HAPPY BIRTHDAY.....

To the guy who has been nothing but a Father to me from the very beginning (almost 18yrs ago). Our lives are only better because of you and your patience, love and faith. I would not be where I am today with out you.

THANK YOU for who you ARE and ALL that you do for our FAMILY.

We Love You!

*I got permission to post this*

I was about to give Justin a hair cut and right before I started he said:

"Just don't cut it like Grandads"

I am cracking up and asked "Why Not?"

"Because he only has a little on the side, a little on the side, and nothing on top"

This kid can say some of the funniest things......I laughed the rest of the day.....

So I call my very optimistic dad at work to tell him....his reply:

"I'm glad he was thinking about me"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!

He brought home a picture of a bunny that he colored at his class in church and it said 'I Can Be Kind To Animals'
Me: "Justin, you did a good job coloring this. Did you learn about being kind to animals"
Justin: "Ya, but my dad just shoots rabbits"

He was watching me get ready....

Justin: "Mom, When you look pretty I'm going to love you"

Me: "Thank you Justin"

J: "Ya, and if you don't look pretty I'm still going to love you"

M: "Thats really nice, Thanks"

J: "Ya, because thats what families do"

At the Library checking out books...

Librarian: "Justin can you tell (the other librarian) what you dad is doing?"

Justin: "He is with the Capitol Christmas tree going to D.C."

Librarian: "Well, thats neat. You have a pretty cool Dad"

Justin: "Ya, but he is just getting old."

Wanting to know so much about everything....

J: "Mom, what is way deep down in our tummies?"

M: "The food we eat and the drinks we drink"

J: "Oh"......."So if we fall and crack our heads open will food come out?"



Waiting for Birthday Surprise....and he had to wait 4 extra days until Chad was home (for a total of 17 hrs)

YEA! It's a new bike!

VERY EARLY THE NEXT MORNING.....................

READY TO RIDE!

WHO KNEW?

Oh Where Oh Where Could My Husband Have Gone,

Oh Where Oh Where Could He Be,

He Packed Up and Left On a 24 Day Trip,

To Protect The Capitol Christmas Tree!!! ???

http://capitolchristmastree2009.org/

PETER PAN & TINKERBELL

Tinkerbell not cooperating at all for the camera

Peter Pan busting out some dance moves....this boy can move!

This was the first year we took the kids door to door trick-or-treating and they loved it! Jessie caught on so quick. She wanted to be set down in front of the door so she could knock w/Justin, she liked to pick her own candy (always only took 1) and would put it in her bag and turn around ready to go to the next house....When did she get so big?

It was also the first time I have made the kids costume....kind of fun...already thinking of what I can do next year.

Happy Halloween 2009!

FALL

On my list of things I love about AZ is the beautiful fall season. Here are a few pics of the kids doing some fun things you can only do in the fall.....

Picking Pumpkins at the pumpkin patch with Justins joy school class

Going through a corn maze
Jessicas very first friend, Amelia...born on the same day, a few hours apart, and her Mom and I shared a hospital room together. Not fun sharing a room but I got a great friend out of it.

Picking Apples....and then canning and canning and canning...apple slices, applesauce, apple pie filling.....alot of work but they are so pretty when they are done

finding a few raspberries

"APPLES!"

Kids after eating chocolate chip cookies....honestly the first ones I have had turn out in 3 years...high altitude issues???...I don't know..but I wasn't giving up....how hard could it really be to make a cookie?




Cute girl in a cute cowboy hat

BIG L

(Mom, Grandma, Me and My Baby Girl)


Before I left MT I asked my Grandma...who combined has 8 kids and 34 grandkids and I think 12 great grandbabies.....if she had any good parenting advise for me.
With out hesitation she said.............

"PUT THEM TO BED EARLY, TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND BE GLAD YOU MADE IT THROUGH ANOTHER DAY!"


Grandma, I love you! I think you are AMAZING! and I miss you tons!

EVERYDAY TIDBITS

Too long in time out

finding moms camera

I will try not to match them again but I couldn't help it. My aunt Kim made Jessica this skirt and Justin just happened to have a matching shirt

and I just happened to have matching ribbon:)


Wishful thinking

Going to first day of Joy school

My sister-in-law just got hired as a 1st grade teacher....her first full time job ever (Tanya, you are amazing! you will do great!) Chad and I started dating when her first baby was 14 months old (he is now almost 9)...her baby girl is almost 5. It has really got me thinking about my children and how precious they are and the time I have with them and the influence I can have on them before
they are spending more time out of our home then in. And even though there are days when I want nothing more then to shut my self in my bedroom and be left alone that this stage won't last forever and I'm sure I will look back and wonder where the time went.

I love my kids and I hope to always remember them just like this.........

WHAT? REALLY?

BET YOU CAN'T GUESS WHAT HAS JESSICA SO ENTHRALLED..........

ARE YOU READY???

YA, A FLIPP'N TARANTULA!!!! I think my daughter is a freak....she loved it....she was the only one who loved it even the other 3 little boys wanted nothing to do with it. I personally couldn't even get close enough to take the pictures.

NO it was not found at or around my house. My neighbor brought it over....gotta love neighbors. Apparently they don't bite humans....don't care! Do I really live in Arizona? Montana doesn't have creepy things like this or black widows or poisonous centipedes or scorpions they have big stuff like bears and mountain lions...and those things don't freak me out and give me night mares. You don't have to have your house sprayed everyother month to keep bears out nor do you walk into your garage and almost step on a mountain lion. OK can't even talk about it anymore my skin is crawling.

Just in behalf of AZ this is one of VERY FEW things (like 3) that I DON'T like about living here.