Just White Fluffy Stuff

A Year's Worth of Pictures....

2012-04-11T19:10:00.168-06:00

I can't believe how much the kids have changed this last year!

Easter 2011

Isaac's 1st Haircut....he's had many since

Kyle's Preschool Graduation from Miss Boni's!

Gavin's 7th Birthday - Tron Cake...by Maddie

The Boys on their New Bikes

Maddie's BIG 1st Week of Summer Project....before...

AFTER!!!!

Sophie and Daddy playing Dress-ups

4th of July

I love this picture!! Grandma holding Isaac holding Cousin Aaron.

Isaac's 1st Birthday Cake....by Maddie

He loved it!

A trip to the Aerospace Museum

An afternoon at Pineview

First Day of School

New Hairdo for Maddie!

Cool Halloween Socks

Halloween

Sophie and Cousin Erica

Maddie and our bunny, Moose, aka the SAE Project, Bunnicula, my new arch enemy... (I never knew bunnies were capable of hissing!)

Maddie's 17th Birthday!

No need for pics of the cake because I made it. Therefore no decorations. :)

Sophie's 4th Birthday - Pinkalicious Cake....made by Maddie

and her Pinkalicious bike!

Tommy and I after my work Christmas Party.

Both the boys lost teeth during the same week...with a little help from Dad!

Sophie's hair curled for the first time. Erica did it. I have no patience when it comes to that.

Christmas Morning

Kyle's 6th Birthday Cake - It's the PopTart guy...by Maddie, of course

Kyle and his Buzz Lightyear lantern that he sleeps with EVERY night!

Our hike to "the cave" in St. George...

...Isaac was a good sport in the backpack.

Maddie dressed up and did a report on Norman Rockwell (my favorite artist) for school.

Best Buds

Isaac finding his Easter Basket...

...and Sophie finding hers.

Maddie and Bannon off to Prom!!!

The Latest and Greatest

2011-05-01T14:32:00.000-06:00

What a beautiful sunset...right out our front door!

Tommy's first avocado plant grown from a seed!

I woke up one Saturday to find Kyle in Sophie's bed. Both playing their Gameboys! Sophie must've fixed her own hair before they started....note all the clips in her bangs.

The boys in Dad and Mom's bed.

Kyle's 5th birthday! We went to Boondocks.

Maddie made Kyle a guitar cake!

Kyle's new bike!

Hiking around Snow Canyon during our trip to St. George.

Kyle and Sophie swimming in the giant bath in our room at the hotel.

Isaac in his bathrobe. The kids and I got sick while we were on our trip. When we got home, I took Isaac to the doctor because he didn't seem to be getting any better. We found out he had a double ear infection and a bacterial infection in both eyes. He was pretty sad looking. We passed a variety of sicknesses around for almost the entire month of March.....yuck!

The boys.

Sophie and Isaac....looks like they're almost the same size?!

I love ladybugs! For my birthday, my sister and her family gave me this cute platter of ladybug goodies. Chocolate covered Oreos dressed like ladybugs, along with other red and black colored treats in ladybug bowls. So cute!

After we were finished with our sicknesses, Tommy and the boys made me my new favorite breakfast, Eggs Benedict, and delivered them to me in bed! It was for my belated birthday. Ahhh...what a life! They were so proud.

Tommy made us some steamer clams one night. Tasted really good, but we found out it's best to cook them OUTSIDE. The house smelled for HOURS!

My birthday cake decorated, of course, by Maddie.

Gavin lost his first tooth! He just lost another one yesterday!

The new pets at our house. Nigel and Cornelious are ball pythons.

Maddie made a cake for my mom and dad's scouts to auction off. She made different badges to go around the outside. It was awesome!

Easter at Castle Heights Park. Isaac's first swing ride.

Sophie.

Gavin of course can never just slide DOWN the slide.

Maddie in her favorite swing.

Kyle.

Gavin made a robot for the recycling contest at school.

6 months!

2011-01-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been 6 months already?! Well, lucky for all who read...there's more pictures than writing in this post!

Here's Maddie before Pioneer Trek.

And then a tanner more rugged Maddie after Pioneer Trek.

The sad fate of our trampoline. It's amazing what a strong gust of wind can do! Needless to say the trampoline is toast and, as stupid as it sounds, it's cheaper to buy a new one than to order the parts to fix this one. Hopefully, we'll be replacing it this spring (weather permitting) and we'll definately be anchoring the new one to the ground!

