Birthday Boy!

This year Hudson had a dinosaur birthday party!! Here's his volcano cake.The birthday boy!!!
Here goes the volcano!

Goal Accomplished!

Here's one picture of my mom and I before the race. I don't have any after the race...just picture really red faces and soaking wet!
All the kids for their Kid's Marathon. They had much better weather and did a GREAT job! We are soooo proud of you guys!

The Half Marathon...

My time was about 2 hrs. 7 mins.

Yes, it was miserable weather - MISERABLE!!!

We came down from our hotel room at 6:30AM to find the streets covered with snow! The air was filled with a mixture of freezing rain, snow and gusts of wind. So, as you can imagine, it was bitterly cold! I was starting to get a little nervous. We took a taxi to the Seattle Center and warmed up a little while the clock was ticking down to start time. Kim Cunningham and Olivia Dykes (along with her new fiance Shane :)) were there too.

7:30AM the gun went off! Once we were running, in spite of the rain and gust of wind, I internally warmed up. My feet were sopping wet right away. I could feel my toes squishing around.

The run went great. I really didn't feel like I was going to die. There were a TON of huge hills though. At mile 10 my mom told me to go ahead and run faster if I wanted because she was starting to feel yucky. So, I picked up my pace and finished strong. I'm happy to have it over!

Upon finishing the race, we were ushered into the Recovery Area. That's when it hit again how cold it actually was. At this point, we are soaked to the bone and it was so cold. Thankfully, they gave us space blankets. An item that I haven't been so razzed about since I was a kid and they were the "cool" thing. It really did help! My mom and I purchased some "vintage" t-shirts & sweatshirts for $2/piece so we could put dry clothes on (we were waiting for her friend, Jeannie, to finish). It was nice to get back to the hotel room to get dry, clean, and warm! I was chilled for the rest of the day though.

Today...I'm really sore and walking a bit slow, but my goal is accomplished!!! Yeah!!

Will I run a half marathon again? Maybe.

Big Weekend!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. We started our day with homemade cinnamon rolls (usually our Christmas Eve tradition, but the kids were begging me). My good friend, Jen, and her 3 boys joined us. Her husband is a pilot and works most holidays. So, we made them part of our family for the morning.

We spent the rest of the day with John's family. I count it a blessing to be part of family that is still "one". My side of the family is divided in so many directions that holidays tend to be stressful trying to fit it in. John's family is usually in one place and having a great time together. I am truly thankful that God blessed me, and my children, with a family like that.
Berkeley was the highlight for Gracie. It's so cute because she takes her "older girl cousin" responsibility very seriously. She spent time "reading" to Berkeley; checking on her; and playing with her. I'm sure they'll have many fun holidays playing together!

Our busy schedule is just beginning...Today my Mom and her friend arrive; tomorrow the boys run the Seattle Kid's Marathon (1.2 miles) with their homeschool co-op; and Sunday is the BIG day - 13.2 miles through the streets of Seattle!

I'm looking forward to having this goal accomplished. I'm a little nervous, but I feel ready. I'm so glad that it's not today though because I definitely have a "turkey day hangover".

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family!

Our "dates" in San Francisco

I felt like we literally ate our way through San Francisco! We dressed up all fancy 1 night and went to The Carnelian Room on the 52nd floor of the Bank of America building. The view was amazing and the food was yummy too! Most of the time, I had no idea what I was ordering. I understood the main entree, like Halibut, but all of the things they added to it I kept asking John, "what's that?" I think I need to watch more Food Network!
We ate waaayyyy to much chocolate! I would never just buy chocolate because I'm more of a "fruity" candy person. But, when you're at Ghirardelli Square, you have to buy chocolate! We bought enough to bring home and we ended up bringing home 3 pieces!! Way too much consumed! In this picture...I have chocolate in my mouth!
Florio's...a cute little restuarant recommended by my dear friend Angie Wheat! It was so yummy. Once again, I had no idea what I was ordering, except the sorbet at the end! But everything tasted so great. No I wasn't wearing a skin colored bow tie, it was the reflection of the mirror?.

We're Back!!

Here is a view of Alcatraz. And, here is one of the cells. I'm really glad that we went on the tour. It was a sad, and amazing place! John and I were shocked that families (of the workers) actually lived on the island. They had young children and they said that they didn't even lock their doors. I can't even imagine that!
Here's another view from the pier.

