It's Snowtime!

Liam in His Snow Tunnel

Another day of snow today and, in addition, freezing rain! It made the snow nice and solid...perfect for digging out a tunnel in the snow. By the time he came in, he was frozen solid himself, but he was finally successful (with a little help from Dad) in making a tunnel large enough for him to crawl through. He was very pleased! Max and Abby gratefully volunteered to join Lee in becoming human popsicles outside, while Tayler sat snug-as-a-bug inside. Scott helped me with a ton of Christmas baking, as we listened to my favorite Christmas album EVER, sung by the Carpenters. It was a nice way to spend a snowy Sunday!

Sorry about the video being sideways. Apparently you can't rotate video files like you can with pictures...at least not that I've discovered yet...

Happy Snowy Days!

WOW!! We actually have SNOW...not just snow, but SNOW! I can't remember how long it's been since we've had this much (or for this long), but it is so nice to look out the window and see a veritable winter wonderland of flocked conifers and neighborhood Christmas lights glimmering in the snowy white sky. True, if you must drive in this wintery precipitation, it can be a little disenchanting and can cause frustrations for some. I am thankful, however, that we did most of our "necessary" shopping for Christmas Day festivities before the storm really hit, so we should have plenty to get us through 'til it melts off. In short, we have decided to try and enjoy the beautiful snow that has fallen over the last few days instead of looking at it as a hinderance. Even though the snow has often been too dry to make a good snowball, the kids have found other ways to entertain themselves and make the most of it. On the one day when the snow had the perfect amount of moisture, I helped Abby make her first snowgirl, while Tayler and her BFF, Courteney, worked feverishly on a snow fort. Lily and Sami also had a blast frolicking in the cul-de-sac. Scott and the kids later walked to the hill up the street so everyone could try some sledding. We all had a lot of fun!

At last check this evening (a couple of hours ago), I measured the snow in our backyard at anywhere from 10-12 inches. It's crazy deep and continuing to get deeper by the hour! We hope that YOUR past few days have been just as fun, and filled with the Spirit of Christmas as ours has.

P.S. Important note!! We wish Mom Orth and Jon Campbell very happy birthdays today!! Love you both!

Welcome Baby Goodin!

My cousin, Renee, and her husband, Aric, welcomed their first child on October 24, 2008. Evan Allen Goodin weighed in at 7 lbs., 6 oz. and was 19 inches long.

I was fortunate enough to be able to go to Virginia when Evan was barely two days old, so I could help out. I had such a wonderful time, and found it very difficult to leave! Evan is such a sweet, mellow little guy, and Renee and Aric are really cherishing their new roles as Mommy and Daddy.

Congratulations you two!!

You three make a beautiful family!

Congratulations, Daddy!

Congratulations to my Papa for winning the "Manager's Choice" award in the Annual Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Photo Contest! His photo of an adorable little wren, singing his heart out, was chosen by the manager of the four refuges that run along the Columbia Gorge.

Unfortunately, I was in a really cruddy position in the crowd during the ceremony, and I ended up getting the back of Dad's head when the manager had Dad come forward to be recognized. Sorry about that, Papa! I'm so proud of you! :o)

Love you,

Kimi Ann

Renee's Baby Shower

On the 26th, a group of us threw a baby shower for my cousin, Renee, at Bob's Red Mill (her favorite restaurant) while she was in town for a visit. It was so good to see her and visit with everyone. We had a great time!

May 28th Visit to Alderwood Labradors

Scott and I took the kids and Uncle Bud to Alderwood today to visit the puppies for the first time. They had a wonderful time and I just wanted to share some of the pics I took while we were there.

Coming soon...keep a look out for a small slideshow of more puppy pics. Thanks!

P.S. Happy birthday Uncle Marcus!! We love you!

Announcing the Impending Arrival of....

Well, it's official...we're crazy! Crazy in love!! After waiting on pins and needles for this morning to come, it finally did and we did something we never thought we'd do! Maybe I should start at the beginning for those of you that don't know what I'm talking about.

It all started a couple of months back. Our whole family has, for obvious reasons, felt a huge void in our lives without Saira. Even if she was just sleeping at the top of the stairs, simply knowing she was "there" brought all of us so much comfort and joy. It became clear to all of us that, despite the pain of losing Saira, having another dog in the family could be pretty nice. We have all missed Saira's companionship so much. She holds such a special place in our hearts that it would be impossible to ever "replace" her. But we knew that, someday, we could make additional room in our hearts to love another dog in its own special way.

So, for quite a while, we talked and talked about the possibilities of getting a puppy. For the longest time nothing ever went beyond casual chit chat. Then one day, we decided to go into PetSmart to see if they had any books that would help us decide for sure what kind of puppy would be best for our family when the time came to make it happen. Well, we found a great book and spent a good deal of time looking through it. When all was said and done, the two breeds that Scott and I really loved (and always have) were the cocker spaniels and labradors. The decision was pretty easy from there since Scott and I had both decided early on that even though we love cocker spaniels, our next dog wouldn't be one. There would just be too many comparisons between Sairy and the new pup...not fair to the new little one! That left us with labradors...labs are adorable in all colors, but both Scott and I have always loved the yellow ones. So, it was settled that, someday, a yellow labrador it would be!

