A Fantastic Haloween

Friday night, Will and I got a sitter and took off to a couples Halloween party. We went dressed as a Nurse and a H1N1 patient. We went on a challenging scavenger hunt through our local city grave yard, and all all over the place. Every stop had more clues and more challenges. We thought it was a really creative and had a ton fun with the other couple on our team.

We got up early on Halloween and witnessed an amazing race! Will's Fire Department entered in the Tualatin Pumpkin Regatta where he paddled a 1000 pound, hollowed out pumpkin. It was really amazing to see pumpkins that big. The kids loved all the booths, the therapy Lama, and mostly watching their dad floating around in a giant pumpkin.

Then we went trick or treating around our neighborhood. It was 56 degrees and my warmest Halloween in a long time. Our neighborhood was jam packed. I have never seen so many people out trick or treating. We took the kids trick or treating to a grave yard and Will took Cora and Jonas through someones Spook Alley. I love a having a neighborhood so full of Halloween Spirit. It made it so fun. We had a great Halloween this year and cannot wait till next year.

The brooms are ready...

...anyone want to go for a ride! No tricks. All witches treats.

Beware!

Banshees are screaching and ghouls are haunting!

Happy Halloween!

Reading to Grandpa

We drove out to Utah last week and I am mad I didnt take any more pictures then this. I will have to get some from my sister and add to this post later. However, I did get this priceless picture of Cora reading to Grandpa. Notice the title of the Book. Cora read about 2 stories and Grandpa was already asleep.

Seaside

We drove out to the coast and Tillamook Cheese Factory at the begining of the month. It was a much needed outing. I have to say, I am loving living close to the Ocean. The kids entertained themselves on the sand and I got to have some relax time with Will. It is always nice to enjoy some fresh ocean air. Ila and I found a sand dollar, the rat gulls got into our food, and we had some cheap Mexican food for dinner. It was a great day.

PS You can tell Cora was done taking that picture. She is definitely getting older.

The Best Vacation EVER!

OUR ADVENTURE TO CRESCENT CITY

What is the best vacation ever? Our vacation to the Redwoods and Crescent city. We stayed 4 nights in the KOA and loved it. We saw huge trees, did lots of hiking, played on the beach, discovered sea life in the tide pools, got close up to harbor seals and sea lions, visited my first lighthouse, drove through a giant tree, met a 1500 year old tree, played cards, had lots of s'mores, lots of bonding, and lots of Capri Suns. We loved this trip and think we need to camp more often. The best parts...we gathered free firewood on the beach, told ghost stories, did crafts, took a nap in our tents, ate yummy camp food, and just got away from it all. No computeres, no cell phones, nobody but us. This was great!

Sorry, I have been so slow. No excuses really, just lazy and enjoying my summer. We miss you all more then we thought and love to hear from everyone.

Love The Goodrich Family

OREGON

I guess I have kind of been on blog strike for last 2 months. Partly because I feel like our life has been turned upside down since about May. We went to California and had a very busy and fun and Disney and Sea World vacation. Then a week later we sold our house. So, me being me, got to work. I feverishly worked on finding placements for my girls, sold every large item I could, and spent days boxing and boxing and purging and purging. Did I mention, I rented our house online and picked the area we wanted to live by talking to a few people that I never even met?

Then away we went to Oregon on a very long drive and arrived in the middle of the trees at dusk. Day 1, I got so lost on my way to Costco that I was having a small panic attack. I couldn't find my way out of the woods and finally asked a utility truck to help me out. (For father's day I bought a Tom Tom) Luckily "Lori" now helps we with that problem and we seem to be getting around just fine. And if I don't hear Lori when she tells me to turn, I have 3 kids telling me "Lori said, turn right!"

