Feed the ducks

Yesterday the boys and I went to the bread store. The bread store is in front of a little creek where ducks like to hang out. Anyone would agree that these ducks are very smart bread=food. Well, before we left I let the boys feed the ducks. They loved it and I know those ducks loved it too. After we were done helping the ducks eat breakfast we went to the shoe store. We bought two pairs of shoes for the price of one. We bought a pair of vans for $29.00 that were originally priced at $45.00 and a pair of Sketchers for $29 which were actually price at $45 as well, but then Famous Footwear was having their Grand Opening sale and we got half off a pair. These shoes should last all year including summertime (maybe even for Matthew) just like last years pairs of shoes. I was so surprised that we were able to get some good quality shoes at such a good price(I like saving money). We have finally finished all of our school shopping. I never realized how long it takes to get all the shopping done with two boys. They are typical boys they do not like to shop especially for clothes. It was worth all the crying and screaming. We got all of Jason's school stuff including some winter wear (long sleeve shirts and a fleece) for around a $105, that includes shoes, clothes, lunch box, school supplies and a winter coat for Matthew. We still need to purchase a winter coat and maybe a sweatshirt or two. But, I think we did pretty darn good, some people spend just $100 on clothes. We save all of Jason's clothes for the younger boys so it makes it worth it.We shopped around and waited for the sales then when we saw the sales we took advantage of them. We also went to DI they have such good deals and some of their clothes look new, including the Old Navy fleece we bought Jason for $2.00. Thank you Grandma for all those sunday newspapers.

Oregon State Fair

Well first of all I have to say that I writing this post at 9:15 which is a little late for me. So, I hope what I post will make sense. We had a wonderful weekend! On Saturday we went to the Oregon State Fair with Grandpa and our aunts, uncles and cousins. The boys had so much fun. They really liked looking at all the different animals at the fair. Brian and I took the boys last year to the County Fair. Matthew was really too young to enjoy it, but Jason had a lot of fun. This year we were able to all enjoy it. Matthew loved looking at the chickens. I think it is because he can actually say bird so every time I checked on him he'd say "bird" and I told him "yep those are birds". Jason went with Grandpa to the petting zoo. He saw a baby deer that he really liked. Which is kinda funny because we see deer almost everyday in our backyard. I guess just the fact that he actually got to pet one and not chase it away is what he liked. We are so glad that Grandpa was able to go with us to the fair. The boys and I had a wonderful time. I know that we would not have been able to enjoy ourselves as much, if Grandpa had not been there to help us out. He pushed the stroller almost the whole time we were at the fair which was so awesome. I am glad our boys are able to be so close to their grandparents. We look forward to my parent s moving up here so we can spend time with them too.

Little Artists

On Saturday we got to have Caleb and Kaylee come over to our house and play for a while. The boys had so much fun. They really enjoy playing with their cousins. During their stay we decided that we should color and paint a little bit. All the kids enjoyed art time. Caleb and Matthew seemed to enjoy eating the crayons more then coloring, but Jason and Kaylee worked hard on sharing the paint brush (we only have one). I think the four of them will be friends for a long time. Caleb and Matthew are only a week apart and Jason and Kaylee are two years apart, but enjoy playing with each other.
The last few days we have enjoyed spending time at home because the suburban is in the shop. We are so thankful that Grandma has let us use her suburban while Brian is in Arizona. So, if Grandma reads this blog. We want Thank you so much!

What a Surprise

On our eight year anniversary my wonderful husband surprised me with these beautiful flowers.
I was so excited to receive them. The boys were also very surprised they loved opening the box and seeing what their Dad had sent. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Brian's and my eight year anniversary. Time really goes by too fast. It has been a wonderful eight years. Brian I Love you.
A couple of days ago I gave the boys some blackberries to munch on while I made dinner. They loved them in fact they loved them so much that they decided to decorate their hands and faces with the juice. Matthew usually makes a mess when he eats but, Jason just did it to have fun. We have been so lucky because it has not been too hot here in Oregon City. However, by the end of the week it is suppose to be in the high 90's. TOO HOT!

Ice cream!

Yesterday Matthew had his first ice cream cone. Matthew and Jason both loved it! I thought what Jason said was cute so I thought I would add it to our blog. Yesterday I asked Jason what was his favorite thing he had done he said, " playing at the pool and eating ice cream cones with my little brother, what else could be better." He is such a funny kid. He says the darnedest things sometimes. We love him and our younger son Matthew.
We feel so bless to have two wonderful boys and one more on the way. We love them so much.

Brian's School

Note: the following entry was written by Brian Grimwood.

Since some people may be curious to know what has happened to me ever since I left Oregon, I thought I'd go ahead and post a few things on the Grimwood blog here. On the way down to Arizona, I got to stay at the home of Stephanie's aunt and uncle near Sacramento, her parents' home in Lancaster, and the home of an old friend of mine (Moses Nasser) in California. I also was happy to hang out with Jennifer while I was down there in Rancho Cucamonga, and we ate at an old family favorite Mexican restaurant, Don Jose. Moses was my best friend in elementary school, but since we went to different junior high schools we lost contact for many years... until he treated Jennifer at a clinic in Rancho Cucamonga! As it turns out, he became a D.O. (doctor of osteopathic medicine), and that is exactly what I will be in a few years. For those who may not know, D.O.s are medical doctors just like M.D.s; the only difference is that D.O.s receive additional training in the musculoskeltal system and can do manipulations. D.O.s and M.D.s share equal rights and responsibilities in the world of health care, and both can be found practicing in any medical specialty. So really, there is practically no difference between the two. At the present time I am considering going into Family Medicine or Internal Medicine, although I have also thought about doing Radiology. Any one of them would be very interesting and lots of fun.

The school I am attending is called A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona. (Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., D.O. was a surgeon in the state of Missouri. He noticed that the musculoskeletal system played a key role in health and as a result he developed osteopathic medicine. He founded the first D.O. school in Kirksville, Missouri in 1892--just three years before chiropractic was discovered by D.D. Palmer in Davenport, Iowa. The Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine is a very reputable school, and I am honored to be a part of their relatively new sister campus in Mesa, Arizona.) During orientation last week, our class of 107 students was informed that we were selected out of 2800 applicants. It's amazing to think that for every seat in the class, there were 25 applicants competing for that seat, and I was lucky enough to get one.

Aside from the reputation of the school, one of the major reasons I chose this school was that I had the possibility of returning back home to Portland after the first year to start clinic. The school keeps us in Mesa for one year, and then sends us out to various community health centers (CHCs) to start clinic--the school is affiliated with eleven CHCs scattered across the country, and one of them just happens to be in Portland! Fortunately, I was able to get into the Portland CHC before it was full (since there are only 10 seats per CHC). I'll be glad to return to Portland once this first year is over... although I'm excited to be in school, it will be nice to be back with my family in beautiful Oregon.

The Fruits of our labor!

After two hours of picking Boysenberries we decided to make our boysenberries into jam. The boys are always so excited to make jam even though they really don't help. We made two batches which was more than I thought we were going to get. I was hoping we would be able to freeze some berries but we did not pick enough. I guess we will just have to wait for the blackberries and freeze them for our smoothies for the winter.