finished website

http://www.grudd.net/BrgMainSite/Index.htm

big belly

It's a BRAIN!!!

another quick dean family update

Anyone interested in attending a princess party- Emma will be celebrating her 4^th birthday on Saturday.  The party will begin at 11 am.  All family members and friends are invited.  We have a lot of birthdays in our family this month and the next. 

Gabe is back into wrestling- yes he fell out of it- at least in mind/spirit for a few weeks after some losses- but he seems to be enjoying it again.

Nicholas is playing indoor soccer every Saturday- so if you are in the area just let me know and I can give you the time for his game- the indoor arena is off of 162^nd .

Kalena is starting to try out new words every day- today it was “doughnut”…that was a little hard for her.  She also pointed out the “cereal” in the grocery store to me this morning.

Emma is mommy’s little girl- she attends basketball practice and games with me whenever possible.  Today she will be meeting me at 2:30 – to help me with practice.

Me- I’m resigning from coaching next year- I will be taking on the head of the department on my own next year (Susie is planning to take year off- with new baby on the way).  I’m also going to help with our new Science Olympiad club and competitions.  I will be helping with the design of a new curriculum for a math/science/tech magnet program- but probably not teaching within it until the following year….and that will take additional time and planning after school.  

Brian- Well I haven’t seen him much- but in passing during this basketball season- I think he’s my husband J Hopefully I will get to see him a little this afternoon- since practice is over at 5.  I had games 4 out of 5 days last week- one day I didn’t see him at all…that was really weird. 

Well we are in the midst of finals…so I need to get back to work.  Take care all….

Take two...

I don't know what you did but I am not seeing the Peru pictures. Try uploading them one more time.

peru

Maccu Piccu -



MaccuPiccu - 8,000 feet. This was 8:30 in the AM so the rest of the tourists hadn't arrived yet. It was really, really beautiful.






Cuzco - capital of the Inca's and 1200 feet in the Andes. Joanne and Bob on the far left. The largest stone blocks on the left are over 600 years old, reminants of the Inca Palaces. None of these are our photos since we don't own a camera. But we have found that others are often very proud of their own photos and we get copies. It was a fabulous trip.


There!! Pictures and everything. My sister really knows how to nag without seeming to.

Joanne

Over the Pass (from Mom/Janice)

Came down with a cold Friday. As I lay in bed at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning contemplating my state as an invalid, Traci called to let us know Christian was playing basketball in a tournament at Sisters both Saturday and Sunday.

I arose from my sick bed and we took off in time to catch his noon game. This is a club team and it was fun to see how they have improved from last year but are still all gangly little boys. (I hope Christian isn't reading this!)

After that we went on to Prineville and then to Kah-Ne-Tah for the evening. We lost money (of course) and they kept me out until 2:30 a.m. !! I forgot to tell them I don't do after midnight anymore. We slept in until 10, so not too bad.

I got back in time to spend a couple of hours at work catching up on some things. That will make this week go a little smoother (knock on wood), I hope.

Still no pictures from Peru?
Still no pictures from the womb?
Long time no hear from the Deans?
How's Stephanie's pregnancy doing? When's the due date again?
Is his giving Michele any ideas???
Grandma Sharp is coming up on a birthday - turning 69, I think.

xoxoxoxoxoxo
Mom/Janice

OK, time for new subjects....

Greyson and I attended the Skamania County Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner last night. I represented Normandeau, the company I work for and Greyson represented his company. It was great for Greyson because the first thirty businesses that signed up got a free display table. So he set up a display with a variety of his design work and had two laptops up displaying his website and the one he is currently creating for the local restaurant. A lot of people stopped by to look and were really impressed and took his business card. I had a coworker with me who dabbles in some web design and leaned over after looking at Greyson's work and whispered "your husbands really talented". I always think that but it is nice to hear from outside sources. It was held at the Skamania Lodge in the ballroom and the food and deserts were tasty. After dinner each company was given a chance to stand up and introduce themselves and tell everyone what their company does. So it was a fun night.

I am making Dutch babies this morning for breakfast. A friend made them for us last week and I thought they were delicious so I thought I would give them a try myself.

-Mel

How Warm Is 75 degrees F?

I think it is quite warm, especially compared to the 40 degree days we've been having.

