The "Seth" Galbraith's!!

How can this be....

2009-09-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

tonight she will go to sleep as a 4 year old, and wake up as a 5 year old. I kissed her goodnight, and told her that.... I had to choke back some tears, because she looked up at me with a huge smile. "I can't wait" she said.

What a wonderful day it was 5 years ago that she was born. We could hardly wait to hold her and see her, knowing that she would be our last baby. {little did we know, huh!} I remember having family prayer the night before she was born and looking around at all of our little kids, and feeling a sense of sadness...I was sad knowing that their lives would never be the same. Not that it wouldn't be better, just that I knew that it would be different. I also felt an over whelming sense of joy, that really there would be no adjusting. That in no time it would be like she was always part of us, and she was.
She was a beautiful baby. SO soft and sweet. Very good natured and calm. She has brought our family so much joy and happiness.

Ella is ready to be a BIG 5 year old. I however, can not believe that she is really that old. The last time I looked at her, I swear she was only 2. She is still silly, and crazy and wild and girly and tom-boyish as ever. I think of her as a rough and tumble princess. :) Did you notice that she got her ears pierced!? She had been asking for it for quite a while now, and we finally got it done a few weeks ago. She is so tough, she didn't even cry.

Happy birthday my baby girl. I love you so much. I love you a hundred million-bazillion Dalmatians. {that's Ella's thing. 101 Dalmatians is the biggest number she could think of, and we've just gotten bigger from there. Tonight, after I kissed her she told me she loved me a hundred and one mazillion dalmatians and to infinity and beyond.}

Man, I love that girl. Happy birthday Ella.

Free Art....for real.

2009-09-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

I just love art. I love whimsical art, and have been busy purchasing quite a few pieces from independent sellers on Etsy, mostly. I love the idea of supporting someone doing something they love.

I just learned of this new site called Feed your Soul. This is what the girl behind the website says...(Jen Wallace, the writer behind the blog Indie Fixx )

"Even though the economy is tanking, it’s more important than ever to stay positive. We shouldn’t dwell on the negative news, it’s just not doing our souls any good. To that end, I came up Feed Your Soul: the free art project to hopefully bring a smile to your face and brighten your day."

Cool, Is what I say!! I went over there as quickly as I could, and fell in love with it! How great is it that we can go download an awesome piece of art and NOT have to pay through the nose!!! (plus they put new stuff up weekly! BONUS!!)

Best. Day. Ever! Go check it out, and tell me what you think.

Annie...

2009-08-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

is a 6th grader.

What else do I say. I swore I wouldn't bring up the fact that time is flying by.....but really, it is. She is more of a young (emphasis on young) Lady, then she is a child. I realized this summer would be her last as a 'girl'. Next summer she will be a young woman, going to girls camp and everything. WHAT!??! I know, right. (crazy)

Anyway, this year will be pretty cool for her. She is in band and is very excited about that. She hasn't picked out an instrument yet, but is thinking of doing the flute, saxophone or the clarinet. Whatever she chooses, I know she will do a good job with.

She has also said that she wants to join some clubs this year, like the year book staff, and Hornets against Drugs.

Annie has always been about 'fashion' but this year she has some major opinions. (yikes!)
She is ALL about the skinny jeans. She just had to have them, and she looks really cute in them. (it is just so hard for me to come to grips with the fashion that I had when I was young all coming back.) At least they aren't tight rolling their jeans and aqua-netting their bangs straight up. (yet)

She had to get two pairs of shoes this year....one for gym and another for everyday.....because "Mom, you can't wear athletic shoes with skinny jeans. That just looks gross." Umm, ok. (she's right. And I would have felt the same way. Ugh, why do all my demons come back through her!??!) :) hahaha.

Her first day thoughts:

"It went by really fast.....luckily. I think I am gonna like band.

It was good to see all my friends. I think I am gonna hate band."

Life....it gets crazier the older they get. (love you Annie-girl!)

Jared...

2009-08-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

is a 3rd grader! He was actually the most excited to start school. (which was a HUGE surprise to me.)

Jared's teacher this year is Mrs. Green and he was SUPER excited to have her. She is such a sweet person, we are both glad he got her. When we went in for open house, she had the room all decorated up in MU Tigers stuff. (the curtains, the bulletin, the chalkboard) So, Jared was thrilled with that. (he has been WAY obsessed with the Missouri Tigers for a few years now)

This year Jared was crazy about his shoes. (obviously this boy has grown up surrounded by sisters, cause he loves to get new shoes!!) The first pair he picked were these hideous Adidas shoes that looked like they had patent leather on the sides....black and red..ick I was able to convince him we had a few more stores to check out before we made any final decisions. Then he found these.....believe me, a lot better than the first pair, so I said yes! He got a Bakugon backpack, Mario Kart t-shirt, and various other clothes...

Jared came in the house and the first thing he said about his day was "Mom, I didn't get in trouble." I was like cool, you never get in trouble anyway, and he said "yeah, I just wanted to say that."

His favorite part of the day, was everything! (his words)

Katie....

2009-08-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

is a 2nd grader! I am going to try to spare you the whole "where did the time go, mumbo-jumbo" with each of these, but seriously....WHERE did it go?

This year for Katie has been all about accessories. Check out those "twinkle" toes. She and Annie said they 'hated' them from the commercials, but when she saw them in the store and tried them on they became a must-have. Katie is also all about dressing up...she picked out a really cute dress for school, got some new earrings (she is wearing some AMAZING psychedelic butterfly ones) and some cute shirts.

Her teacher this year is Miss Hertzog, and she couldn't be more thrilled.

Katie's favorite part of the day was seeing all her friends, and being at the new school. The first day back was the best!

First Day of School....

2009-08-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

was great. The kids were excited and ready to be back in the routine. They only had a half day, so they got to ease into it....I for one am having issue with our summer really being over. This year really just flew by, and it makes me a little sad. We did have a great summer, though so I can't complain. (too much)

Stay tuned for highlights about each of the kids....

He is lucky he's cute......

2009-07-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

because this is what I came into the kitchen to see. What I couldn't catch on camera however, was Jason actually sitting on each egg to break it....(Yes, like a chicken.) Annie and Katie had made eggs and "forgot" to put them away!

It was actually a great learning experience......I taught the girls to use salt to clean up raw-runny eggs, so now when they have children (and they will) they will know how to clean up the messes they make! {insert a TON of evil laughter}

Ahhh, having kids is not for the faint of heart. :)

S'mores.....

2009-07-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

For the first time I can remember, it was a wee bit chilly. A huge surprise for us, usually it is blistering hot and humid.....but we enjoyed it (even though it was a bit gloomy-sky) After all our fireworks were blown up and gone we started a fire to roast marshmallows to make S'mores. It was so fun just sitting around the fire, talking and having fun.

At 9:30pm we left to go back into Cameron to see the Big display the city puts on. It was a fantastic show. We had perfect seats (thanks Nat and Erinn) and was a perfect way to end the day. Happy Independence Day!

