Fun Recent Pictures

I just wanted to share some more of our latest pictures. Our most recent family picture, it turned out pretty good. My cute kids giving me loves.

And then I just had to share this little sequence of pictures. We decided one night for family night to take the girls fishing down to the Spokane River, we never go because we would rather take them out in the little fishing boat. Well, this time because of our shortness on time we just ran down to the river, about five minutes away and stuck the poles in the water. Well, Daddy had fun fishing but the girls were only interested in the water. They started out fully clothed just dipping their toes in the water and by the end.......well you can see what happened. Pretty funny!!





I also wanted the girls to be able to show off their sunflowers. This year they planted a patch of sunflowers in our garden and here they are showing them off.

And these last pictures are just some silly ones of my kids showing off their silly, dramatic expressions, that keep us constantly entertained.


We love our little cuties!!

First Day of School

I know I am a little behind in my posts but I wanted to share anyways. My girls are both in school this year. I have them both in groups of moms that just teach on our own. Ashtyn is in a group with six kids and we rotate which mom teaches. And have occasional fieldtrips. And then Hailey is in a group with four kids. I didn't think she would be in a group till next year but a couple of the moms that also are in Ashtyn group have kids that are Hailey's age and they wanted to do just a one day a week simple version of it will mostly play but a little lesson and craft and snack. Hailey is absolutely thrilled to be doing it too. Last year she cried for the first two months every time we dropped off Ashtyn because she felt so left out. So they both have school on Tuesdays mornings and then Ashtyn also has school on Friday. It is great and they love it. The best part about it is the interaction we get with the other families. All but one of them are in our ward and it is just great for my kids to have these new little friends that they see at church and school. And it is good for me too, to meet other moms and make new friends.

A Brand New Position!

So Sam now has a brand new position at work!! Back in August he heard about other departments that were going to be hiring at the Veterans Hospital (where he has currently been working) and he was interested. His plan all along has been to do nursing in the ICU for about two years and then move on, to get more experience in other areas, to learn new things, to continue to challenge himself. Well, it has been two years this September, so he started looking and trying to think about what he wanted to do next. Well, he heard about this department in Infection Control and was kind of interested. So he got to know the lady there and tried to find out more about what she does. She told him that a new position was going to be coming up but she wasn't for sure when. The more Sam found out the more interested he was. And so we began praying to know about what he should apply for. And as we prayed we felt good about this and in an amazing way, the topic of infection and things like that came up in random conversations with people talking to Sam at church and just in daily life, and we really felt that it was because this was something he is supposed to do. Well, as soon as the lady in Infection Control knew there was an opening she let him know and he decided to go for it. So he applied and was called in after a couple of weeks for an interview. They interviewed four people. And guess who came out on top. The talented, young Samuel McComas. I say talented and young because his boss and him had a conversation one day and he was just talking about how he felt so young because at all of the meetings he goes to and out of all the people he meets, he is one of the youngest in the bunch and she said it's because talent rises to the top (referring to Sam). I thought that was such a nice compliment to Sam.

His official start to this job started with his trip to Pittsburgh to the MRSA convention. And after he got back, the following Monday he started in his new office, which was Monday September 17. Wow, I can't believe it has already been a month. He now has his own desk and he has to dress in nice slacks and button up shirts (no tie, but nice). As Ashtyn said, "Daddy, how come you don't wear your pajamas to work anymore??" And he even has his own business card. Isn't that neat. I am excited for him. Officially his title is MRSA Prevention Coordinator, and he is in the Infection Control Department. He is specifically starting a new program to help reduce MRSA in the hospital which stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Whew, say that five times fast. Here is a website that will tell you more about what he does and what he is trying to prevent.

http://health.msn.com/general/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100171996&GT1=10514

Fun Trips Away!

Sam and I have both had a fun trip that we got to go on. First my sister and I decided to have a girls weekend. We thought about her coming here to Spokane or me going there to Eagle Mountain and staying in a hotel and doing fun stuff around town. Well, then we let our imaginations run wild and we decided to dream big. I love Celine Dion and have wanted to see her in concert and she has been in Las Vegas for a while and I really wanted to go. Soooooo, Sam decided that would be a great birthday gift.....a little bit more than we usually spend, hee hee, but he wanted me to go before it wasn't in Vegas anymore. So I just needed to find someone to go with. Well, I asked my sis Wendy and we figured out how much it would cost and we decided to go for it. So we both flew out on Thursday evening, from our separate towns, to Las Vegas, we found each other in the airport and got a ride to where we stayed. Then we spent all day Friday on the strip. That was definitely a new experience, but it was a blast. There was lots to see, and we ran around trying to see as much as we could, without getting too hot. It was 107 the day we spent on the strip. Crazy Hot!! Then that night was the big night. We went to the Celine Dion concert and it was amazing. She is fabulous. I love her. She has the purest, expressive voice that just can create so many emotions for me. I loved every second. I am such a sap....as I sat there right before it began I was so excited and then she walked out singing and I just started to cry because I couldn't believe I was there sitting there listening to her sing to me. I guess that is what happens for me with music. Music stirs my soul. I love it. I love to hear it, I love to play it, I love to sing it, I love to just be in the middle of it and soak it all up and that is what I did and it was worth every penny. Besides her amazing voice there were amazing dancers performing nonstop entertainment around her. I am so glad I got to go. Then on Friday we shopped, checked out the Ethel M Factory(where they make fancy chocolates),ate out at In and Out Burger(yum), and then that night we went to the Fremont Street Experience and got to see the cool light show and jam to the live music of the Tony Marques Band that was playing. After the show we got our picture taken with Tony Marques. How fun! Maybe someday he will be big. Then Sunday morning we woke up and got ready and said our goodbyes and headed home. It was an awesome girls weekend. Hope we think of something fun for next year. When I got home I was so excited to see my family. My family was so excited to see me too. They had even bought me the most beautiful bunch of flowers. Can you believe how amazing they are?