A chilly afternoon at Pineview Reservoir.

The long anticipated arrival of Maddie's baby beardies... They all hatched within a few days of each other. There were 16 in all, but two of the eggs didn't make it. She sold all but the last two that, unfortunately, died. Sad to say, Loki, the mother, also died in December. Now Maddie is selling the dad, Buddah, on KSL.

Tommy started a little project of restoring a 1970 Chevelle.

I call it his "Mid-life Crisis"....he doesn't think it's that funny.

Early in August , Tommy and the kids went to Fresh Market for groceries and came home with....a lost kitten. I wasn't happy. He wasn't bad as cats go and after a meager attempt to find his owner, we decided to keep him. We had all four paws declawed and then he was neutered. Then in October, the stupid thing ran away...why he didn't do that before his visit to the vet, I'll never know!
Cute Baby Isaac!

The Pumpkin Patch.

Kyle was so happy when he finished filling his star chart at Miss Bonnie's!

I love this picture of the boys. I'm sure it won't be long before they protest me dressing them in coordinating outfits!

The boys fishing with Tommy.

Gavin and his storybook costume for school. He went as Fly Guy. I was proud of my costuming skills.

Halloween: Maddie went as a Mobster (woo-woo sexy!).

Boys were both Darth Vader. (Kyle wouldn't take off his mask.)

Sophie was Batgirl. (She wouldn't keep her mask on.)

Isaac in his Halloween shirt.

Maddie made a cake for our friends.

This is the only picture we took on Thanksgiving. Isaac and my niece, Erica.

Maddie's friends threw her a surprise birthday party for her 16th birthday. She had no idea that we were planning it. It was pretty cool!

They made her a cake. (It always takes her forever to blow out the candles, trying to decide what to wish for!)

Then I made her one the next day on her actual birthday.

Sophie's 3rd birthday.

Maddie made her a princess castle cake. It was cute!

Snow day.

Trip to the dentist. They all love Dr. Jones!

Festival of the Trees!

Isaac found his toes and shortly after, started rolling over!

Tommy had him laughing so hard!

Isaac and his cow Pillow Pet.

Christmas morning. The boys favorite was Bod Cologne from Santa!

Isaac started eating fruits and veggies and loves them! His current favorite is green beans.

He's 6 months old now and is as happy as ever!

...And Baby Makes 7!

2010-08-03T13:24:00.001-06:00

Our newest addition is here! It was a surprise when I went for my check up and my OB found out he was breach and didn't have enough fluid, so she decided to take him that day. Isaac arrived measuring 7lbs 3oz and 19 3/4"...big enough for being 3 1/2 weeks early! He's such a good baby and tolerates the noise level in our house quite well. The little ones love him almost too much sometimes, but the novelty is wearing off. Probably a good thing school will be starting soon!

Got Those Creative Juices Flowin'!

2010-07-10T23:49:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to do this for a while, so on the 4th of July while we were partying at my mom and dad's - Maddie, Erica my niece, Rhonda my sister, and Julianne my sister-in-law painted my belly for me. I thought about attempting to do it myself, but I knew I'd never be able to see the bottom to paint it very good. I think some of my family weren't too thrilled that we were doing it, but hey - to each his own!

Tommy visited his mom over the holiday and she taught him how to make some of our favorite Korean dishes, like bulgogi and japchae.

If you haven't tasted his cooking - basically everything he makes is awesome! Here's a picture of the japchae we devored...

Goin' Down Da Bayou...

2010-07-02T21:22:00.000-06:00

We had a great time on our vacation to Louisiana! My dad took the family down for a reunion on his side of the family. There was 25 of us and surprisingly enough we got along rather well!

This is Maddie playing with the live crawfish... This is Maddie wearing the crawfish she ate! She tried a lot of new foods while she was down there.
We went "crabbin'" one day. We used a string with a chicken neck attached, then dropped it in the water and waited for the string to pull. The kids had a lot of fun. Tommy and some of the older boys kept catching a baby alligator. Of course there is no hook on the string, so the minute they'd get him on the line and start to pull him close, the alligator would let go.

Here's Sophie right before she gave in and fell asleep on the swing. She wasn't into catching crabs.

