Workin' Woman

The blog posts are few and far between, huh? Well now my excuse is, "Hey, I work almost full time!" Last year I was a substitute paraeducator (instructional assistant). This year I have my very own 5.5 hour-a-day job teaching math to small groups of kids from 1st to 5th grade, and helping kindergarteners learn to read. It is so busy and fun. I'm really loving my job.

The not-so-lovely part is when I get home and the mess is still there! And dinner needs to be cooked! I need to borrow a housewife. The weekends are crammed with errands and chores. And soccer of course. Thank goodness for Sunday nap time! It's been almost 10 years since I worked this many hours. And boy, was life simpler then with one two year-old, no sports, no homework. But I wouldn't trade this crazy life of mine, nor this busy family, for the world. Not even for chocolate or a house in Hawaii.

Junior Golf

We are very fortunate to have the opportunity each summer to sign Tristan and Karina up for the junior golf program at Meridian Valley CC. Only children or grandchildren of members can participate, and the cost is very minimal. (There are a few teenagers on high school golf teams that they award "scholarships" to, allowing them to practice there without being a member.) Each Monday morning in the summer they tee off at 9 a.m. Tristan plays 6 holes. His best score this year was 36, and he had a birdie on one hole. Karina plays 3 holes. Her best score was also 36. :) Tristan was pretty busy with baseball and soccer this summer, but Karina was able to play in a couple of tournaments in which she won these huge trophies! In one of the tournaments she golfed with grandpa. The other was the junior club championship, and Karina had the lowest net score of the 3 hole girls (net = with handicap).

Here are a few action shots I took one morning, when I tagged along to watch. (Normally Tristan and Mitchell, my nephew, walk with Grandpa; and Karina walks with Grandma. They have to have a member keep score for them.)

Karina is lining the ball up with hole for her putt . . .

This is a girl named Sydney who Karina golfed with most weeks.

Here is Mitchell, supervised by Grandpa Houser . . .

And here is Karina at the junior club championship, with proof of her two-day totals . . . gross scores on the top and net on the bottom.

We are thrilled they get to learn this sport at such a young age, and in such an affordable way! It will be a skill they can use their whole lives if they choose.

Summer's Over?

First, my apologies to those (very few) of you who keep coming to check this blog to find nothing new! Our summer was great - lots of sun (really! didn't feel like Seattle at all!), plenty of unstructured time, and a trip to visit my family in California. But it was also busy with 4 baseball tournaments, 3 soccer tournaments, practices, piano lessons, and just general responsibilities that don't go away just because the sun is shining!

That said, I am thrilled that September is here. I just don't DO well with all that free time! I love the schedules that come with the school year. (I even mopped my floor this week?!) It is definitely feeling like fall outside, too!
Here are my kids in their first-day finery, on Wednesday, September 2. Tristan is in 6th grade, which is middle school! Wow! Three days into school and he's had homework in math, language arts, and social studies. He's already used his flash drive and graph paper! (The school supplies get more expensive as they get older, huh?) Karina is in 3rd grade. In addition to cursive, they learn keyboarding (typing) in 3rd grade. (She already knows how to use PowerPoint better than I do.) And they get to learn about salmon in 3rd grade. Big field trip to the hatchery coming up. :) Washington is so weird and cool at the same time.

I will continue to substitute as an instructional assistant this year. I really enjoy working closely with kids who need a little extra help in school. It's also fun to have a job where you get all the same days off as your kids! Next summer, we're planning on fewer ball games and more fun - maybe a camping trip, hopefully a trip to see family, and definitely lots of free time.

Happy late 4th of July!

Written by Tristan

This past Fourth of July was perfect. One reason is because the temperature was perfect. Another is that we had family and friends come over. The last one was about the fireworks. We combined the amount of fireworks with the family across the street. So I hung out with the boy and his cousin from across the street, and Karina hung out with his sisters. But the fireworks were so awesome. We had about fifty big fireworks that go up in the air then explode, about fifteen army men coming down with parachutes, and tons of sparklers and pop-its. Towards the end of the fireworks, we went inside and had some homemade ice cream from an ice cream machine that a friend brought over. My ice cream had chocolate syrup, strawberries, a little bit of caramel, and whipped cream. After everyone was finished, we went out to see the rest of the fireworks. KKKAAAAABBBBBOOOOOOMMMM!!!!

First Piano Recital

Karina had her first piano recital last week! She began lessons in mid-March, so this was all very new. She played "My Heart Will Go On" as a duet with her piano teacher, Mrs. Kim. She did so awesome, not one mistake! Here's a video of her recital. Unfortunately I stood on the wrong side so you can't see Karina, but you can hear her playing the melody. Enjoy!

(and be sure to look below - I've posted twice in the same day!)

The Pirates' Last Game

Just some quick video of Tristan batting last night at his last playoff game. He hits a double here as the lead-off batter in the bottom of the first inning. He got another double in his 2nd at-bat! Unfortunately the Pirates lost 12-8, which ended their 3-game playoff week with them taking 4th place out of 6 teams. It's been a fun year. I think Tristan learned and grew a lot - he is becoming a great catcher in addition to playing his beloved first base.

Gone Fishing 2009

The last weekend of April marked 35 or 36 years of the Houser family fishing trip. I've been going since the year after we got married, so that would be 15 years! Every year we take a picture of the kids by the sign (which has changed over the years! I'll see if I can find the old pics and scan.) This year, Jarrett's grandfather came along. At 82, it's surprising that this was the first time he'd ever been fishing!

Karina was interested in the nightcrawlers. But her favorite part of the trip is always playing with Aunt Melissa's puppies, Gizmo and Chloe.

Tristan, like his dad, loves to fish. For him, I think it's the pure luck and competition of catching the biggest fish that keeps him going. We got to take our own boat this year, and Jarrett spent a lot of time and money getting us outfitted just right. (Right down to the stereo and bringing the iPod!)

The weather was pretty darn good, but I only got the camera out here for the last day, and it was windy.

As usual, I was behind the camera. But if there were a picture of me on this trip, it might be of me reading a book from cover to cover, or eating M&Ms and playing games. And yes, I do fish and have the license to prove it! This trip takes a ton of preparation, as we pack our lives into a motorhome for 5 days, but it's always very relaxing and a great family tradition.