Then a couple of weeks later Sam got to go to Pittsburgh for work. He went to a MRSA Convention. It was hard because he didn't know anyone from here that was going. But off he went. He flew out on a Wednesday morning and got settled in late afternoon. The time is three hours ahead of our usual time and so he missed a big chunk of day. Then he did a little sightseeing close to the hotel and then went to bed. The next day was a big day. He had his convention from 7-4:30 with only a few short breaks. Part of it was fun because he got to meet people from all over. The funnest were the southerners, because of their fun personalities and their accents. Then at the end of the conference that day he got to go on a Just Ducky Tour. He got to see lots of fun sights. Heinz Field, The Carnegie Science Center, PNC Park and the city skyline from the river, just to name a few. It was also funny to see how into the Pittsburgh Steelers everyone is there. There is Steelers memorabilia everywhere and almost everyone was wearing something that said Pittsburgh Steelers on it. Then after the tour he found a good place to eat and saw some of the night life that was going on. It was so lively at night, so many people just hanging out. Then the next day was more convention until late afternoon and then he headed back home. One of the funnest parts was the ride from the hotel to the airport. They had booked a shuttle bus, but it was full. So in order to make his flight, him and some other people leaving the convention ended up getting to ride in a Lincoln Navigator Limousine, SWEET, and it was actually cheaper than the shuttle. Can you believe that?? Then he was supposed to arrive at the Spokane airport at 9:50, but after four delays in Chicago (don't ever have a layover in Chicago) he made it home sometime just before midnight. Ridiculous. We were just glad that he got home. Whewwww!

We both enjoyed our trips a lot but we were glad to just be home together again.

Summer in a Nutshell

Well, I have taken a big break from blogging and now there is a ton I want to share. Our summer was great. It started with our awesome vacation to the coast. We went to Seattle for a day and saw the sites there. And of course we went swimming at the hotel, the kids love that part!! And then we stopped by the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium on our way to Pacific Beach. The kids loved all the animals. And then we stayed in Pacific Beach. It was amazing. We went to the beach the second we got there, before we even unloaded. We had to see it and hear and smell it. If you look at Hailey she has her ears covered.....she thought it was just so loud. So for the first twenty minutes we were there looking and freezing in our summer clothes and Hailey was just covering those precious little ears. It is amazing how refreshing the ocean can be, how it can just calm and rejuvenate you. It was a much needed vacation that was perfect. Looking at the pictures makes us want to go back right NOW!! This is the girls loving the beach...I think all kids love to play in the sand...me too. And the whole gang having a fire on the beach. And then the hole that Daddy dug and then put the kids in. They thought that was so fun. We are definitely going back.

Oh I almost forgot, another awesome thing that we got to go to while we were there was the sand and sawdust festival. It was amazing. Professionals were creating stuff from sand and wood. Here is just a couple of works of art. It was amazing how creative people are.

After that we had a fun McComas Family Reunion. It was so much fun to see everyone and all be there together. We missed Cody like crazy. But we did lots of fun things and made some good memories.

Some of our favorite things that we did this summer were just enjoying the outdoors. We went camping a couple of times. We found a great swimming spot that we went to a bunch. We went on walks and bike rides.

And of course we went fishing too. The girls get so excited to go fishing it is great. After we catch a fish they just play with it and play with it and play with it. It is funny.
We also went to a local bakery and got a fun tour with some fun free stuff.
Our favorite free thing was a little mini loaf. The girls just want to eat it whole like a roll.....no slices, no butter, no jelly, just big roll straight from plate to mouth. It was fun to watch them eat. There was also an exciting girl that was here visiting Spokane. We took the girls to go visit her and they loved it. So can you guess what she is?? That's right she is a dinosaur. A tyrannosaurus rex to be exact. And her name is Sue. Isn't she neat?? The girls sure loved her. Of course we made it to the fair too. Ashtyn loved the horses, especially Rose, and Hailey loved Annie.
One of our favorite things that we bought was a wheat grinder. We really wanted one to add to our food storage. So we spent a couple of months looking to try and find a good one that we liked. We also wanted it to be one that was a hand crank, rather than electric. Well, we found a good one and we have enjoyed using it. So far we have made biscuits and bread. Yummy.... there is nothing like warm fresh baked bread.





This is the girls by the garden. These are the sunflowers that they planted. And these are the birdhouses that they made with Daddy.
The summer was a blast. It just went to fast. But it always does. Hope the next one is just as good!!

(This is one of my most recent favorites of the girls. Aren't they cute??)