Thursday, July 10, 2008
Rare Sunday!
It was a rare Sunday in April when I got the kids ready for church and we had some time to take pictures in the back yard. We even managed some shots before Scotty got dirty. This is a rare Sunday, because I usually do not have any spare time before church. Scott's high council responsibilities take him away before we get up in the mornings and right up until we go to church and many times later. That means that I am flying solo every Sunday getting the kids ready for church. I usually have them at church on my own as well. It actually has gotten easier and the kids are really helpful which makes my job so much easier. I do have to say that Heavenly Father has really blessed me though. Ever since he has had this calling my children behave really well in church. I attribute this to blessings because that was not the case when Scott was able to attend church with us. I think Heavenly Father knows that I would not go if they didn't behave. Not to say that I haven't gotten up and walked out of Sacrament on occasion. Enjoy their beautiful smiles!! I tried to get one with all three, but they didn't turn out too good. For some reason they liked to buddy up together in twos!
Haley Turns 7!!
I cannot believe that my Haley is 7 years old. She is such a mature little seven year old as well. Sometimes I think that is a detriment to her. She understands way beyond her years which creates unneeded concerns and worries. The only thing she should be worried about is what she is going to play with next. She is a great help to me though and a great shopping partner. For her birthday this year we had a family party. Since it was on a Sunday we had a big dinner with the three sister missionaries serving in our ward and the Butler family (who we consider family). Then opened presents and ate cake and ice cream. It was a quiet but fun day!
Scotty helped me fix her breakfast in bed!
Here is the dinner. Haley couldn't wait for it to be over so that she could open her presents!
She requested a fairy cake. She was really into fairies at the time. Her and her friend Breanna have gone on many a fairy hunt. I love her imagination and creative mind! One of her favorite gifts was a book about how to see and catch fairies.
I think she had a wonderful day! We sure love her a ton. Her brother and sister adore her too!
I am going to write 7 of my favorite things about Haley. Thanks Kelly for the idea!1. She has a very bright and intellectual mind
2. She is a great big sister, Maddy will run to her for comfort sometime instead of me!
3. She is kind and always concerned about others feelings
4. She has a testimony of the gospel and often reminds me of the things I should be doing or not doing.
5. She has a great sense of right and wrong and always wants to do what is right.
6. She loves to draw and create things
7. She is beautiful
WE LOVE YOU HALEY!!
A New Committment and Boy's don't use nail polish
I am back! I hope! Life seems to get away from me. I have such great intentions of getting on the computer and recording all the fun happenings in our life and then I fall asleep. I really don't have a good excuse for being too tired since I get to take a nap almost every day. Yes, Scotty still naps everyday with Maddy, so that means momma gets a nap too. After lunch is my favorite time because we lay on the bed and read a few books then curl up together. And I have to say that my tough and rough little man is the best snuggler of the three. Those are some of the best times for me!
Here are a few pictures I took of Scotty a couple months back, yes we are going to catch up ! This is for you Grandma's and Grandpa's. One day Madeline got out my bag of nail polish and wanted me to paint her nails. She loves to have pretties on her nails. I told her I could not do it right away, but maybe later. So, I went about doing whatever it was i needed to do and walked back into my room and smelled finger nail polish. I instantly thought the worst...that Maddy had spilled the nail polish on the carpet. I followed my nose to a remote corner of the room and found Scotty looking sheepish painting his nails. He not only painted his fingers but his toes as well. Needless to say Dad was not happy and could not believe that I would take pictures, let alone tell anyone this had happened. I thought it was hilarious...gee what can you expect living every day between two girls. And the poor kid will have one more to deal with in a couple of months. Thank goodness he is all boy, or I might be concerned! By the way, if you notice in the pictures, he at least chose blue nail polish!!