I understand you - I just don't agree with you.

Sheesh!

Mom
XOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOX

OK, how about Las Vegas

So I heard that Vegas would be warm and have some nice pools, especially the Mandalay Bay Resort. The flights there are considerably cheaper so we could have some money for shows and dinner. The only problem I saw was that all the weekdays are booked in April. Is there any way to get a room other than on the weekend there? Can a travel agent sneak you in? I know Greyson would need some convincing since he has never been real keen on Vegas even though we were only there overnight and we had a good time. My other problem is that work is hellish in March and April. But I don't know if I should try to push the vacation to May or not.

What 'cha think? Any Vegas deals and steals that you know about? Again I am more interested in sun, pools and eating than gambling.

Everything else is good here. I am usually in bed by now (9pm) so I am getting really tired. If I don't get up there soon I won't get my 9 hrs of sleep I like.

Mel

Pregnancy

Mel and Greyson, If you don't already have the "What to expect when you're expecting or the What to expect the toddler years," we have them. They're like Dr.Spock of The new millenium. If you'd post with regularity, I wouldn't call so much. For instance, I was nauseas today, but I can see a definate bulging. That would suffice. Then two days later, Greyson could say, Oh we're thinking of Finn and Asa as names for boys and Payton and Lilly as girl names.

I have this training dog clicker and when the dog does well you give it food and simaltaneously click. You could click your infants when they self soothe, but if they fell asleep that might wake them up. And then later in life they might have phobias of shiny black shoes on cafeteria floors, snapping fingers, certain birds etc. so maybe that's not such a good idea. Stick to the books I mentioned.

Traci

Travel (by Janice/Mom, etc.)

The Peru trip sounds wonderful. Were there any scary parts -- failing electricity? I understand they advised you to bring your flashlights.

The locals probably just thought Bob was a little eccentric when the maid told stories of all the new toothbrushes in the trash. Or did he bring them home and boil them? I wonder if you can microwave a toothbrush?

There must be more stories to tell and a few pictures to post.

I hope Melanie is rethinking out of the country vacationing after Aunt Chris' message. I was thinking the same thing, but it has so much less impact when it comes form ones mother, let alone mother-in-law. How about Palm Springs? Or some resort in Arizona? Isn't there Lake something-or-other?? Lots of nice resorts where they will pamper you.


I understand Jennifer had a few days of snow vacation. I hope this doesn't mean they have to go to school until July. We had one early release day when everyone got to school before it started snowing like crazy. I called Dad and asked him to bring our 5 plastic sleds which he did. The kids had a great time sledding. There is actually a nice wide hill on the west side of the school.

Really enjoyed the books the Deans got me and Grandma for Christmas. The Glass Castle was especially good - I recommend it to everyone. The other one, The Memory Keepers Daughter, is good for everyone except Melanie. It would freak her out.

Had a good, but short, visit with the Porters last weekend when they braved the pass and drove over. Played some pinochle & watched the dogs play. Four dogs, that is. Katia, Charlie, Lucy and Molly. Lucy and Charlie had a rope tug-a-war, and it was pretty funny to see the 2 sisters at it. They are almost the same size now, except Charlie is still somewhat stout. Maybe there's something in the house insulation that causes people who live here to be obese. Molly looks like a dust mop.

I have been very bad at going to the gym the last couple of weeks. I'm vowing to turn over a new leaf tomorrow.

And what's up with y'all?

Back from Peru

Bob and I got back from Peru yesterday about noon. But we had been up since 5:00 am getting back - only night flights out of Lima. So we were very, very sleepy. I managed to stay up 'till about 8:30 and then slept 12 hours.

Peru was incredibly beautiful. It is among our top 3 favorites for trips. Except for Lima, which is at sea level, we were at 8,000 to 13,000 feet in the Andes. Lots of people in their native dress and incredibly well preserved Inca ruins. Our guide was named Edgar (and something else unpronounceable) traces his ancestory back to the Inca's so we got lots of history. We really enjoyed MaccuPiccu. The Spaniards missed it on their way through the country so it is pretty much still in tact All over the countryside people are still farming on the Inca terraced hill sides. If those Spanairds hadn't smashed everything up, all of it would still be there. The Inca were incredible engineers and builders. They even channeled the rivers so they could control flooding.

