The Big Top

We went to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus tonight. It was great. Ansen was thrilled with all the elephants. Braley loved the horses and doggies. Jayden couldn't get enough of all the physical acts (especially the rotating rings) We had a great evening and were happy to spend it with our friends the Reynolds. If you have the chance definitely see the great show "Bellobration!" --Bello is the main clown who is amazing! Going tonight just reaffirmed to me that yes, my house is often like a three ring circus. Ring One: There is always something daredevil-ish going on. ER visits are frequent at our house. Ring Two: There is always something amazing going on. Someone is learning to read, riding a bike, scooter or other mode of transportation for the first time, or speaking in complete sentences eloquently. Ring Three: There is always something great but familiar is going on. Our routine might be mundane at times but it's comforting and reassuring. And one thing is always for certain...I am completely surrounded by clowns.

Climbing The Ladder Of Success

**For those of you who have been looking for answers to: "Where In The World Are The Widing's Moving?"... read closely here are all your answers. Sorry, it's long but it is for our personal journaling purposes**

Three years ago this month Jason took a job with Lincoln Heritage Funeral Planning. He was hired as a Relationship Specialist, then transitioned into the company Recruiter for internal and field positions. Next he became the Business Development Manager and Executive Recruiter. Jason has followed the time-line he set up for himself when he joined the company and has met every benchmark with an exactness. Next step up on the corporate ladder was to become a Regional Consultant (RC). We expected the RC job to become available to him in the winter of 2009 but last January Jason's boss sat him down and asked if he could be ready for this position a year early, in January of 2008. Well of course he could be ready! Craig, his boss, told Jason to talk to me and decide where we wanted to move and no, Hawaii was not an option. After some thought, prayer, and heavy discussion we felt really great about moving to Georgia. So we started looking for towns to move to, homes to buy, schools with great ratings, and wards to attend. Everything was falling into place. Then uncertainty crept in and something said "Ask again to see if this is right."

Again we took our decision to the Lord and asked. We asked for those around us to please think of us and pray for us in help in making our decision. The day that we set aside to fast and pray came and throughout the day we felt much inspiration on where we were to go but it wasn't until we started talking to family and friends that our answer was made sure. In our prayer we asked for someone to say the name of the state that we should move to. (We had quite a few places on the table at day) At the end of our fast we called family and friends to thank them and see if they had any impressions. My last call was made to my brother who is inactive but who I felt very strongly about asking to participate in the fast and prayer. I don't know if he fasted, probably not, but he had our answer. "Anders, what so you think?" I said. "It's random and makes no sense. Just go where you will be happy" he said. "Anders, really I want to hear what you think." "For some reason" he said "I think you should look into Minnesota". That's it game over. Payer answered. By the end of the day we felt really strongly about Minnesota and without mentioning that to anyone Anders too had the same impression. See, even when you aren't in the pews every Sunday, the Spirit creeps in. I am and will be grateful to Anders and Nicki (his girlfriend) forever for taking the time to think about us and considering our future.

So off to Minnesota! It's going to be cold but the snow could be really fun. The kids will love it. It will be a quick 2 hour plane ride to Massachusetts too. Perfect. Jason tells Craig about our change in location and he is pleased. He asks Jason if he'd like to take a dry run of the RC job here in Oregon and just see what happens. The thought was he could get fantastic training in his own backyard. Wonderful. Jason jumped at the chance to learn and get prepared so he started calling on firms and creating a network. Welllllll, this was much more fruitful than his company expected and all of the sudden they had a need for an RC to represent Oregon and Northern California. Jason began looking for a suitable candidate, after all he is still the company Executive Recruiter. Then Craig blindsided us. "Why don't you stay here in Oregon and RC here." Wham! Round three of prayer and fasting. Answer: "You can stay or you can go. You will be fine is either place. You have been willing to go across the country without question, this decision is yours." I hate those kind of answers. I wanted a big flashing sign saying "GO!" but no I get this. So to make a long story not quite as long we are staying. I was really excited to be closer to my family and am still struggeling with being so far away but it will be okay. It's the hard thing because we like moving, we like meeting new people, and new places to discover, but it is the right thing.

