A Taste of Empty-nesters

Tomorrow is President's Day.  Matt and I have inservice all day and the girls needed a place to go, so what better place than grandma and grandpa's house.  We called Saturday to see if grandma wanted helpers on her day off (mom always has mondays off) and she said she would love it.  We had planned on taking them over to La Grande this afternoon after church, but grandma and grandpa decided to pick them up yesterday afternoon so they could stay 2 nights instead.  Now to most parents, this seems like the perfect plan.  Kids gone, no one to worry about.  We even thought that too.  But Matt had meetings in Walla Walla last night and we have both been sick with this sinus crud that is everywhere and we have just laid around the house and felt sorry for ourselves.  We even called to see if the girls missed us and they really didn't.  Dad took them to see Tajar (my dad's horse) and they have eaten ice cream and who knows what else.  When I was talking to my mom earlier, Lily and Nora were snuggling on grandpa's lap and Mori was channel surfing to find a good show to watch.  They didn't even ask to talk to me.  I am not sure if I should be hurt or just realize that grandpa and grandma are pretty special and the girls have found it in their hearts to make them feel really special for 48 hours.  Matt and I have decided that we can wait for the inevitable empty nest.  I am sure it will be here before we will be ready -- and maybe we will be more ready when the girls hit their teenage years.  For right now though, we like them just as they are!

Breezy Day Picnic

My girls love to picnic.  Yesterday they headed out into the 42 degree weather and made a place to sit, put an umbrella to block the sun (and cold breeze) and sat down and waited for me to bring them their picnic food.  They moved around quite a bit, trying to get the perfect spot to eat.  Finally they settled down in the side yard and ate their food (cheese quesadilla, yogurt, apple slices, cheetos & juice boxes).  Notice their coats and the blankets covering them.  I have found that just as long as the sun is out and mom is willing to fix the grub, my girls are up for an outside picnic!

24 weeks and counting

I have now hit the 24 week mark in my pregnancy.  We had the ultrasound two weeks ago.  The girls went with us and were able to hear the heartbeat and see the baby move on screen.  We are so blessed to already have 3 beautiful children!  We thank Heavenly Father everyday for this.  We are excited to add #4 to the Yoshioka team.  Everyone we talk to says, "It has to be a boy.  The odds are against you."  Matt is not convinced.  He believes it is another little girl.  We compared the pictures from the ultrasound with Nora's ultrasound pictures and we know one thing -- they have almost identical noses.  I am not sure if all babies look the same at this point in development, so that does not necessarily mean anything, but we are excited none the less.  A boy would be exciting too.  I am not sure what we would do with him as we are very practiced at having girls, but we would manage.  We don't really care what we have, just as long as he or she is healthy!

The girls have also felt the baby kick and are constantly asking questions about it's size and weight and how much longer.  I keep telling them that it will be here before we know it.  I will keep you posted too!

Preparing for a bigger house

Matt and I have been planning on adding onto our house for a couple of years now.  It is currently a whopping 1080 sq. feet with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom and not a lot of space for elbow room.  We just received our plans from an architect here in Pendleton and are talking with banks for loans, etc.  We are SO excited.  With baby #4 on the way and the girls already stepping on each other every time they turn around, we are ready to begin construction.  We will actually start towards mid-April, early May with the foundation and then move on from there.  The addition will be 2 stories, with 3 bedrooms a bathroom and a family room.  Our existing house will not change at all (at least not for a few years).  The new part will be built on the back of our existing house.  It is exciting to think that we will have more space to be in soon.  We will keep you posted as things progress.

We do have to cut down 2 trees out of our yard to make room for the construction.  We are a bit bummed, but we plan on planting 3 or 4 trees in the back yard to help shade the house and beautify our yard.  We just wish we could transplant the existing trees...

Kia

The girls are holding Kia, the neighbor's last puppy (they have sold the other two).  They have been wanting to see her forever, but they always ask when it is time to go somewhere else (like bed or the store or it is time for dinner).  Kia will be going to her new home soon, so the neighbors brought her over for us to see.  Lily fell in love IMMEDIATELY and would have kept her if we had $600 extra dollars to spare.  She loved her and loved her some more.   Nora still doesn't have the greatest "puppy grip" and I was afraid she might hurt her (Kia is 11 weeks old and weighs what our puppies weighed at three weeks this past summer) so Lily did most of the cuddling and she was more than okay with that.

Spring Fever

Matt's job has found him stressed and wanting to be outdoors instead of in his office disciplining the same kids every day.  We had a nice saturday last weekend and he decided he would go for a hike up on the hill to look for some antlers.  It looked good -- not a lot of snow from where we could see.  So he set off around 7 a.m. with our chocolate lab, Mauly, and went for a hike.  When he got up there, he found much more snow than he had bargained for, but also found a couple of small antlers that satiated his need for finding antlers until the snow is really all gone.  It was cold so he came home, changed clothes and went to the river to fish for steelhead.  Unfortunately the melting snow made the water muddy and he didn't catch anthing, but he still had a nice, relaxing day.

Mori as MVP

Mori was voted MVP of her basketball team -- the Cardinals.  She was very excited about it.  She is a great team player and the coach said she was the one he could count on to do whatever he asked,  no matter what.  She was called M.J. (Mori Jordan) by parents on the team because she always stuck her tongue out when she dribbled down the court and when she shot the ball.  We are very proud of her and she looks forward to playing again next year.

More Snow

We had another snowfall (but haven't had one since).  It was beautiful and the girls loved it.  We played in it and drank more hot chocolate.  Pendleton just doesn't get this much snow!  This is our pine tree on the southwest side of the house.  This was a good gauge of the amount of snow.  Just gorgeous!

Apology

I have been out of the loop the past few weeks.  We have been busy.  I will update photos and news now.  I hope all has been well with all of you.