Mary Elizabeth, Mark & Mae James

2008-10-30T14:47:00.003-07:00

I now have a new blog... believe it or not.... www.lifeasaseventhgrader.blogspot.com. check it out!

Catching up

2008-01-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I have some catching up to do. I haven't had access to a computer lately, so I haven't been able to. For those of you that are interested in my family, read this paragraph. Otherwise just skip to the second one. Alex is doing pretty well, just four days short of 11 months. He has been sleeping more and more in the past few weeks, a very good thing for us. He has started saying 'buh buh buh' and ' puh puh puh' lately, and is getting a lot of praise for it! I tried to show them all the sounds I could make, but they just didn't seem as impressed. My dad is very happy at zoo school, and I hope he stays there until I am in high school, so I can have him as my teacher! That would be fun! Mom is consistently amazing us with how hard she works, while still staying as cheerful as ever!
I am enjoying my mentor a lot. I feel like I am learning much more from her than I was in the other class, although I loved that too. Right now she is on a trip to Europe and won't be back for a couple of weeks, so I have to be responsible and get my work done on my own. Mika is being more an more obedient, and is impressing me with how much I can trust her off leash. It is amazing to think that a dog can learn so much in a year! Well I hope I can see all you guys soon. I miss you all. mj

2007-07-13T17:22:00.001-07:00

Ok. I now have a baby brother. I know this is bazaar, but I do. His name is Brody, but we think we will change it to David. It is awesome finally being a SISTER!!!!!!!!!!! mj

2007-04-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

I have a new blog! Now this is just Mark and Mae's blog, Mary is out of the picture! well, anyway, my new blog address is www.myishadow.blogspot.com. please click on the link, and take some time to view it. Thanks, my friends, Mary Eliz

Is this what I think it is?

2007-04-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is what you think it is! It is a live lobster, at Christmas time. Unfoftunately dad boiled it, and some of the people present ate it.( I was not one of them). We were allowed to have fun with it for an hour, and then, they actually put it in the boiling pot alive, and bpil it to death! Ewww, gross, disgusting! Oh well, I'm sure it tasted good:-)

2007-04-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

OK, I guess I [Mary] should really be paying more attention to this blog. I seem to have used up all of our pictures, and blogging without pictures...... Well, it just doesn't compare. So, time for the update. We are doing pretty well. Mika [my dog] is very contentedly snoring on my lap, not a whole lot of inspiration. I'm in volleyball again, fun stuff. Our team was almost undefeated last year, we won all but the first game. I'm also back on with the lawning, got a raise, now I am getting $6 per lawn. I was looking online today and saw a Welsh Terrier going for $3,000.99!
No kidding, I actually did! I'm going to be rich when Mika has puppies!

veni, vidi, vici

2007-03-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

The problem with letting your daughter run your blog (in addition to the purple haze effect) is no longer having access without special dispensation! Mary has temporarily granted me editing priviledges so I can give a short update.

Perhaps "conquered" is too strong a word but at least I can say I "survived" the marriage weekend. And "survived" is far too negative. We really had a good time and enjoyed having the time to make a marriage self assessment and initiate some improvments. So...we are in the market for a new husband for Mae. Thoughtful, sensitive, good with money and not given to 8th grade humor.

Actually, we have been having some trouble finding a match and so are going to try to "renovate" the existing husband. Caution: work in progress.

They gave us this great book to take notes in and I dont know what Mae's notes look like but I I found myself writing "get to the point" more than once. There was good stuff going on but there was alot of fluff as well. I came away from Friday evening thinking "yes, we all know about those problems, the question is what do we DO about it?" But then, Ive had 14 years to identify the problems and there was one couple there who had just gotten married the weekend before! They probably still think their mate is the only person in the world who doesn't get morning breath! Or maybe they have as many problems after 5 days as we did after a decade. I definitely like that way of seeing it...

In the mean time, we had alot of other stuff going on that really deserves its own posting. Nothing bad, in fact a very exciting, but unlikely, potential opportunity for something to maybe happen. More about that later, possibly.