Annie had a BLAST!!!

2009-07-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

For the first time, ever.....Annie got to shoot fireworks off with the guys. She had so much fun. It surprised me how unafraid of all the explosives she was. Crazy Girl!

Fireworks.....

2009-07-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Uncle Jake and Alan were the crazy uncles leading the way with all the fireworks for the rest of the afternoon/evening! We had a ton of parachute's, and the kids had a blast lining up and chasing them everywhere. Jason wanted to be a part of all the fun, but had to be held and he plugged his ears. He love the colors and booms, just not the really loud ones! :)

Seriously though, we did fireworks for hours. Not even kidding.

Basketball anyone?!!?

2009-07-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

We came home after the parade and had some lunch. Yummy barbecued beef sandwiches, potato salad, fruit, chips....you know, the good stuff. After all the food settled, we went over to the park to play some basketball.....Now, Alan just got home from San Antonio, and he didn't have any basketball shorts. The only thing Seth had, were these amazing SILVER/shiny-very special (nasty in my opinion) athletic shorts, that he wears under his karate uniform. So....Alan decided he would wear them. NIICE! Can I just say that it was one of the most hysterical things I have seen in a long time. Disturbing, yes. I can't lie though and say I didn't laugh out loud several times while watching the game.

Also, i think he had an unfair advantage....who was gonna guard him very close? Couldn't think of anyone, could ya?

That's what I thought.

the Parade....

2009-07-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

the kids love the parade and it has become quite a fun tradition on the 4th. That running Uncle Sam guy really cracked me up, so I couldn't help but snap a pic! Ashelyn was loving the clapping and the other kids loved the candy!! (Seth stayed home while Jason napped and Alan crashed out from getting home after a week of EFY) They missed a fabulous parade. :)

Independence Day.....

2009-07-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

The Holiday weekend came upon us the day after we got home from North Carolina! We were all a little tired, a there wasn't any big plans, so we just kind of hung out and went with the flow. It was a nice relaxing day. It started off with Swedish pancakes for breakfast then some fireworks with Uncle Jake (the kids LOVED it) and then we went to Cameron for the Parade. The parade was hilarious as usual.....small towns are the best. Lots of tractors, horses, and atv's.

Pullen Park...

2009-06-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

After the Battle Ship we were off to visit Seth's friend from his mission (our WHOLE reason for going there) James Phelps. James had a wonderful day planned for us at this great park. It was full of play equipment and lots of other rides......we went on the Merry-go-round, and the train. The kids had a blast. James was great and just sat there in the shade while we ran around in circles. It was a great day.

U.S.S North Carolina...

2009-06-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

the kids were SO excited to see this battleship. It was huge ( small, for the size of ships we have today!) but the kids loved exploring every nook and cranny. We were able to go on all the different levels of the ship, we saw where they ate, where they cooked, slept, got there mail etc.etc. It was awesome.

It gave us such an understanding of life on a Navy Ship, and gave me such respect for the people who serve our country. We got lucky, as we ran into a Chief form the Navy who was retired and was there to help with the tour. He took us into his office and told us about how they kept records of each man on the boat, and how they earn time off the ship.....then he made each of the kids there own cards to get off the ship. They were able to pick there rank and what job they liked the best. It was really neat. Annie picked the lab, Jared picked the "big guns on deck", and Katie and Ella both picked the bakery.

Definitely worth the money to see. The kids are still talking about it.......

Diggin' the sand.....

2009-06-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

Jason was tired when we got to the beach so he didn't enjoy it right off. But, eventually he warmed up to it and had a blast. His favorite had to be either when I was holding him in the waves and jumping him around or digging in the sand filling up the buckets. Ella and Annie also had fun making a castle.

We had a hard time getting Katie and Jared out of the water for any reason.....so that is where they stayed. :)

Ella....

2009-06-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

has been saying she was a mermaid now for a while.....So we had that talk while we were playing in the waves. She said that I couldn't be a mermaid, because I was a mer-mom. (Okay, that makes sense, I guess.)

Seth held Jason a lot of the time cause he didn't like it at first, and Ella held on to my hand the whole time, so I could get her to go in deeper with me. It cracked me up though, so I was able to get a few pictures, she had to hang on to Daddy for dear life. Hahaha, I love that picture, it just makes me laugh.

The beach.....

2009-06-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

This was the most crowded beach I had ever been to.....So, I was a little (extremely) nervous about the kids. The water was warm though and the waves were perfect. Just enough to feel the crash, but not enough to really knock you down. The kids just couldn't believe they were really there. They said Mom, I love it.....It's better than I thought. Oh, and they thought that the salt water was nasty. :)

more road trip....

2009-06-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

We only had a little bit of attitude, see Ella's face above.....Not happy about getting back in the car. :) But, Katie had a little something planned for any tense moments.....Yup, that's right, my girls got a pair of "bubba teeth". (thanks grama jenny, for those little gift bags for the kids!) It really did make us laugh A LOT! Katie even put them in upside down, and that was hilarious. Good times at rest stops....this one happened to be around 8am, with 7 hours more to go.

Road trip....

2009-06-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

We left for North Carolina at 6pm (Friday, June 26th) Seth drove till 1am and I took the 1am-8am shift. We drove straight through, getting to Wrightsville Beach around4pm. It was such a long drive...but the kids did pretty awesome.

It was raining, off and on and we were able to get out for a few minutes, to see the beach. The kids were in Heaven. They were so excited. Then we were off to find a Hotel. That was quite a challenge.....but we eventually found a nice Comfort Suites to stay at, and it had only been open for a week. (bonus) SO the rooms were nice, clean and everything was brand new! (love that) That first night we settled in, went out to dinner and went swimming. Ahhhh, tomorrow we had the beach.

Oh My....

2009-06-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

I just love this little Girl! She is so full of life and is as silly as ever. It is hard for me to believe that she will be 5 in a few short months. It's amazing how fast time goes! She is constantly making me laugh. Today she kept asking if she could read. I said yes, of course. 10 minutes later I found her outside in the flower garden weeding. Apparently, she said weed and I heard read. (if you have ever talked to her, you know she has a strange accent) So, you might understand. :) Either way, it's fine by me, as long as she leaves my flowers alone! :)

Bart's Electric Family Fun Day...

2009-06-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

We went to Bart and Lisa's house for the annual family fun day, last Friday June19. It was so much fun. The kids look forward to it every year.

This year they had a carnival theme, and had cotton candy (yup, a real machine. you stood in line for it and everything!!) popcorn, ice cream, games, a balloon guy (you know, the kind that makes animals and balloon hats) a mechanical bull and a blow up obstacle course. Jason thought he had died and gone to heaven. He LOVES to bounce! All the kids had a blast, the entire time! Ella helped herself to all the yummy food and pop. (She loved the popcorn best.) Katie got a huge balloon hat. Jared just ran and ran that obstacle course, and Annie was a sweetheart hanging out with Gid-man and Jason. (she is such a good helper)

Once it got dark they ended the night with an awesome fireworks show. It really was a blast. (oh, and Jake did the t-shirts again.....and they are awesome. The kids wore them to school yesterday. I will post pics later!)