We were not affected by the altitude and didn't get the trots but others on the trip had very bad headaches the whole time we were in the Andes and there were a lot of bathroom breaks. Bob could not get used to brushing his teeth with bottled water and would ruin his toothbrush most mornings. We finally bought six and just threw then away as he would dunk them in the running water. So Bob bought toothbrushes and I bought an alpaca sweater and cape.

I am very much enjoying the blog but I got to tell you - there was a lot about throwing up during the last 10 days.

Hi to everyone - Joanne

Pick your pregnancy trip carefully

Hi Melanie,

I would be very cautious about being away from your physician's at 5 1/2 months with twins. A twin gestation is considered high risk and you should see what your OB-GYN says. I'm not sure they would recommend it. If I was still in practice, I wouldn't. And also as a seasoned cruiser I've seen the good, bad, and ugly of cruise medicine. They are very limited as to any kind of emergency care; but if you do decide to go, make sure your doctor tells you what kinds of meds are safe for sea sickness. Even though Phil and I never had any problems with sea seasickness, there were many people missing from the dinner table night after night due to nausea and vomiting. For any real emergency they take you to a hospital in whatever country is nearest or fly you out. Not my idea of great care during a pregnancy.

Cruises are great because you put away your stuff and off you go.. But off you go means standing in lines, hurrying up to wait, crowded areas, chairs not always available. If you sign up for off shore activities, they can involve disembarking from the cruise ship to smaller boats that take you to shore. You need to be pretty fast and nimble. Remember you're going to be much bigger than the normal pregnant woman at 5 1/2 months. Not to mention, swelling of the feet and ankles, back problems etc. etc.

I don't want to be the negative one.. but it is a high risk pregnancy. And even a low risk pregnancy can become high risk. I'm sure you're aware of the risks of a twin pregnancy. I'm sure things will go well, but you have to be cautious.

Why not stay w/i resonable distance to your doctors with a really nice hotel, eating out and taking it easy? Plus sleeping in and just being a couple?

Aunt Chris

Brrrr

Do you think that having the heat set to 76 degrees is overdoing it a bit? It seems bitterly cold out, at least for here. It is 22 degrees out, which isn't that bad, but the winds whip up and make it hard to take. I have been trying to go for a walk every day but lately I can only stay out for about 20 minute before I am racing home.

I spent part of the weekend cleaning out the mess in the guest/baby bedroom. My hubby came in and said "it is so cute to see my little wife nesting". Thanks mom. Now I am going to have to hear that whenever I am doing anything slightly related to babies. After working for a couple hours Greyson, the three cats and I sat down on the bed in there and were quickly snoozing. That is when I determined the bed was staying. Once we got the office equipment out of the room it was actually quite spacious even with the bed in there.

I broke the washing machine yesterday. I tried to wash a pillow and it jammed it up and now the agitator won't work. I hate it when things break, especially when I caused it.


Greyson put a 14 lb. turkey in to cook last night and then headed out to friends. I was in charge of cutting off the meat when it was done. I even went so far as to boil the carcass to get the broth for turkey noodle soup that I plan to make for lunch. I have never done all that myself so I am excited to see how it turns out.

Well I have a lovely new pregnancy symptom. It has been developing for awhile but has really kicked in lately. I am self diagnosing but I think I have a pinched sciatic nerve. I get this lovely sharp stabbing pain right in the middle of my right buttocks whenever I bend over just slightly. At first I thought it was just pain from the shots Greyson was giving me, but we quit giving them on that side and the pain just kept increasing. From what I have read, in pregnancy the uterus puts pressure on this nerve and causes this. Normally this happens in the 3rd trimester when you are big, but lucky me, somehow I already have this. Any of you get this and know how to get some relief? OK, enough complaining.

I have the option of today (MLK) off if I want it, or I can work it and use the holiday some other time. I was planning on getting up and working a part day and then relaxing at noon. But it is almost 10:30 and all I have done is check my email. So I think I may just call it a day and head into town to see if there are any end of season clearance sales. I always go looking for clothes for myself, but after an hour of trying on clothes that are too short in the sleaves or have too short of inseams I head over to the mens section and find all sorts of stuff for Greyson. It is really nice having someone average sized to buy for.