At 9:00 p.m., we were instructed to leave the store because they were closing. As we strolled back through the aisles we were both questioning, "Where do you get a good lab? Pet store? Breeder? What is a good lab?" Well, as we exited the store, a woman stood before us with an adorable yellow puppy on a leash. I was quick to ask if the puppy was a lab and she confirmed it was. Now, I believe it was more than just "luck" that we ran into this woman. We truly believe it was part of God's plan. This woman not only had the very dog we were considering, but she was a veritable smorgasbord of labrador information! She directed us, in particular, to a respectable breeder that she found when she was looking for her dog. We thanked her for the plethora of information and walked back to our car, happy to have gotten answers to some of our questions.

(I'll try to speed this story up a little now, I promise!) To make a long story a little shorter, we checked out the breeder and each of its dogs. We really liked how thorough they were with info on each dog and what a person could expect from each litter. Plus, they had great resources for potential/current labrador owners, and they strongly encouraged people to come out and meet the parents of the puppies. We found that a yellow lab pair had just had a litter of puppies on April 20th. Out of curiosity, we decided to just see how hard it would be to acquire on of these pups. We discovered that eight people were on a primary list (already guaranteed puppies from that litter if they still wanted one) and everyone else would be placed on a secondary list. We really liked this breeder (and the puppies were so adorable) we decided to put ourselves on the list just to see what happened. We ended up being number 23 on the list, but realized we still had a chance for a puppy when we discovered that the puppies were on a first-come, first-served basis for those on the secondary list.

We visited Alderwood Labradors when the puppies were three weeks old. We held each one and made notes on each that we liked (just in case we actually had a chance to get one). We also got to meet the parents and all of the other labs there. It was so neat! In the end, we felt a strong connection with #1-10 (all puppies are tagged with a number). She was the runt of the litter but had a very spunky spirit for being the littlest one there. She was so full of snuggles and kisses that it brought me back to the time when we picked out Saira (who was also the runt of her litter). #1-10 had the same sweet disposition as Sairy did when she was a puppy. We instantly wanted her! We went back home that day and talked non-stop about that dog. We told the kids about the possibility of getting a puppy but explained they shouldn't get their hopes up too high. When the puppies were four weeks old, the primary list was given the opportunity to reserve a puppy. Only four of the eight on the list actually reserved. So, that meant an even greater chance for us to get a puppy! The breeder told us he thought we had a very good chance of getting the pup we wanted. Scott and I began talking names. We liked either Sami or Lily for the pup. The kids made the decision that, if we were lucky enough to get one, she would be called Lily Ann.

Upon receipt of an email from the breeder indicating that the pups (not chosen by those on the primary list) were now available for reservation, those of us on the secondary list would all have an equal chance to place a deposit on the puppy of our choice. You just had to be the first to call, order online, or (as we decided to do) be in their driveway with your deposit and puppy number after the breeder sent the email.

This brings us to today...we knew that Joel and Sharon (the breeders) would be sending out the email between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. So, we decided to be in their driveway by 8:00 a.m. to get one more look at #1-10 and be the first to claim her once the email was sent. Sharon took us into the kennel and told us we should pick out a couple of them and bring them into the house to separate them from all the other pups. This way, we would be able to see their personalities a little bit better and determine which one was really the best pup for us. We, of course, picked #1-10 and #1-7 and brought them inside. We spent nearly two hours playing with them and grew attached to both. We wanted #1-10 so badly, but #1-7 was winning our hearts over too. We were having a very difficult time choosing between the two when Joel called to us, "Okay, Scott, Kim...it's decision time." We decided to go with #1-10 because we had come for her in the first place and she was so cute. Neither of us wanted to let #1-7 go though because she was so lovey and sweet. We joked about taking her too. The phone rang...it was someone wanting a puppy. Suddenly, we both looked at each other, stopped joking about taking her, and started to seriously consider it. To be honest, the idea of a second dog freaked me out, but I didn't want to let her go! I didn't know what to do. Scott and I had talked many times about how neat it would be to have two dogs that could keep each other company, but we hadn't gone there with that idea in mind! I had also read a lot about labs doing really well with a buddy. Apparently, they get into less trouble when they have a friend.

Needless to say, I was mush...totally unsure of what to do. Scott suddenly decided and says to Sharon, "We'll take #1-7 too." Sharon yells upstairs to Joel, "They've confirmed #1-7 Joel." Joel tells the person on the phone to hold on for a second. "What Sharon?" Joel asks. Sharon repeats herself. Joel goes back to his phone call and we hear him say, "Oh, I'm sorry #1-7 just sold." I couldn't believe it! We were able to reserve not just one, but two of them! Joel gets off the phone and leans over the rail. He says, "Boy, that was really close. The guy that was just on the phone initially called to reserve #1-10. When I told him she was sold, he asked for #1-7...a few seconds later and I would have had to sell her to him!"