Here are a few pictures I took of Scotty a couple months back, yes we are going to catch up ! This is for you Grandma's and Grandpa's. One day Madeline got out my bag of nail polish and wanted me to paint her nails. She loves to have pretties on her nails. I told her I could not do it right away, but maybe later. So, I went about doing whatever it was i needed to do and walked back into my room and smelled finger nail polish. I instantly thought the worst...that Maddy had spilled the nail polish on the carpet. I followed my nose to a remote corner of the room and found Scotty looking sheepish painting his nails. He not only painted his fingers but his toes as well. Needless to say Dad was not happy and could not believe that I would take pictures, let alone tell anyone this had happened. I thought it was hilarious...gee what can you expect living every day between two girls. And the poor kid will have one more to deal with in a couple of months. Thank goodness he is all boy, or I might be concerned! By the way, if you notice in the pictures, he at least chose blue nail polish!!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Whipple Cave Rappelling Trip with my Mia maids
I was the advisor to the Mia maid class in my ward ( I have just recently got called as second Counselor under Jackie Noorda, who used to be the first Counselor, whom I worked with in the Mia maids. Did that make sense?) Any way, on the 18 and 19th of April we went on an overnight camping trip to rappel down into Whipple Cave (that is located somewhere off a dirt road about an hour North of Alamo Nevada) I was a little apprehensive about this trip only because I am not a "camper". My parents idea of camping growing up was in a huge motor home or a hotel. But I took the challenge, only because I love these girls and wanted to be there when they faced their fears and to help them overcome this challenge. Here is a picture of those adorable girls taken after a Wednesday night activity to get ready for this trip. None of them had been rappelling before so we let them learn at the park on a wall that was no taller than 15 feet. They were scared but they all took the challenge and went over the wall.
When we got to the actual cave sight the mood was much different than it was at the park. The girls started getting very somber and nervous. Some of them wanted to throw up. When it got closer to my turn my stomach started to churn as well. I had rappelled some as a teenager with my older brothers, but never into a cave that was 90 feet deep. But I am proud to say that every single girl went down. Most of them cried as they were doing it (seriously bawled), but they faced their fears and accomplished their goal. I was so proud of them.
Here I am going down into what felt like the depths of despair. My heart was racing and I was trying to be brave. Once I got over the initial ledge it was fun and I was able to jump a little. My brothers would be proud!
Here is a view of us in the cave. The camera had to be zoomed in all the way in order to make out who each person was. It was a long way down. And very cold I might add.
I love this picture. This is my fearless leader Jackie. The last 8 feet or so is a drop off where you just let your self down. Well no one told Jackie this and she jumped and caught herself upside down screaming. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants (remember I am pregnant, which makes it that much easier). Anyway, maybe you had to be there!
These are our fearless bishopric members that led us into this adventure. Tom Prince and his wife Sarah. Sarah and Tom cooked all the food for us and it was fabulous!
Brother Doug Green and his wife Jill. They were fun to be around. And who knew Jill was a professional at rappelling?
Here we all are deep in the caves. We explored for over an hour. It was very cold and dirty but that did not even faze these girls. They are tough and adventurous. I feel so grateful to have been able to spend this weekend with them to bond with them and get to know them better. What a treasured memory I will never forget. I hope they remember how hard it was for them to get over the edge of that cliff and that they did it. I want them to remember that when hard things come up in their lives, they can look back on this experience and it will help them remember that they can get through it. It may take many tears and many prayers but anything is possible!
When we got to the actual cave sight the mood was much different than it was at the park. The girls started getting very somber and nervous. Some of them wanted to throw up. When it got closer to my turn my stomach started to churn as well. I had rappelled some as a teenager with my older brothers, but never into a cave that was 90 feet deep. But I am proud to say that every single girl went down. Most of them cried as they were doing it (seriously bawled), but they faced their fears and accomplished their goal. I was so proud of them. Here I am going down into what felt like the depths of despair. My heart was racing and I was trying to be brave. Once I got over the initial ledge it was fun and I was able to jump a little. My brothers would be proud!
Here is a view of us in the cave. The camera had to be zoomed in all the way in order to make out who each person was. It was a long way down. And very cold I might add.
I love this picture. This is my fearless leader Jackie. The last 8 feet or so is a drop off where you just let your self down. Well no one told Jackie this and she jumped and caught herself upside down screaming. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants (remember I am pregnant, which makes it that much easier). Anyway, maybe you had to be there!
These are our fearless bishopric members that led us into this adventure. Tom Prince and his wife Sarah. Sarah and Tom cooked all the food for us and it was fabulous!
Brother Doug Green and his wife Jill. They were fun to be around. And who knew Jill was a professional at rappelling?
Here we all are deep in the caves. We explored for over an hour. It was very cold and dirty but that did not even faze these girls. They are tough and adventurous. I feel so grateful to have been able to spend this weekend with them to bond with them and get to know them better. What a treasured memory I will never forget. I hope they remember how hard it was for them to get over the edge of that cliff and that they did it. I want them to remember that when hard things come up in their lives, they can look back on this experience and it will help them remember that they can get through it. It may take many tears and many prayers but anything is possible!
