What do your kids do first thing in the morning?

Well, ours started a new routine today. Madi started her day off by putting on her princess life jacket and playing Mario Kart. I noticed it was really quiet and wondered what kind of mess she must be making but when I found her in the living room happily driving the Mario Kart demo I was relieved. I'm not a video game type of person, but boy was her dad proud!


And yes, I still know I never wrote update part two...sorry. Maybe I'll get to it some time, maybe not. I hate writing updates, so maybe I'm better off just writing random posts without thought for accurate history.

We're ALIVE!!!

What a blog slacker (me)!!! Sorry I have been so terrible, I used to use the move-job hunt-settle excuse, but I'm tired of excuses. So, this will be the first of an update series:

We made it!! We are in Washington now and having a fabulous time.

We enjoyed many days of beautiful weather when we first arrived and spent a lot of time outside. It's been a great combo of work and play. Some of our fair weather highlights include an evening walk on Alki beach. I LOVE it there. Unfortunately we can't get there during low tide, but we enjoyed sunset and beauty anyway. (Don't mind the sloppy collage, I just didn't want to put a million individual pictures on here.)We've also enjoyed some outside work. First we took on the flower bed... just trim and split some plants, weed and add some nutrient rich soil. Then we thought we get some old dead roots out of the grass from a tree we cut down years ago. What a feat! Next (and remember I haven't posted for over a month, we're not ambitious or strong enough to do these every day) we dethached the lawn, followed by aerating, adding in some compost, and then reseeding. We're still working on the reseeding, but hopefully we'll see some new life in the next week.

But, back to the fun. I don't want you to think we're productive all the time. We've also enjoyed an afternoon drive to Bremerton which is always a favorite because we can ride the ferry home. It was all planned thinking Madi would really enjoy the ferry boat, but of course that's precisely when she fell asleep, right before we boarded the ferry. Oh well, I'm a kid and I don't think I'll ever get sick of ferries. It was a beautiful afternoon and there were TONS of sailboats on the water. I also love seeing Seattle from the water as you pull in on the boat.

We've also begun preparing for the rainy season which now seems to be upon us and I bought Madi a tunnel and fort system. She loves her playhouse, especially when she has company.

We're having a great time and keeping very busy here with the padres. Madi loves having more playmates (especially my parents dog, Joey) and taking more trips to the park (for her and Joey).

Sorry, but I'm all blogged out for the day. I refuse to proofread...so excuse my language :o) But, stay tuned for another update including my job, Kevin's school and standardized test status, and a few more fun things. Thanks to all those who diligently check our blog and sorry it has been so out of date for so long.

(And special thanks to the Neals who finally motivated a new post :o) Miss you guys!)

I'll try to post again soon, and I'll work on taking more pictures. (The truth is that I take plenty of pictures, I just take bad pictures that aren't worth posting...And when we play at home Madi looks like a neglected child you'd see on a commercial asking for money. It isn't that she never wears real clothes, it's just that she usually doesn't get dressed until after noon :o) Ooops. Anyway, happy October...I miss you all and can't wait for your updates!

How Does Packing Make You Feel?

About 3 weeks ago, this was my attitude...

We were making plans for our next adventure.

The next week, reality set in and the work was daunting...

I wanted to hide from it all.

But this week, I have gained new insight and have a new outlook...

(I didn't say it was a positive outlook.)

While I am stressed and sick of packing, we have a ton of support and so many people have offered help. I just wish I knew how to have people help. The problem is that I'm not just throwing things in boxes. I am trying to get rid of stuff we don't need as we go. And I have to separate things based on when we will need them.

And just to add to my mess and stress, I CAN'T FIND MY PACKING TAPE!!! What's a girl to do?!?!

So much fun, so few pictures

We have had a fun couple of weeks around here with three major highlights. The unfortunate part is that we didn't take any pictures so we have a couple we have stolen from family, but none of our own...sorry, lots of words to come.

