August busy August

Wow... we just returned from our first official family reunion in Montana and what a great time was had by all. So much to be celebrated in the last ten days its hard to know where to start.

Addy was sealed to us in the Billings temple and we were extremely blessed to have all of our immediate and some of our extended family there. Even though it's the fourth time we have done this words are never sufficient for what a special day it really is. As you can see sweet Addy looked beautiful and she was happy and laughing the entire ceremony. It was neat to see Alec, Olivia and Carson so excited for the event as well. We all know how lucky we are to have Addison and what a great dynamic she brings to the Ringhiser family.

Alec turned 14 and celebrated with lots of new "designer" clothes and even a name brand backpack. Ah, I remember the days of Guess jeans....and now the best jeans for me are the ones that fit no matter what the brand. :) Alec is turning into a young man whether we are ready or not and I continue to say I have no idea where the time has gone. Alec was such a beautiful baby in so many ways and now he's a very talented, smart, good looking teenager.

Ray and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary---HOLY COW! With our family and crazy- busy day to day "stuff" I know that Ray would give his right leg to just have 18 minutes as a couple alone at this point. I look back at where we were and where we are now and I am amazed at how much we have accomplished together. I think we both can honestly say we have had or ups and downs like every couple but we wouldn't change a thing. We "work" together and it seems as those that is something hard to find these days. Here's to another 18 years because who would ever want to start over again at this point---hee hee

So, the reunion of sorts. We had a fabulous time seeing everyone. The kids literally played together from sun up till sun down. It was amazing to see how much the babies have changed and grown since Christmas. It was great to see Cody and Chelsea have settled in to married life and Will is now Dr. Winterholler with a successful new office and new house on the way. Erika and Aaron still amaze us all as they remain "cool" under the pressure of two busy boys and living so far from home. Justin and Melissa blessed us all with some great produce from the Hodges Whole Foods market aka/their garden. Her belly continues to grow and we are anxiously awaiting th arrival of....well....thats yet to be determined (the name) Mom and Dad entertained us, fed us, blessed us and sent us on our way again hoping we would be back soon to cause more Winterholler memories and madness.

The 10 days with family was a great pick me up! Back to Maple Valley we go with the last week of summer looming....

There she goes...

There Miss Livvy goes.....having another birthday and turning more and more into a young lady. This blogging has been good for me in the sense that it causes a parent to reflect a little on the concept of time--- and how there really never is enough of it. I am realizing that my first little brown-eyed curly-haired baby is now a sassy, intelligent, warm hearted young woman. Olivia came to us by pure divine intervention and we know that our lives would not be the same without her in it. She is the "calm in between the storm" (two brothers). I tell her often that she is my "rock". At times I know I take her good nature for granted because I know I can count on her to help whenever I ask and many times she figures out how to help on her own. She is the twinke in her daddy's eye and the most intelligent person I know. Of course I am bias but those who know her love her...what a lucky day August 9, 1998 was for the Ringhiser family. Happy Birthday Olivia Jean Ringhiser!

Take me out to the ball game....

Well I guess there are a few advantages to living near a big city. Carson was able to experience his first REAL baseball game tonight. Ray says he was truly mesmerized and "in his element". Tonight was season ticket holder appreciation night and fans were invited early to watch batting practice for both teams and get a closer look at the field. We were sure Carson would poop out and want to come home early after 5 hours of baseball BUT no way----he was in baseball bliss. They had a great boys night out and a time to remember.

Happy Birthday and Sisters

Well hopefully my sister won't kill me for posting this picture but so many of mine are on a computer in storage so...I was left to the what is saved on the laptop. It actually reminds me of so many times when my sisters and I have just let loose and goofed around a little. I have such fond memories of force feeding Melissa pickles, making her be the ugly sister when playing Barbara Mandrell and the Madrell sisters, making her put my shoes by the door so my parents would "think" I was home by curfew. Ah, now that is love. It's amazing how at some point you grow up and start to have more and more in common and the "annoying" little sisters become two of your closest friends. Happy Birthday Melissa! Love you.

Now this is summer...