Alright, my ramblings are done. Hope everyone is having a nice long weekend,

Mel

Puppy Power

Traci wanted me to post some pictures of the puppies and I am finally getting around to it. Hope everyone is doing well.

Kidnapped?

I have it on good authority that one of our blogger kin has been on vacation in Peru. They were supposed to be back in the states (Delaware, to be exact) by now. Since we have heard nothing from this person on the blog, and her sole reason for not blogging has been lack of anything interesting to write, the only logical conclusion I can come to is that they were kidnapped and are right now in the mountains of Peru burning llama dung to keep warm.

Do you think I should contact the CIA?

Office Make Over (from Mom/Janice)

Okay, the office maker over is nearly complete. Today I got the pictures all framed. I bought 4 inexpensive black plastic poster frames. I cut black poster board to go behind like an inverse mat and just glued the pictures to it. The pictures, in this case, are elementary kids who went to school in this building back in 1966 - the year I graduated from high school. Also got a couple of nicer, black wooden frames that aren't as large. I put the class pictures from 1948 in those - the year I was born. I bought a big black rimmed clock at Wal-Mart that is exactly like old school clocks. Anyway, I'm happy with it and just need to get the pictures hung.

I really need my decorating consultants for this part - where to hang what.
It would be more impressive if you could all see the "before and after" of it all.

Happy MLK Day weekend - a 3 dayer for we school folks.

Winter blues are gone

All this sunshine reflecting off the snow has suddenly energized me and brought me out of that rain rut that winter can bring. I went and shoveled off the porch and shoveled a trail to the garage and workout room as well clearing out an area where we park the cars so you can get into the house without bringing too much snow with you. I knew it needed to be done before this cold arrived and turned things into a block of ice. It looks like most of the country will see this cold; even you relatives down in CA. I must admit, however, that I am still in bed by about 8pm every night. I don't know how it happened.... I got old.

Jennifer brought all her baby stuff over and my guest room is now a big mess. And Greyson found one of the cat's sleeping in a car seat the other day. I will have to move most of it into storage so the pets don't trash it before I need to use it.

Greyson finally talked me into one last (& first) (real) vacation before the babies come. After that our life is over for 20 years, right? So we are going to use the tax return we are expecting based on the deductions we get to make for all the money we spent making these babies. I think we have pretty much narrowed it down to visiting Mexico on the Pacific side around April. We are trying to decide if we want to do a cruise starting from LA, stay at a resort or do something a bit more private. I am leaning towards the cruise since I will be 5-51/2 mo. pregnant and the idea of someone taking care of everything for me sounds nice and the flight to LA is just a couple hours. So I wanted to get all of your imputs on this topic. I know my immediate family hasn't traveled much so if all of you extended family would weigh in I would appreciate it.
-What would you all recommend: cruise, resort, rental house/condo?
-Where would you recommend going in Mexico?
-Do you think I will be fine traveling and have a good time at 5 1/2 mo along (w/twins)?
-Anyone know of any really good deals or how to find them?

Happy Friday everyone...
-Mel

Snow on Sunset Lane

SNOW! (from Mom/Jan)

We have about 4 inches at our house. Its wonderful snow just right for snowmen. Charlie loves to go out in it. I worry a little that she will slide down the bank into the creek - sounds like something she would do.

No school today so I am lazying around the house. Will try to get down to the gym in a little while and then go in to work for a few hours.

Mom
XOXOXOX

Not to be out-dogged done

So where are the Porter pictures of the new canine?

We had a lockdown at Holley School on Friday. Our business manager was driving by and noticed a man pacing around his yard with a shotgun. He came in and informed us of such (otherwise we never would have noticed) & lockdown and call to sheriff ensued. Turns out the guy was out to exterminate moles in his yard. Ah, Sweet Home - nothing like it.

California Christmas Pictures

Hi everyone,

I like the nice picture of Grandma/ Mom and our puppy Murphy. The next is Stephanie with her dog Gracie. Steph is about 24 wks pregnant. Then Steph, Michelle and her husband Christopher in their kitchen. And Nate and Stephanie at our open house on Christmas Eve. We had a wonderful holiday and now are preparing for our grandson-to-be. Not sure if Stephanie will be able to give us enough notice to fly to Chicago in time, but we'll see.

