The Pringle Family Year in Review 2009

Just what you've been waiting for- all the latest at the Pringle house coming to you and yours! We hope all is well and wish you a very Merry Christmas. We've had a good year, and look forward to the adventures we'll find in 2010. Meanwhile...

Ryan is loving 7th grade this year. He played football for Vista Middle School in the fall, is playing basketball now, and is looking forward to wrestling and track still to come. He's still studying piano and seems to appreciate the more intricate songs he's learning now as well as playing for the jazz band at school. He also plays the cello in the school orchestra. He's got music coming out of his ears, which is fine, because it seems to come naturally to him. He's working hard at earning his scout ranks (with a nudge or two from dad) and had a great time at Camp Parsons last summer.

Katie is having a great year in 6th grade. She played Veruca Salt in the school production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last spring, and the acting bug bit her hard! She was fabulously obnoxious in her role (yes, sweet, mild-mannered Katie) and is looking forward to the spring play this year as well as being in the chorus of "Oliver" at the high school. The highlight of Katie's year was going to see "Wicked" in Seattle for her birthday. She continues to dance and is really enjoying the piano (She plays spontaneously! All the nagging may be worth it in the end!) as well as her musical theater class. She is also learning to play the clarinet.

Nathan, 4th grade, has declared his life's goal is to be "a nerd," and works very hard to achieve that goal. He has continued to play soccer and has developed into a good little goalie as well as scoring lots of goals. He recently played the role of an Italian puppeteer in "Pinocchio", complete with accent and twirly mustache. He loves Cub Scouts and is working to finish up his Bear rank. He's trucking along at the piano and finding satisfaction in his improved sight reading skills. Nathan hasn't yet decided if he will break away from soccer and try baseball this spring.

Sarah, in 2nd grade, is the little princess of the house. She really enjoys some solitude in this noisy house and loves to hide away in her room and play with her Littlest Pet Shop and Polly Pocket dolls and read on her bed. She loves to dance, dance, dance! She started at a new "serious" ballet studio this fall and seems to love to stretch further and higher and watches carefully to make things just right. She has a special musicality and loves to put on shows.

Collin, almost 2, has changed so much from his first birthday in February. He's very active and clever and is turning into a little chatterbox. Unfortunately, he has developed a love for "Blues Clues" and frequently drags one of us over to the TV for "a show! a show!" He is irresistibly cute with his dimples and big blue eyes. He loves to run and jump and climb and get into things he shouldn't, but he also likes color and to hide under blankets and snuggle and have stories read to him.

Mom and Dad are busy keeping up with everyone! There's a whole lotta music practicing and lessons, sports practices and games, church and scouting, dance lessons, school and homework going on around here! We're healthy and happy, though not always energetic, and enjoying our crazy family. We feel very blessed and look forward to a little down time...someday.

With love to you from the Pringles

Collin and the Train

This evening Rachel took the older kids to a church Christmas musical program while I stayed home with Sarah and Collin. To pass the time, I took out my old train set and we played with it. Sarah thought the set was "really cool." Collin also enjoyed himself. I shot a little video of his subtle train enthusiasm. Enjoy!

Fall Update!

This fall has been busy but a lot of fun. The kids are growing up and it has been fun to watch them start to come into their own. I have tried to capture a brief snapshot of what has been going on in our lives since we last updated our blog.

Birthdays
Fall brings multiple birthday celebrations to our home. In September Ryan turned 13 (Uh, oh...) and Katie 11. Katie's favorite thing about her birthday this year was, "getting my own tub of CoolWhip and getting to see Wicked." Rachel took both Katie and Sarah to see the musical Wicked at the historic Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle.

Halloween
Always a festive affair, Halloween took on a special light this year as we had a little person who was enjoying everything as if it was for the first time. Collin enjoyed the slimy pumpkin guts, the costumes but, most of all, he LOVED the candy. Here are some photos from our Halloween.













Thanksgiving
Our Thanksgiving feasting this year featured three (Yes, three...) turkey dinners. Though we were a little tired of turkey before the end of the weekend, we did enjoy spending time with family. Collin's highlight was getting rides on grandpa's tractor.

Collin, The Beast
Collin continues to grow and develop. He is a very sweet little boy and a lot of fun to have in our home. He seems to be picking up new words daily. Our next big Collin adventure will be "The Disappearance of the Binky" to be shortly followed by "Hello Mr. Potty." More to come...

