to hold Ciara for her first haircut. He was actually excited because he had held Patrick for his first haircut. Right away, Ciara knew something was up, she started to squirm and squeak! Binky to the rescue--no not this time. Pat held her tight while my mom held her arms down. Screaming as Jackie quickly snipped away! Well, it is not what I wanted but the old man hair over her ears is gone and her bangs are straight cut. It is kind of a boy cut. Maybe next time! At least it is even and straight! My poor kids have the hardest time growing hair! Ciara actually has more hair then Kailey did at this age. I hope Ciara is not scared for life!

Snow, snow Go Away!

2008-12-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

I think all this snow is finally gone! The kids liked it the first couple days then they were over it! Patrick was the one who liked it the most, along with his faithful dog, Miley! Ciara did not get the concept of keeping the gloves on--what a pain to get on then she rips them off! And of course, her hands were freezing in minutes! She would cry. It ruined my plans-- last year we had a blast up at Snoqualmie Pass sledding, so I had planned to take the kids up there on Christmas Eve for a special day! That did not happen! Well, life is finally back to normal! We had and excellent white Christmas! I just made it through my first Blog!