We had a wonderful time away! San Francisco is an amazing city! So much fascinating history. I will try to post pictures, but for some reason blogger only lets me post 3 at a time, more than that and it freezes. Maybe it's our aging computer???

San Francisco!

We are off to San Francisco tomorrow!
I'm so excited for a FUN get-a-way! I can't believe that I've been married 10 years!!! Time sure does fly. I think especially once you have kids, which for us, was shortly after we were married!
Hopefully we'll return with some great pictures!

Halloween

This was our clan - Anakin Skywalker (on the good side); a Clone Trooper; and Red (formerly know as Little Red Riding Hood, until Hoodwinked).

After an Extreme Makeover, Matt and Mel's exterior now reflects their true inner self. We always new at heart they were truly "Rednecks"! Love you guys!
Everyone strikin' a pose!

Guess where we were yesterday???

I got a frantic call from Grandma Potts yesterday morning that we had an emergency! Hudson dove for a toy as Malacai was running off, and his two front teeth (falling to the ground) met Malacai's heel (on the way up). His front teeth were pushed back and there was a lot tears and a lot of blood! Eeeeww! On the way to the ER, Hudson with his little bloody washcloth hanging out of his mouth said, "Mom, now I could be a vampire for Halloween". I was glad to know his humor was still intact! We went from the ER to the dentist. The dentist numbed him and pulled his teeth back into place. I was trying to be strong for Hudson (who wasn't shedding a tear), but when the dentist yanked on those teeth, tears filled my eyes and I had to take a seat. So much for the strong Mom by his side! I had to take some deep "cleansing" breaths or I think I would have been in the bathroom or on the floor. It was terrible to watch! We came home after a 6 hour ordeal and a little Ibuprofen in him. Hudson was out playing football that evening. This is him this morning. This is what he thought of all the pictures!
This is him after I kept saying "just give me a BIG smile so I can see your gums." He got a little bloody nose as well. What a goof!

Pumpkin Patch

We finally made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch. We hurried through, and unfortunately, didn't get as many great pictures this year. We were moving fast so that we could go through the corn maze. But, when we went to pay, they told us it was closed for the day, bummer!!! The kids were so excited for that part. Maybe next year?.
Poor John had a fever all weekend and didn't feel too hot. It was such a nice day though so we dragged him to the pumpkin patch. You have to make the most of those sunny days around here.
Here's the family posing with the pumpkins. Every year I get a pair of my tennis shoes completely muddy and they are never quite the same. This year, when I got the kids rain boots, I got a pair for me too! No ruined "tennies". They kind of look like zebra gum, huh?

Sweet Baby Adam!

Here's the perfect newborn! Baby Adam also came to Lake Chelan at 2 weeks old. He is so precious. Thanks Darren and Amelia for letting all of us enjoy the "perfect baby". Isn't he just kissable?

Sweet Berkeley

While we were at Lake Chelan, John was determined to "bond" with little Berkeley. I think she was mildly amused with him for short periods of time. They were dancing together in these 2 pictures. It was very cute. As soon as Berkeley had enough though she searched the room for Tom or Lisa and let them know she was ready to be "rescued".

I love this picture of Berkeley. Such a sweet little face. I just wonder what she was thinking? She was quite the trooper on our afternoon shopping spree that happened to be during her naptime!

Just an update...

We are all home today with the "sickies". Not fun. Malacai spent yesterday afternoon in the emergency room with his asthma. They tested him for pneumonia and strep too. He was diagnosed with bronchitis and an asthma attack. So, we came home with him all drugged up. Poor boy. I can't even count the number of times that we've been in the emergency room with asthma attacks! All that said, I actually have time to sit down and do a post!
On to fun news...John and I are going to San Francisco for our 10 year Anniversary! We are staying at a beautiful hotel right near Union Square. We will also be going to the 49er - Seahawk game while we are there. It took 2 personalities to get to 10 years of marriage so we are going to celebrate both of us. I think it will be a blast to cheer next to my husband and be a part of something he is so passionate about. John has 3 passions in his life - #1 God; #2 Family; and #3 Seahawks. Thankfully, he's pretty good at keeping them in the right order!
Other news, we submitted our plan for septic design and are waiting (again) to hear back on that. If everything is good with that, then the property is buildable and we can move ahead - yeah!
That's the latest.