#1 The usual Skeen/McDonald Potholes tradition was sorely missed this summer, but a wonderful weekend was enjoyed in its place. My family got together (all except poor Brian who had to work) and went to Cascade. We rented a monstrous house so that everyone could have a bed and thoroughly enjoyed new-age camping. (If anyone one ever needs a place near Boise for a family reunion let me know so I can put you in touch with our friends who own this house near the lake that sleeps 22.) We enjoyed skiing in the rain and shine (and dark), wakeboarding, tubing, and a lot of socializing. Our family was joined by our wonderful Grandma J, Aunt Judy and her kiddos and Aunt Robyn and Uncle Dave as well as the faithful McDonald representatives Heather and Shayne. We had a lot of fun in beautiful Cascade...it was so green and lush and the lake was huge. I especially enjoyed the bike ride along the lake and every moment on the boat. Kevin and I tubed together and somehow evaded death or injury yet again. I also skied and Kevin wakeboarded. Madi LOVED riding in the boat, especially when we went over bumps. It was so fun to be watching Jenni and her amazing cuts or Andrew doing flips and hear Madi singing in the background. We also especially enjoyed the hot springs and playing in the sand. All in all it was an awesome trip. Huge thanks to the Padres who make amazing family get togethers happen.

#2 The day after we got home from Cascade, we turned around and went to McCall (30 minutes past Cascade) for the Miller family reunion. We camped at Ponderosa State Park and partied with the Millers. We had tons of fun during daylight hours enjoying chatting with the siblings, riding bikes with the kids, a nature walk all together and swimming in the chilly lake. The nighttime hours were not as great, but we really enjoyed the days :o) Madi was a terror at night. She would go to sleep and then wake up in the middle of the night and just scream. Waking up in the night is not a big deal if you go back to sleep, but she woke up and screamed forever. She woke up the whole camp and many neighbors and could not be consoled. In an effort to let others sleep our family ran to the truck to at least muffle the noise and ended up spending the night there. The second night she did the same thing. Fortunately the day time really was a lot of fun so it made up for the terrible nights, but I sure felt bad for everyone that Madi woke up. The trip was cut short by a day due to continued passing of the flu from family to family, but we made up for it with more fun back in Boise. We had dinner and lawn games and Papa and Tutu's Wednesday night and more fun on Thursday.

Friday, Madi went to the Doctor for a checkup and the screaming mystery was solved...another ear infection. We don't like ear infections, but at least we have an explanation for the sleepless nights. We were also told that we need to fatten our babe up so now she is on the ice cream and peanut butter diet. At this appointment (15 mos) Madi was in the whopping 3rd percentile for weight and 51st for height. We just think she is petite, but we're doing our best to keep her tummy nice and full.

Highlight #3: The Mellings came to visit! The Mellings are dear friends who currently live in New York. Marielle and I grew up together and have been friends since before we can remember. We keep missing them since we don't always visit home at the same time so it was such a treat to see them here in Boise. They were on their way back to New York and made a one day stop in Boise (thank you!). We were so lucky get some time together. John and Janelle ended up staying very briefly, but we enjoyed a whole day with Marielle. Shayne and Heather (Marielle's sister) also came to play Sunday night and we kept them up way too late. We had so much fun and it was so refreshing to spend time with old friends. Thanks for coming Mellings!!!

Oh, and here is the reward for those of you who have endured reading this whole novel...the UPDATE:
We will be moving to Washington in a little over a week where Kevin will take classes and I will work part time. We were reluctant at first to move in with mom and dad (for their sake and our pride), but now were really excited and think it will be a really fun year. So now it's packing time and I better get back to work. We'll keep you posted with our next adventures.

We're still alive

Ok, so I know I have been a slacker and I know I have a lot to post about. But you know how as the list gets longer you just want to do it less? Well, that's where I'm at. But I have this great deal I want to share and so I needed to post. So first I'll give you the deal, then I'll give you a mini-slacker style update.

Here's the deal. Well, it's better than a deal, it's free:

http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/about.html

Go here and check out what local museums are participating and you can print a pass for free admission to a participating venue. The free day is Saturday, September 26th and I'm sure it will be a zoo everywhere on that day, but hey, if you get out of the house for a free activity isn't it worth it?

Your pass is good for you plus one guest and it is one per household. You'll have to check with individual museums to find out what age they start charging admission...hopefully mom and dad use the pass and all the kiddos are under age and free.

Enjoy a free field trip!


Now the update...

Well, life around here has been stressful. Kevin was not accepted into Pharmacy School for this fall so we have been doing some life planning, adjusting, and replanning. He still wants to go to Pharmacy School so we have been working our tails off trying to figure out the best way to spend this next year to increase his chances for next fall. Currently our plan is for Kevin to go back to school and re-take a few classes and possibly take some more that will boost his science GPA. It has been difficult figuring out where he can take the classes he needs and how to stay financially afloat all the while. Our current plan (we think it is about 90% set) is to move to Washington and live with my parents for the year so that Kevin can really focus on schoolwork (starting in September) and taking the PCAT (in October) and applying to all the approximately 20 schools on our list (deadlines start hitting sept 1st). So Kevin will have his hands full to say the least but this is all an investment (I say that several times daily). We are both still working and when we aren't working we are researching our options.

