this is so true....a letter to the grandkids

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.


It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.



When you want to see a movie and your little brother wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him. I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.


On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.
I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with them.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Never a dull moment....even at 330 AM

Whoooo Hooooo, Date Night!

My mom said the kids could stay the night at her house. She just got back from Florida. Mason and Melayna asked every day how much longer till grandma got home. They missed her everyday.

Kevin and I decided to meet at Calapooia for some tater tots and drinks. We left the house and came home to watch tv and relax. Funny you finally get a moment with no kids and all you can think about is how wonderful your bed sounds. I woke up at 230 feeling kind of sick to my stomach and decided to get up and watch tv. The previous day Mason was throwing up all day so I thought I might have a touch of what he had. The news in the middle of night got kind of boring so I decided I better make myself go to sleep. I turned the tv off and heard a weird noise. I thought it was the dog, so I yelled Kolbe go to sleep. Then I heard it again, it was a swooping sound across my head. I thought I better get up to see what is making that sound. I turned the light on and BAT Was diving towards my head!!! I screamed and ran into the bed room to wake Kevin up. I said, KEVIN WAKE UP!!! There is a bat in our house. He was half asleep and said....Well kill it then. I said, NO WAKE UP I'm scared! He got up and put his hoodie on and opened the door. The bat was doing figure 8 thru the kitchen to the living room. Swooping down by our heads every pass. I was screaming and laughing at the same time. How the heck did a bat even get into the house? The little black hairy thing was BIG! Kevin was running around the house with the broom trying to get him out the front door.

So finally the thing flew out......Just to fly back in! It was too funny I had to record some of it. I didn't get him flying thru the house like a crazy bat I kept hiding in my bed room because he was trying to dive bomb me. The bat decided he was done flying around and made himself a little home inside the wall. In between the window and the sheet rock is open. We still are working on what kind of trim we want to put up.....never ending homeowner battle. The bat would not come out of the wall so we decided to shut our door and go to bed. Kevin had to be up in a few hours to go to work.

A few hours pass and it's time for Kevin to go to work. He looked in the wall and you could see the bat hanging upside down. He would look at you with his beaty little eyes but wouldn't move. Kevin said, way to go Trina buy some curtains that invite Vampires into our house! I couldn't stop laughing. I finally broke down and bought some new curtains....they said on the DIY network there supposed to start at the top of the window.

Later that night it started to get dark. We decided after getting input from Lisa (who used to work with bats at the aqauarium) that they are very delicate and we have to be careful getting it out of the wall. Kevin grabbed a rip rod from the garage and tried getting him to move. All the bat would do is bite the rod. It was actually really funny seeing his little mouth biting it. I was holding the flash light with the curtain half closed. FINALLY he flew out the window!!!

My Esty Account!

My Girl!

Last night concluded the final episode of Melayna's "most favorite show EVA" .

Every tuesday night we all get together to watch the Discovery series - Out of the Wild "The Alaska Experiment". In these show they have a group of every day people (mostly city people) that are dropped of at the beginning of winter in the middle of Alaska. The do not get paid a large amount of money for winning.......it is strictly volunteering. You are there to push yourself to see how far you can make it. The people are given a map and a compass. With just this and some basic materials they have to hike back to civialization.

Melayna fell in love with all of the people on the show. She would talk about it during the week and always ask how many days till Tuesday, so I can watch Alaska Experiment. She would say Dad, I really want to go on that show. I know I would be able to eat squrriel :)

Melayna was born with an extra big heart. She has always had her own way of thinking and the way she does do them makes sense to her. I remember when she was little she was coloring a picture. Grandpa said "Melayna you need to color inside the lines" she said "but why grandpa? I like it like this". Grandpa smiled and said well Princess I don't know why you have to color in the lines" If that is the way you think it looks pretty than you do it how ever you want. From that moment on I knew she was going to be different, and I LOVE IT!

Back to the story, last night the final four finally found a train track, which meant they found civialization. Melayna was sitting on the couch and Yells...... YES!!!! I knew it, I'm going to cry now. I said, Melayna are you really crying?? I looked over and she had big crocodile tears running down her face. I said are you ok? She had a huge smile on her face and said "I'm just so happy"!

In the future I see Melayna as an avid outdoors person. She loves camping and just being in the outdoors. She can't wait till she old enough to go hunting with her dad.