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Sick kid

Sorry I haven't been around much.... JT has been sick all week with a stomach bug that refuses to go away. Just when I think he's getting better, he has another "issue"... Keep us in your prayers. So far the rest of us are okay. We leave for Hawaii soon so I want us all to be healthy....

Family weekend

We spent the past weekend over in Chico. It was our second annual family get-together weekend with my mom's family. This included her siblings and their children, and her cousins and their children. There were about 28 people there, including six kids under age 7!

My cousin Alison and her husband Chad, along with my Auntie Barb and Uncle Bill did a fabulous job hosting the weekend!! We all had a great time. The weather was pretty toasty. I think it was about 95 degrees when we got there on Friday evening.

The first night's activities included a surprise baby shower for Mary and Jeff.

As part of the shower we all made a scrapbook page that included, among other things, advice for the new parents, guesses on when we think the baby will be born, and our favorite books for the baby. Mary and Jeff received a lot of great stuff to help get them started, including a basket of all our favorite childrens books.

On Saturday morning, four of the guys went golfing while the rest of us went to my aunt and uncle's house to swim and hang out. The kids had the best time. J.T. especially loved having Uncle Jeff throw him up and in the air and catch him. Abigail practiced jumping off the side of the pool.

Unfortunately our pool time was cut a little short when the rain, thunder and lightening started. It was pretty much out of the blue and it was very strange!

Saturday's dinner had a luau theme. We all festively wore our leis, including Buddy the dog!

Another really cool thing about our luau was the "pig on a spit" that Chad did. He spent all day prepping, seasoning, and watching that pig. He may disagree, but I think it was well worth it! The pork was fabulous, along with the rest of the meal!!

I couldn't let Mary get away without a baby bump shot... You can't probably tell at this angle but we made her wear an open lei, because in Hawaii pregnant woman cannot wear a regular closed lei. I think it's some kind of superstitious thing.

Sydney and Abigail had a great time sitting in the kiddie pool and blowing bubbles..

I think it's truly amazing that 28 people can all be looking at the camera, don't you?? I think this shot turned out pretty well...

Here's one of my family.... one of the very few that I was in for the weekend.

Here's one of my generation of first cousins....

And one of my mom's generation of first cousins...

I asked Alison if I could take a few shots of her twins... This is my favorite of Tyler!

And both of them....

At the end of the evening, J.T. discovered that the boys have a John Deere Gator. He probably would've been all over their yard except the battery ran out right here...

On Sunday morning we had a great brunch at Barb and Bill's before everyone headed home. We also looked through stacks and stacks of photos that were my grandparents' before they passed away. In addition, we all got a wonderful memory book that my cousin Jacqueline put together of a bunch of old pictures. I will try to put a few pictures on here of that later.

When we left Chico, it was 92 degrees.... when we got back to Fortuna, it was 61 degrees!

We're home

We've been gone all weekend. We went to Chico for my mom's family's reunion. We had a great time. I will write more and post a few pictures later....

Food vs. Fuel

*I got the following email from my friend Samantha. She works for Foster Farms. This is important so please read it. Thanks so much!*

Friends & Family,

Corn is the single biggest component of what we feed our chickens and turkeys at Foster Farms, representing about 32% of our total cost to produce chicken and turkey---and my guess is, that’s not much different from any other animal proteins we consume. A bushel of corn cost about $2.25 in 2006 and today that same bushel cost $7.26. The production of ethanol for fuel from corn has been a primary reason for this dramatic increase in corn cost. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 created the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that mandated the use of 4 billion gallons of ethanol in 2006 increasing to 7.5 billion gallons in 2012. The RFS was modified in 2007 increasing the use of ethanol to 9 billion gallons in 2008. Approximately 34% of this year’s corn crop will be used for ethanol production.

We all recognize the need for a National Energy Policy that frees the US from our dependence on imported oil. Wind energy, solar, nuclear and drilling in our own untapped oil reserves are all alternatives we must explore. Ethanol from corn is not a part of the solution. It is subsidized by the government at $0.51 per gallon to the benefit of the producers. It is mandated to be used regardless of price by the RFS. It is protected from competition by a $0.56 per gallon tariff on imported ethanol. It is a major contributor to the 9% food inflation we now are suffering. It threatens our success both individually and as a company.

TAKE ACTION! Today there is a proposal being considered by the EPA that would suspend 50% of the RFS, reduce the demand for corn caused by ethanol and hopefully reduce the price of corn. You must file your comment by Monday, June 23rd.

Go to this site and follow the instructions to let the politicians know you support the waiver. Thanks so much!!

In search of...

I am looking for an extra battery for our portable DVD players. I want to take at least one of the players on the airplane to Hawaii. Here's the problem.... the flight is over 5 hours and our DVD player's battery only lasts 2-3 hours. And that's if it gets a good charge.

I have been trying to find an extra battery online and I came across these battery extenders. Does anyone have experience with them? Do they work and do they last? If so, leave me a comment or email me. Thanks so much!

John Deere Man

Last night Ernest dropped his tractor off so he can make hay in the field behind our house. As you can probably imagine, J.T. was one very happy guy! He was in complete awe over the tractor! Of course, I had to take the opportunity to take a few photos...




And my personal favorite....

J.T. is going to be so excited to watch Ernest cut the hay tonight... I probably won't be able to get him to come inside for dinner!

Woo hoo!!!

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally won a race! I think everyone knows that Dale Jr. is my favorite driver in Nascar and has been for quite a few years. It's been 76 races since he's won.

I guess if you didn't know I love Nascar before this, now you do!

Happy Fathers Day to Andy!

Wow they were small... time sure flies!

Abigail was 3 1/2 weeks old here and this was not the first time she got to go to work with her Daddy...

This was the day we took J.T. home from the hospital...

Happy Fathers Day Andy!

Daddy's little girl

What else can I say? Although, I am sure he would prefer a silver can instead of red! :)

She was 2 weeks old here...