Our "Missy Moo"
"Missy Moo" aka Madeline is a Daddy's girl. Scott gave her this nickname when she was just tiny and it has stuck. In fact they have a little game that they play almost daily. Scott asks Madeline "Are you my Missy Moo?" and Madeline replies, "I'm not your Missy Moo" and this goes on a few times until she relents and giggles "I am your Missy Moo." It is amazing to me how developed her sense of humor is. She loves to be teased and she knows how to tease right back.
The reason for this post was to tell about her most recent injury. Madeline is the biggest tease and the most injury prone in our family. The day after we got home from vacation our little "Missy Moo" was drawing on the art board and lost her balance, knocking herself into the wall. Well, as you know she is a big girl and heavy at that (anyone who has held her can attest to that), the bang was strong enough to cause a shelf I had on the wall to come crashing down on her. I am still not sure what hit her but she ended up with a gash in her forehead. I contemplated whether it was bad enough to need stitches or medical attention. My better safe than sorry side won so I took her to the doctor. He said it was definitely deep enough to be stitched or glued. Who knew that you could glue a wound. That is what I opted for and he was done in a matter of minutes with no tears shed. It was amazing! Madeline had brought in some lip gloss (which is one of her passions, next to gu gus or Popsicles) and as long as no one touched her lip gloss she didn't care that they were scrubbing her open wound. She is a funny girl that knows what she wants!
The reason for this post was to tell about her most recent injury. Madeline is the biggest tease and the most injury prone in our family. The day after we got home from vacation our little "Missy Moo" was drawing on the art board and lost her balance, knocking herself into the wall. Well, as you know she is a big girl and heavy at that (anyone who has held her can attest to that), the bang was strong enough to cause a shelf I had on the wall to come crashing down on her. I am still not sure what hit her but she ended up with a gash in her forehead. I contemplated whether it was bad enough to need stitches or medical attention. My better safe than sorry side won so I took her to the doctor. He said it was definitely deep enough to be stitched or glued. Who knew that you could glue a wound. That is what I opted for and he was done in a matter of minutes with no tears shed. It was amazing! Madeline had brought in some lip gloss (which is one of her passions, next to gu gus or Popsicles) and as long as no one touched her lip gloss she didn't care that they were scrubbing her open wound. She is a funny girl that knows what she wants!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Scotty is SMITTEN
We had a Young Womens activity with my miamaid class where the girls brought a little friend and we made pizzas and cement handprints and played. Well, Scotty was a little friend to Kaila, a girl that has babysat the kids quite a bit. During the evening he asked her if he could tell her a secret. Of course she said yes, and leaned down. Scotty then whispered to Kaila, "when I grow up I am going to marry you!"
Is that not so cute. I wish I had brought my camera, but I forgot it. So sorry there are no pictures on Scotty's future bride. I will be posting more later on our miamaid repelling trip and she will be in those pictures, so you can look for her!
Is that not so cute. I wish I had brought my camera, but I forgot it. So sorry there are no pictures on Scotty's future bride. I will be posting more later on our miamaid repelling trip and she will be in those pictures, so you can look for her!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Track Break Vacation to Florida!
Our vacation began with a long airplane trip to Florida. We had one layover in Houston. The kids did so well on the flight. The only problem was that I gave them a sippy cup of Chocolate milk at 4am when we were driving to the airport and didn't think to have Scotty go to the bathroom again before we boarded the plane. He passed out before the plane even took off. Well, he sleeps real deep and next thing I know I check on him and he had a little accident. ok it was a big one. So, Scott took him into the bathroom and had him stand on the toilet while he washed out his clothes best he could so he wouldn't smell all day. The crazy thing is he really didn't mind having wet clothes all day! So... you just never know what has been on your airplane seat! Don't worry we did tell the stewardess so they could clean it up!
The kids colored most of the layover! They were really good. I think they were just so excited to get to Florida and see their friends!
I think Scott was the most anxious to get there. Doesn't he look so enthused?
We had a wonderful vacation with our great friends the Mortensens. We are so grateful that they would let us invade their home and they would hang out with us for a week. They are one of the best families we know and we love them a ton. In fact the kids call them Uncle Dale and Aunt Tammy. They really think the kids are their cousins too. We feel fortunate to have friends like them. We haven't seen them in almost two years, but when we get together it is like we were with them yesterday. I think we look like we could be related, all the blond heads. "One of us is not like the other, one of us is not the same." Can you guess who that would be? Yep ME!