Man, we are lucky employees! Thanks Bart's Electric.

Sometimes....

2009-06-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

I just can't get enough of this little (giant) boy. It's true, he has my heart. (not that he can't drive me crazy at times, but still) I just love him to pieces. I am so glad he is a part of us.....

A few weeks ago....

2009-06-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

Jake and Misty came over. We ate food and the kids played.....then we got the 4-wheeler out for Gideon. He LOVED it. Annie was the chosen chauffeur and loved every minute of that too. (although her legs are extremely long to still be riding that thing) The point is, that we had fun.
Sometimes it is just nice to sit on the driveway, talk and let the kids do there thing! Ahhhh, summer really is here!

Staying busy...

2009-06-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Jason and Ella are pretty inseparable lately. Jason loves to follow her and torment her. (when the timing is just perfect) It is actually quite funny how he does it. Right now the big thing around here is bubbles....So, I give Ella a bottle of bubbles and Jason screams
"bubb-oes" and chases them wherever they might go. Jason is getting really good at talking.....he says the kids names, and tries to repeat anything you ask him to! It gives us all a good laugh. We just love him to pieces around here.

Ella is a darling herself. She is big into "projects" and that includes anything she can color or paint or glue. She takes helping around the house very seriously as well. (on her terms, of course) She thinks she is a mermaid-princess, and who am I to disagree? Erin (my sis-in law, Caleb's wife) has been babysitting for us, and Ella has been in Heaven. Erin lets Ella cook with her, and do the dishes. The kids really enjoy her....and I am hoping that her calm nature will rub off on them. (we all know, I DON'T have that nature) Darn.

Our summer is shaping up to be another busy one. (who's isn't, right?) The older kids are in summer school till June 26th and then plan on a lot of days at the pool.

Beana to the rescue....

2009-06-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

After all the "Doggie Drama" my Mom and Beana showed up. They were unaware of what was going on. Beana (a friend of Al's, but I am claiming her as my own BFF, now) came in and got the kids all excited and played tag with them. Like a million different versions of tag.....the kids had a blast. It was the perfect thing to get them out of their funk. Of course she followed up the games with a bed time story.....(perfect) Thank you Beana for having fun with the kids and getting their mind off of things.

*In case you haven't noticed, Missouri is a great place to live. You should totally move out here.

A sad day....

2009-06-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

Today we had to let Coco go. The kids are devastated. I am devastated. Coming from a NON-animal person, that is huge. I am heartbroken for my kids. When they are all little it is easy to gloss over things, and they can be distracted. They are way beyond that now. I feel so bad that we can't keep her (Coco.) She was a wonderful Dog, great with kids and very mellow.

There is a leash law in Kidder, (we live out of the City limits) but she has been going in to town. Seth refuses to tie her up. He figures, we own 10 acres, our dog shouldn't have to be tied up. ( I agree) We are very frustrated, and if money wasn't so tight we would definitely be fighting this.
Seth's parents knew another family that was looking for a Dog, (a chocolate lab) and the fit was perfect.

(I didn't expect it to hurt this bad.) It is one thing, when you are looking to get rid of your animal, and a different story when you feel forced.

Our last hours with the dog the kids played and played.....she knew something was up, though. But I got lots of pictures with them.

Jason's first words were "Coco"(after Dada, of course) ....the way he yells it is hilarious. Jason loves that dog and Coco was so patient with him. Jason would pinch his face, and pull on his ears and Coco would just lay there.
Katie wrote Coco a note on a chew toy....They are all so sad.

We will miss her for sure.

Friends...

2009-05-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Brian and Brandi Walker

Bart and Lisa Walker

Lisa, Sarah and Brandi

The day we left the sky turned dark and it did rain.....these pictures were taken right before it started raining. Perfect timing or what!!?
I miss the beach already!!

Our room with a view....

2009-05-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

Fun stuff.....

2009-05-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

While I laid on the beach with my bottom-less pina colada or strawberry daiquiri, Seth and the guys played football in the sand. They had a blast. On the second day we were there we bought a boogie board from the gift shop and Seth was in heaven!! We bought 55 SPF sunscreen for 20 bucks in the gift shop.....Seth burned right through it. So we took a bus into town and bought SPF 80.....Poor guy burned like crazy! So did I....But we still had a blast. We were so glad to have the opportunity to go and have a vacation. It was nice to be able to just relax and not worry about everything.

Ahhhh, please remind me of this when I am losing my mind with inventory and accounting later......

thanks in advance! :)

Our trip to Cancun......

2009-05-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

the weather was perfect. (so there. Mr. weather man that said 70% chance of rain the whole trip!!) Our Hotel was beautiful and we had a wonderful time. It was a blast to be there with so many friends and there was never a dull moment! (46 people from Bart's Electric)
We mostly stayed at the beach the whole time. It was so relaxing and even after we burned the heck out of ourselves, we laid out under an umbrella. Seth and I both read books. (I got my book in for the year now.!!) hehe

We don't have the swine flu (at least I hope) but we were told to stay home through the weekend.....So that has been a perfect excuse for me to stay home and love on my kids, before I have to go back to the shop! :)

Really....

2009-04-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Seth and I are getting ready to leave for a trip to Cancun Mexico. We are so excited and in desperate need of a vacay. :) We are staying at the Sun Palace Resort....anyone been there? Anything we need to know or any excursions that are must do? Basically my top 10 things I want to do while I am there are (in no particular order)

1. lay out and get a tan
2. drink lots of pina coladas
3. room service
4. lay out
5. do nothing
6. NO EMAIL
7. NO phone calls
8. NO fabric
9. lay out
10. alone time with my Man

*nothing against fabric or phone calls

Fingers are crossed for an amazing time..... I did check the weather. And it looks like we have a 70% chance of rain and thunderstorms the entire time we are there. (i know....my luck is amazing)
But I am still super excited and ready to go.

The main thing I am worried about is getting a severe sun burn from the glare that WILL come off of Seth's belly!! We have talked about my concerns and I am pretty sure we will do what we can to avoid anything serious! :)

Have a great weekend.

Can't wait to tell you all about our trip!! See ya next week!

*picture is from my trip to Cabo in 2005

Karate Kid?

2009-04-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

Jason is always wanting to play with the kids Karate gear....well, I couldn't deny that cute little guy. So, we put all the gear on him.
I thought I might die laughing......He thought he was pretty big stuff as well. I love how his cheeks are squished.....Is he not the cutest BOY ever!?!?!?

***I know you all missed my 'look at my adorable son, jason' gushy-mushy posts.....Well. I am back. At least I hope I am!! :)

Clean up....