We were (ok, I was) a little dissapointed with the lack of practical advice by Saturday afternoon so we skipped the last session to deal with other matters (see obtuse notes above). I was tempted to skip out on Sunday morning as well but we got up, time change and all, and lo and behold the whole weekend became worth it in one short session. They separated us into guys and girls and the mens seminar was exactly what I had come there for: a solid scriptural reminder of just what it means to love our wives (and be good fathers - so watch out Mary there are changes coming!) I dont know why they took 3 days to get to the point but there you have it. In the end Id say "go for it" for those with an opportunity to attend something like this. Its worth it in the end.

As for the sweater, they never mentioned it! It did occur to me that the one session we skipped out on was the "sex" seminar....coincidence?

a little nervous...

2007-03-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

This is my (Mark) first post since handing the keys over to Mary. I have enjoyed watching her pick up a few computing skills even though it cost my blog its manly edge.

In about 15 minutes Mae and I are headed out to our first ever Marriage Seminar. I dont really know what to expect and that has my concern-radar just a little over active. All I know is that we have 5 "seminars" over the next 3 days and they told me to bring a sweater. A sweater? Have they turned off the heat to the conference room? Will we be doing outside excercises? What kind of sweater. I do have one Mr Rogers type sweater but most of mine are designed to be worn in outdoor pursuits. Will they be judging us on the basis of our sweaters.

The whole weekend has me just a little skittery. I have these mental images of being pulled up in front of the whole group and being asked, no, TOLD to sit knee to knee with Mae and gaze into each others eyes for 15 minutes. Breaks down barriers and promotes intimacy you know... If that doesnt work we will find ourselves squeezing our heads through the same neck hole of my now much too tight sweater. "learn to put yourself in Mae's space! LITERALLY"

Ok, Ive run out of time. I have to admit, I signed us up for this weekend and while I am nervous, I am also looking forward to it.

I'll let you know if I need a new sweater or not.

2007-02-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

This is Mika and I before Christmas. Lately I have been dogsitting a rat terrier named Duey. We just brought him back to his owners today. I'll get some pictures of them up soon.

2007-01-13T17:24:00.000-08:00

This was christmas night, a memory we hope NOT to have again! As it was getting dark, I was trying to spin around on the ice as we were skating and I fell. I hit my head very hard, and made a large cut in my lip with my tooth. Eveyone was so helpful in cheering me up. Especially Uncle Loren. Thanks everyone! I was not seriosly hurt, just had a 10 minute headache and a small scar under my lower lip that is healing very well.

2007-01-13T09:18:00.001-08:00

These are some happy memories we wish to have again, skating, decorating the christmas tree ect.

2007-01-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

I know its a little late to be posting about halloween, but I've been so busy........ anyway, I had alot of fun with the pumpkin carving, and for the first time since we have been living here, someone actually came around for candy!

2006-12-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

By the way, I thought I'd let you Know that, about the meeting with the elders, I will be recieved into membership as soon as mum and dad have also had their meeting. Dad was hesitant at first, but he and mum will most likely be joining soon. We will all be recieved together.

2006-12-09T06:50:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it! Today I'm going out of
town. Not that that wouldn't be fun in itself, but that's NOT what I'm excited about. It's what I'm coming back with that excites me. It breaths. It smells.(hopefully good) It licks your face. It loves you. IT IS A DOG! Its breed is a Welsh Terrier, and its name is Mika. It is purebred and has champion blood lines and a pedigree. these pics are (naturally) of her. She is 2 years old, and has had a healthy litter of five puppies. We plan to breed her and show our little doggie. I am so excited! We will return with her late Sunday night, as she is currently in Missouri.

2006-11-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, I am going to meet with the elders of our church. The reason for this meeting is that I wish to become a member of Zion! The first step is to meet with the elders, and after that, I have to go up in front of the church and answer a couple of questions in front of the congregation. Then I will be an official member of Zion.

home, sweet home.

2006-10-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

this is our house . basically the only difference is that we now have nice front doors. Keep working dad. the rest of the nice things go on the inside, but a fair bit of those are done.

Little Guy

2006-10-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is my cat, little guy. She is a very nice but troublesome pet.

Volleyball

2006-10-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos [in order from left to right,trinity, natalia, Reagan, me.]