Well I finally feel like we had a little bit of summer last week. Meaning that we did a few fun things as a family and had a little adventure in Albany. Ray took the kids to the aquatic center and we went to the Seattle Zoo. The kids enjoyed the gorillas (the mommy had a baby who we were all smitten with). A few other favorites were the lions, flamingos and elephants. It was fun to see Addy experience it all for the first time and then compare that to Alec who is way "too cool" (as you can see from the hilarious sunglasses) for the zoo. I sincerely apologize to my parents for my teenage years as Ray and I enter this new stage. It seems like just yesterday when I too thought my parents knew ABSOLUTELY nothing and that I could outwit them at every turn. I am trying to be mindful of what it was like and not judge him too harshly but HOLY COW, sometimes its tough. As taxing as it may be its fun to see him growing up and trying to figure out who the heck he is---I think we may need to buckle in, hold on tight, and try to enjoy the crazy ride. :) On Sunday afternoon we headed back to our old stomping grounds for a quick visit with friends in Albany. The kids were really good on the drive and they genuinely had a great time for a few days. It was good to see them happy and "at home" with a few familiar faces. Nothing breaks my heart more than to hear Carson talk about his birthday (8 months away) and how he has one friend whom he will invite. I know he will make tons of friends between now and then but it still makes me stop and think how upside down there world really is. Even Livvy, my rock, jokingly asks for a friend for her birthday in a few weeks. I told her, for once I think we are all in the same boat as far as that goes. Thanks to the Morse's who hosted us for our mini-vacation. The kids loved their trip to the lake where Alec got a lesson on driving the boat and Livvy took a crazy ride on the biscuit. Carson loved his time jumping off the dock and collecting feathers. For anyone who is up this way, please let us know, we would love some company. Ray is still plugging along at Amazon and I think we recognize now more than ever that this is the experience and job he needed. Knowing that helps while we continue to transition. Life is good, well there's hope anyway. :)

A big beautiful hole......

A hole only a family could love. :) They are underway on our house. We signed on the dotted line a few short weeks ago and we are now headed into the fun yet overwhelming stage of starting from scratch. Here is a picture of our lot.......Lot 15. We were pleasantly surprised a few days ago when we drove by (for the umteenth time) to see that the bulldozer had started moving the dirt around in anticipation of our permits coming through. Yesterday after only 5 days with the city of Maple Valley our permit was dropped off and WHAH LA full steam ahead. (if only some of you knew how true that statement will be) HA HA! I guess someone loves me afterall considering we were told it would be a least 4 weeks before the permits would be ready. It's fun to have something to focus on other than our new surroundings. Building may be just what the doctor ordered. In the meantime, things are looking up for the week. The weather has cooled off a little and I am a little less miserable. Amazing what a few degrees can do to your mood. We are headed back to the mothership (Albany) this weekend for a few days with friends. The kids are counting down the days and looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces.

On a side note...

Addy is walking. She is so proud of herself and knows she has achieved "something" as we clap and cheer her on. She is doing the hilarious Frankenstein walk where her legs are straight and she literally sways from side to side, arms out for balance. She decided to do this last weekend in the 24 hours I was gone to see the American Idol concert. LITTLE STINKER. Still so fun to see another item on the list acheived. Pretty soon she will be off and running. Makes me a little sad as I'm sure all mama's must feel seeing their babies grow up. Ray and I are just enjoying her so much, another milestone acheived.

Home?????

Well....so this is it. Home. Hmmmm. Doesn't quite fit just yet. We have spent the week trying to unbury in this thing we call our rental. So many boxes. So many things still lost in the garage. We have ventured out a few times only to be turned around or headed to another city all together. Thank goodness for Carson's sense of direction as he guided me home the first night we were lost. Tons of trees here and easy to lose sight of the neighborhood we are staying in. The kids seem to be handling our new life better than me at the moment. They have been caught up in picking, and arranging "their" rooms and playing in the new "playroom". Oh and then there is the hot tub which is the "cool" tub at the moment. Meaning the temperature is set low like a pool and they are spending many a days sloshing around playing Marco Polo. I have spent a lot of my time here complaining. It has been hot and there is no air conditioning in this blasted place. BIG MISTAKE, HUGE! :) Well say a prayer for me. As of today I hate it here but am trying to keep that to myself and hope for the best.......Still searching for a good diet pepsi, my landline phone, our silverware and a desire to stay instead of run..........