And the call is.....

I have been called to serve a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the... (are you ready for this?) ... Fiji Suva mission. I will be learning and teaching the people in French. Best of all I get to wear a skirt ( probably dark pants most of the time) and sandals!!!!
Here is a link to wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji

I will leave Jan 7 for Utah where I will learn French etc at the Missionary Training Center. I don't have a date yet, but probably after 6 weeks I will head to Fiji - there the local Mission President will decide where ( which island or area) I will go to for several months at a time.
TJ

October Already...

Tian ready to try out for Nebraska football and Trace ready to be the tackling dummy

Trace discovered he could pick his own raspberries at will
A family game of "Don't Break the Ice" ask us which kids got hit the most times with the little hammer and who had to have a time out -hint: first name starts with "T," he is not from China, and his name ends with "evor"
Our pond

We're not sure where she learned to dance like this....

Ty taking his girls for a ride - the one in the center is Emma, our neighbor

See Ty you are on the Blog!!
Trev trying to break his personal best
Trev so patient letting Tian "help" ( If he's smart he'd start sub contracting )

Our dear friends the Gordes - on their visit to IA
Hey - Where's Cheech?Our 3 Scouts
Tian and Trace practing for Cross Country

Tian practicing to be Shawn Johnson on our future pation with the new firepit!!!
Trace trying to give Tom a noogie
3 Buck Ridge - This lot's still for sale....

Had to share a picture of the lots. We are going about the sales thing on our own after much struggling with our realtor. So, we have started a web site: 3BuckRidge.com
Right now it only has a map, but will be being added to shortly, but the more hits we get the better for the search engines - so please check it out often :o) We are trying our hand at advertising..we will be featured in theaters in West Des Moines - keep you fingers crossed for us. You have to admit - the view is gorgeous...

Tom's opus:He was inspired by Stonhenge to make a firepit. I will try to get an ariel shot this week. It really is pretty neat. The kids have fun trying to jump over them, balance on the board ( as seen in the photo.) TJ did try to walk across the firepit. Yes - there was a fire blazing. So much for good judgement.

Family news.. Well no moves or babies on the horizon . We are hoping for a CALM year. TJ is anxiously awaiting his mission call. He should be hearing anytime about where he will be spending the next 2 years. He is hoping for someplace REALLY REALLY gross and physically difficult, I think ...California is nice. I am excited for him, but I am not ready for him to go. He is busy working at Costco and at a horse farm . He is also going to school fulltime - so please ask him about his speech class (especially his first speech)

Trevor is BUSY with Cross Country - he has had an excellent season despite being sick and injured. He has managed to place in all of his meets- no small feat considering his high school is the home of the state champ for the last 2 years!

Ty is having fun with piano, Tae Kwon Do and Webelos scouts. He just tested for orange belt - he will find the result on Thursday...

Tian is busy memorizing nursery rhymes and learning how to write. She is trying to decide weather or not she left handed...her dad is working hard to keep her converted to the left side:o) Trace is busy keeping up with Tian and being a boy. We have a hard time keeping him in the house and he is really starting to talk.

Tianisms:

"Mommy we need a new baby from Chin-ee... a plastic one." This week, I am in total agreement.

We went to dowtown Des Moines to see the Farmer's Market. The street swere full of people and Tian asked if we were in Chin-ee. I was surprised she would rememebr the crowded streets being like China. Then we visited a booth with two VERY cute Vietnamese girls seeling veges and Tain looks at them and says," You have black hair like me. Do you speak Chinese?"

We had Chinese for dinner (again) and Tom asked her if she liked dinner. She looks at him in a perfect deadpan and says, " I'm Chinese." I wish someone had told him sooner...

Fractured Nursery rhymes:

Little Miss muffet

Sat on her muffet

Eating her crumbs that way

When along came a spider

and sat down by her

and she ran away

While reciting "Baa Baa Back sheep" - she kept forgetting the line , " Yes Sir , yes sir, 3 bags full." I would remind her and she would reply, " I don't do that part." I forgot (again) that she is the Empress.

Trace-isms:

When asked his name: "I am Iron Man" or "Spiderman" which includes web slinging action. We hope he is never lost. ..Don't worry when he tells you his name is Spiderman, Tian makes sure to remind us ,"I am NOT the green Goblin!" It is sad they have never seen the movies..

When asked how he got more M&M's (again) - he shrugs his shoulders and replies in a high voice,"Idon'tknow," as she shovels the rest in so fast the come out his nose - what a waste of chocolate!!!