We drove to Pensacola, Florida one day to visit our friends. We thought the beach would be covered in oil blobs, so we didn't put our suits on. The beach and water were beautiful though! By the time we walked from the van down to the beach, no one had the energy to walk clear back to the van just to put on suits. It was around 100 degrees that day!

Sophie wasn't quite as brave as the others.

Tommy, Maddie and the boys loved it though!

This is part of our group in front of Jackson Square. It rained basically every afternoon.

Sophie at the Children's Museum in downtown New Orleans.

We ate wonderful food every day... I think Tommy and I had a shrimp Po-Boy at least once a day.

Down at my dad's niece's house the kids were messing with these giant grasshopper looking things. The locals call them Devil Horses. When there wings poof up they are a bright pink color.

We got into our beignet eating at Cafe Du Monde. We had powdered sugar everywhere! (We had to stop there twice during our trip! They were too yummy.)

The boys had to have their turn playing with live crawfish. This was down in the French Market.

At another cousin's house, Kyle caught his first toad - by himself! He was pretty proud.

Sophie in her "Spa" look at the hotel.

Here are my sad swollen legs and feet after a week and a half of humidity and walking. It took a day or so after we came home for them to look normal! (Maddie had painted my toes in Mardi Gras colors for the trip.)

Gavin Turns 6!

2010-07-02T20:56:00.000-06:00

That's right...the kid who "can't wait to be a Dad and the Boss" turned 6!

The day before his birthday we took the kids to Teddy Bear Builders in the mall for our own little party and let them make an animal.

On his birthday, the kids played an exciting round of paste the dinosaur on the poster. Of course they all cheated, but still had fun. You gotta love $1 games from Honks!
Gavin got a Gameboy, which he'd been asking for forever!
Maddie made him a Perry the Platypus cake that he requested. (It's a character from the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb.)

Happy Birthday Bud!

We're still here...

2010-04-21T22:25:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to...

We went to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy....Maddie got lots of pictures of the fish, but none of the kids.

The Superbowl cake - decorated by Maddie. Even though Tommy's team lost, we still had a good time. Tommy had the kids guess on things that would happen during the game and whoever won got to pick out a prize from the bag of goodies; so of course they loved it!
Kyle's 4th Birthday!!! We had a little party at Boondocks and the kids had a blast!

Kyle's "Super Mario Brothers" cake that he requested - decorated by Maddie. We all thought she did a great job!

The little ones dressed up for Pirate Day...aarrrgggg...

We took our annual trip down to St. George. I only remembered to take pictures when we went to the park out of the whole time we were there!

We went on a picnic for my birthday and everyone had a good time - even though this picture doesn't show it.

The Easter cake - decorated by Maddie. She's getting really good with the fondant!

Even though I was upset by the late snowstorm over Spring Break, the kids loved it. It was the first big time Sophie really got to go out and play in the snow.

After everyone else gave up and came in, Gavin decided to add a couple more snowmen and make a family. The one on the left is, of course, Dad. The next one is me; he called it the alien mommy with multiple eyes and teeth (note the baby sticking out if the tummy area with eyes and nose). The littlest one on the ground (the head), he said, was Sophie. He was very proud!

Since the dogs have moved to new homes, we are now spoiling the bearded dragons - Buddah and Loki. This is their old tank.

Maddie insisted they needed more room to grow, so Tommy ordered some glass from my brother and whipped up this giant tank in two days. He did an awesome job!

Here's the finished project! It was so big that we had to change out the regular light for another heat lamp. They seem to like the extra space and it's pretty entertaining when they have to chase down the crickets for their dinner!

Other news around our house...we found out we will be having another boy! Now we just have to agree on a name!

"Santa Came!"

2010-01-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

We finally had the kids pictures taken...the week of Christmas! I'm such a procrastinator, but since the last professional picture we had taken of Sophie was at 6 months....it was time!

We had the girls dressed in their traditional gowns from Grandma Sun. And the boys were in their matching corduroy shirts.

I always dread the process of having pictures taken, but at least they're done...phewww!!

Christmas morning was pretty fun this year since the kids understood a little better what was going on. Maddie and I were the first ones up and while I was making breakfast, I heard feet running towards the kitchen. Gavin runs in and very excitedly says, "Mom! Santa came and brought us presents!" And then very relieved he says, "I knew I loved him!" I laughed my head off, it was too cute!