What do I love about this place, the vegetation is amazing! I planted Romain lettuce on the 4th of July and can already put lettuce on my sandwiches. There are blackberry bushes EVERYWHERE and the people have been so nice. My neighborhood is quiet, but I don't mind because I still feel safe with my kids outside. There walking paths that lead you all over the city and we can even walk to the YMCA. We have never gone on so many walks as a family as we do now. We love all the produce stands and the local farmers market on Saturdays. I love all the little festivals. I took the kids to the Robin Hood festival and they loved the parade. I think it was their first. We had a good time going to watch fireworks on the River on the 4th of July and Will and I were more entertained by the crowd watching. We love going downtown to eat and have had a great time seeing Portland. The kids just love the bridges every time we go to visit their aunt in the city.

We brought a cute calico kitten with us and have named her Lily. The entire street just adores her and is always petting her and giving her attention. We also adopted a sweet dog a few days ago at the local shelter. (Family, we don't want to hear from the peanut gallery) They tell us she was aged by a vet at 2 years old, but Will and I just keep saying she must be drugged or really old because she is so quiet. She never barks and prefers to lay around all day on one of the kids beds while they play in their room. She hates being alone. I really think we lucked out this time. We went back to see her twice before we adopted her because we just kept thinking she was drugged or something. She definitely minds her manners and is more like a house ornament. The shelter named her Gwen. We kept it because the name really fits. Home never home to me without the animals. :) PS Ila calls her Quinn.

Mostly we are just enjoying our life here without a million jobs and a million kids. I think there has been some overall relaxing and winding down here. We are finally starting to enjoy life and do more family activities. I will not say I am not having a hard time here without all my familiars, but I think I can find happiness here with time.

We Sold Our House.

This is so sick we had to laugh!

it only took 1 month

the other night when i was putting cora to bed i asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up.

she said, "i don't know. a vegeterian! and i want to be a mommy."

what has aunt cc been telling her?

will

In the spirit of 10

10-# of days we have lived in Oregon

9-# of nights of bad sleep lately

8-# of people in my recruit class

7-# of times we drill tualatin valley fire & rescue way (am i missing out on something? hope not)

6-# of members of our househould (pepper-we miss you. its just not the same without you)

5-# of toes on each foot that have blisters

4-# of the hour in the morning it starts getting light here. can't figure that one out. maybe i need to go outside and check it out

3-# of millions of times the broken dove in our backyard coos all night coupled with the dog who usually barks after midnight and before 6. (yes 4 and 9 and 3 are intertwined) wait. it just cooed again. 3,000,001.

2-# of showers i have been taking a day since recruit camp started tuesday

1-# of ila's missing puppies. maybe it was the squirrel, or the dove, or the night barker, or cock robin?

maybe it would not be so bad if my dog was out there barking back.

there is just something about a boy and his dog.

What happens after you get married?

According to Jonas, "Daddy. You get married, then you die."

Oh how much we all have to learn.

Happy 7th Anniversary Tara!

this is a shout out to my friend cornelius

cornelius,

thank you for the many years of caffeinated beverage dispensing machines. over the last few months you have helped me through many late night, last minute paper writing sprees by providing me with those wonderful, 32 ozs of tasty, carbonated, chilled diet drinks. thank you. where would i be without you.

1 more semester over. 1 semester of 1 class and a few more papers and i'll be done. fall 2009 can't come quick enough. what a happy birthday.

will

http://www.acitydiscount.com/Used-Cornelius-Beverage-Restaurant-Bar-8-Head-COKE-Soda-Fountain-w-Ice-Dispenser-DF200BC.0.96813.1.1.htm

Like she said...

...Portland anyone?

Goodbye Unified Fire Authority, hello Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue!!!

Now...?

Thanks CC.

Thanks Chris for coming down and going skiing with Eric (my paramedic partner, left in pic) and telling him about the lateral hire so he could come and tell me at work that morning in late January so I could get a better job.

Hello rainforest, goodbye desert brown.

Ross followed in my footsteps for some time, then I moved to Orem following her, stole her best friend and started a family. We thought we were just going to be here. Now I follow her Oregon trail (no pun intended). Ross, but sorry, I was born in Vegas which is good enough for me. I'll keep Oregon and all it has to offer my little family.