Trace's favorite songs:

Twinkle Twinkle little star - goes like this Twnkle Twinkle mmm mmm are rrrrrrryou are , however he can sing "Iron Man" by Ozzy Osbourne with great clarity including guitar riffs

TJ- ism

TJ just walked in the door from work and Tom asked if he has classes tomorrow. TJ replies, " I already have a lot of homework." I had never thought of that strategy - once you feel you have enough homework you just quit attending class...

Kite Flying - Chinese style

A few days ago Trevor, Tian, Trace and T.J. and I were flying our Chinese kites. Tian did a very good job so did we. The kites were very long and sort of hard to control. I think that they were at least 8 to 16 feet long. In the picture, is me flying my kite in lazy style (NOT!) but it was a little windy I think.

When we were in China we didn't see this type of kite, but Grandma Paula and Grandpa Jon brought them home to us from their trip.

While we were there we saw people playing with hacky sacks and doing Tai Chi in the parks.

Ty

Pictures....

Now for the picture deluge...

Tian and Trace having fun with a cell phone they stole from their brother...

Tom bravely taking both out on the canoe - Ty is swimming
Tian swinging
I don't even know what Ty is doing here...I think the water is coming out his ears...

Tian,Ty and Trace feeding the goats at the zoo in Omaha

Tom - could this be a bad American commercial?-

eating a King King burger big enough for2 or 3 people

Ty tested for high Yellow belt - he passed.

Grant Germaine is one of the judges and assists Ty in breaking a board
Trace making sure he isn't missing anything

Could a birthday end any better - Ariel doll, Ariel sheets.... The babies attacking my in Tom's parents' pool

Riding the Gorillas at the Omaha zoo Trace wondering what strange American custom this is

Tian hamming it up over her new Ariel bathing suit - which she wore for a week straight with cowboy boots...

Empress Tian - regal as only she can be :o)
We had cake at the pool - where else would one have a mermaid party? We made a castle cake and I let (okay, she made me) Tian decide how and help decorate it

Ummm...did I mention she doesn't really have ... the manners of an Empress...I am ashamed to say her little brother is much, much much worse. We are thinking of feeding with his chair in the middle of a wading pool

It was a fun weekend- we canoed here at home, got some weeding done, I cleaned off my desk ( an Oympic feat) and actually enjoyed some nice, barely humid, weather. TJ had to work most of Saturday and Trev was up at camp Mitigwa working on service hours required for the Order of he Arrow. odd, it was such a peaceful day ( you connect the dots :o)

We cooked over an open fire Sunday night, we even made non-burned popcorn and dreamed of our someday deck and patio. We avoided any trip to the ER for over a week- does life get any better ?!?

I know it has been FOREVER

No pics today...maybe tomorrow

Quick update -
Trace survived palate surgery and his liquid diet ( 5 weeks!!!!) and another trip to the ER. The very morning we saw the surgeon and got the all clear to eat regular food, we went to the science museum to celebrate - Trace found some pills on the floor and ate them! HE is fine, didn't enjoy the charcoal too much, but he is fine.

The kids won't start school until September 2 ( I am hoping to get the house organized ( ha ha) .

We have had fun visiting Tom's family in Omaha - especially King Kong Burger ( I will post pictures) , my parents survived a whirlwind visit with us for my birthday:o) My mom had the nerve to say our house was a little chaotic! Can you believe it? At that point we had 2 dogs, 10 cats ( 5 of which were kittens), 5 kids and Trace was still on a liquid diet and VERY 2! Tian fell in love with her Grandpa Jon and did all of her best tricks :o) I don't think the poor man had 10 seconds to himself while they were here and I am sure his ear is killing him from all the talking ( and singing.)

Here are the latest Tianisms:

We are at a restaurant and she is sitting so close to me I can barely breathe. I ask her to move over becasue I can't eat - she looks up with those big black eyes and says, " Well then, don't eat." Too bad I can't think the world revolves around me ....

WHile visiting Grampy and Grandma Tessa Tian proudly claimed the title "Bossy Boots." ( I wonder why) At home yesterday she proudly proclaimed, " I am a Bossy Boots, Grandma Tessa told me so." If only we all were as comfortable in our own skin... she had no qualms about telling the ER nurse that the blood presure cuff was too tight on Trace's are or that the charcoal drink looked "Very nasty, he can't drink that."

