My baby's off to school!

Kali Faith is off to school! She was sooo excited!! Last night as I was getting her ready for bed I told her that she had school tomorrow...she squealed with delight! I said to her, "Mom's going to take you to school, but I can't stay." She replied, "That's OK mom, you can drop me off and then you can go home!" I think she's ready!! I didn't expect any tears...but as she was hanging up her backpack and taking off her coat I started to think about how big she's getting and how I was never able to do this with Abbey and of course started to get choked up. I think Kali's big sis would be so proud of her...they are definitely two little peas in a pod, Abbey had thought she needed to go to school at the age of 2!! Well I guess I better stop procrastinating and start cleaning my house while I have a little alone time!!

...and their off!!

Hard to believe it (I know I say it every year) the boys are back in school! They were not looking forward to it until we stop by school yesterday and met teachers and saw a ton of their friends...after that, it didn't seem so bad. Kali's official first day isn't until Thursday...I will post more then!

Daddy's Girl!

We have been very blessed with an Uncle and Aunt that live on a wonderful ranch. We love to go out and spend time with them. Kali has recently discovered that they have several 'tractors'. She is like her grandpa 'Buddy' and her dad and loves to ride on the 'tractors'...or in this case the gator. She has to 'do it myself', hence dad in the passenger seat!! They had a great time touring the ranch, feeding the longhorns, and getting fire wood!! Thanks to Guela we got it on on camera! Here is Kali's adventures with daddy...she is quickly becoming...Daddy's Girl!!All set!
Notice the white purse, tucked in the little drink holder!

Off they go!
A little snuggle time after a hard day on the ranch!!

Demolition Derby 2008!

Derby Day at the Fair...I know LP, we are rednecks...but we love it!! The crew did great this year. We had 6 of our 8 guys in the main event and ended up 2nd, 3rd, 5th and Shane took 7th his 2nd year in a row. This year was a bit more relaxing...Shane took 3rd in his heat and made the main without any damage to his car, so getting ready was a matter of filling the car up with gas. The other boys didn't fair so well and it took all afternoon to get them back up and running. The other highlight was that Ben, (who builds all of Shane's car's) ended up winning the truck derby. He started his truck on Thursday and had it ready to go by Monday!! Great job and a great year...now on to the Derby Crew BBQ this Friday night...

Kali Faith....your next American Idol!!

Make sure you have the sound turned way up!!
Kali Faith...my little performer!! Kali loves to sing...here she is playing cousin Emily's guitar and singing her favorite princess song, 'Part of your world' from the Little Mermaid. It was just too cute...I had to share it! I hope you love it as much as I do, and that it puts a smile on your face!!

Shane's a Star!

The NW Washington Fair is right around the corner and this year the local TV station decided to do a piece on some of the up coming attractions....of course at the VanDalen household the best attraction is the Demolition Derby starring our one and only #35 Shane!! The TV crew came out to the Derby Shop and interviewed Shane and the boys, check it out...it's pretty neat!

Champs!!

Well, I know that my boys would be upset if I didn't blog about their very first championship! They played in the End of Summer Baseball Tournament this past weekend. It was a group of boys that have never played together before. They bonded quickly and ended up winning the whole thing! Jake played 1st base for the first time and did great and Taiji felt at home at 2nd base! We had a lot of fun! I think that they had a little angel helping them along..but that's just me!

The Many Faces of Abbey Mae

Today marks 5 years since Abbey went home to Jesus. She was an amazing little girl with so much personality and love for life. I wanted to give you a little slide show of all the faces that made us love her so much! Abbey's legacy has been kept alive by all of you that loved her and have helped with the service projects in her name. Thank you! She left us to soon...but she is waiting patiently for us to experience and enjoy what she has for 5years!

Abbey Mae we will always love you

and miss you forever!!

As we remember Abbey please keep the Egger Family in your thoughts and prayers. They lost their little girl Peyton Joy. She was 3 years old and like Abbey found her way into the pool! Lift them up in prayer as they find their way through this very difficult time...trying to find their new normal! Thank you!

Boys day...plus mom!

We try to at least once a year head down to Seattle to catch a Mariners game. We aren't fair weather fans...however we do like to see some good teams play so we usually get tickets to the Boston Red Sox or The NY Yankee's! This time is was the Mariners vs. the Red Sox. The game actually proved to be pretty exciting...but the Red Sox ended up winning in 12 innings! Hernandez is one of the boys favorite Mariners...and he pitched a great game!
My boys plus my adopted son from down the street, Scooter!
I don't think Jake has a future in photography...or maybe it's I don't have a future in modeling!
Safeco is a great stadium...sad part is I think there were more Red Sox fans there than Mariners!
I do have a tendency to take after my dad in this department...I love to keep the book!
A little extra action took place during the game...a fan jumped out on to the field and led the over weight security people on a little chase...he almost made it across then was tackled in right field.
The boys were very curious as to what was going to happen to him...so I told them he would be arrested and spend a couple of days in jail with a stiff fine...just wanted to scare them a little in case any of them ever thought that would be funny thing to do!!
All in All it was a great little adventure with the boys!

Razz Fest 3on3 Tournament!