I'm going to Disneyland!!!

Portland Anyone?

Pray Pray Pray....Today Will is interviewing in Portland for a firefighting job. Even though we LOVE it here, we are money chasers. It is a great oppurtunity for him and maybe an even better opputunity for us. It would be so nice not to be so strapped. I have total mixed emotions about leaving SS. This is an awsome community and I love that my kids can wander around from friends house to friends house and be no more than a street away. I have an Elementary, JR. High, and High School all in walking distance. Our park will be done this summer and the state will finish our new freeway connector this fall. Did I mention we have a Walmart opening next month? Then there is the basement the carpet we replaced, the painting, and yard we just finished and we finally feel like we can spend money on a vacation rather then a home improvement project. Why now? There is so much that goes through my head when I think about moving. Will I be lonely? What kind of school will my kids go to? Then somehow, 600.00 in plane tickets later, I think Will is doing the right thing. It is now or never. I just hope that we will know what to do if the decision has to be made. I think it would be a great adventure for our family and it is beautiful there. I would love being so close to the Ocean and my skin would love the humidity. I will keep you posted. We should know by the end of April. Good Luck Honey.

Sometimes I feel Like a Speck

Sometimes I feel like a speck. Even though there are so many houses around me, I feel like mine moves as much as Who Ville. So what is going on in our little speck of a house?
Well we have an amazing Dad who works two jobs, goes to school, does boy scouts, spends time with five children, attends foster meetings, and does my house projects, exercises, and even makes time for "needy me".

Cora is really taking off with her reading! Tonight she read one of the American Girl books to me. "Meet Samantha" She has been playing with her Samantha doll all day. I just love helping her change outfits and fixing her up. I secretly wish she had some barbies so we could change their clothes a lot and brush their hair. Yes, I like to play with dolls still.

Jonas is seeming closer to four everyday. Sometimes he has the deepest thoughts and he shares the most interesting dreams. He adores Ila so much that he clenches his teeth when he goes to kiss her. My favorite thing he does is invent weapons and weapon holders. Yesterday he used one of Cora's headbands to hold all his swords. He loves preschool and sunbeams. He always tells me the songs they learned and the "works" he did that day.

Ila is a nonstop talker. She is telling Jonas what to do all day long. We call her the little boss. She is obessed with Lady and the Tramp and wants to watch it several times a day. She is also becoming very independent. She strips and tries to use the toilet, pushes up a stool to wash her hands, and even fed the fish. We had a nice rainbow of goldfish food all over the girls room. It was everywhere and all over the new carpet. Anybody have any ideas how to get rid of the smell?

Then there is me..."If Mom's place is in the home? Why am I always in the car?" Foster care has been the most amazing experience. It has made me both a better person and a better mom to my children. I don't like living in the car and I have been figuring out how to do that less. My time with my biological children has become more meaningful. I work harder to stop what I am doing and treasure small moments alone with each one of them. I love having my girls around to help me see life in different lights. Even though I have never been so busy, I would never take it back. It is an experience that is never understood by others. I can say that I do see people stop and stare sometimes and there are a lot of ignorant people who ask me things they shouldn't. Foster care is made up of this interesting subculture of wonderful people. So many of them have taught me invaluable parenting skills that I will use all of my life. As for my children , they love having teenagers in the house. How do I know? They tell me. And if they are gone, my kids always ask when they are coming back.

The hardest part is letting them go. I have never had such an empty feeling. I have never felt so hollow. As I left the courtroom a few weeks ago, I cried. One of my girls was leaving my home. I always hope they remember what I taught them, but mostly I hope they know how much I love them. Goodbyes are always hard for me and I usually try to avoid them. Another foster parent told me writing about it helped them. I guess I am trying it. I hope that I will get better at it because I have more goodbyes to go.