Friendship!

We are reading Charlotte's Web for Literature. Today, Wilbur (the pig - think back to grade school :) ) made a wonderful discovery! "...he realized that friendship is one of the most satisfying things in the world." It's great to read an "older" children's book and read something that makes me stop, ponder, and smile. I agree with Wilbur! This past weekend I visited my childhood best friend and another friend that was like a mentor to me in high school. It was fun to catch up with friends that will always be dear to my heart. I'm so thankful for friendship. I love you, all my dear friends out there!

More Race for the Cure pictures

Here's Gracie with
her cousins Ivy and Sunny. She adores them! And here she is conked out on the way home. She was quite the trooper being the youngest great grand daughter! She walked most of the 1 mile. I think she hitched a piggyback from Ivy for the very end. I was proud of her. She and I had a fun weekend together.

Race for the Cure!

This past weekend Gracie and I got to be apart of an amazing event. We got to honor my Gram. She was the Race for the Cure's Honorary Survivor in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. She was diagnosed with breast cancer 50 years ago when she was 29. She had 4 small children, the youngest (my mom) was 4. She underwent major surgery which left her with a hole in her chest and a scar the size of a piece of bread on her upper thigh where they took skin to cover the hole. They didn't have the modern technology back then that we do now. She went through the disease alone because they also didn't talk about it. I'm so proud of my Gram. I think the most moving thing was watching the husbands tear up when my Gram was introduced. Some were standing next to their wife's who were recently diagnosed or who had just undergone chemo. To see my Gram not only standing with her children, her grandchildren, but her great-grandchildren gave them hope to hold onto. We met 1 young mom who had a 2 year old and had just undergone her first chemo treatment. Her husband was walking with her and my Gram was such an inspiration to them. They sought her out to meet her because they heard there was a 50 year survivor at the walk! It was truly amazing. They are aware of 1 other survivor in the United States who has survived longer. So many memories of my childhood have my Gram in them. I can't imagine my life without her!

Camping cont'd.

The last of the camping pictures (that I'm going to post). There was a beautiful hike from our campsite to the beach. The kids had a blast and we got some exercise to work off ALL those SMORES!!!

More camping pics...

Our first morning we saw this baby owl in the bushes off the trail. Isn't he adorable?! Hudson was our little 007 in the trees. He lived in the trees next to our tent and was constantly asking for us to take pictures of him. One of our adventures was trying new camp foods. This night we had Banana Boats. It was bananas with chocolate and marshmallows, wrapped in aluminum foil and cooked over the fire. They will go down in history as an experience, but not a "keeper" for the Potts family! The kids scooped out the chocolate and marshmallow and threw the banana out!

Camping!

We went camping! I didn't grow up camping so I was a little nervous going on our own. The kids loved it! By the end of our trip they were filthy and proud of it! Here they are setting up the tent with Dad; Gracie posing in her new "house"; and enjoying Hot Cocoa on our first morning. I'll be posting more pics of our big adventure. They'll probably all be in the wrong order - oh well!

Rain, rain go away!

John in his Mickey Mouse poncho! The last day we were in Disneyland there was a torrential downpour. We had to spend $50 on ponchos, which completely annoyed John. He told me to throw them away when we got home, but thrifty me decided to keep them. What do you know? John was out working on the fence and it started to pour! Thanks to our handy dandy "expensive" Mickey Mouse poncho he stayed dry! Had to get it on camera!

There's Gracie with the toy nail gun helping Dad - love it!

New fence and trees

This summer has been full of "projects". Gracie is always a BIG helper. She helped John build the fence with Hudson's toy nail gun and here she is helping us plant our 2 new trees. She loves to be a part of everything!

A cute moment at the Potts house - Cinderella and her Prince Charming. I can't remember if this preceeded or followed Gracie's demanding shouts of "Who's going to marry me?!"

Summer fun...

Narnia inspired swords and shields made by Dad. How cool is that?!

Good News...

Today the Wetland Biologist did a site analysis (all John's words). The property isn't a wetland! Yeah!!!! Next, the County will do a critical areas review. That will take place in about 8-10 weeks. We are on County time now. It is a really positive note though that the Wetland Biologist said the property looked fine. It's one more step forward!

