This book is also about Billy (he is the boy from "How to Eat Fried Worms") except he tries to win a lottery. This was a pretty good book. If you can believe it, his little sister gave him the numbers three stars.

This a book about a kid named Billy who makes a bet that he could eat 15 fried worms (some boiled). I really like this book. Four stars.

This book is about a family who lives on a farm and tells you about the summer, spring, winter and fall. Uncle David tells stories in the winter. This was an OK book. Three stars.

This book was about how Encyclodedia solves mysteries. I was able to figure one out by myself. My favorite mystery was the case of boy bull fighter. I really like Encyclopedia Brown books and give this one 4 stars.

This book was about the pioneers. They needed another driver. Gideon saved a family who didn't have a dad, the Mom had two kids. He was seven years old at the end of the book. Three and a half stars.

This book was about a kid who made a bet with his friends. Whoever won got fifty bucks. Four stars.

This book was about a girl who had a magic finger that she can't control. If she's mad about something she makes people change into things that they hurt or killed. I give this book three stars.

This book was about a boy who went to a school to learn how to slay dragons. He met a wizard on the way to the school and he got a wish and he wished for a sword with some help from the wizard. He killed the dragon by making it laugh so hard it "poofed".

This book was about a kid who made some medicine for his grandma. I know it sounds nice but it had a different effect which was making her grow as tall as the house. I read this book because Dunn said it was really good. I agree but I would give it three and a half stars and he gave it four.

This book was very cool. Two kids run away from home to a museum. They take baths in fountains, eat at restaraunts etc. I really liked this book. Once they got to the museum they saw a statue of an angel. In the book they try to figure out if it was done by Michelangelo.

This is an interesting book. It is the true stories behind the things that happen in Hatchet. It has moose attacks, millions of mosquito bites and heart attacks. It is also a sad book because a boy dies.

Last night my friend Liz threw me a baby shower. It was such a cute idea I have to document it for posterity. She told me she wanted to throw me a shower and I said, "NO!!! I need absolutely nothing for this baby and don't have any more room in my house for any more baby stuff, no matter how adorable." I thanked her for the offer and thought that was that.

Then she came over to show me the invitations.

This morning I was on my way out the door to take the kids to the library to replenish thier reading stash and decided to take one last look through their room for finished books. Dunn said, "Hey Mom, something smells funny up here." He was right. It smelled smokey. My first check was the window fan to see if the motor was overheating. Then I thought, "the lamp". The boys reading lamp had been pushed down against Zach's bed (on of course) and when I'd sent them to make thier beds this morning Zach just threw all his pillows on top of the lamp. The closest pillow was burnt almost clear through, the back of the lamp had scorched the bedspread, and fitted sheet. We were probably fifteen minutes away from setting the whole room ablaze and since we were on our way out the door for the morning I'm sure the whole house would have followed. What can I say? "Count your blessings name them one by one..." I am not sure how many angels a day it takes heaven to keep the Westhoff's from being hit by cars crossing the street, getting abducted at stores during my inattention, or burning down the house but I am grateful for every single one of them being so attentive while on duty.

One of the coolest things about WA is the way blackberries and raspberries just grow like crazy around here. I mean, they are everywhere. It's kind of like kudzu in the south. Yesterday my neighbor Liz and I and our kids went to a walking trail in Orting with our bucket and picked like crazy. We ended up with a big ice cream pail full. Now that the kids have a clear idea of what blackberry bushes look like every time they see some on the side of the road they exclaim, "Mom, pull over...there are some huge blackberries there. Can we pick them?"

I'm thinking of a blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream or maybe a pound cake and whipped topping. Speaking of pound cake, I made Grandma Martin's sourcream pound cake last week and it tasted just like family reunions in AL.

Brad had his second surgery today and so far so good. I am just happy to get it all finished before our good insurance runs out. Again it proved to be quite entertaining for me in the recovery room. I must admit I was kind of devilish this time. I asked Brad if I could go shopping today and spend $1000.00. He said "sure." He even asked me at one point where he was and I wanted so bad to tell him he was in the warmth and comfort of heaven. I heard another man ask a male nurse what time it was (it was 8am) and the nurse replied, "Why it is 8 o'clock at night sir." There was a long pause before I heard the nurse laugh and say, "Now, that was mean of me wasn't it!"