Starting Tuesday Jason will join the ranks as the youngest ( & most handsome) RC at Lincoln Heritage for Oregon and Northern California (officially) and he will have taken another step up on the corporate ladder (almost 18 months earlier than planned).
We are house hunting and enjoying that. Most of all we are grateful to have a career Jason loves and for answers to prayers.
So there you have it. We have gone through an emotional roller coaster all to stay in the same place. So for now Oregon is officially home. Next promotion is about 4-5 years off. Perhaps we should start praying now to make sure we have the right answer about where to move by then!

Toothless Tuesday

Ladies and Gentlemen today was HUGE for the Widing ladies. Why? Well, because they both lost a tooth! Not only did Jayden loose a canine tooth that we have been waiting on for what seems like forever but Braley lost her very first tooth. She, as you can imagine, is over the moon with excitement and has already forgotten the fact that I, her caring mother, sat on her to pull it out " sort-of " against her will. (I had to, it was just hanging there and not only did I want to pull it but needed to come out....at least that's my story and I am sticking to it)
Braley is now grateful for that fateful day-around a month ago- when her little mouth hit the forehead of the neighbor boy and her tooth was knocked loose earlier than her mouth planned. I am thankful she had a nice healthy tooth to pull. Most children with her stomach problem need to have their teeth capped or pulled because of the damage the constant uncontrollable throwing up causes. Jayden was kind enough to inform Braley: "When you have healthy teeth for the Tooth Fairy you get more money than if your teeth are rotten, and you get a cool new toothbrush too!" Looks like our Tooth Fairy has a date with Target.
Jayden pulled her own tooth today. She was so proud of herself and came running outside to show me what she had done. In the excitement of the moment she forgot to clean out her mouth and therefore looked like someone had hit her in the mouth with a golf club. She was so proud! I'm still waiting for one of the neighbors to call CPS (Child Protective Service for all you fit parents out there) and report that I am a abusive mother. I swear, I had nothing to do with all the blood.
So all in all, we have had a exciting day. I love my two toothless cuties!

Oregon State Fair

We hit the Oregon State Fair on Saturday and had a blast. The food was over-priced but so delicious. The animals were stinky yet educational and entertaining. The stage shows were seriously lacking in talent but our kids loved them. Everything a fair should be. It was well worth the "kids get in free" coupon that we got with our cable bill. We also really liked BBQ and the ice cream that was way too much to eat yet there were no leftovers. Imagine that. Overall the Oregon State Fair get an A+ for fun family entertainment. Can't wait until next year!

Dinner is served

Jason explaining the wonders of 4-H to Braley. She didn't find it so wonderful.

Another thing Braley (and Ansen) didn't find so wonderful: Smokey the Bear. She was scared to death of this friendly fire preventing bear. She was screaming and crying and clinging to me for dear life. As a mother I kind of felt bad about getting so close but on the other hand now, when she starts getting sassy, all we have to do is tell her that Smokey is coming to dinner. Problem solved.

Jayden on the other hand is tight with Smokey. That just set Brays over the edge that Jayden would actually HUG him. Way to be brave Jayden and thank you for showing your sister how not to be a complete nut case around Smokey!

The kids and daddy hanging out with the livestock.

On Top Of Spaghetti

Don't you just love a campfire? We do. Here are just a few pictures of our campfire on Friday
with our friends the Kurns and the Mercados. We made S'mores, sang camp songs, and some not so campy songs. For instance: who knew that Jason and Lorelei could sing the entire theme song from Gilligan's Island? Not me! I must say, they were pretty good too. The kids favorite was the classic "On Top Of Spaghetti" and, of course, we couldn't sing without dear old Hannah Montana making a special appearance. We even had a scary story about 300 foot upside down aliens trying to burry three friends, Moe, Joe and Bill in a hole. We each took a turn saying one phrase of the story. Let me tell you, with 10 kids the story got interesting quickly. Summer evenings and a campfires are great....especially with great friends.