The boys got their "Monster Trucks" they asked Santa for.

Maddie got an iPod docking station that does it all...now I'm hoping our battery usage around here will go down! Sophie got a baby doll. She loves to put on her dress up clothes and push her around in the doll stroller.

And to think that next year we'll have another one on the move around here! Crazy!

Ooops...Better Catch Up!

2009-12-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm 2 months behind. October and November consisted of...

Lunch at the Korean Food Bazaar!

They all love that chicken!

A fun afternoon at Sparetime!
Kyle hoping to get any pins down!

Halloween...Sophie as a Bumble Bee

Maddie as a Fairy!

Kyle went as a monkey again!

Gavin was sick, so he missed out on trick-or-treating. Also, in November Gavin went to the emergency room in the middle of the night complaining of hip and leg pain. We weren't sure if he'd somehow hurt it at school or what! After many x-rays, doctor visits, a leg brace, and no sleep...the doctor now thinks it was Toxic Synovitis (an after-effect from his strep on Halloween)! Luckily it went away after about a week.

Maddison's School Play...she was the queen!

(during the sleeping spell)

Maddison's Birthday...her Rubik's Cube cake!

It was a costume birthday...they all dressed up like a different style of music. Some were pop, 60's, country, and Maddie dressed up like Goth.

They played Guitar Hero on the dining room wall, (thanks to dad)!

Sophie's Birthday...her Kai Lan cake!

Sophie and Grandpa!

Sophie and her Kai Lan presents!

Plentiful Pumpkins

2009-10-03T14:50:00.001-06:00

This year we decided to just grow sunflowers - so the kids could see how tall the plants would grow AND pumpkins - to see how many we could get. Unfortunately the pumpkin seeds that were supposed to grow the "big" pumpkins were eaten, either by the birds or the dogs, but the kids are pretty excited about our pumpkin harvest.

So, since we didn't grow any "big" pumpkins, we decided to take pictures with Grandpa's GIANT pumpkin...

Summer Daze

2009-08-25T19:37:00.000-06:00

Summer is long gone, but it was fun while it was here.

The month of June included...

the boys and their 2-wheel bikes (with training wheels)

new pets - 2 Bearded Dragons (Buddah and Loki)

In July we...

celebrated the 4th (one of our favorite holidays)

partied at the annual Richards reunion
(my mom and her siblings)

went to the zoo a couple of times (and had to ride the merry-go-round while we were there)

started AND finished a craft project for the boys room...a rag-tag-garland (thanks Aubrey!) I also took down their closet door and made a curtain with matching squares of fabric. It was so much fun!

swam in our cute neighbor's pool

August included...

Our 6-year wedding anniversary (we celebrated the week before with the kids at Joe's Crab Shack)

Maddie went to Girls' Camp at Camp Piuta

Gavin learned to stand on his head

Kyle is still trying

and Sophie entered the baby contest at the Davis County Fair. She didn't win anything, but it was still fun. We'll try harder next year!

Birthday #5 and A Visit From Grandma Sun!

2009-06-04T14:19:00.000-06:00

Has it been 5 years already?!

Monday was Gavin's birthday and he's so happy that he's 5 now! He's been counting down to this birthday mostly because he gets to go to the "Big School" this fall.

Gavin loves to be the center of attention...but which of my kids don't? He is a big helper and enjoys helping fold laundry, cook, and pull weeds - when the mood strikes him. He learned so much at preschool this year and it amazes me at the things his mind comes up with. Lately his deep questions consist of the different names of bones and with our recent visitors here, he wants to know how we are all related and where people live and how far away that is. His other love is video games, especially "Tum Tum" aka. Star Wars.

Lucky for me, he picked out a tiger cake for his birthday and not something more complicated.

Gavin, Kyle and Sophie playing the Pirate game on his birthday.

Gavin on his new swingset! I'm not sure, but I think I love it more than the kids do!

Happy Birthday to my biggest bed hog!

Other exciting news at our house...

Tommy's mom, her boyfriend, and Tommy's brother came for a visit! Tommy and I have been married for almost 6 years and this was the first time I had met any of them. Sun (pronounced "soon") and I have only talked on the phone a handful of times, so this was a very special treat.

The kids loved her immediately and Sophie quickly became her sidekick. Grandma Sun taught the boys to chew gum, so now Gavin thinks he needs a piece every couple of hours. It was fun to have them here to celebrate Gavin's birthday and to show them around the area a little.