2009-04-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

See what I mean!?!? That Boys got skills! He is serious about his cleaning too. If you try to help or take the broom away, you are in BIG trouble!!

Mess maker....

2009-04-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

I know, it's kind of a theme around here. Look at Jason, and the messes he makes. The ironic thing is that it doesn't happen all that often. And when it does, i usually have the time/patience to laugh it off and take a picture.

He is so smart though, and that's what gets me....he makes the mess. And says uh-o, acts all cute and innocent, then he goes to the broom closet, gets the broom out and starts trying to clean it up.

I suppose I should start honing in on those skills and put him on the chore chart! Hahahah.

Pinewood Derby....

2009-04-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

Jared is a Cub Scout.....and along with that comes the pinewood derby. He had a blast working on his car with his Dad....they painted it blue and black, and screwed screws on the hood of it for more weight. He did pretty good. They boys all had so much fun! They didn't even really care that much about winning! They just loved racing and cheering each other on!!

My very first....

2009-03-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

ever, ever, ever quilt top. I am making this for Katie. It is called a disappearing nine patch and if you ever thought about making a quilt and you were just to scared.....This my friends, is the quilt for you!! It looks like so much more work than it is! I am so exited to have done this.....I need to double the size of it, and am having a hard time talking myself into starting that....but I love it. I love the fabric and the design....I can't wait to finish it with the borders I have planned and show it to you done!! Yeah for learning new things!! (you all know that I am in NO way a quilter.....never wanted to be. but I admit it now that I do enjoy it.....It really is fun to learn something new. but please, don't spread it around. I talked a lot of crap on those "other" people that sew!) Hahahahah! *hanging my head in shame*

The last big snow...

2009-03-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

Seriously....snow in April!! No way, I didn't believe the weatherman...it had been in the 70's earlier in the week. There was NO way it would really snow!!

Yup, it did. And the kids had one last snowman making day in it! Gotta love the Missouri weather!

This That and the other.....

2009-03-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

The blog This that and the other is having an awesome giveaway! I am NOT gonna lie. I was totally tempted NOT to tell you.....BUT I had to. I couldn't resist. I already made a fool out of myself by writing a poem that was supposed to rhyme. (you know how great I am at those!)

Good luck guys. Sure go ahead. Go enter and make it harder for me to win! It's cool. I'll be sure to get you back next giveaway!!

Did I mention that her blog is awesome? That she is giving away a table runner that is ADORABLE?!?!?! Oh and she's the girl I was telling you about that is doing the Grandmas flower Garden from different States and Countries! Yeah, she is a pretty cool Lady! :)

So, go check it out!

The Missouri Star Quilt CO is having a GIVEAWAY!!

2009-02-27T10:10:00.000-08:00

We are so excited!! It involves a layer cake and a jelly roll. Plus an awesome magazine!! Head over to the site! Check it out! It really is fun and interactive. join us in the forums and hang out!
Can't wait to see you there!

Deep thoughts from Jason....

2009-02-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

"hmmmm, what can I do today to drive my Mama crazy? Yeah, that's it....I'll
open a box of mac and cheese and throw it around the living room!! Better
yet I'll laugh, huge belly laughs the whole time. I will be so
irresistibly cute that she won't be able to get upset with me."

...and that IS pretty much how it went down. Darn kid, is just too cute to get mad at!

My little Helper....

2009-02-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

Jason is such a good little helper! :) Always into EVERYTHING!! He especially likes to unload the dishwasher while I am loading it!! My favorite, of course! ;)
I had already put all the dishes away, when I came in the kitchen to find him examining the dishes in the cabinet. I think that bowl makes the perfect hat too! (heck, it's even dishwasher safe. bonus!!)I thought he was the cutest thing ever, so I had to snap a few pics of the sneaky little man. I love you Mr. Jason

Girls night out......

2009-02-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

For Katie's "friend" party this year she invited Gillian and Hannah, and we took them bowling!! I lucked out and Natalie went along with me. (thank you Natalie) We had pizza, pop and ice cream.....and bowled for 2 straight hours!! The girls had a blast! It is hard to believe that my little Katie is Seven years old and next year she will be the BIG #8! Wow! I am not sure I am ready for that!

Katie's #7....

2009-02-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

we had a very small birthday party for Katie with the Family. Grampa Ron and Grama Jenny were able to come (broken leg and all) Katie got a littlest pet shop toy, a puppy in my pocket and a new bike!! She can't wait to get out there and ride like crazy!! Happy Birthday sweet girl!! I can't believe you are 7!!

BFF's

2009-02-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

Annie and her friend Liz were being extra crazy the other day!! Lots of silly faces and dressing up! This is just a sampling of what I found on Annie's camera! Hahahahaha, torture for when they are older! ( i so can't wait!!!!)

A new Do'

2009-02-14T17:46:00.000-08:00

Annie has been dying to get her hair cut....so I worked it out that Annie and Liz could go together....to the Hair place that is right next door to the Quilt Shop, so that I could go with her. Liz' Mom came by with the girls and we walked down......I had to leave before Annie's cut was done, so they came back by the shop to show off their new do's. Aren't they cute!?!??! Annie is in love with her new cut....

Jason loves the dogs....

2009-02-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures that Annie took of the dogs. The kids are so in love with them! I am not in love with puppy messes, the chewing on everything and that hay. But the kids have been doing really good with them....

Karate....

2009-02-04T17:28:00.000-08:00

the kids have been working hard at Karate.....and loving it. They all tested and got their advanced Yellow belt. It was an exciting night, and Dad took them out for ice cream! (BONUS) Next up: orange belt.

Crazy, crazy kids......

2009-01-30T17:36:00.000-08:00

what has happened to my sweet innocent children? I am finding out so much now that Annie has a camera of her own. (I suppose that's a good thing, right?) I think they come by their 'crazy' quite honestly. That Seth....let me tell you! :0

TWO new puppies.....

2009-01-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

What!??!! You say.... Yup, I agreed to ONE puppy. (after much begging and pleading and many promises of feeding and cleaning up after said puppy) I did cave.....for ONE.

Seth took the kids (while I was working) to pick up the dog. My cell phone rings, and it is Seth.....he says "there is only two left. If I take one then it will be all alone. The dogs gave me this really sad face, like why are you taking away my friend. Please, can we just have two?' Seriously.....I was like whatever....so I caved. We have two of the cutest puppies ever. They are Labs and as perfect as can be.
And so far the kids have been great with them. (one is a boy and one is a girl)

Names we considered:
Jack and Bauer (after my one true love)
Brownie
Blackie
Lady
Lucky (again)
George

The names we settled on were Coco and Lucky. The kids begged for that name again. It wasn't worth a fight. :) So the kids lovingly call him Lucky number 2. (nice, eh!)

Katie....

2009-01-26T17:39:00.000-08:00

got two awards at the Care Awards assembly. She got one for Achievement and one for attendance! She is doing so well in school and just loves it!! Good job Katie!