This last weekend was the Razz Festival here in Lynden, and with that always brings the Razz 3on3 basketball tournament. All 3 boys were able to play this year. We started on Friday night with one game and Saturday brought 9 more games. The boys did great and we had a ton of fun. The 10's ended up 3rd and Truman's team 5th. They played with their best friends and kept a very positive attitude throughout! Jake and Taiji were the Big Dawgs and Truman the LC Ballers. I didn't get any pictures of Truman (sorry Trum) but here are a few of Jake and Taiji! Setting up the offense!
Jake Taiji and Jordan getting ready for a little D!
Taiji cutting to the hoop for a back door lay in!!

Nothing better...

Sometimes there is nothing better than sharing a couch and a good cartoon with your big brother!

Corn on the cob girls!

I always love it when I take a picture of Kali and remember taking the same picture of Abbey. They are pretty close to the same age in these pictures. I wonder what it would be like for Kali to have her older sister here with her, Abbey would have been an awesome big sis! Although they don't look a like, they do have very similar personalities! It has been such a blessing watching Kali grow, and I know Abbey is smiling down on her and admiring the sassy little stuff that Kali has inherited from her....oh yeah and me I guess!

State 10u - Moses Lake

Jake and Taiji were very fortunate to make the Lynden All-Star team again this year. We joined 12 other families on a road trip to Moses Lake WA. We stayed at a great hotel over looking the Lake and were less then a half a mile from the ball fields. Taiji started at 2nd base this year and Jake was the starting right fielder. They each had a great tournament...racking up several hits and a couple of diving catches respectively. They won each of the games in pool play and the first game in tournament play...unfortunately the bats went silent in the last game and we lost to the eventual champs. Truman was the kid magnet and Kali did great! We were able to get some swimming in at a water park, enjoyed the sunsets and fireworks on the lake, and just had fun getting to know all the parents. Next year the boys move up to the next age group...we are excited that they are part of such a neat group of kids!!

Birch Bay Beach Bums!

Yet another day with no baseball...not that I'm complaining...it's just a little weird! We went to early church and met up with Shane's Brother's family and decided that an impromptu trip to Birch bay was in order. The weather was great the tide was out and the kids had a blast running around....that was of course until Kali was on the receiving end of a flying clam shell that landed right in between her eyes...she was super tough and we decided no stitches were necessary. She needed to snuggle for exactly 4 minutes and then was back in action. The tide quickly made it's way in and as it did the kids (and blake) thought they would roll and log in and go floating...it was funny because they looked like they were on survivor seeking good fishing grounds! It is always fun to hang out with the 'other' VanDalens and hope there are more adventures in the future!

Skagit Speed Way Adventure

Saturday was an odd day for us...we didn't' have baseball...we didn't know what to do with ourselves! We did manage to set up the pool for Kali, clean out the garage and then for a fun little adventure we headed to the Skagit Speed Way. Of course not my first choice, but the boy's were excited and the weather was perfect. Kali of course had to make 4 trips to the bathroom...but we were surrounded by fun loving rednecks so we fit right in!! Mommy's girl!
The Boyz!
Like father like daughter!

Happy Belated Birthday Truman!!

With the help of our neighbors, we were able to pull off a fun little surprise party for Truman. He was part of the planning for an end of the school year party...the part he didn't know was that it was actually a party for HIM!! Everyone kept the secret and the look on his face was priceless! Truman continues to be a teen age mystery to me....I know I'm not the only one to feel that way. There are so many sides to him, sweet and endearing, annoying and loud, bossy and mean...but the one thing I am sure of is that he is constantly trying to make good choices and is really learning about the consequences of his choices both good and bad!! We love you Truman! Hope you had a great Birthday! I think all his friends thought it was awesome that they knew something he didn't!
The yummy ice cream cake!
The party goers...as you can see this was a boy/girl party...Something that is new and and little scary. This class really seems to get along well...I look forward to seeing all these kids grow...praying throughout that they continue to seek God and make good choices!
Of course no birthday is complete without a birthday breakfast and presents. I'm really glad we got the party in early, because Trum's birthday fell on Father's Day and a weekend long tournament.
After the game on Sunday we thought we would squeeze in a little bowling...of course the lighting wasn't great in there...this is the best picture of the bunch...pretty cute though!

Lynden Relay Rocks!

Six years in the making...it was worth the wait!

Those of you that know me...know that I take my tattoo's very seriously. I waited until I was 23 to get my first one- a cute little cross....then waited six year's to get my second one- Jake and Abbey stick figures...and now six year's later I have finished my quest with a third tattoo- The name's of each of my kids. Each tattoo has special meaning and I think that's why each one took so long to get. My Friend Karen celebrated her birthday yesterday and she also had be wanting to get a tattoo for a while...so along with our pal Lisa, we all took the plunge! Karen was first and was so brave...George Michael helped to ease her pain! Lisa went next and of course being the talented artist that she is, she came up with a beautiful drawing with tons of color...so hers took a while...a long while...just kidding Lis!! Then it was my turn...our guy Chris was great, but he make it abundantly clear that Lisa's was his favorite and enjoyed doing hers and that Karen's and mine were well...boring!! Not to us!! No regrets we had a great time! Thanks girls!!