Boys vs. Girls

Ansen, Nathan, Jalen, Braley, Lisa, Jayden, Jessica and Rachel

Keeping toasty--

Rachel, Ansen, Nathan, and Jalen

Sitting around talking story--

Starting with Michelle in the red coat, Jessica, Nathan, Jayden, Lisa, Jalen, Ansen, Scot (holding Sarah), Lorelei, Devin, Dave, Braley, Me (holding Rachel). Jason took the picture from the Widing Buzzard's Perch.

Party Like A 5 Year Old

Braley had her birthday party on Thursday with all of her friends (23 kids plus 8 moms= me being glad I decided that we have the party somewhere other than my house). We went to the local cascading water fountain and the kids just ran, swam and played for a straight 2 hours. Braley gave me specific instructions that I was not to have any party games, because according to her "Mom, the kids are going to play and the moms are gong to talk. You just tell me when its time for cake!" Wow-that made my job easy. So the kids played and the moms talked. It was great. So her friends party went great and her room now looks like Polly Pocket and Littlest Pet Shop exploded in there.

On Friday we went out to Molalla to Jason's parents house and met up with our friends the Mercados and Kurns to have a bbq for Braleys 5th birthday...this was the party that daddy could attend so it was a big deal. So we fished, jumped on the trampoline and ate, ate and ate. For this party Braley chose a Cheesecake to celebrate with. One word: Yummy! We had a great time and we loved hanging out around the campfire with our friends!

Once Upon A Time...There Was Braley

Once upon a time, 5 years ago today, a new little Princess was born. Her mother, the Queen and her father, the King knew from the second she was born they were in for trouble by the sound coming from the little 8 pounder. Not only did Princess Braley have a loud voice and colic but she was graced with a large hemangeoma on her head and a stomach disorder. Despite these little detours along her life's road she has grown to be a strong, still loud but sweet child---with a whole lot of sass.

Princess Braley is know quite well for her humor and caring. She is very protective of her little brother Prince Ansen and loves spending time with her big sister Princess Jayden. Princess Brays loves everything girl...pink, Polly pockets, and ponies. It's really not a shock to any of her servants that her closet is flooded with pink and purple and when pretending she is always Barbie or Strawberry Shortcake.

So join us in wishing Princess Braley of the kingdom of Widing a Happy 5th Birthday! We love you Little Miss!

Bed Bugs

The Widing Bed Bugs have taken to having a "sleep over" in the ladies room each night. They are having so much fun and they are all sleeping really well (quite a rarity). I quite enjoy not having to make beds each morning and they enjoy being surrounded by their sleeping bags, blankets and pillows. The best part is that daddy lays down and snuggles with them after prayers each night. Nighty night--don't worry, these bed bugs don't bite.

Dog Days Of Summer

Have you met our dog Barney? He's a cutie, isn't he? He is ALSO a huge bump on a log. He really doesn't do anything at all. Fetch? Nope. Sit? His legs are 6 inches long, he's pretty much sitting all the time. Roll Over? Nada. He's pretty stationary which is fine by me. It means no chasing after him or wondering where he has gone. He is always in one of two places: 1-in his dog house in the living room or 2-under my bed snoring loudly. I have never thought of Barn as being athletic but boy was I barking up the wrong tree. I have just discovered that if you turn on the sprinkler and set the Barn-Man loose he will run, jump, yelp, dig at, run over, and try and catch all the water possible. Our little "fat, fat water rat" (its his pet name) really does like the water! And after an hour of hogging the sprinkler and not letting any of the kids play he heads in for his daily 6 hour nap. Oh, to be a wiener dog.