Jared also got an award for perfect attendance so far for the whole year!! WOW! That's amazing!

Happy Birthday Ms. Jenna.....

2009-01-19T05:43:00.000-08:00

this picture makes me laugh!! She's saying "oh heck no, I am the baby and I refuse to grow up"!!

Jenna, you are such a sweet girl! You are funny and crazy, loves horses and Ella. :) I hope you have a fabulous day!!

*I really can't believe that she is four. Time goes by....so fast! We love you Jen-Jen!

Family Time....

2009-01-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

Andy got home from his Mission to Thailand and came out for a visit.....and it was a great excuse to get everyone together!! Alan and Josh flew in for the event. It was so good to see everyone! We know how to have a good time, let me tell you. :) It was wonderful to see Andy again....I can't believe it has been two years. Where does time go again???

Naked as a Jay-Bird......

2009-01-18T16:53:00.000-08:00

Mr. Jason just got out of his bath......decided it would be better to run around the house naked than get dressed!! He had us all laughing! Good thing he found Daddy's hat......and placed it so perfectly. :) Crazy little baby!

Alayna....

2009-01-13T19:16:00.000-08:00

You Rock!! Happy Birthday little lady!!

*technically both b-days are tomorrow! I can't help being so on top of things!! :) Also, don't be offended if I forget your special day. I love you. I just only have a few brain cells. And some times are busier for me than others. Okay. I am trying NOT to feel guilty about ALL the people I leave out. Can you forgive me??? Please. :)

Mmmmmegan.....It's your day.....

2009-01-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

I hope you have the best, most fabulous birthday! I love you. You are a wonderful person. You are happy and bright and make so many of us laugh! Thanks for all you do!

Enjoy these pictures. I found them especially for you!!! :)

I forgot to mention.....

2009-01-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

that I chopped Ella' s hair off. Yup, it was long. I was a tad bit sad, but it was time to tame the beast! :) Did I mention that she loves it?

Fun stuff on Etsy....

2009-01-05T12:17:00.000-08:00

Just found this etsy shop, via Design Mom...... I love that it is bright and fun. They have a lot of other cool stuff! Take a look....I think I will have to get something...... when I win the lottery! :)

Or, maybe next week!

the end of the Christmas coverage...

2009-01-04T18:12:00.000-08:00

The last thing the kids got was all their karate gear.....they couldn't have been more excited!!

Well, I was a little worried this year about Christmas. About money, and really dumb things.....I have just been so stressed out and basically forgot about what the Holiday really is all about. Seth and I chose to really scale back, and only get the kids three things each, and do stockings. I kept going in and out of feeling guilty about not doing more, blah blah, blah.....And I got pretty lucky because I didn't even go out shopping until the Saturday before Christmas. (that really helped me from going over-board!!) So, all in all we had a wonderful holiday, and a nice Christmas break. The kids go back to school in the morning and I am really surprised at how fast the break went. I actually think I am going to miss the laid back, wake up whenever, clean the house whenever lifestyle. I do however thrive on a schedule, too. So I am sure that missing those lazy days won't last for long.

We have been really keeping busy at the shop . We have done a mystery quilt day, a Friday night sew-a-thon and lots and lots of projects I am trying to keep up with. I am working on keeping that blog updated as well. So check it often and leave me a nice comment or a mean one.....if that's how you roll. :)

I hope that everyone had a good Christmas and that you had a safe and warm holiday season. I for one am grateful for the simple blessing of safety. Having heard about Jake and Misty's ordeal was quite a humbling experience for me. You know, you just never know when it will be your time to go, but I sure know how devastating that could have been for our family. I am grateful for the Lord's hand in their lives.....that everything happened how it did and that they are safe.

We sometimes just sail through life without thinking about how blessed we are just to be here. Let us not forget to look on the bright side, be positive and enjoy where you are......If I know anything, it is that wherever we are doesn't last very long, that life is constantly changing, and that if we could just learn to be content, we wouldn't wish so much time away.

Uncle Tom's big 50th

2009-01-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Aunt Wendy and her girls had been planning this big 70-80's surprise party for Uncle Tom. It was a blast. Wendy did so much decorating and preparing, everything was wonderful. Megan pretty much rocked the house with her hair-do. I want to have another party just so I can see that again....and JD, that mustache....mmm-hmm. WOW. We all had a great time disco dancing and YES I did sport one heck of a side pony. (and some blue eye shadow!!) Good times.

Annie....

2009-01-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

was super lucky this year too! Her main thing she wanted SOOOO bad was a camera. I was afraid we wouldn't be able to get her one, and I came across another awesome deal....and Wha-la, Annie got a camera and some Aeropostale clothes. It is so weird that she is past the toys.....and now wants clothes and electronics. It has definitely been a good Christmas for us all.

Jared...

2009-01-04T17:06:00.000-08:00

was one lucky boy this year! He got a new coat (i got an awesome deal) a bakugon set, (supposedly the newest cool, boy thing) and a air hog helicopter! He pretty much doesn't think it can get any better than this!

Katie....

2009-01-04T16:42:00.000-08:00

got the one thing she wanted SO bad.....an I-dog! That was her big, big thing she just had to have. She also got new shoes, a friendship bracelet making kit, a book making kit and a polly pocket. She has been rocking out ever since.

Ella...

2009-01-04T16:37:00.000-08:00

was also very excited about Christmas and her list would seriously crack you up. (i will have to scan all of the lists, they are pretty funny!) Anyway, her presents this year were a backpack with a sleeping bag and flashlight, a real tea party set and barbie Mariposa. (the barbie with giant sparkly butterfly wings!!) She was so happy.

Jason....

2009-01-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

thought Christmas was the best thing ever! He very quickly caught on to opening presents and LOVED it. His presents this year were a riding toy firetruck, some clothes, a noisy music thing and some shoes. He was in pure heaven. Oh, and he got some candy in his stocking......best thing ever. Just ask him! :)
Look at the picture of him second up on the left, hahahaha, he was SO into those presents!! That is the picture this year that just makes me laugh over and over. This sweet little guy has brought so much joy to our family!

Christmas morning....

2009-01-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

the kids really did pretty well, they didn't wake up until about 7am. I remember waking up at 3am then every hour after that to beg our parents to let us go out and get our stockings!! I am glad I have good sleepers! They loved everything in those stockings!!

The Christmas Eve tradition....

2009-01-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

new pj's for everyone. Jason was so tired....all he wanted was his bottle and his bed. But, I had to get a picture of all my babies dressed up and ready for the long night of waiting for Santa!! Aren't they cute!? Man, they are all getting so big. I am still not ready for my kids to grow up. I like them little....I am not sure if I will like them big. :) Just kidding, kind of. :)

A Swedish Christmas....