So, I'm sorry I haven't been posting. Any time I spend on the computer I am looking at a Pharmacy Schools webpage or trying to enroll Kevin in classes that are already full. The computer is not currently my friend and I do not use it for social purposes :o) Soon enough this will all be done. A decision will be made, a house will be packed, a baby will be happy, work will be over and life will get back rolling. We are sad to be leaving, but aparently we are on the one year at a time plan. We can't wait to have a plan that spans 3 or more years. But don't let my melancholy get you down, I'm optimistic, even sometimes excited about the future, I'm just a little (or a whole lot) stressed with the current unknowns. We have a lot of fun in our near future and hopefully we'll be able to take our minds off of the heavy things for a little while.

If anyone has any magical connections to Pharmacy School admissions people or amazing tricks that help with applications or any other relevant (or irrelevant) suggestions we're all ears. We can use all the help we can get.

Maybe sometime I'll post the updates you've missed between my last post and now, but you know me, I probably won't. So here are a couple of recent pictures

Pagent This Weekend, Dive Meet Last

Start with the future, then we'll go back.

For those of you in Utah:

This Weekend Only...






Mormon Battalion Musical
at Huntsville Town Park in Huntsville, Utah (near Ogden) .
One of my amazing and talented Uncles wrote this pagant and it will be performed on Friday and Saturday. The play is inspired by Joseph Skeen (my great, great, great grandfather) who marched with the Battalion. Here is a blog that gives some more information. I'll be there this weekend too! We get to go for a family reunion and to see the performance. Call me if you are going to be there so I can see you!!! The actual performance is t 7:30 and it is free (bring your blankets to sit on the grass, I think).

Last Week...
We had the pleasure of visiting my family and taking my divers to a Regional Dive Meet in Portland. We were so lucky to get to combing business (my coaching) and pleasure as we watched my sister dive and I coached my kiddos. Maraea (my sis) was amazing...she qualified for zones on 3 meter and 1. My divers also did great. This was their first dive meet ever so the goal was just to expose them to the diving world and let them see some awesome diving. Well, we did that, but they also all dove really well for themselves. I'm so proud of them.

While in Washington we also go to go to Maraea's HS graduation on Monday and do a little sight seeing on Tuesday before we headed to the airport. We saw the Freemont Bridge Troll and the Ballard Locks and Fish Ladders. I loved seeing the Troll because I hadn't seen him since a 3rd grade bridges field and he was almost as big as I remembered him. I always love the fish ladders but I would rather go in August when they are body checking each other into the viewing window. But, we'll save that for another trip. Here are a few picture highlights...

Hope to see you in Utah!

Hamper Tunnel

I think I should buy Madi some of those tunnel play things. Lately she has been climbing into the mesh hamper and then tries to crawl in it like a hamster wheel. It's pretty funny to watch. Anyone know when to find tunnels for a decent price?

Madi Had a Birthday Shout Hooray!

Madi's birthday was last week and we had a blast! Grandma and Grandpa Skeen came to town, as well as Auntie Maraea, Uncle Andrew, Auntie Rachel and Cousin Kaili.

On Friday (Madi's actual birthday) we didn't do anything special except prep for her party and receive out of town guests. But on Saturday we had an all day party (of sorts). In the morning we all went swimming at the Y and enjoyed seeing how comfortable both the girls (Madi and Kaili) are in the water. Then we brought the girls home for a good nap to prep for the next portion of the afternoon. After naps we headed to Meridian for a Skeen cousin's birthday party and enjoyed seeing the local family that we certainly don't see enough of. Next was a short Madi nap and final party prep.

Most of the local family was able to join us that evening for a delicious dinner and fun in Papa and Tutu's backyard. All of the food was excellent (thank you to all those that helped!!!) and the company was superb. The only real birthday thing we did was the traditional cake destruction, but that was entertaining enough.

We sang to Madi and the minute the cake was in front of her she went for the burning candle. Luckily I barely beat her to it so we didn't have any injuries :o) Madi was a little hesitant at first but that only lasted a moment before she dug both hands in and enjoyed the cake.