Her FIRST joke - and it was actually funny! Ty got a black eye ( I am sure there will be an entire page about it ) He and Trevor were fighting over a wooden sword and guess what. Anyway, Ty walked around the first day telling everyone to look at his black eye and that Trevor gave it to him. Tian doesn't quite get what the big deal is ( after all, her eyes are always black!) She looks at Ty and in a tone only a little sister can use points to her eye and says, " Look at my black eye. I got it in Chin-ee" She repeats this while laughing hysterically every chance she gets.

TJ decides to try to tease Tian the other morning. He looks at her and says," Tian you're adopted." She replies " Yes, so be gentle with me." Where does that even come from?!

A word of warning the boys will be posting as part of school each week - so beware of lost limb pictures, tales of horror and woe - they should be signing them.... luckily here at home I can check them.

Tara

He still has both eyes....

Ty and his cousins - Caden and Caleb having a Nerf war

Ty
Trevor

Trace -not a good shot of his left eye, but this is Saturday morning - it is only barely swollen!!! I think the bleeding only stopped because his eye was so swollen so fast.

Trevor finally had a ball game that was not rained out and we travelled about 30 minutes to watch him play catcher. He was GREAT!!


Just as we were leaving Trace got bumped and hit his head on the corner of the bleacher. I wasn't even worried until I saw blood pouring out of his eye!!! We managed to get him to the car, by this time I had pried his eye open and saw the eyeball was there, but he had a nice slit in his eye lid. (I still can't believe he did not damage his eye) I had 12 minutes on my cell phone ( Yes, I felt like I was reality TV) and so I called the local hospital - they told me to go on to Children's hospital since to stitch his eye lid he would have to be sedated. I called Tom and I loving told him not to talk - just listen as I was on a time limit - had him meet me at the hospital because I had all the kids, but TJ, with me. He had to meet TJ at Costco so TJ could go to work, take the Honda and come bring the kids home. So that orchestrated and then to call TJ. Then I had to call Tom because I couldn't remember how to get to the hospital in Des Moines... I managed to have 2 minutes to spare. We saw 2 doctors at the the hospital and then they sent us to an eye surgeon who decided that since it had stopped bleeding and he felt would cause more trauma to the eye in trying to stitch it up that we would wait and see. It was not a fun afternoon as all this time from 1:00 on Trace could have nothing to eat or drink since they were sure he would have to have surgery. By now it is 6:00 and I have a meeting for Girl's Camp - Tom comes to meet me and exchange kids so the boys could go to Scouts. ( You can imagine how beautiful I look at this point and I am sure I smelled even better - did I mention it was a muggy 80 + day?) Tom was the hero and got everyone where they needed to be and he even had Tian and Trace in bed by the time I got home with the rest of the herd.

And, the doctor was right - a little Bacitracin and within 2 days Trace's eye looked pretty good.

Kittens!!!

Tom's favorite
Belle - taking a break

I admit being insane - we borrowed a friend's pregnant cat a couple of weeks ago and I came home yesterday to 4 kittens!!!! They were still wet so she must have just had them. Of course no surprise - 2 are orange and one is black and white (we have a thing about black and orange cats!) ( No we are not keeping them !)Thought you would enjoy the pictures.



Belle, the mom is doing great - she is very patient with us touching her babies and is a good mom. We are excited to watch them grow. Tian and Trace can't get enough. Tian is funny ; she could watch them nursing for hours without saying a word. I don't think I have ever seen her quiet that long.



The latest Tianism: " Mom, sometimes you are not human." I am not sure what to make of that one...

Home 3 months....

Picture time = torture your sister
The forced pose - Tian refusing to smile
Trace - I think he threw something at me...
Don't be fooled by the sweet look here...Ithink Tian was apologizing for nearly catapulting him from the chair

I can' t believe it has only been 3 months. I can't remember life without Trace...sleeping in (Tian will occasionally allow it), clean floors, predictable schedule, less foot stomping and "no" shouting- those things are all DISTANT memories.



Trace has officially bonded - he can throw one heck of a temper tantrum , he insists I give him his bottlewhile holding it myself and rub hisear, he will not go to nursery at church, he knows where all the snacks are (even the ones I have forgotten about) and he gives the best hugs and the WETTEST kisses.

We have been busy with Cub Scouts, baseball and more baseball, finished Track...
Poor Trevor most of the meets were rained out, but he had a great season. He followed in TJ's footsteps and mainly ran the mile. Trevor is also playing baseball for the junior high and is hoping to play Catcher if they ever have a game that isnt't called for the rain.
TJ has been busy working at a horse farm 3-4 days a week and at Costco. He has started classes at DMACC and is working on stuffing a raccoon ( you have to ask him for the gory details.) Daisey ( the puppy) managed to catch a full grown turkey- another story TJ can fill you in on.