[from left to right, natalia, Reagan, me, victoria]
I had my first volleyball game today! It was fun but a little scary at first. We lost the first game but won the second two games, winning the whole match.
My team-mates helped me not too feel too nervous, especially Reagan. Thank you! I followed her in rotation and that helped me know where to go.
I attached a video clip of two of my serves. I scored a point with the first one. The second one went out of bounds but actually made a basket! It was nothing but net!!! You can see my coach cheering the shot at the end of the clip. Maybe I should play basket ball this winter...

The bird

2006-10-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

this is uncle Lorens bird, Crafty,sitting on my arm.

Teased!

2006-10-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

this is uncle Loren teasing me about liking France. I will get him back!

artistic, more than I can do

2006-10-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

this is a very artistic picture of my shoes. they are on the beach at the james river.

leech free!

2006-10-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

me wading in the james river. I came out very thankfully leech-free!

just me.

2006-10-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

this is a classic picture of me. The river I am standing by is the james river!

mount Vernon

2006-10-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Uncle Loren and I at mount Vernon. We have become very good friends, even if we cant agree on which countries we like.(France)

baptized

2006-10-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, its Mary again,
today I am going to write about my baptism. Some of you who will read this were there, and some of you didn't know it had happened. I am very happy that I got baptized, it is something every christian needs to do at some point in their life. I actually got baptized in my small backyard pool, yet we srill had a fair number of people there,15 I think. I was baptized by my grandpa Andy. I very much appreciated that he was willing to do that for me.

Movies

2006-09-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

Since dad was posting about movies, I will too. In fact, I will give you a short list of my favorites.

#1 Lord of the Rings 2

#2 Lord of the rings 3

#3 Lord of the rings 1

#4 pirates of the carribean 1 and 2

I hope you have seen these movies. I think they are some of the few movies out there that are still worth watching. If you havent seen them, then know that I highly reccomend them to you.

first post!

2006-09-23T05:50:00.000-07:00

Hello, this is mary posting at the moment. I would like to tell you some of the things that have been happening in the last year. I am just learning to type, so it may be a little slow at first.

The good the bad and the ugly

2006-01-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

hello, Mark here,its finally 2006!

2005 is gone and it contained...good, bad, and definitely ugly. But we survived the forest and the legend once again.

In the winter of last year Mary started taking horse lessons (ok, maybe it was in the fall of 2004 but the point is, she is taking lessons.) Most of the instruction is in the English style. Chalk one up for "good" parenting! Around that same time Mark got in trouble at work (again) turns out he was guestimating his time card. I say "was" because that changed in a hurry after a not so friendly meeting with the local management. Mark is much more carefull to record EXACTLY when he comes and goes these days. Bad employee Mark. BAAAD BAAAAD Employee!

In June Charlotte came down to visit us. Thanks Mom! She did contribute to us losing Jon this year. Bad Mom! We miss that little guitar playing, wise-cracking, ping pong champ. Do you know that Jon and I bought bikes this spring so we could go riding (Kawasaki KZ400 and Honda Shadow 500). And then between Jon going to Russia, visiting family in Canada and then actually moving we never got to take a trip together. We did learn how to ride though so that is one thing checked off my list. Thanks Jon! Hey, when are you coming down again anyway?

This summer also saw Mary helping Mark a lot more with lawncare / landscaping. She proved her ability to run mowers of many kinds including a 48" rider! July was poison ivy month for Mark. How Mary escaped we will never know. Hey, did you know that if you get poison ivy on a tool, it will be just as active in two years as it was at the beginning. And if you burn the tool you get poison ivy in the air which can cause problems in your lungs! I felt like my middle name was Job for awhile...

Mary started fourth grade in the fall. Still homeschooled, still taking piano and horse lessons and still just about as stubborn as her Dad. Not only that, she has the verbal skills of her mother. Heaven help us. She and Mark tend to get into trouble together. At times they are guilty of conspiring against Mae, but usually in relatively harmless ventures like tricking Mae into taking a break from *enter task of choice here*

Mark finished the kitchen somewhere in the last year. Well, ok, the trim is not up on the cabinets but everything else is done. We have been pushing hard on the 2nd floor bathroom, the first floor bathroom and the living room lately. Theoretically they will all be "done" by then end of this month. Difficult but still possible.

And that brings us to Christmas. But as posts go this one is already overly long so...