She really didn't eat much of it until the cousins put some in her face and she realized it was tasty...really tasty. None of it would have been nearly as fun if it weren't for the cousins "helping" her enjoy the cake.

Madi also got to open some presents and she was ready to play with everything immediately. Thank you so much for the kind gifts everyone! Really, everything was perfect, she either plays with, wears or "reads" everything she was given. I'm so grateful for all the other moms who know what a 1 year old wants and needs...you are all so wonderful!

All in all we had a great party. Madi won't remember it, but she must have had a good time because she was sure tired by the end. It's always fun to have an excuse to celebrate!

Oh, and as if that were not enough, the next day we headed to Nyssa, Oregon for a baby blessing and more incredibly delicious food to follow. Madi got to eat some dirt out of a wheel barrow and ride on a tractor, so it was another great day!


Thank you again to all of those who made sacrificed to be with us, sent birthday wishes, worked for hours in their yard for our sake, helped prep food late into the night, made a last minute Costco run for me, spared me the hassle of making cupcakes in the roaster oven, and all of you who have been so kind as to read this novel of a post went you didn't even get to party with use. We appreciate all of you!

If only we all slept so soundly

We thought it was so funny how chill Madi looked the morning we took this picture, especially because she has slept so poorly these last few nights (cutting teeth again). I love how she managed to sneak her foot out of the jammies. Man, this picture makes me want a nap. Sweet dreams!

Welcome Spring!

Monday was the first of our BEAUTIFUL weather so Madi and I went on a bike ride to the park. She LOVED the swing and it was fun to see her so happy.

Things have been pretty up and down around here with Madi lately. She is on week 4 of antibiotics for her ear infections which has led to thrush and a mean diaper rash. We're on the 3rd type of antibiotics (day 8) and things are finally looking up. We went to see the Doctor on Tuesday and she said Madi's ears are looking better and the thrush and diaper rash should go soon after she finishes her 10 days of antibiotics...I can't wait!

The weather is beautiful again (perfect weather for Madi to be diaper free in the back yard...poor little bum) so I think we will head outside. I just thought I'd update on Madi's health since people are asking.

A Deal Blog By Me

So, I added a blog to my sidebar... it's a new blog by me. It's not exciting, but when I find a REALLY good deal I'll post it there so that this blog doesn't become a deal blog. (I don't like that Quicken post being here so I will also move that there in case you haven't read it yet and are interested.) Check it out for my first deals:

http://dealsworthsharing.blogspot.com/

Our Happy Easter

Our Easter celebrations consisted of Egg dying (with Madi's help...sorta), Peeps for Madi's Easter treat, a cute dress, and of course a little torture for photo's sake.

Funny Email

I got this email and laughed pretty hard...hopefully some of you will too. Particularly funny for the married crowd...

INSTALLING HUSBAND

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NASCAR 6.0, NFL 5.1 and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,
Desperate..


DEAR DESPERATE,

First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.
If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1.
Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0-program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!
Tech Support

Request of Readers

All right... so my blog link list has been a mess so I tried to tidy it up. I think I was relatively organized about it and didn't lose too many of you, but I'm sure I lost someone. So, if you check this blog and you have a blog that isn't listed on the blog list PLEASE leave me a comment so I can get you back on. (Private bloggers, you are at the bottom since no one else gets to check you out anyway.) Or, if I put you on the list and you don't want more people linking into you, let me know that too and I'll gladly take your link off. (Mostly we just keep everyone there so that I know when people have updated so I can check out their page.)

And you'll notice there are only 10 listed there (just to reduce clutter)...So if you aren't listed click on "Show All" and make sure you are listed there. Then, go to your own blog and post something. Only the 10 most recently updated will appear on our blog from now on :o) Maybe that isn't incentive enough, but I'm getting pretty curious about the lives of all those who have fallen off the blogging planet. Hope to hear from you soon!

And Thanks!

Big enough to get into things

Madi has new skills. She was so excited to be strong enough to pull the basket off the shelf and pull things out by herself. Before now she could pull it out a little and grab things on the edge, but now she can get the whole basket. I had to let her enjoy her triumph.

She's just so cute

I had to post this.

The downside of rolling is getting stuck. This is Madi stuck under the couch because she rolled under it and then continued to wiggle until she was far enough under that she couldn't just roll out. She yelled and cried until I came, but when I saw her I started laughing really hard which made her laugh...so I thought I'd run for the camera while she wasn't upset.