2009-01-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve at Gramma and Grampa Fish' this year was so nice. The food was Deee-lish (of course.) and the slush was amazing.....we definitely did not have enough of that. :) bummer for us late eaters. I still need a slush fix.
Anyway, the dancing around the tree and house is always a hoot. We missed Alan and his loud singing.....'newly,yewly in, a newly yewly in, we Swedish people like our pasta.....hey hope-sa. hey hope-sa, we sure-a eat a lot a pasta.' Just my little rendition of the old traditional song.
Sorry Gramma Fish for butchering the song.....it is just how I hear it! :)
I still can hardly believe that Christmas is over.....it went so fast.

The Doan Family Christmas....

2009-01-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

So, I am sitting here at my computer, looking through pictures.....Where do I even start!?!?

I have been extremely overwhelmed and busy lately and have been slacking on my blogging BIG time. (not to mention all the other things I have been slacking on too!!)

Anyway.....CHRISTMAS. It was so nice. For Christmas at my Mom's house, it was supposed to begin at 6pm.....I was last minute shopping in the city and got stuck in traffic thanks to an accident and we didn't get there until 7:45pm

Not to worry, everyone was still nice to me, and we had a wonderful time. The food was great, the company even better. I just love how the cousins love each other. They can hardly wait to give each other presents. Oh, and Jake made truffles......OH my.....at one point during the night Seth walked up to Jake and hugged him......yeah, they were THAT good! :)

Katie.....

2008-12-29T05:59:00.000-08:00

Lost her first tooth!! WOW!! She came home from school, with a little wiggly loose tooth and by dinner she was whining, saying she couldn't eat......Seth told her he would pull it out for her and she agreed. WHAT the!??!?! He yanked on it about three times and it finally came out. Katie didn't cry once! Crazy girl! (Dec.17) see how far behind I am!!?!

fifty five, MAN ALIVE!!!

2008-12-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday DAD!! You don't look a day over 20! (You don't act like it either!!) hehe Thanks for all the love, laughter and for setting such a good example to all of us kids! (and ALL of your grand kids!!) You make being patient and kind look easy.
Hope you have a fabulous day! Love you!

Christmas Program 2008

2008-12-16T05:52:00.000-08:00

The Hamilton Elementary had their Christmas Program on December 8th 2008. Jared and Katie both participated. This is a tradition we all look forward to, and was reminded how fast it goes by (Annie is now TOO old.....stinkin' 5th grader!!) So we loaded up and went as a family to enjoy hearing the kids sing a few Christmas songs to start the Holiday Season!

*thanks alan for the pictures.

Something we could use a little help with....

2008-12-12T06:34:00.001-08:00

http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Gifts-for-People-Who-Bug-You

......there are a few people on my list. just sayin'.

How about you? Did you find this useful? DO tell!

The Gingerbread Extravaganza....

2008-12-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

and what an extravaganza it was! Cindy (seth's mom) does gingerbread houses every year with all of us for her big Christmas party.....we always have such a blast. Each year the kids get more and more into it......usually we (seth and I) spend a lot of time 'helping' the kids out, and this year they were doing most of it themselves!! Good times, for sure!

Daddy made cookies....

2008-12-11T07:09:00.000-08:00

and Jason LOVES them.....sneaky little guy had one for breakfast.

Smart kid.

Baby Jackson.....

2008-12-05T16:28:00.000-08:00

is a beautiful baby. Hillary and Baby Jack are doing great. It was an honor and a joy to be there and witness his birth. I am so happy for them.....having a boy in a sea of girls will be quite a fun experience. Congratulations Sperry Family. WE love you.

Thank-FULL.....

2008-12-01T05:47:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful time of year!! Again, I am amazed at how quickly time passes. We had a great Thanksgiving. For breakfast we got together with the Galbraith's. Had Yummy waffles, and enjoyed every ones company. The kids played basketball and ran around like crazy.
Then that afternoon we had My Mom and Dad, Alan and Spenser over here for the BIG meal! It was a lovely day. I didn't take any pictures, but i will steal some from Mom....I think she got a few.

We had a big Black Friday sale at the Shop and we were busy.....we had two more quilts come in to be quilted and made quite a few retail sales. Always exciting! Things just get better and better. Dad, Seth, Alan and Spenser worked more on the building and put up our AWESOME signs Natalie painted!! (seriously, awesome job!!) Hillary and Alex came later in the afternoon, and I conned Hill into sewing a quilt I laid out, and Alex put up Christmas lights for us! We didn't finish the quilt, but I am quite sure I can sweet talk Mom into finishing it for me, er the 'shop'. Teheehheeh! Who knew I would love putting quilts together? I just love fabric. I still haven't mastered the whole 'sew a straight line' thing yet, but I am an amazing iron-er! :)

We had Jared's Baptism yesterday, and I will do a complete post on that when I get the pictures from Mom. Let me just say, it was wonderful!

Have a great week....

Jared.....

2008-11-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

Mr. Jared turned 8 years old today! Wow, where has the time gone? I still remember being so excited to be pregnant. We were scared to death, because of our experience with Annie, but still very excited to give her a sibling.
He was by far my easiest child. He is mellow and quiet and very good at entertaining himself. I was always shocked to find him playing motorcycles for hours, and I mean HOURS completely content. He loves all things related to sports and being active. He would rather be outside playing,than watching television any day. He likes karate, football, basketball and skateboarding best, but would pretty much join in whatever sport was happening. He can be very silly when he wants to, and has been surprising me a lot lately with some of the things he's said. He is definitely picking up on my sarcastic sense of humor, which I don't really think is a good thing! :)
Anyway, I am very proud of Jared and the boy he is turning into. He loves his family so much and is an incredible big brother. He loves having a baby brother SO much. Yesterday he took Jason outside to play and taught him how to throw rocks at my house! (nice, I know!) But Jason thought he was in Heaven! Today we had a small party with 4 of his friends that live right down the road...
Levi gave him some football cards, Pokemon cards and some Star Wars cards. Noah gave him a punching bag and boxing gloves. Kyle gave him a light sabre. And Lane gave him a gun that shoots discs, and a pack of practical joke stuff. The boys played football, and basketball and ran around like crazy! They even had a race to the hay bales and climbed on top of them! Woohoo!
It has been a lovely day. I love Jared very much and I am looking forward to a million more years with him......watching him grow and change and eventually be a Man. (how weird will that be?!!? not too far off I am afraid. time has not really been my friend lately!)
I love you Jay-rod! I hope your birthday was a good one!

Jared will be getting baptized on Sunday the 30th in our ward building. You are all invited to come. I will post pictures of that afterwords.

Okie Dokie,

2008-11-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

So, I know you have all been dying to see some pictures of our little Quilt Shop......But I first want you to see what we had to start with. I have some really bad ones during the process, but I will spare you and get right to the good stuff! This really has been extremely crazy, and extremely fun. It is so great to work with family and really accomplish something wonderful. This is our journey......from OLD, UGLY building to a cute Quilt Shop.
Enjoy.