We took Sun and her boyfriend Paul out to Antelope Island for a picnic and site seeing. Sun loves to look at and take pictures of scenery and loves rocks. We had to bring one back from the island...is that legal?

While they were here we ate out a lot....yea for me! It was good for the kids to go out with us, because we usually don't take them with us when we go out. Mean, huh? We went to Famous Dave's, Olive Garden and on the last night we went to Tepanyaki. Tommy and I had been there once before, but it was the first time for everyone else. Kyle started crying when the chef lit the grill on fire, but other than that, we all enjoyed it.

Now I can't wait until we go visit them in Missouri!

All In The Month of May

2009-05-30T23:18:00.000-06:00

Here's some pictures of Tommy, Gavin and Ethan's big fishing trip up to Pineview Reservoir...

The only one who caught anything was Gavin! Pictures taken on Mothers' Day...

The boys and Roxy playing with bubbles.

Trying to feed the ducks at the ponds...the ducks weren't cooperating!

And then just some fun pictures in front of my Bleeding Hearts...

Oh, and one last picture of Maddie with her boot on! Hooray, it is finally off!!!

Now we'll just have to count down to when the braces come off.

A Fun, Too Short Weekend

2009-04-26T23:16:00.000-06:00

We had a fun weekend, but it never seems quite long enough.

We perfected our homemade pizza skills...after only two tries! Tommy found the best combination of cheeses for our pizza: muenster, gouda & mozzarella - yummy!!! Saturday, I went with my sister (Popcorn the Clown...who, by the way, is the cutest clown EVER!) to the Children's Justice Center Safety Fair in Farmington. I did face painting and she does balloon tying. I practiced on my own kids the night before to get warmed up and had a really fun time. Then of course the boys wanted me to paint on them some more today, so I thought I share some pics of them. I didn't do anything this elaborate at the fair, but hey, when it's your own kids, what the heck! I painted Kyle like a clown and it turned out so cute on his round little face, but it apparently wasn't what he was hoping for because he swiped it off before I could get a picture of it.

Gavin chose to be a Genie...

and for Maddie I chose a koala...

and a some cool eye patterns...

Maddie and I also played dressup with Mukki - in a tutu.

We decided we need to make her some more outfits, because she looks so dang funny, uh, I mean cute!

Maddie also got me started on a Michael Jackson kick...reliving my childhood...so I watched a bunch of music videos on You Tube and now have these songs runny around in my head...aaaccckkk! Sombody save me!!!

Springing for Easter

2009-04-16T14:11:00.000-06:00

Maddie started out our Spring Break with bang!

Saturday the 4th, around 10:00pm I asked Maddie to go shut the front blinds. I was getting the kids ready for bed and Tommy was unclogging the toilet...again...I heard a loud thump and a strangled scream from Maddie, but didn't think too much of it.

Quite a few minutes later, she comes crawling out of the front room crying. She tells us that she was standing on the Cuddlebag- in the dark, no less - to close the windows (still not exactly sure why that was necessary) and when she stepped off she heard a pop in her foot that was followed by terrible pain. One look at her foot and Tommy said he knew it was broken. Me, on the other hand says, "...let's just put some ice on it and maybe the swelling will go down. I'm sure it's just bruised..." even though there was a huge bulge protruding from the side of her foot. What a great mother, huh?

Anyways, an hour and a half later, Maddie and I are off to the Emergency Room. (This happened to be my second midnight trip over to Layton that week, because earlier in the week I had to take Kyle over to Wee Care and found out he had a sinus infection, which was why he couldn't quit coughing ALL NIGHT LONG!) After some x-rays and a short exam with the doctor, they announced that indeed it was broken and sent us home with her foot wrapped up, a boot on, and some crutches. She did time it pretty good though, because she could spend the week of Spring Break laying with her foot up, resting.

Unfortunately, that put a small damper on activities to do while she and Gavin were off from school, but the weather wasn't cooperating anyways. The boys did of course color eggs...

I found another use for puppy potty training pads...very absorbent for egg dye and so was Kyle's shirt apparently...

Sophie had to watch the dyeing from a distance - maybe she'll help next year.

We also went to my dad and mom's for an indoor Easter egg hunt and Easter dinner on Saturday. It's awesome to be able to get together with my whole family so often.