Ty has been busy with Cub Scouts. He has now entered the Webelos den and is madly trying to finish it all :o) He LOVES playing catcher for his Little League team. If only he hustle like that at home...
Tian is busy bossing everyone around. She even instructed the neighbor girls today on how to eat their popsicles. She is excited to have a birthday and have "a princess cake and lots and lots of presents just for me."

The last 2 days have been a busy blur- TJ is having a small party to celebrate graduation so I decided it was high time we actually hung the pictures on the walls. Of course, since I am busy nap times have been non-existant. Tian has managed to get into Trace's crib to giggle through nap time. For a girl who needs her beauty sleep this is not a good thing. Today she was finally relagated to my bed which was accompanied by much foot stomping and that lovely ear piercing scream all little girls possess. Trace started to scream - decided it was too much trouble and instead resorted to calling "ma-ma" every 3 seconds. She fell asleep in about 2 minutes, he stuck with the mama mantra for about a half an hour before he won :o)

The latest Tian-ism: Today was ...one of those days it is 5:00 no one has napped, there are pictures EVERYWHERE, no dinner in the oven, I tried to hang up just one more and slipped of the stool and nearly killed myself as my two assistants, Trevor and Ty, tried to decide weather to laugh or help. I get up, head for the kitchen to make dinner, get aphone call that TJ neglected to arrange a speaker for Boy Scouts Wednesday - leave him a nasty messagesince he is at Costco while I fume that I have reminded him at least 75 times to get a speaker( aren't you glad you didn't get that message? Trevor laughed when I ended it by saying,I"I am not happy, but I love you." Then, just as I am feeling good and guilty of leaving him a mean message on his cell phone while he at work, Tian starts whining, so I did what any other tired, cranky mother would do - I looked at her and whined right back saying, " I have nearly died trying to make the house look nice, I am trying to figure out what to make for dinner, my leg hurts and the floor is sticky again, what else do you want from me?"
Without missing a beat she saw her moment looks at me with those big black eyes and replies, "A piece of gum."
Needless to say, who couldn't laugh after that. Dinner made it to the table, DAise is licking the floor and the pictures will still be there tomorrow....
The pictures are from today - after hanging up pictures I realized I need some cute ones to hang of these 2. It turned into a Punch and Judy festival. I am thinking hiring a photogragher...

Tian's partner in crime: "Scooby"

His favorite actviity is riding a bike - even if it is pink :o) Trace has just told Tian she is Chinese too ( make sure you read the last of the Tianisms to fully appreciate this)

Pushing the Empress in her chariot of choice- otherwise known as "Driving Miss Demanding"

We asked her this morning what her bother's name was, without missing a beat she replied, " Scooby." I don't even think she has seen the cartoon...

Trace will be 2 in June and has managed to quietly take over the household. His vocabulary ( in English) is currently limited to : Spiderman ( his most important word), no (which must be accompanied by a foot stomp( just like his daddy)), now, mine, mama, Trevor, Ty, hold you, and snack..

He can sign: eat, more, gummy bears ( often as a sentence). He can also sign play, please and thank you (if we are really lucky). He has no problem expressing his needs or eating!

His latest accomplishments: he can blow bubbles in the tub ( with his mouth :o), blow bubbles outside ( both a big deal since his palate is still open), he can work the water dispenser on the fridge ( I just love it), has become a cereal conosuier, he can also irritate Tian rather expertly and has manged to hold several of the cats at various times.

He loves to give the dogs treats and the cats milk ( no treats for the cats - he eats those :o"). He will share with Tian even when she is a stinker, but can find her favorite mirror at any time and make sure she sees him as he runs. He is always singing and loves to smile at people while sticking his tongue out through the cleft in the gum line ( it is ever so attractive !)

He has also gone to nursery at church and corrected the dumb teachers who thought a panda bear was simply a bear - he stood up - shook his hand back and forth and told them repeatedly, " Xiong Miao." They all thought that is the noise pandas make ( it is Chinese for Panda.)

He can also understand our feeble attempts at Chinese.

He loves to wrestle with his brothers. He would be outside 24/7 if we let him. Unfortunately - it has been raining almost everyday!!!

He loves to be read to ( I have lucked out!!! I am 5 for 5 - all of them love to read :o)

He LOVES animals of any kind. We will have to get the aquarium repaired - he could stand in front of it for hours.