Yes, we don't have a ton of stuff yet.....but we will! We have new lines ordered for spring, (yes, the new Amy Butler line has been ordered thank you very much!) We will continually be expanding our inventory of fabric little by little. Our big/main thing is our machine quilting services we offer. So uh-yeah, if you have a quilt top bring it on over.....we will get it done for you by Christmas!
Well, there you have it....a sneak peak into what has been keeping me running like a crazy person!! Have a great weekend all!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Halloween this year!! The weather was amazing and we all enjoyed trick-or-treating without heavy coats on!! The first two pictures are from the kids Halloween parade. It was fun to sit out there and watch all the kids walk by.....we were the crazy ones commenting on every one's costumes!! Good times, eh!
We have been a LOT busy this year so we didn't go as crazy as normal but we still ended up having a wonderful time! Hope your Halloween was just as fantastic as ours!

November 1, 2008

2008-11-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

We were blessed beyond measure. Jason Alan was sealed to us for Time and All Eternity. It was a wonderful blessing for our family. All of the children there, in white. What a sweet, sweet thing to be a part of. I am so grateful for the blessings of eternal life. For the amazing opportunity we have to be together forever. Again, I am struck by the power of the Lord. His hand is in all that we do. There were so many things that came together and so many experiences, that I would have to be blind to not see the hand of the Lord in. Thank you to all who came and supported us and for those who wanted to but weren't able to be there. I apologize for the short notice, and for those that might not have known at all. Satan was really working me over, putting a lot of obstacles in our way. But alas, we stayed the course and just had to get there.

True Story: We were about 10 miles to Omaha and I realized I didn't bring the adoption papers with me. I freaked out and started balling my eyes out....made a few calls, got Spenser to get into my house (it may have looked like a tornado hit it....I didn't want just anyone in there) and he passed the papers off the Jerry Barton and he faxed them to the Temple for us! Whew!! Catastrophe diverted!! Boy was I grateful to Jerry. He has always had a thing for Jason though, he was adopted also as a baby, so I think he has that connection to him.

Thank you for coming along on our little journey through the unknown adoption process. It has been one of the sweetest experiences of my life. Everyday I am grateful. I am such an advocate for adoption now. It truly does bless lives. It really can right a wrong. And it is one of the most un-selfish things a person can do. I know that it can be hard. i know that it can break hearts, but I also know that hearts can heal, and that pain can ease, and I know that when you have the spirit close enough to you that you can do anything. I know this because I have been a part of this. I have seen the sadness, the heartache. I have looked into a mother's eyes that is giving her baby to me and there is pain there, there is pain in the grandparents eyes as well. I know that the biological family of Jason's loves him beyond anything. I know that they chose love over selfishness. And we are eternally grateful. Over and over again we think of them. I sometimes ache just feeling for them, but I am comforted to know that they know what they did was the right thing.

Thank you, again. We love him so much.

2008-11-05T18:42:00.000-08:00

Jared was a flag football Rockstar...

2008-11-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

Well, he loved it anyway and we had a good time watching his games! This year was a little crazy though, because there wasn't enough coaches for the older teams so they split the boys up and we had 4th, 5th and 6th graders on our teams. I wasn't thrilled with the idea, but it all worked out. Jared can't wait till he can play tackle football. That is all he talks about!!

JayJay's Presents.....

2008-11-05T18:10:00.000-08:00

He really didn't want anything to do with opening gifts at the park. But once we got home he loved the idea!! He got some great new toys and was happy as pie. His favorite is a gift from Natalie, it is a musical storybook and he LOVES it!!! It is still his favorite thing! Thanks Aunt Natalie!! (well, and Uncle Erinn and the kids too!)

A long, long time ago......

2008-11-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

Jason had a BIG #1 birthday!! Here are a few pictures to show off our fun day at the park.

He could hardly believe that I was going to let him eat that cake all by himself.....

Mmmmm, he likes chocolate!

My goodness, it was so fun to go look back at these pictures. He is such a happy little guy. His birthday was a ton of fun. My parents, Seth's parents, Natalie and her kids, Cindy and Ammon and their kids, Rebekah and Ryan and their kids, Caleb, Erin and Ruth all were able to be there. It is always a good time when you have so much family to spend it with. It is still hard to believe our baby is a year old now. Just yesterday Seth said how sad he was that Jason was growing up so fast.....he said 'look honey, he just doesn't have that baby look anymore. He looks like such a big boy. Why does time go so fast?' But we couldn't be happier, he is a crazy little one year old and we like it that way!! Happy Birthday Baby.....

Happy Birthday.....

2008-10-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

Gramma Fish!! We love you. I hope your day is wonderful and happy.

Someday......

2008-10-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

I will be back to blogging all the crazy-life stuff I have to tell you all about. But right now I am knee deep in Quilt Shop-craziness. Everything is starting to come together, and I can't wait to show and share all our new adventures! Things are going very well, and the end of the week we will be off to Houston for the Quilt Market!! (yeah, Mom and I can hardly wait!!)

I will keep you posted.......I promise! :)

thanks Amanda fro the nice lil nudge. I miss my blogging posse!

Can it really be??

2008-09-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful Baby is a year old today!?! Where has the time gone? It brings to mind the song my Mom always sang to us......Where are you going my little one?

It is hard to believe that a year ago today I was so unsure of what was to be.....it is a lot like being pregnant and waiting for labor to start.....waiting to hear if/when your baby's Mama would go into labor. I was actually doing the dishes feeling like he was never going to come out when I got the call. It was A, and I was so excited to hear from her.....she said we are on our way to the hospital and she said I just hope I make it.....I thought she was kidding. Nope, the baby was born on the way to the hospital......you heard that right, Jason was born in the parking lot of Long's Drugs. Jason came out being the center of attention and has relished that place ever since!! To say he is still the center of attention would be an understatement......he is a bit of a rockstar in our area. Besides being the baby of the family, all of the kid's friends are quite smitten by Jason too. So, he is NOT lacking in the attention department! :)

Jason is a sweet happy baby and we love him so much. Every day we are grateful for him and for his birth Mama A, who has blessed us beyond anything we can ever repay.

To her; what you have done is the strongest, bravest thing that any woman could ever do. I am continually amazed at the maturity it had to have taken you to trust us with your precious son. The love that you have in you, the strength, the faith.....hopefully you will be able to draw on that even now and during the rest of your life. It will take you places that ordinary (me) people can't even reach. I love you. There is NOT a day that goes by that we are not grateful, not one. We could not imagine our life without Jason. Thank you.

Jason....

2008-09-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

loves hats! He thinks anyone wearing one is his best bud and will stare them down until he gets his hands on it....Today, Daddy's hat was all his! He obviously loves being the center of attention around here, and enjoyed his little photo shoot! hahaah!

Okay, in all seriousness....is he not darling?

Lovin' the mud Pit!