Brad waxed my face today and I think he kind of liked it too much. I think he rather enjoyed causing me pain. He has done it once before and has offered over the past few months to do it again. I finally gave in when Katie told me I needed to loose the fine hairs under my bottom lip. I just know the extra hair growth is directly related to my mission in Poland. I am just happy I have been able to bear children!

As many of you know I am planning to take Dunn to Japan this spring to visit my friend Warren. In the spirit of preparation for the trip, Dunn and I have started reading books on Japan and Japanese culture. Warren also suggested that Dunn might enjoy a back-to-back viewing of the 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai) and the 1960 cowboy-western remake of it, The Magnificent Seven. We watched both this past week and surprisingly, Dunn and I both liked the Seven Samurai better, even though it was a full hour longer, black & white and in Japanese with English sub-titles. It was interesting to see the cultural differences between the two, particlarly concerning the love-interest in either film. Check them out sometime--a great study in applied cinematic anthropology.

I will be so happy when Brad's finals are over. First of all it will mean that it is vacation time, and secondly, he will calm down a little. The poor guy needs a break as he has been going straight through for a year now. I do not help much as I think that when he is not in class he has free time.

The past week as been a little crazy but exciting and now the move is over. We made our big Wymount transfer into a building across the street. It was nice not to have to pack everything into boxes. We just kind of moved it a room at a time.

This book is about a girl who has a magic finger. Whenever she gets angry she casts a spell on them (which in this case are her friends). This is a pretty good book. Three stars.

This book is about a kid who makes so much toothpaste he makes more money than a toothpaste company. This was an interesting book, its OK. Three stars.

These books were about two boys who pull tricks and get in trouble, and of course Captain Underpants. They both are good at it and I really mean it. Captain Underpants is their principal, they hypnotized him. Four stars.

This book was about a fifth grader and his friend and aunt who tried to catch a villian and his assistant. Three stars.

This is the best book I've read for a long time. It is about a 8 year old boy who makes medicine to cure his Grandma's growchiness. But does it work? I love this book. Four stars.

This book is about a dad and a son. They poach pheasants. One day Danny discovers the best poaching idea in the world. This was a great book. Four stars.

There was a boy named Alex who played ball. There was a ball game. This book was funny. P.S. His team lost. Four stars.

I have put Chase into the action! This is the new banner for his page (he's been asking me to make a picture of him fighting droids ever since he saw Zach taking on the orc).

This book is about a boy who has an adventure away from his horrible Aunt on a peach across the ocean. I loved this book. Four stars.

This book was about an older brother who tries to get rid of his younger brother. This book was funny. Four stars.

This is a sad book. It is about two boys and a girl whose father got palsy and they had to build a barn by themsleves. This is a pretty good book. Three stars.

This book is about the class of Mrs. Jewels. It is a pretty wierd book each chapter is a story about a different student. You wouldn't believe the crazy things they do. I really loved this book. Four stars.

This book was about a boy whose name was Tom. He lived with his Aunt. I liked the part when he got rich. Four stars.

I really liked this book because this book was exciting. A mouse rides a toy motorcycle. Four stars.

Today has been productive in the prepare for baby department. I dug out all my layette stuff, sorted and washed it, rearranged Emma's room to make room for the baby clothes, changed the crib to newborn state, moved furniture in my room to make room for the cradle, assembled cradle (still astonishingly handsome every time I see it again--thanks Dad)and set it up with sheets etc.

Today I learned that Brown & Haley, the company that makes my all time favorite candy-Almond Roca was started right here in Tacoma, WA!!! How can I have lived here an entire year and not known that? Get this, they even have a candy factory outlet and wharehouse store. They might even give tours... My life may never be the same again.

Any given website will look a little different depending on what operating system you are running and what browser you are using. This is what Westhoff.net looks like to me, the webmaster (i.e., what it is "supposed" to look like). Please leave a comment to this message and tell me what operating system and what browser you are using (hint, if you're using Internet Explorer click the help button on your menu bar and select "About Internet Explorer" to see what version you have), and if the site looks much different to you than in the picture. I'm not interested in making the site compliant for everyone in the universe, but at least the family ought to be able to see it as it's intended.