All and all is a VERY happy little boy. He is not bashful, but is much more diplomatic about getting his way than the Empress. She has adjusted to him very well and seems to be enjoying having a partner in crime, especially one who is so willing to carry out her evil plans:o)

Medical update: We have visited with a Otolaryntologist ( a cranio-facial doctor) here in Des Moines who seems very confident in his ability to correct Trace's palate and in the fall improve his nose and lip repair. We will visit Iowa City's cleft team on Monday and then make a decision of where to have the surgery(ies). Both groups want to take care of the surgery ASAP as the longer his palate i sopen the more difficult it will be for him to relearn how to swallow and to speak. I am accepting all soft food suggestions as he will be on a liquid diet for 3 weeks!!!! Keep in mind Trace's favorite thing in the world right now is eating!! Hopefully, we can spend a lot of time outside!

So, here is the plan: in May his palate will be repaired, he will have physical therapy to teach him how to swallow etc and then be evaluated to see if he needs speech therapy. In the fall, we will have a nose/ lip revision. Then, we will sit back and wait for his adult canine teeth to form. So around the age of 9 ( unless he is like poor Ty who will probably be 20 before he gets his ) he will have a surgery to correct his gumridge - they will take a small piece of bone from his hip and place it where the missing bone is in his upper jaw. Then, hopefully he will be done!! We are hopeful that he won't have missing teeth as this past week he finally got one of thh canines on the bottom, and both the lateral incisor and the canine in the cleft - it will look weird, but this is good news, as the more teeth, the more bone that will form and the more hope we have of not having to have a bridge for missing permanant teeth!! Yeah - it also expalins his extreme drooling and cranky days ! He may have to have another lip/nose revsion around 18, but hopefully not.

Have a great night and I will go scrape Cheerios, Play-doh and cat treats off of the kitchen floor ( no, the dogs can't keep up with it all :o)

Tian-isms

Tian rolling down the hill,


now,thinking she will "help - ah" me with the camera.














Just missed her throwing the rocks at Trace
Reflecting, after time out














Okay - so life is CRAZY with 2 toddlers running the place, but I had to write down of few quotes from Tian - our ever passionate, always bubbly, often screaming, frequently whining, and almost always giggling 2 1/2 year old. Can you believe she will be 3 in August.? She is an amazing girl
and that is why we are already saving for a large dowry and writing a contract to ensure her future husband understands the "absolutely no-returns" policy :o)

Okay here are the favorite quotes:

1. She is lying bed, (her most reflective time), and states, " I hate TJ." I reply,
"No, you are angry with him, you don't hate TJ"
The Tiansism, " No, I happy with him, I just hate him."

2. Looking at Trace in the morning, " I don't like that boy today."

3. Looking at Trace sleeping, " I love- ahh him a lot. He is mine."

4. "Daddy, you picked the goodest treats!" (while doing the happy dance, when Tom pulled out a box of ice cream cones)

5. After several consecutive time outs, " I don't like that chair." ( note - it did not stop her from spending several more rounds in it that day)

6. Ty, asks, quoting "Mama Do You Love Me," " Tian, do you love- ahh me?" She responds,
" No dear one, I am dead." ( A little young to be feeling emotionally drained...)

7. To Tom who is holding Trace and letting him drink his own bottle, "Honey, you have to 'nuggle him."

8. Imagine this, she gets into my bed, snuggles up next to me and puts her sweet little face to my neck and breathes deeply, she leans back and sighs. Of course, I think we are having a Hallmark moment, then she says, " Mom, you smell like bugs." I shower, really I do.

9. To librarian, who commented on what a nice little brother she had now, she tilts her head to the side, " I know, I picked him."

10. " I want my hair like that girl on the mad-ga-zine." Yes, I managed to duplicate the 2 braid style - she was impressed :o)

11. AFter a long day of two toddlers with colds I finally laid down the law and poor Tom comes in from work. She looks at him so seriously with her big, black eyes and in her most serios tone warns him, " Mommy said, no thumb sucking, no whining and no throwing food. " Hopefully, he will continue to follow the rules since she and the other half of the dynamic duo aren't :o)

12. and finally...drum roll..
In response to Trace's crying in China..." I don't like Chinese babies!"
I can't wait until she has her first child! On seconfd thought, yes, I can. as crazy as it is around here I wish it could last forever.

I will add more as I think of them and will try to add a page for Trace - we like him a little too :o)