Latest news...

We are looking into buying some property. Well, actually, we've signed the contract on buying some property. It is 2 1/2 acres located near Crestview Airpark. Here's our story so far:

At our church business meeting, Pastor Ed talked about this year being a year of Uncommon Favor. In my Bible study, we've focused on Isaiah 61. Which speaks about the "favorable" year of the Lord. Now, I'm not one that believes that "Uncommon Favor" means we will all get wealthy. I actually think the emphasis of "blessing" usually falls too much on the financial aspect of life. I think God's presence alone is favor. Anyway, at that meeting we filled out cards of things that we are going to put before the Lord to pray about.

My card says - 1.Keys for my children's heart and 2.Property for my family. I put a smiley face next to the second one because I thought "this is a long shot!" But, I just began to pray.

As many of you know, John works in land development. He has access to maps and started to look at areas to find undeveloped property. About a month ago he decided to just call the land owners. On his second call he talked to an older gentleman and asked him if he would be interested in selling his property. The gentleman said "yes". He has owned the property with his brother-in-law for 20 years. He bought it at a County Land Surplus Auction (I don't think they have these anymore :)). John asked how much he would sell it for and he came back with a price that seemed low (doable for us).

John called his brother, Tom, who works in Real Estate and asked him to draw up a contract. So, we signed the contract about 2 weeks ago. This week the wetlands specialist will be surveying the land. If it is a wetland, which is always possible in this County, then it will be unbuildable. So, our prayer, of course is that it is buildable!

I will keep you posted on what could be an exciting journey!

I DID IT!!!

I reached 1 of my goals...I ran 10 miles today! Yeah!!! At 7 1/2 miles I was quoting, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" I just had to think 2 1/2 miles that's no big deal. I'm feeling a little weak right now, but so happy inside! Now, it's time to actually register for the Seattle 1/2 Marathon!

Do not commit...tree?

Just a touch of humor for your day...
We recently memorized The Ten Commandments with our children. Last night, we had a "refresher". As Hudson was trying to remember all of them he said, "what about that 'tree' one?" He was referring to do not commit adultery! I love their simple minds. We had a good laugh!

Delinquent Blogger

I'm so sorry that I have been so delinquent in my blogging! What a bore to go blog surfing and see the same pictures over and over! FYI - Karen's is the most exciting at the present moment! Congratulations on the birth of baby Abigail!

I thought I'd take a moment while my kids are playing in the background just to give a quick update:

1. I'm training for the Seattle 1/2 Marathon. My mom has always encouraged me to get back into running. So, after a 10 year break, I started running again! I started with the goal of losing all my extra weight by my 10th Wedding Anniversary in Nov. 2006. In order to get to that goal, I started running. In order to stick with the running, I called my mom and we decided to train for the marathon together. For those who don't know, my mom is an avid runner - completing 1 Ironman (2 1/2 miles swim; 112 mile bike; 26 mile run) and participating in a 2nd one that she wasn't able to complete after 12 miles of running. So she's a huge inspiration in the area of exercise!

2. I'm hosting a Bible study at my home. It is called Breaking Free. Debbie Leyde is leading it. It has been an amazing journey for me. God is going into some deep areas of my heart that have been closed off for awhile. I'm so glad that God is so patient and gentle.

3. Hudson and Malacai are starting T-ball/Baseball. It's always so much fun to cheer them on in sports! They both love baseball. It's one of their favorite backyard sports with their dad.

4. I'm still homeschooling Malacai. We are in the process of praying about what to do next year. It will be a whole new world with Hudson starting Kindergarten.

I know it's not that exciting of a post, but it's something! I hope all is well with those who stop by.

Parade of Dreams

One of the huge highlights of Disneyland was the Parades. They were truly so magical. This is the beginning of the Parade of Dreams. Gracie got to see all of the Princesses. The Lion King float stopped in front of us did a whole presentation. It was amazing. This is Gracie's face as they passed by - priceless!

Lost...and found!

She was born to us a Princess...but as you can see being surrounded by boys she has resorted to military combat! Her sweet side stays hidden and reserved, exclusively for Dad and Mom! Except for the occasional tackle kiss for her brothers!