Maybe that was the last straw for Madi because as of today I think we can officialy call her squirming "crawling". Before today she could do one mean beached whale impression, she could scootch on her bum, rotate in circles on her belly, and push herself backwards, but there was no forward progression. But today she figured it out. I set her on the floor in the middle of her bedroom while I was organizing her clothes. Somehow I was pretty focused and didn't notice what she was doing. All of a sudden I felt a tug on my sock. Madi had made if half way across the room - FORWARD.

The following is a video of Madi crawling...mostly for my own record and I'm sure Grandma will want to see it. No big thrill there so don't feel like you have to watch it. But, if you do, be sure to mute it. I hate hearing myself on camera...sorry, I kept talking.




Her form isn't great, but surprisingly she doesn't have any rugburns on her face (yet!). It's funny to watch because every movement is a struggle and she just grunts all along the way.

For those of you who were diappointed because you saw there was a video and then found it wasn't worth watching, here is one that is worth watching. No explaination needed. Just watch it.

Family Friendly Pole Dancing


How's that for a random post. Hope you enjoyed.

If you ever run out of crackers...

I found a great alternative. Maybe not if you are looking to put it in your soup, or serve it on a platter with cheese. But, if you are just looking for baby snacks, I've found your solution.

Since Madi has been sick she hasn't wanted to eat solid food. She hardly touches her Cheerios and even her favorite, string cheese is less desirable. So, I thought I'd try something new. (Well, that and I didn't want to open a pack of crackers just to watch them go stale if she didn't like them.)

At first she seemed to think I was going to take it back.
She was very protective of her new love.


Then she figured out it was tasty.


Yeah. Real tasty.


This is all that was left.

I think it is a new favorite. (As of Sunday.) Well, it was a new favorite until I shared my grilled cheese sandwich with her at lunch Monday. Now she down right refuses baby food. Hopefully she'll go back to eating it when she is healthy again...but I won't hold my breath.

Oh, and happiness! After the Grilled Cheese success on Monday I made another one Tuesday night and fed some to her before bed to see if it would keep her full longer. She slept from 10 to 5!!!! She hasn't done that in a LONG time! I hope this is the start of something wonderful.

Anyone have suggestions of what I can feed her that is mushy enough for a bottom teeth only baby? I gave her a little Mac n Cheese but she gagged on the noodles. I would love some other suggestions.

Mom was right...Madi wants big girl food.

Utah Part 2

Last weekend we got to go to Utah again, this time for Kaili's blessing. We had a wonderful time seeing family and visiting a few friends. Unfortunately, we weren't able visit the friends with young babies and Madi couldn't play with Kaili because Madi is a germ bug again...but spring is coming and hopefully health too.

Utah Picture highlights:

* Seeing precious Kaili

Kaili is growing like a weed...she's so adorable!

*Piggy back ride with Grampa Skeen

Cutest smiles and laughter ever!

*Finally seeing Grandma J again


*Swimming at Lehi Legacy Center with the fam.

Goggles are Madi's favorite thing to chew on

*Being together



Highlights we enjoyed without the camera:
* Dinner and fun with the Gleason family (the great people that lived upstairs and rented to us in Provo) and the Waltons (our good friends who moved into the apartment)
* Time with the Munz' and Adams' (Kevin's old friends and Kristen's newer friends)
* Seeing Grandma Dora again
* Big treat to see Aunt Judy, Rachel and Alex again

We had a great trip. Everytime we are in Utah it makes us miss the fun times we had while living there with so many great people and awesome friends. It also makes me realize how much more time we should have spent with family while we were there. Me missed out on some really great times by never venturing towards Salt Lake where the family is. Hopefully Kevin will get into Pharm school there and we can repent and enjoy family. We love you guys!

Now it's back to real life and time for me to get ready for work.

Just Because

Just because...

...We think she is so cute.


...Madi took her first self portrait.


...She loves going to work with Mommy via bike trailer AND we are too excited for spring.



...She's a spazz with a lot of enthusiasm at dinner time.



(This next one is gross...you can skip it)
...we're so glad she isn't sick anymore and diarrhea is temporary!


...Everyone deserves to be happy like Madi


...if that last one didn't make you smile, we'll try one more time.


...Grandma wants to see these little teeth


Just because is an improvement over Update, right?