Babysitting
Now that Ryan is 13 and "incredibly" mature, mom and dad will occasionally slip away to run an errand or have a short date. "How did things go?" we typically ask when return from one of these little outings. "Everything was wonderful," the children typically reply in unison with angelic faces. Upon going through our video files I uncovered the following video which shed some light on what goes on when mom and dad are away. It also answered the question, what happened to the juice pitcher and why does the zoom lens on the camera not work anymore?

Fall Activities
Once school starts, the Pringle family seems to get into gear. Katie and Sarah both took dance classes at Karen's Dance Studio in Ferndale. Additionally, Sarah took ballet training at the Blaine Conservatory in Blaine, WA while Katie enjoyed a "Best of Broadway" class at the Bellingham Academy of the Arts in Bellingham. Nathan ran his little heart out playing soccer and was "Lorenzo the Magnifico" in his elementary school's production of Pinocchio. Ryan played on both sides of the ball for his middle school's football team but really enjoyed being a middle linebacker. "You get to hit the heck out of people," says Ryan. Ryan continues with Scouting and has earned his Star rank. His biggest achievement was completing the Bicycling merit badge which required him (and Dad!) to do a 50-mile bike trip. He road a circuitous path from Ferndale north through Birch Bay State Park to Peace Arch State Park on the Canadian Border and back to Ferndale. "My legs still hurt," says Ryan.

Mom Gets Organized!

OK. For years, we have tried to find a "rhythm" with chores that was sustainable with the kids. In the process of doing this we have become masters of starting and stopping various strategies and schemes. Previously, our it seemed our plans were too complicated or required too much Mom and Dad effort so they fizzled pretty quickly. At last! We think we may be on to something. The idea for our "Zone Chart" came from a flash of insight Rachel had before the start of school. She quickly scratched out a rough rotation schedule and started the kids on it immediately. Nearly a month in, and we are still going strong. We'll post again to describe exactly how this works. Until then, enjoy!

The Summer of 2009

What a great summer! This year we decided to not do a "big" vacation and drive or fly away to an exotic destination (like Utah...) but instead we focused on having lots of family time and finishing a few projects around the house. Despite this summer's lack of flash, we had a wonderful time together. A good blogger would have continuously updated the ol' blog as we enjoyed every experience. I am not a good blogger. So, here is the "Pringle Summer of 2009" all in one shot. Enjoy!

The Annual Trip (Pilgrimage?) to Ocean Shores
For the last five summers the Pringle family as voyaged to Ocean City State Park to spend a couple of days camping, playing in the sand, beach combing, and splashing in the surf. We also have a tradition of visiting a little ice cream shop called The Peppermint Palace. The kids all have their favorite flavor and pester us until we stop there. This year's trip to Ocean Shores was marked by only one sad event. On our final evening we decided to visit the jetty which is on the south end of Ocean Shores and forms the northern boundary of Grays Harbor. The kids enjoy the jetty and spend a lot of time climbing over the huge rocks and search for "caves" between the boulders. The wind always seems to blow strongly at the jetty and it did not disappoint this time. Upon arriving at the jetty, the kids sprinted for the rocks and we took out our best kite, a 5-foot wide plastic monstrosity with a huge, grinning, Spriderman charater. Nathan insisted on flying Spidey and we enjoyed teasing him as strong gusts of wind would nearly lift him off of the gound while he flew the kite. After a few minutes of kite flying, we were thrilled to see that a pod of whales had approached the beach. They were in the setting sun so we had trouble seeing the whales but they were unmistakeable as they cleared their blowholes when surfacing. Nathan was still flying Spidey but was very interested in the whales when, WHAMO!, Spidey was gone and making a break for freedom! Nathan chased after the now free kite shouting, "Stop! Stop!" but the kite didn't listen and headed straight for the jetty. A couple of concerned citizens joined the chase but Spidey was too fast. Nathan and I shed a few tears as we stood atop the jetty and watched Spidey disappear out into the distance. Spidey, you were a good kite. May the wind always blow and buoy your wings. Rest in peace.

We Finally Have a Back Fence!

It took two and a half years but we have finally completed the fence project. We were set to go a year ago this spring but "events" put the fence on the back burner for a year. The timing worked out just about perfectly. We had gotten to the point that we really could not keep Collin corralled in the house 24/7. He was ready to begin exploring his world in earnest when the last part of the fence went up. Collin loves having the freedom to rove through the backyard and Mom and Dad love that he can't tumble down the steep hill at the edge of the yard, through the blackberry bushes and into the creek.