It had been a whirlwind couple of minutes, but both of us were so thrilled when it was over! Sure, we were a little anxious about what it would be like suddenly having two dogs, but we were so excited and relieved that #1-10 would have her sister to grow up with!

We will be able to pick up the girls on the 6th of June after their first round of puppy shots and the family is very excited! We are all anxiously awaiting Lily Ann (#1-10) and Sami Grace's (#1-7) arrival!

Thanks for reading my crazy-long ramblings! As consolation, here are a couple of cute pics of Lily and Sami to help you forget how bored you were while reading this! These are definitely not the best shots in the world (as the lighting was a little dim), but it gives you a little preview of the newest members of our family! I promise there will be some better pics of them after they get home! XOXO

Sami Grace and Lily Ann

Sami

Lily

Happy 5th Birthday Abby Grace!

It is so hard to believe that our "baby" is five years old! Wow, how time flies! What a sweetie our Abby Gracie has turned out to be! We will be celebrating her birthday with a special Chuck E. Cheese party this weekend, but we didn't want her actual birthday to go "uncelebrated". So, after Scott got home from work, we presented Abby with her first new bike and then went for dinner at Taco House. Grandpa and Grandma D. joined us for dessert, which was a special surprise for Abby, and we all had a lot of fun!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART! We all love you so very much!

Welcome Abram!

Our adorable new nephew, Abram Gregory Long, was born on May 2, 2008, at 8:12 a.m. He was 6 lbs. 15 oz., and was 19.5 inches tall.

Congratulations Shelly, Shane, and Caleb! We love you!

Fun at the Zoo!

Scott and I took the kids to the Washington Park Zoo today. We had a really nice time. One thing's for sure...the zoo is WAY cooler now than it used to be! There's so much more to do and see than when we were little. There's so many more things to look at, in fact, that in 4 1/2 hours time, we still hadn't seen everything!

I had taken the kids to the zoo a few years ago...but they were all too small to remember it. This time, they were the perfect ages. They were all truly fascinated by the exhibits. The weather was perfect and it was a great way for us all to be together, doing something active! We'll be back again soon!

Sleep...ing in Seattle!

This weekend my girlfriend Christina (a.k.a. Biz) and I travelled to Seattle to attend the Green Festival. This is an exposition of sorts, dedicated to "going green." We stayed with my cousin, Kristi, who lives very near Seattle. My other cousin (Kristi's sister), Renee, who had flown in from Virginia, also came with her girlfriend Sarah.

We had a really nice time at the Green Festival and learned a lot of great things about eating healthy, buying organic, and being environmentally friendly. After the festival, we went to a neat little French crepe restaurant and had savory crepes for dinner. Of course we had to sample one of their sucree (sweet) crepes for dessert! It was filled with ice cream, chocolate sauce, and pears. C'est magnifique! We all thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

We all went back to Kristi's, exhausted from a long day, and were grateful for her (and husband Travis') hospitality. In the morning, Kris indulged all of us by making special pancakes with a delicious banana, maple, and almond syrup. Needless to say, we were all very full! Shortly after brunch, Kristi and Travis headed off to a Mariners/Angels game, and we all started heading home.

It was a really fun time with the girls and I hope we can do it again sometime soon!

Just a note to say I love you Gram...

Grammy,

You have been on all of our hearts so much lately. It was two years ago today that Jesus called you to him, but we still feel you and your love around us everyday. I guess that's what happens when you love someone the way we all loved each other. Thank you for being the best Grandma in the world.

Love and miss you so much,
Kimi

Our Beautiful Saira -- Dec. 25, 1995 - Feb. 27, 2008

Saira Annie,

You were such a special part of our lives. It is impossible to put into words exactly what you mean to our family. Our home, filled with six busy people, has never felt so empty. Your comfort and love through so many difficult times will never be forgotten. Your playful, sweet spirit will always be missed.

To our "baby-before-we-had-babies," Mommy and Daddy (and the kids too) love you more than you know. We thank God for guiding us to you, and for every wonderful day we had with you over the last 12 years.

P.S. We hope you are having fun playing with Pepper. She will be greatly missed also.

The Cabin Trip, January 2008

Howdy!

Well, we are happy to say that we made it through this year's trip to the cabin on Mt. Hood without any catastrophes (unless you count the downed tree that blocked the driveway to the cabin--I really don't...with a few able bodies working in the dark, one small axe, and one chain saw later, the road block was gone. No one got hurt and everyone had a little adventure)!! Yay! Actually, this year's trip was not only catastrophe-free, but it was super fun for everyone! The snow was beautiful and deep, the fire was warm, conversations were good, and the kids had so much fun with their cousins.

While there, we celebrated our Braman Christmas holiday as well as all Fall/Winter child birthdays. That was a lot of fun for the kids. It was so nice to be able to sit and talk in front of the fire with those we loved, while eating all kinds of...as my wonderful Grandma H. used to call them...hip-fluffers!!

We hope you will enjoy a few of our photographic memories of Cabin Trip 2008.

Love,
Kimi