And I'm proud to be an American...

...where at least I know I'm free...to make fun of our President?! Here are a few Bushisms for ya.

The Stupidest Things President George W. Bush Has Ever Said

10) "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." —LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000

9) "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." —Greater Nashua, N.H., Jan. 27, 2000

8) "I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft." —second presidential debate, St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 8, 2004

7) "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." —Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000

6) "You work three jobs? … Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." —to a divorced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005

5) "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." —Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

4) "They misunderestimated me." —Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2003

3) "Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" —Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2002

2) "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

1) "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

It's like what Steve Martin once said in one of his acts: "Some people have a way with words. Other people not have way."

Happy Father's Day

Josh with Joanna

Josh with Jaclyn

Every girl makes a mental checklist when they date a guy. We all did it, right?! There were certain criteria that he had to possess and measure up to, otherwise, there's the door buddy. Does he treat me like a queen? Is he a worthy priesthood holder? Does he put the toilet seat down after use? You know, the important stuff. ;-D

But honestly, somewhere in the process of dating Josh I guess it slipped my mind to make sure that he was good with kids and would be a good father to my children. Mmm, I guess at the time I was too twitterpated and over the moon in love to care!!

I sure lucked out because Josh has proven to be THE MOST WONDERFUL father to our little girls. He is so involved with everything from the diapering and bathing to the giving of horsey rides and building towers out of blocks. He is so patient and tender with them and is pretty darn discerning to their needs. Oftentimes he knows what a cry means before I do. (you know, hungry cry vs. a tired cry)

And I LOVE that he shares this thing called parenthood 50/50 with me. Whenever I'm gone at class, at the store, etc. I never have to worry about the girls being well-taken care of. He makes sure they're well-fed, diapered, and entertained. (Even if that sometimes means popping in a movie!!) He understands that the dad is not just a "babysitter" while mom is out. ('cause man that burns me when I hear women say that their husbands are home "babysitting the kids"!!) He cleans up messes after meals and reads bedtime stories. I mean, really. The guy is such a great dad and I couldn't ask for a better guy to be the father to our children.

Josh, I love you and I am very grateful for all that you do to make our home a safe and comfortable place to raise our family. You set a great example for our daughters of how a father ought to be, and I hope that they can marry a man like you some day. Happy Father's Day to you and all the other dads too!!

Graduation weekend

Here he is!! Our CWU graduate being forced against his will to walk at Central's graduation ceremony last Saturday. His family and I pretty much revoked his agency on this matter and made him. ;-) Josh graduated with a BS in Accounting, in case you're wondering. I like to tease him that he also got a minor in Professional Video Gaming. hehehehehe.

After four years of college life it still does not seem real that he's DONE. All done. (Well, except for a Master's some day, then we'll start the whole process all over again!)
After all, virtually our entire married life has involved school, so it just feels like part of who we are as a couple. Two married people. Broke. Apartment dwellers. Broke. Late night studiers. Broke. Juggling classes and kids. Broke. Mac 'n cheese eaters. Broke. You get the idea. But soon we'll be adults (again!) and he'll get a grownup job. He has applied for various positions at KVCH (the hospital in town) and hopes to get administrative experience there. His end goal is to be a hospital administrator. You know, some day when we're "grownups". ;-D

I am so pleased and proud with his accomplishment. Anymore, not many people can actually complete a four-year degree in FOUR years. We work our way through college, take breaks to "figure out what we want to do", etc. But he did it. He even took summer classes each year to finish on time. So I gotta commend my man on a job well done!!!!

This pic was taken at the ceremony just before he walked onto the stage to receive his diploma. Notice the graduate two behind him bracing her cap on her head and the millions of clothes pins that band members used to hold their music to the stands. Last Saturday was your typical windy, but otherwise sunny and beautiful day in Ellensburg. Wind gusts reached 40 mph that day. Ug. I swear. The longer I live here the more sick of the hurricane, err, I mean the wind, I get!

Josh and Joanna walking home together after the morning ceremony.

It's funny to think that when Josh started college in 2004, these little girls had not yet joined our family. Now it's 2008. One college degree and two (and almost 3!) children later...my how things change!!

Josh's family and some of mine came to dogtown to help us celebrate. His sister Megan, her husband, Jesse, and their three adorable boys stayed with us. Here is a picture of Megan reading a bedtime story to three of the five kiddos on Friday night. The kids had so much fun playing together all weekend.
Altogether we had 13 adults and 5 children crammed in our teenie apartment throughout the course of the weekend. But it was loads of fun!

Beating the SPRING Heat

So is it just me or has it gone straight from winter to summer?! What in the heck happened to this lovely little season we call spring??? Not that I'm complaining or anything. This weekend was SO beautiful; warm weather, no Ellensburg wind. It was a perfect time to take the kids out of this house and go have some fun! We went to the park and played and hung out with some neighbors. They have two little boys about the same ages as the girls. They drew with sidewalk chalk, blew bubbles, chased each other around, and dug in the dirt. They got down and dirty! Let's just say that come bath time later we had a "pre-rinse" cycle before actually drawing the bath water. We came inside and cooled off with some push-ups. Yum yum! Sticky sticky! It's fun for me to watch them play hard and get so dirty. I can't even remember what it's like to not have a care in the world, but I'm sure it was nice. I wish I'd taken pictures of them playing.

Hair

Joanna and Jaclyn are funny girls because they both hate having their hair done. Every time I attempt to put Joanna’s long hair up in pigtails, a ponytail, etc., she just rips it right out. Same goes with Jaclyn. So we’re lucky if hair even gets brushed before heading out the door. But the other day Jaclyn actually let me put her hair in these little pigtails that, I think, look more like antenna or teletubby horns, you take your pick.

As for Joanna, her hair was getting SO long. It was always getting in her face and in her food, and so since she never let me do anything with it, I took her to get it cut yesterday. She did so well. I was impressed. She sat in the chair all by herself and held still while the lady cut her hair. I think she looks so adorable with this new “do”.

Joanna before the haircut













Joanna striking a pose

Blowing me a kiss?