Staying At Grandma and Grandpa's
The boys and girls both got to spend a couple of days with their Grandma and Grandma Pringle this summer. The kids played lots of dominoes (Long Live Chicken Foot!) and did lots of biking. This was one of the highlights of the summer for the kids. I will try to post some pictures of their experiences as soon as I get a few from the old folks. ;)

Scout Camp
Ryan enjoyed his first Scout Camp experience at the incredible Camp Parsons near Brinnon, WA. We were all very proud of Ryan as walked away from camp having earned six merit badges. Ryan thought camp was AWESOME and enjoyed practicing scout skill with his friends. The weather was perfect for camp and Dad (who went for the week as one of the Scout leaders) even had a great time.

Camping With Friends
This summer featured a new and fun twist! We got to spend three fun days and two nights with our good friends, the McCains, up on Icicle Creek near Leavenworth, Washington. Leavenworth is Bavarian village nestled up in the Cascade Mountains just outside the Wenatchee National Forest. The trip was especially fun for the kids as everyone had someone to play with and keep them occupied. We enjoyed brisk hikes, fishing, strolling around Leavenworth, and swimming in the Wenatchee River. Tons of fun!

A Visit From Grandad
We were all very excited to welcome Grandad Wiley for a visit. It had been a long time since he was able to break free from work to make it north to see us and the kids. The kids were VERY excited to spend time with him and we made the most of it by visiting lots of local sites including Larabee State Park and Lake Padden. Grandad brought his dog and the kids thought it was great to get to be dog owners for a few days. The dog, whom we called "Boy" or "Buddy," seemed to fit right in with the family and enjoyed the extra attention paid him by the kids. When Collin would first see the dog he would say, "Wu! Wu! Wu!"



We Have Bunnies!
The Pringle family is very happy to welcome Tippy Bella Pringle (the girl's bunny) and Gandalf Greyhame (the boy's bunny) to our happy little ranch. The bunnies are miniature rex/lop mixes and they are half siblings. They both have sweet dispositions though the Gandalf is a bit hyper. The kids are very excited about their new friends and they have been spending all summer getting ready for their arrival. The preparations began in the spring when Dad and the kids began to build the hutch out of recycled fence panels. After finishing the hutch, the kids spent a lot of time researching bunny care and searching craigslist.org for baby bunnies. The bunnies are eight weeks old right now and seem to be adjusting to their new home. If Ferndale changes the rules regarding livestock within city limits, our next project may be a couple of chickens!

Standing Atop The Mountain
To finish out our summer, Dad decided to gather the older kids (Mom and Collin stayed behind) and venture up to Artist Point in the Mt. Baker National Forest. Artist Point is the highest elevation that you can drive to in Whatcom County and is only about 2 hours from our home. We were hoping to catch a beautiful sunset and breathtaking vistas of Bellingham Bay. As we neared or destination we were disappointed that there were low clouds which obscured our view. Not to be deterred, we still had a great time taking pictures, hiking the many trails at Artist Point, standing on unmelted snow fields. A great end to a wonderful summer!

I think we're gonna make it...almost there...the end is in sight! Whew! What a crazy, busy month May has been. The girls were in two performances with their performing group on the 9th (I help direct the group so it was busy for me, too). Ryan & Katie were in separate casts of their school's Charlie & the Chocolate Factory at the end of last week. I choreographed 4 Oompa Loompa dances for that as well. Ryan was Grandpa Joe and Katie was Veruca Salt in the play. They both did a great job. Ryan still isn't sure about the whole performing thing, but he had a good time. He even sprayed his hair silver for the part. Everyone is still talking about sweet, gentle Katie's obnoxious Veruca- let's just say she really got into the part of a spoiled brat! She is sad now that the play is over- she had so much fun playing a part so completely different from her personality. She really got to exercise her acting chops and I think she's hooked. Don coached both soccer and baseball this spring, and that's been a bit wacky. Soccer is over now...Softball is over...three more baseball games left...Of course, we still have a dance recital and two piano recitals in June! School's out in one month!

We definitely have a full life, but it's worth it to watch the kids find and develop their talents. Well, most of the time it's worth it- things have been a bit out of balance this month. I'm definitely looking forward to everyone sitting down to dinner together again as the rule and not the exception as it has been the past couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to walking home with the kids after school because we don't have to be anywhere and being able to say "yes" when they ask if they can have a friend over. I'm also looking forward to curling up with a good book during Collin's naptime instead of running around like a crazy person. I'm not sure when that's ever going to happen, but it's a nice thought! Looking for some good book recommendations...

Spring Break 2009

Sorry we haven't updated our blog in awhile. Things have been a bit busy... It has been nice to be on Spring Break this week. Since Don is a school teacher, he got to be home with the kids all week. In addition to some quality family time, he also had the chance to re-build the front fence which was partially torn down last summer. Everyone is glad the fence project is done and we are very excited about how it turned out.