So back to the speck. Last Sunday, someone told me everyone is busy when I told her I didn't know if I could handle my calling anymore. I guess she was right. No matter how busy you feel everyone is busy in their own life. You have time to do stuff, but you choose what you do with your time. Each household is their own speck and probably everyone feels like their house is a Who Ville at times.

What I learned today

Today I went to a safety training for the internet. I learned some things I already knew and somethings I didn't ever think about. The trainer worked for some company called Symantec Corporation. The company created Norton and the presenter was very informantive. So here it is in a nutshell

• How much am I worth this year? This is what your information goes for...
  lAccording to the Symantec Internet Security Report XIII Feb 2008
  
• l1 Bank Acount ($10-$100)
• l2 Credit Card ($0.40 - $20)
• l3 Full Identity ($1-$15)
• l4 Ebay Account ($1 - $8)

Validating security certificates

Click on the lock and make sure that the sight you are looking at has its name in the certificate
Complain if your bank does not allow you to enter your login information on a secure sight
The more important the information the more important this check is

BEST PRACTICES
Always use anti-virus
Always use anti-malware
Always use anti-phishing software
Always update software / operating system
Always check security certificates when entering personal information
Always assume someone is trying to scam you

WHAT YOU SHOULD NEVER DO

Never click on a link from within an email (especially if you cant read the link or it says javascript)
Never enter your credit card number on a non secured web page
Never give personal information you want to keep personal
Never assume that because it says it is from your bank it is from your bank

This was a really informative training. The biggest mistake I have been doing is opening email links in my email. He said these are usually viruses. I also learned about secure sites and found a whole bunch of tools to track my computer sites. I loved this conference.

A few Randoms

The first picture is of Ila painting. She made me fill up the water in the sink and then went to town with her water paint coloring book. The cat pajamas are what she lives in. Even though there is still light in the sky...she will bring them to me and ask me to help her put them on. She loves those cozy things and freaks out if she has to wear any other pajamas. Most kids have a blanket...she has her cat pajamas.

The second pictures are of Cora's hard work. She loves to organize her bed and stuffed animals. She makes me so proud when she cleans her room. She wanted me to take a picture of her. Notice the dragon on Squakers' beak?

Happy Birthday Tara?

Who's Birthday is it? Yes this is hilarious to me, so I had to post it.

My (Will's) defense-I was tired. I just got home from work. I tried to stay awake. I really did. I was just so tired form serving people for 48 hours straight that all that breakfast making and diaper changing and...wore me out. (Yeah all you mom's out there-48 hours-if I had a nickel for every mom who told me about taking care of kids 24 hours a day...I'd be filthy rich...your work day is only 24 hours and my work day is 48. You will never win with me.)


Oh it is my birthday. Will made me the best omelets and Ila helped me with my juice. The best gift of all was my dinner. Ribs, that I didn't have to make!

Cora made me a really cute card and they even got me my coveted Pot Rack and hardware for my kitchen cabinets. I have wanted a pot rack for so long. I cannot wait to see it all hung up. There is never enough cuboard space right? It was a great day.

PS My birthday was in January...I am still catching up on my blog.

Hyperbaric Medicine Anyone?

I took the kids in to see Will at his other job in the hyperbaric chamber. It was really cool! I think the kids thought it was even cooler.

Getting ready to dive with daddy.


Us playing with the moniters and seeing what it is like to watch from the outside.

Inside the chamber.

Will is showing us how he breathes oxygen while coming up from the dive. He says that the chamber is secretly a fountain of youth and that he stays the same age on the days he dives.

The kids with Spock himself...leaving the Enterprise.

Will-I have pictures from the brochure (moi included in the pics) that show people being treated in our chamber. I can't get them to load. See this link to see the chamber with chairs and hoods people wear. They are the glass jar head looking things on the chair. The green rubber dam ring goes around/over the neck and the bubble sits on it so patients can breathe 100 % oxygen.

https://secure.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705255291,00.html