The BIG REVEAL

Alright, loyal blog readers. The moment you've all been waiting for . . .

The anwer to the question WHO OR WHAT WILL SOON BE JOINING OUR FAMILY??? will be revealed soon. But first, I'd like to offer some awards to a few of you wonderful voters.

In the category of BEST ACTRESS IN A WACKY BLOG QUIZ: The winner is Jenny!!
As one of only 2 people who actually knew the correct answer (having guessed it nearly 3 months ago), she very adeptly submitted multiple comments designed to divert attention away from the true answer. Who would've guessed sweet Jenny could be so devious!?

In the category of BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A WACKY BLOG QUIZ: The winner is Jessica!!
Just days after giving birth, Jessica (the only other person "in the know" in this shenanigan, also guessing it 3 months ago from over 2000 miles away!) pulled through with a fabulous diverting comment of her own. Impressive show of brain power for a sleep-deprived mother of 5!

And finally, in the category of BEST PRODUCER: The winner is Nathan!! (Ha! Get it?)

Yes folks, the correct answer to the quiz was . . . B! We're having kid #5.

But wait! No awards show is complete without the legendary RAZZIE award!

The RAZZIE award for Eventually Getting the Right Answer, but Arriving at it in All the Wrong Ways goes to Katie!!
Because, seriously Sherlock, we would not have informed our kids for ANY of those choices. But kuddos for your persistance and determination to seek out the truth. :-)

Too easy??

Goodness! Who knew that I had SUCH an impatient group of friends?? I think my "Big Reveal" post is going to generate more interest than the American Idol Finale this year. (Of course, an average day on C-Span probably has a more eager following than American Idol does this year.)

I promise that the "Big Reveal" will be coming soon, and I just hope it isn't too anti-climatic for y'all. I mean, according to your voting it seems obvious that we will be getting a Turkish soccer playing exchange student. Geesh, I guess the Russells are just too predictable. The next time I do a Russell Family Quiz, I'll make sure I have some more difficult choices, like:

Which would Nathan be more likely to eat?
A) Sheep intestines
B) a huge bowl of Gerber Rice Cereal
C) Raw lamb meatballs from a back-alley vendor
D) Blood sausage
E) All of the above


OK, that one's too easy also. (It's E, obviously. In fact, he's already eaten all of them. And enjoyed them.) How about this one:


Guess what Adana did today:
A) Pee'd on our neighbor's cat
B) Dumped an entire can of pickles into the toilet
C) Drew a detailed picture of our family - in Sharpie - on the couch
D) Helped me "weed" my newly-planted garden by picking all of my new starts

Yeah, that one is much tougher to pick, since it's SO easy to imagine her doing any of those things. (Thankfully, she hasn't actually done any of them - yet.)

So don't worry. The "Big Reveal" will be posted soon. I'm just working on an Academy Awards, of sorts, for you wonderful guessers.

Stay tuned . . . :-)

Russell Family Quiz

Something pretty cool is comin' to the Russell home soon. See if you can guess . . .

WHO or WHAT WILL SOON BE JOINING OUR FAMILY???

A) A puppy?? True, we have already attempted 2 dogs while living here (3 if you count Luke, whom we had for just under 24 hours). But this one is sure to be the right one.

B) A new baby?? Because, obviously, 4 kids were just getting too easy.

C) A new truck?? Nathan is finally getting his way. He'll be eating up our whole grocery budget with a gas-guzzling "man machine."

D) A foreign exchange student?? We figured we should have a trial run on raising a 17-year old before we attempt it with our own flesh-n-blood.

So submit your vote in the Comments. The answer will be revealed someday soon.

And for those of you who already know the answer . . . Shhhhh.

Just your typical spring day on Bainbridge Island

If you were to look up "perfect spring day" in your dictionary, I'm pretty sure it would say something along the lines of: The only truly Perfect Spring Day occured on May 14, 2010 on Bainbridge Island.

The day dawned with clear blue skies and lovely mid-50 temperatures. And it only got better from there. I spent my morning kayaking with the Fantastic Four (minus, sadly, Mariann, who had class today.)

We started off at Point White pier. As you can see, it was a pretty low tide. At high tide, this is a favorite place for kids (and the occassional crazy adult) to jump off into the Puget Sound.


We leisurely paddled our way south toward Fort Ward, randomly declaring at various intervals, "WE LIVE HERE! HOW LUCKY ARE WE!?!" This picture encompasses just a few of the highlights of the trip - Mt. Rainier, Blake Island, and the Bremerton ferry - all in one shot (although it's kind of hard to see the mountain. But trust me - it's there, right above Blake Island.)

Gretchen (on the left) pulled out her Summer Hat for the occassion. And we really have to thank Jenny (right) for being the instigator in this little adventure of ours.

Later this afternoon, the weather just kept getting better and better. By mid-afternoon, it was well into the 70's - perfect for running through some sprinklers . . .

. . . then collapsing on a nice, warm towel in the sun.

I LOVE LIVING HERE!! Seriously. I. Love. It.

The Huntress is on the Prowl

Our cat, Phantom, is a skilled hunter. She will disappear for hours into the wilderness behind our house. Occassionally I'll catch a glimpse of her sleek body, low and silent, creeping through the brush. I love to watch her in her element.

I do not, however, love the "gifts" that she leaves almost daily on our front porch.

Especially when they are the size of a small rabbit. This field mouse was huge!

And it must have put up quite a fight, because it left BLOOD SPLATTERS up the front of my house! Ugh.

Thankfully, the cat is technically Micah's pet, so he is responsible for all "gift" disposal and the scrubbing of blood stains.

Maybe we should have just bought him some Sea Monkeys. Or an ant farm.

Major Dad!

When Nathan was up in Alaska (again) this past weekend, he pinned on Major. That's sort of a pretty big deal. It was supposed to happen in June, but apparently his commander decided to just go ahead and do it then & there.

It was a little anticlimactic for him, since no one was there to participate in the ceremony. So last night we had a "MAJOR RUSSELL" celebration for him. The kids decorated the house with posters & signs, we made cake and cookies, and some friends came over to offer their congratulations and (pathetic) salutes. :-)

Way to go, Nathan! We love you and we're proud of you!