We went to Disney three days. We spent a day at Wild Animal Kingdom, a day at Magic Kingdom, and a day at Epcot. Magic Kingdom was the most crowded, but that was where Maddy was able to ride the most rides. I think the carousel was her favorite ride, because she was on a horsey.
Scotty was in heaven with the two boys. The poor kids is always with girls at home. He was glued to Kendall all three days at the park. Both Kendall and Taylor were so kind to Scotty. They played with him and allowed him to be their buddy all week.
Our family adored little Max. I think he made us more excited to have our own little baby. I love this picture because Scotty is so proud to be taking care of Max. Isn't he so handsome?
Our family in front of the Epcot Center!
Haley and Amy had a great time together. They were inseperable as well. I think they look like they could be sisters in this picture. We sure wish they lived closer!
Here are the BOYS! They had such a good time paling around together! I think their favorite rides were Thunder Mountain railroad and Splash Mountain. The three boys went on Thunder Mountain railroad one time by themselves. Scotty was so proud that he was tall enough to go on these big roller coasters. In fact one of the only rides he was not able to go on was Mount Everest. He was very mad about it too. He was giving me such a hard time that Uncle Dale told him he would take him to the line and see if he was tall enough. Well, he wasn't but the worker said he would let him go. He came back to me beaming because they said he was big enough to ride it. He did not end up riding on the ride but that didn't matter all he cared about was being big enough to ride it. Wow, I didn't know mens egos started at such a young age
These are some rare photos of Maddy in the stroller. For some reason she did not want to ride in the stroller. She walked a little bit but spent most the time time in her daddys arms or on his shoulders. She could be bribed a few times with a sucker, but then she caught on pretty quickly and that did not always work. The video will show you her true feelings about staying in the stroller. I decided on the third day that I was going to put down my foot and make her stay in it whether she liked it or not, then eventually she would accept it. Well needless to say she never accepted it and got her way. Look out we are in trouble with this one!
Taylor loved pushing Maddy around. He was so kind and sweet to her. But she was kind of afraid of him for the first few days.
This is us in front of Wild Animal Kingdom. If you notice Scotty running away in the background. He had no time for a picture. He had to go and find Uncle Dale. Scotty was Uncle Dales little buddy the entire trip!
Aren't these kids adorable. They all got along so well too. They had a great time!
The Prime evil whirl was one of the kids favorite rides. I think the girls went on it four or five times. Truthfully it made me sick, so I only went one time.
New Smyrna Beach!
We spent a day at the beach. Despite the wind it was a beautiful day. The kids didn't mind that the water was a little cold. They swam and tried to build sand castles, but the tide kept coming in and washing it away. Haley was learning to boogie board and did so well until a wave knocked her over and she got scraped on the sand. Well... that was the end of that. I think Madeline played in the water the most. She did not like the deep, but she loved the shallow where she could run around and splash in the waves.
Aren't they all adorable?
Surf'in in the USA~!
Maddy loves playing with her big brother!
The Wild Life
We went for a walk on Sunday and were able to see some neat things. They live right next to a Lake so it was beautiful. We looked for aligators and found one lounging in the mud (see below). We also saw this huge tree that felt like a sponge. The kids thought it was so cool. They could bunch the trunk and it would not hurt their hand because it was so squishy. Kind of strange.
I think Scotty's favorite part of the trip was enjoying the wild life. He would go toad hunting at night with Uncle Dale. He even caught a tree frog and brought it inside to show me. Well it got out of the cup and Scott had to chase it down and take it back outside. We saw alligators, all kinds or cool birds and even a bald eagle. There was so much to do right in their front yard, we didn't need to spend all the money to go to Disney World.
ORLANDO FLORIDA TEMPLE
Scott and I were able to attend the temple while we were there. It was so beautiful! We wish the Las Vegas Temple could have such lush green landscaping, but we live in the desert! Thanks for watching our kids Tammy! One of the highlights of this trip for me was taking a day and going shopping with Tammy. It was so nice to be by ourselves and indulging ourselves! Girls need that once in a while!
The kids colored most of the layover! They were really good. I think they were just so excited to get to Florida and see their friends!
I think Scott was the most anxious to get there. Doesn't he look so enthused?
DISNEYWORLD WITH THE MORTENSENS!