We took pics of the kids in their new Easter outfits...

And we had to dress up Roxy to have her pose with Mukki in the basket...which wasn't as easy as I had expected...

At least Roxy didn't eat the basket or the ears...we can always try again next year.

I Love My Kids (Even If They Are Goofballs!)

2009-03-19T13:31:00.001-06:00

What is it with my kids?

They make me so crazy during the day that I can't wait until bedtime! Then when they're asleep, they look so cute and peaceful, I want to snuggle them and wake them up!

Here's some pics of our short weekend trip to St. George...

Birthday, New Puppy and More!

2009-02-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's almost the end of February and my little Kyle (Midget...who really isn't) is 3 years old.It was Kyle's birthday yesterday and since he has this fascination for cars, trucks and basically anything with wheels we got him a garbage truck. Might sound strange, but he has hardly let it out of his sight. Although today, when the real garbage truck came around, he did run to the front to watch it do its stuff. I also made a race track cake. In my mind I planned on it looking much cooler, but Kyle didn't care what it looked like as long as he got the cars off the top.

Three days before Kyle's birthday, Tommy suprised us with a new puppy when he came home from work...hidden in his coat...which I'm trying to have a good attitude about.

Her name is Mukki (Maddie's suggestion). She is pretty cute and really isn't bad...just another puppy. So, now we have a Rottweiler (4 mos. old) and a Chihuahua (7 weeks) who actually get along quite well together. We just have to make sure Roxy doesn't step on Mukki.

The kids love her, of course, and they all love napping with her. But, her biggest fan is Tommy. You know, the person who said little dogs have no purpose. Well, that person carries her around, sleeps with her, and basically spoils her rotten.

Anyhow, this year I told myself that I wouldn't start any new projects unless I finished all the ones cluttering up my closets and other various places I stash things I want to forget about. So, right before Valentines I finished the afghan I've been working on for about 8 YEARS!!! Not that it was so difficult, I just kept tucking it away in the closet to be forgotten. But, I finally finished it and gave it to Tommy for Valentines.

I'm so happy with the way it turned out, I think it love it more than Tommy. Another one of the things I kept putting off was hanging Sophie's name up in her room. Finally finished that too and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Unfortunately, I still have many more projects left in my closets...but don't we all??

Our Holidays Wrapped Up

2009-01-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

Christmas morning was a tornado of paper, boxes and bows, but it was so fun to see everyone enjoying it. I finished the teepee Christmas Eve and had it all set up in the middle of the living room. In the morning, the boys ran right around it into the rest of the presents. Only the dog ran inside the flaps and sat down. Oh well, what do I know about what little boys like?! We did make them pose for a picture... They really have enjoyed their dress-up box with "super hero" costumes. Notice Kyle's mask on upside down...at least he can still see through the eyehole. I keep trying to get them to be "super hero partners"...it doesn't happen very often.
Sophie giving her new baby the toss. Maddie was a good sport, as always, helping the little ones.

After the morning chaos, we went to my parents for lunch and more present opening. We had a good time. We came home earlier than normal because the kids were wanting to play with their new toys.

After we came home our other cat Tiger died. She'd been sick since the weekend before and I guess she thought she'd just wait until we got home to leave. Of course Maddie and I cried our eyes out again. We think that they must've caught something from the Animal Shelter or something, because they were very spoiled inside cats. I guess that's the downside to pets...losing them.

On New Years, Maddie had her cousin over and Tommy and I had a couple of friends over that we hadn't hung out with for forever. It was nice to catch up and visit. The girls made onigiri - Japanese rice balls with filling. (Maddie's on a Japanese kick.)

I enjoyed my time with the kids home from school over the holidays and was very sad to see them go back on Monday.

On A Sad Note

2008-12-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Our tortoise shell cat, Patch died last night. He had been sick for about two weeks and had been on antibiotics for the last week. He was sick before Roxy, our dog, came to live with us, so they didn't ever get to know each other or play together. At least our other cat Tiger and Roxy will have each other to play with. They already love chasing each other around the house.

(Patch when we first brought him home.)

Patch loved to cuddle with you while you were sleeping, especially with Kyle while he napped during the day. He didn't mind when the kids carried him around or when Sophie laid on him for a love.

(Tiger and Patch chillin'.)