The Sharp family has such interesting adventures with their families and pets; the blog is the greatest thing.

Love to all.
Aunt Chris/ sister

Banished (From Mom/Janice)

Katia and Charlie have been banished to the garage for sleeping at night. Don't feel too badly for them. We run a little heater aimed in their direction and put their wooly coats on them.

There was the usual howling at bed time followed by some gate crashing. (We had a child safety gate up in the first bedroom to keep them in there.) When I went to investigate and scold, both dogs were by the door. There was more whining and pawing at the gate. When I went back again to scold, Charlie was in her bed and Katia by the door. Now, I realize Charlie could have run to her bed when she heard me coming, but I don't think she is that smart.

Returned to bed: Even more whining and pawing at the gate - at least I think its the gate. I go back to scold and having thoughts of spanking. I turned on the light to find some dog (again, Charlie was in her bed) had clawed the paint and part of the dry wall covering off the wall next to the gate. Very bad dog. I think it was Katia but we didn't take samples of paint under toenails so can't really tell for sure.

We have been putting Katia's food up after she eats a little bit because she has developed GERD and throws up at the drop of a hat. It helps if she doesn't eat so much at a time. Earlier this week she came in and found very little dry food in her dish but I could hear her drinking LOTS of water. Sure enough - big throw up in 3 different places before I could get her outside.

Not feeling fond of my pets.

Mom/Janice

Escapee

So this morning I woke up at 6:45am. This is actually quite early for me as I have been sleeping from about 10pm to 8am lately. So anyway, I wake up and immediately get dressed in my sweats and ask Ada if she wants to go for a walk. She answers yes. But then I go downstairs and notice that it is pitch black out at this hour. I hadn't realized this as I make it a habit to wait until the sun comes up before I get up. So instead I go outside w/Ada in tow and sneak off into the workout room instead. Ada doesn't see me go into the room and must have thought I left without her because she braved the electric shock to head out on her own. I called and called but she didn't come. So I turned off the electric fence so that she could get home without a return shock. She returned soaking wet about an hour later, which earned her a bath. (That was my token pet story)

We have big plans for this weekend. We have about 2 months of garbage and recycling to take to the dump. That should take up a good 3-4 hours. Greyson was talking about burning or mulching all those limbs/trees they cut down this fall. I think that pile is too wet to burn. I was also thinking of some garage cleaning. Especially since Jenn and Brian are cleaning out all the junk, I mean valuable baby items, that I will be needing room to store at my house.

I have been trying to decide what to do with the babies room. I am thinking I want to get rid of that queen bed for something a little smaller to have room for crib type things. Maybe a daybed w/trundle (Costco has a cute one coming on sale) or bunkbeds? I would still like some sort of sleeping area since that is the only other bedroom. I think the drafting table and other computer center will have to go. I must say that since I become prego I have had so many calls from and to my family. It has been very nice to talk to them more frequently. I hope that continues.

-Mel

Holiday pounds

I managed to only gain 3 pounds this holiday season. I have developed a craving for chocolate shakes lately and I think that might be related. I don't know if I can blame it on pregnancy since I have always loved shakes but I now prefer them over even the beloved chocolate peanut butter ice cream and find the cool creamy goodness settles my stomach. Everything is alright on the baby front. I was having a little spotting this weekend and was sent in for an ultrasound to find two little 1 1/2 inch fetus wiggling their arms and legs all around with appropriately fast heartbeats of 160 bpm each. So that is a good sign but not definitive that things will work out. I feel like such a whinny baby these days but I cannot wait for this first trimester to get over. I have a new found appreciation for all you women that went through this all.

Greyson is busy working on deadline material for his websites. He is waiting for the rain to clear to take some outdoor pictures of local businesses. He may have a long wait as this is Washington. It seems all of our pets except one discus (a fish) made it through our time away. Ada went with us this weekend to Grandpa and Grandma's (Jan and Larry) house for the office painting extravaganza. They painted three days in a row while I played the "pregnancy and fumes don't mix" card to get out of any work. Instead I got some good recliner time in. I have to get me one of those. I think if I had one I could basically go into hibernation until spring....

What is up with all of you????