2008-09-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

really....the silver lining in the whole ordeal of last weekend was that the kids DID enjoy the mud. and that's about it. :)

This weekend however was gorgeous weather and we got a lot done, so no complaints about this weekend! I hope you all had a good weekend!

Dear Jason,

2008-09-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

I apologize for raining so much and making it inconvenient to play. I also am very sorry for flooding your parents basement and making last weekend miserable. After I received your letter I decided a little sun was in order, mid-afternoon.

It seems to me you enjoyed your self out in the massive mud pit your Dad dug so that he could fix the drain pipe that was smashed and made the water almost impossible to drain....thus the flooded basement.

You actually loved jumping in and you scared your Mom half to death with a head-first dive! It was however, colder than it looked.

Please forgive the miserable weather last weekend. I will try to stay away until mid-week, then be gone again by the weekend.

Regards, Mr. Rain

Oh, Ella....

2008-09-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Last night as Seth and I were getting the kids ready for bed, Katie noticed that Seth's insole (for his work boots) was all cut up. Katie told Seth and I said "oh, I think Ella did that while I was up stairs."
Seth then sarcastically said "oh, thanks Ella."

Ella got a gigantic smile on her face and said " Your welcome Dad....had you been trying to do that."
(*actual : yauh welcome dada, had you been twying ta do that.)

I couldn't help myself, I busted up laughing out loud and Seth soon joined me. Oh, to be as innocent and sweet as a little four year old.....she really thought Dad was grateful for all her 'hard work' as I am sure it was for her!

Hope you have a lovely Sunday.

P.S

2008-09-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

it won't be long till I can actually reach the handle and get out on my owm anyway. I try so hard. It is so tough being eleven months old....I wish you understood!

love, jason

pps. i am a dare devil, and i don't think silly old rain will keep me out of trouble anyway. so, there. nanner- nanner boo, boo.

Dear Rain,

2008-09-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

Please go away. I am a very busy boy who wants to be outside EVERY minute of the day.

I am begging you. I heard Mom say something like, 'wait till winter, buddy' and it scares me. What's that supposed to mean!? It couldn't possibly be worse than this??

It has been raining all day. All I want is some fresh air. Do you realize how hard this is on me? On my Mom? Sometimes when I don't get to go outside I scream incredibly loud. Like ear piercing, brain busting loud.

See. Mr. Rain, it is all your fault. I am telling my Mom that I had to do this, all because of you. Someday, i am sure we will be better friends, but right now I still don't like you. Have a good day, and hurry up and get out of here. Thank you. Love, Jason Galbraith

Friday Family Night.....

2008-09-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Every Friday night our family has a little tradition...we eat pizza and watch a movie together. We seldom stray from this tradition and occasionally have friends included. Last night we had Jared's friend Lane over and had a great night. Instead of eating ice cream with the movie I thought it would be fun to make some caramel corn. It was really quite easy and we loved it. Mmmm...their is still a little left, maybe I'll go finish off the bowl! :)

Blessed......

2008-09-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

“The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”. Author Anna Quindlen

I read this tonight and my heart pretty much broke. It seems recently that their has been so much tragedy and it affects me. Even those people that I don't know personally, I feel for them. For their families, for their children.
I want my family to know how much they mean to me.....I hope that my family, my kids, my husband knows how I feel. If something were to happen to me I would want them to not live wondering how I felt about them.
I want to say, to be, to portray the kind of mother, person, I am. I don't want to live with regret that i didn't do enough.

I want to remember everything.....how they sound as sweet little babies, to how they talk as precious four year old to the sassy preteen. I am so scared of forgetting these things. I know I already have forgotten so many things and it breaks my heart.

Each one of my babies I have held and thought, that surely I wouldn't forget how they smell, how they look and how they feel in my arms...... I can hardly remember those moments. It is so so sad to me. I always thought the 'baby' stages of my life were going to be the longest, but I am finding out how really quickly they pass.

I am so grateful for such a beautiful family and I love my babies so much. I am going to try harder to record my life's joys. The silly, the obnoxious, the crazy things we do. All I want is the best for us, and I want them to know how I feel about them.
Ugh, the ache that I am feeling right now, is so incredible......If I died today would they know?? Would this little blog be enough for them? Have I written enough about them, about my feelings for them, about my feelings in general?? I am good on the whole sarcastic thing....I pretty much have that down. :) I just hope that that isn't all I have.

I do know for sure that I am extremely blessed and lucky to have the life I live.

9-11

2008-09-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

I still remember where I was, what I was doing and how the entire thing seemed so unreal. It was a mixture of disbelief and complete shock. The day went on in slow motion. I was actually watching it live on Good Morning America, and was so stunned to see the second plane hit the building.....and then when the Tower fell.

I was thinking how crazy that it has been 7 years, and how blessed we are that we haven't had any other attacks on our soil since. It makes me think that maybe our government has been doing some good, you know! I am so grateful for the Men and Women who risk their lives for us day in and day out. Wherever they serve, wherever they are stationed, we appreciate you! Thank you for keeping us safe.

It is a day we will never forget.

The dramatic Dragon.....

2008-09-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

okay, really I am not writing to tell the story of these shots. I just have been terrible lately about taking pictures so I really don't have any new ones of things we've been doing lately!
Things are getting ready to bust out over here. I went to Hamilton last night to see all of the work my Mama and Papa have been doing on the building and things are looking SO good!!

Dad worked like a dog all day prepping the walls, moving the display cases out, sweeping up and bagging yucky Sheetrock and even started texturing an area!! Crazy!! Mom pulled all the woodwork down and has several coats of shiny white paint on them, and covered the windows to add an air of mystery to the observers. (and in this small town we have a LOT of them!) So, things are definitely coming together and I am getting more and more excited.

I am now in the process of finding the flooring we will need. We have a painter coming in next week to shoot the ceiling, then we will paint the walls and lay the floors!! Wa-hoo! I can't wait to show you some of the pics!

*oh and the dragon.....Ella was very upset that I was making her share the costume with Jenna. It was totally cracking me up the drama that ensued! Oh. life is hard when you are three!

.......

2008-09-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

....with distractions come new obsessions!! Seth put Jason on the bigger ramp with out the skate board and Jason thought this was the best thing ever....he would literally launch himself off the top of the ramp and slide down! I wished so bad that I had my video camera because it was hilarious!! He would scream out loud and laugh the whole way! :)
The last picture is all of the kids that were there for the day......all of my parents grand kids! Crazy, huh!

Skater Baby....

2008-09-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Mr.Jason has NO FEAR!! He was in love with the skate board the minute we got there. He was so serious about getting on it and riding, and would get really upset if we tried to distract him and get him away from the ramps! SO, yeah. He kept Seth really busy 'riding' him around, and thought he was big stuff when he took him down the ramp!! Maybe it was the mo-hawk he was sportin'....??? Who knows!

*notice the baby booty-crack showin'......he makes me happy! i love that boy so much!!