Even though we still have a house full, we'll miss him and his mischievous ways.

The Year-End Family Picture

2008-12-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

I thought this year I'd attempt to take our family pictures myself.

Couldn't be too much harder than...

wrestling with our kids at the mall

while waiting in line for our turn for pictures...

then once it is our turn trying to get everyone to stop crying all at once so we can get ONE decent shot to send out in our Christmas cards...

and then get pictures back that end up being not exactly what we wanted and are over-priced.

So, here's what we ended up with...

Not too bad...we have had worse.

Here's the pictures of the kids with our new dog, Roxy. Tommy wanted me to make sure I added her in here.

Funny enough she didn't mind wearing the Santa hat.

I love the ones with the boys in their hats.

And of course our cute girls...

Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

I woke up early this morning unable to sleep and started thinking about the things I am grateful for. Here's a list of things my sleep-deprived mind came up with.

The Gospel - It gives me the guiance and comfort I need daily.

My Family - It's hard to believe that in just a little over 5 years, Maddie and I have gone from just the two of us to a full house. Tommy is the love of my life and my are kids are awesome. I'm also grateful for loving and supportive parents and siblings, who I know are always rooting for me to do the best I can.

Our Home - It provides shelter, protection and a safe place for love to grow.

My Friends - The listening ears I unload on. Thanks to all of you who listen!

Tommy's Job - Even though it's not his favorite place to be, I'm so grateful that he is willingly the provider for our family.

Food - What can I say...I love to eat (mostly things I shouldn't)!

The Beautiful World We Live In - Isn't it cool that you can find something new and awe inspiring everyday if we just take the time to look?!

I know the list goes on, but all I can think about right now is my pillow...which I am also grateful for. Hope you all have a happy and thankful Thanksgiving full of good food, family and friends!

Our Big 1 Year Old!

2008-11-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

It's crazy to think that one year has already passed since Sophie came into this world! We were so excited when we found out we had another beautiful girl to add to our family. Gavin had been telling us all along that we were going to have a girl...maybe he had a little insight??

Sophie's grown up so much already and has her own cute personality. She's been walking for about a month and is starting to pick up speed, much to the dismay of the cats. She thinks she's one of the "big kids" and likes to get in the middle of things and doesn't mind telling us what she thinks (not that we understand much of what she says.) We sure love her lots!

Happy 1st Birthday Sopha-Loaf!

Happy 14th Birthday Maddie!

2008-11-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

Yep, Maddie turned the big 1-4 yesterday. I can't believe that in just a couple more years and she'll be driving and dating! Aacck! It doesn't seem possible that she's that old.

Maddie is a soft-hearted, thoughtful, fun-loving daughter, big-sister, granddaughter and friend. She loves to dream (whether she is awake or asleep), draw and just act silly! She loves school and is an awesome student. She's taken an interest in anime, sushi and just about anything Japanese. My mom tells me all the time "I don't know what we'd do without Maddie!" and she's exactly right. I rely on Maddie not only to help with the kids and stuff around the house, but to listen to me and my silly ideas.

So Happy Birthday to my Heroes watching partner! I love you!!!

My Favorite Halloweeners

2008-11-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

Even though Halloween is not my favorite holiday, I have to show off my favorite trick-or-treaters. We carved our pumpkins earlier in the week out on the back patio. Actually, I should say Maddie & Gavin designed the faces, Tommy & I gutted, and Tommy also had to carve. We parked Sophie in her booster seat outside so she could get in on the festivities and Kyle ran around like the 2 year-old he is. The kids all put on silly hats and then we posed everyone in front of Tommy's newly built fire pit.

(Note Maddie's legs - covered in purple sidewalk chalk! What a goon!)

On Halloween, Maddie ditched the rest of us for a much cooler teenage party - I guess the excitement level around here doesn't cut it for her...oh well! Gavin dressed up as a dragon and Kyle was a monkey - how fitting!

Sophie was Sophie. She did have on her spooky shirt. That counts...right? Never fear, we've picked up her next year's costume already on the after-Halloween clearance!

Now that Halloween is officially over, I've started up my Christmas music and I'm loving it! Don't think that I've passed up Thanksgiving, because that is one of the best holidays. To me, Christmas music is representative of both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It has all that feel good, be grateful of your family and friends, giving stuff all rolled into one set of music!

Happy (early) Holidays!