Spring Break also means Easter! This year the kids had the chance to do two fun Easter Egg hunts. The first was down at Grandma and Grandpa's in Maple Valley. Grandpa planned a challenging clue-based egg hunting experience for the kids that they thoroughly enjoyed. Apparently someone (I won't mention the redhead's name...) commented that last year's clues were too easy so Grandpa made sure this year's were extra challenging.

On Saturday, Nana and Uncle Dan visited and the kids enjoyed a second egg hunt, this one in our backyard. This was Collin's first experience with hunting eggs. He REALLY enjoyed being outside. Talk about a curious kid! Collin is an amazing explorer. He seems to feel compelled to check out EVERYTHING. After collecting a few eggs, he dropped them and started to chase the cat. His attention was later captivated by the Magnolia bush and then the grass and then the slide and then.... The other kids had a blast chasing down the hidden eggs and chocolate bunnies (Yes, their bunnies were hidden too). Only one tragedy. We were unable to locate one egg. Squirrel must have gotten it...

Happy Birthday Collin!

We thought that you might enjoy a few snapshots of Collin's birthday bash. The photos focus on his foray into the frosting. What a fright! We can hardly believe he is already one.

My baby boy turned 1 yesterday! It's hard to believe- the past year has gone by in a blur. At about 2:00 in the morning Wednesday night, as I lay on the couch with him because he's getting his molars (Collin never gets one tooth at a time. They always come in pairs!) and preferred screaming to sleeping, I realized that last year at that time he made his entrance to the world. Apropos that we were up anyway! We got some cute pics that we will post shortly. He seemed most impressed with the balloon and card Nana brought for him- so much for gifts! He takes 5 or six steps at a time before he plops down on his bum or falls flat on his face. He also got a big boy haircut last weekend. Sigh. It really does go by too fast.

Don and I realized we should start signing the blog posts so readers would know who is writing, since we take turns. So, this is Rachel, signing off!

Cooking Collin

Collin update... The little big man has taken his first steps and is enjoying his expanding world. There is no low drawer in the kitchen that he has not emptied, no cupboard he has left un-searched, no mysterious object he has left untasted... His favorite place in the whole world right now is the dishwasher. We call it his "Cave of Wonders." Whenever the door is down it is just about all we can do to keep him from crawling inside and playing with all of the treasures found within.

This evening, we heard noises in the kitchen and were surprised to find that Collin had pulled open the warming drawer on the oven and, upon finding it empty, had climbed right in! (Note to self... tape warming drawer closed until further notice...) Collin has been exploring the stairs, the cat, any open toilet, the space underneath furniture, the cat's food dish, Mom's Cub Scout bag, the piano books,... the list goes on. It has been fun watching him scoot around. He investigates EVERYTHING with enthusiasm. We are, at this point, VERY grateful that he has not yet learned to climb. We vividly remember when Nathan, not yet two, pulled the kitchen drawers out just enough to get a toehold and climb up to the kitchen counter. From this vantage point he was able to just reach the top of the refrigerator (where Rachel had moved the cookie jar) in an attempt to secure a clandestine snack. He would have pulled it off too if he had not nudged the cookie jar off the edge of the fridge. Ah.... boys...

Collin... Goin' Mobile.

Collin update. He's not walking yet but is getting VERY good on his feet. Thought you all might enjoy a little video of the little happy guy.

The Day of Reckoning

The day has arrived. After an extended Christmas vacation (Thanks to a couple of timely snow days), tomorrow we go back to school and assorted activities. Sigh. I've come to love the unstructured life, especially since Don gets to be home, too. Perk of having a teacher-husband, though I'm not sure it outweighs the pay. Christmas was wonderful, but, alas, back we go.

Actually, after two and a half weeks of being couped up inside with 5 kids, snowplay notwithstanding, maybe it will be a good thing to send 4 of them (plus Don) out the door tomorrow. It will be so quiet when Collin is taking his nap...maybe I'll reclaim that closet...or scrub the bathtubs...or maybe I'll curl up on the couch with a good book and enjoy the peace! That is, until 3:30 rolls around and the girls and I head off to performing troupe. Basketball practice for Ryan Tuesday, Stake meetings for Don that night; Cub Scouts for me and Nathan, Scouts for Ryan, and Activity Day for Katie on Wednesday; early morning piano lessons for all, Chess Club for Nate, Dance for Sarah and Bball for Ryan on Thursday...

Maybe I'll just take a nap tomorrow...