We had a wonderful vacation with our great friends the Mortensens. We are so grateful that they would let us invade their home and they would hang out with us for a week. They are one of the best families we know and we love them a ton. In fact the kids call them Uncle Dale and Aunt Tammy. They really think the kids are their cousins too. We feel fortunate to have friends like them. We haven't seen them in almost two years, but when we get together it is like we were with them yesterday. I think we look like we could be related, all the blond heads. "One of us is not like the other, one of us is not the same." Can you guess who that would be? Yep ME!
We went to Disney three days. We spent a day at Wild Animal Kingdom, a day at Magic Kingdom, and a day at Epcot. Magic Kingdom was the most crowded, but that was where Maddy was able to ride the most rides. I think the carousel was her favorite ride, because she was on a horsey.
Scotty was in heaven with the two boys. The poor kids is always with girls at home. He was glued to Kendall all three days at the park. Both Kendall and Taylor were so kind to Scotty. They played with him and allowed him to be their buddy all week.
Our family adored little Max. I think he made us more excited to have our own little baby. I love this picture because Scotty is so proud to be taking care of Max. Isn't he so handsome?
Our family in front of the Epcot Center!
Haley and Amy had a great time together. They were inseperable as well. I think they look like they could be sisters in this picture. We sure wish they lived closer!
Here are the BOYS! They had such a good time paling around together! I think their favorite rides were Thunder Mountain railroad and Splash Mountain. The three boys went on Thunder Mountain railroad one time by themselves. Scotty was so proud that he was tall enough to go on these big roller coasters. In fact one of the only rides he was not able to go on was Mount Everest. He was very mad about it too. He was giving me such a hard time that Uncle Dale told him he would take him to the line and see if he was tall enough. Well, he wasn't but the worker said he would let him go. He came back to me beaming because they said he was big enough to ride it. He did not end up riding on the ride but that didn't matter all he cared about was being big enough to ride it. Wow, I didn't know mens egos started at such a young age
These are some rare photos of Maddy in the stroller. For some reason she did not want to ride in the stroller. She walked a little bit but spent most the time time in her daddys arms or on his shoulders. She could be bribed a few times with a sucker, but then she caught on pretty quickly and that did not always work. The video will show you her true feelings about staying in the stroller. I decided on the third day that I was going to put down my foot and make her stay in it whether she liked it or not, then eventually she would accept it. Well needless to say she never accepted it and got her way. Look out we are in trouble with this one!
Taylor loved pushing Maddy around. He was so kind and sweet to her. But she was kind of afraid of him for the first few days.
This is us in front of Wild Animal Kingdom. If you notice Scotty running away in the background. He had no time for a picture. He had to go and find Uncle Dale. Scotty was Uncle Dales little buddy the entire trip!
Aren't these kids adorable. They all got along so well too. They had a great time!
The Prime evil whirl was one of the kids favorite rides. I think the girls went on it four or five times. Truthfully it made me sick, so I only went one time.
New Smyrna Beach!We spent a day at the beach. Despite the wind it was a beautiful day. The kids didn't mind that the water was a little cold. They swam and tried to build sand castles, but the tide kept coming in and washing it away. Haley was learning to boogie board and did so well until a wave knocked her over and she got scraped on the sand. Well... that was the end of that. I think Madeline played in the water the most. She did not like the deep, but she loved the shallow where she could run around and splash in the waves.
Aren't they all adorable?
Surf'in in the USA~!
Maddy loves playing with her big brother!
The Wild Life
We went for a walk on Sunday and were able to see some neat things. They live right next to a Lake so it was beautiful. We looked for aligators and found one lounging in the mud (see below). We also saw this huge tree that felt like a sponge. The kids thought it was so cool. They could bunch the trunk and it would not hurt their hand because it was so squishy. Kind of strange.
I think Scotty's favorite part of the trip was enjoying the wild life. He would go toad hunting at night with Uncle Dale. He even caught a tree frog and brought it inside to show me. Well it got out of the cup and Scott had to chase it down and take it back outside. We saw alligators, all kinds or cool birds and even a bald eagle. There was so much to do right in their front yard, we didn't need to spend all the money to go to Disney World.
ORLANDO FLORIDA TEMPLE
Scott and I were able to attend the temple while we were there. It was so beautiful! We wish the Las Vegas Temple could have such lush green landscaping, but we live in the desert! Thanks for watching our kids Tammy! One of the highlights of this trip for me was taking a day and going shopping with Tammy. It was so nice to be by ourselves and indulging ourselves! Girls need that once in a while!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Florida Vacation!