Barney

Attack!

Look at the excitement on his little face...
Ahhh, he's smiling!

Permission To Come Aboard!

We had the fun opportunity to take a dinner cruise on the Sternwheeler Rose a few nights ago. We had so much fun! The weather was perfectly sunny. The food was perfectly yummy and the kids were perfectly happy to be out on the not so perfectly chilly water. Jason and the kids were made sea hands and spent quite a while enjoying the company of Captian Paul . He brought them up and taught them all about Captaining a vessel such as his. The kiddos loved it and I think Jason loved it more! The Sternwheeler Rose is actually the boat that Jason had his Senior Prom on. Ahhh, the memories. We love all the neat things there are to do here in Portland, especially during the summer!

Our Busy Weekend

We at the Widing Houlsehold usually live for the weekends but this last weekend made me so thankful for Monday. Here is a brief recap of what went on:
Saturday-
8 a.m. Rise and Shine
9 a.m. Pick up babysitter
9:30 a.m. Arrive at Temple
10 a.m. Attend sealing of my cousin Mallory
11 a.m. Hightail it home, swing by the ATM, take babysitter home, get kids dressed, pottied, and hair combed
11:30 a.m. Leave for Graduation Party of Jason's cousin Cecily (Cousin on his mom's side)
12 p.m. Arrive at party
12-3 p.m. Eat too much, talk to family, watch Hillsboro Air Show from the Roof of Cecily's home
3 p.m. Watch the BLUE ANGELS fly RIGHT over our heads at incredably fast speeds, low alttitude, with lots of loud noise
3:30 p.m. Leave graduation party and head off to Widing Family Reunion
4:00 p.m. Arrive at the Reunion
4-6:30 p.m. Eat too much, visit with family, let the kiddos take a dip in the kiddie poool
6:30 leave for home to get ready for next event
7:00 p.m. Get home, get dressed up, get BACK in the car and head to the Wedding Reception
7:20 p.m. Arrive at Wedding Reception
7:30-9:10 p.m. Eat too much, visit with family, dance, dance some more, and enjoy a warm evening9:10 p.m. Leave for home and go to bed

Sunday-
9 a.m. Ward Conference
1 p.m. Head out to Grandmas and Grandpas
3 p.m. Family Dinner at the in-laws
9 p.m. Head home after a day outside
9:30 p.m. Go to bed.

***The kids did so well with all that was going on but on monday we had some serious attitude problemos....I am making an executive decision...we will not be that busy in two days for a looonnnggg time! So, how was you weekend?***

Bathing Beauties

So a friend of mine sent me to the www.wholesomewear.com site today. I just don't know how I bagged myself a husband without this fancy swimwear. This is especially for all you Seasiders out there! Those tan lines must be sweet. I personally like the slimming swimwear look. How about you? It truly is swimwear that that "highlights the face, rather than the body" (read the introduction) Enjoy..I gotta go throw away all my sinner bathing suits.

Opa The Great

My Opa died yesterday. While it was certainly expected, I still can not keep my eyes dry today. I love him and I will miss him. Opa John, as we call him, was one smart cookie and had such a love of learning. Some of my earliest memories of him are of he and Oma sitting at the kitchen table doing their daily crossword puzzle out of the morning paper. Opa could give you directions to anywhere and he would give you 4 alternate routs just in case you wanted to go the scenic route. The man always wore a pocket pencil protector. Even when he was playing tennis, which he did quite often,...he always had a writing utencil handy....just in case he needed to equate something. He epitomized the term "Geek Chic". He was missionary, a Sealer (he sealed Jason and I) and a Patriarch. He taught us to serve the Lord through his example. I am sad to have him gone from this life but I am grateful for all the lessons I learned from him during my life. Although I don't think I will carry on the pocket pencil protector tradition....I'll leave that to all my boy cousins.