CMan Clan

I know it has been a while...

2011-07-10T19:56:00.001-07:00

As most of you all know we moved to Alabama. Huntsville area way up north. We live about 10 miles from the Tennessee border. And are loving it here. We ventured out this past week to the botanical gardens twice and to the space and rocket center. We had so much fun! the kids really loved the little ride thing that shot them up into the air. I think Dallin will definately be a roller coaster rider. he was smiling so big. Gretchen loved it too but she was a little more cautious than Dallin. We love our new ward and house. But we do miss the Family in tifton tons. The first two weeks we were here Dallin cried himself to sleep just about everynight saying "Grandmom, Grandaddy" over and over. It was enough to break my heart but I kind of wanted to cry my self saying the same thing. I miss them so much and I am eternally thankful for the well mannered little boy they have raised that I call my son. I am so thankful for them opening their heart and making room for me, and loving me through all my faults and short comings. I am also thankful for all the love and help that Nana and Papa have given us. I miss the comfort of knowing people and seeing people I know where ever I went, but I am enjoying many things about here too. I love having my own kitchen, if only I could learn that i am not cooking for the whole compound and make smaller portions of stuff. I am excited for the new adventures and growing that we are all doing by having to be by ourselves without any family, and it makes me appreciate the time we have with them all the more. Anyway life is good and we feel so blessed to be able to grow, but just want you to know that we miss you and love you all.

why yes that is a boy sleeping on the steps

2011-07-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

So I have found Dallin sleeping on these steps 4 times now. I worry that he is going to turn over and roll to the bottom, but he sure seems to like sleeping there. I just hope he stays still and doesnt move too much.

oh to be young again

2011-07-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Remember when you were young and didn't have a care in the world except for who had control of the water hose. I have really enjoyed all the fun the kids have had and watching them play together and do all the fun little things like water fights, catching lightning bugs and catching frogs. It really is the fun simple moments that make memories. I love that our house has a big front porch and we spend quite a bit of time on it.

getting ready for church

2011-07-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Okay so as you can tell the only one trilled with getting thier picture taken is Dallin. I took these a few weeks ago right before we left for church, and they all were mad and didnt want their picture taken. I couldnt get pitures of Gretchen or Randy but you win some you lose some. I am amaze at how grown my girls are getting. I have had one of those weeks where I am wondering where the time has gone. I took Estella to get some shoes this week and she is waering a size nine. yes you read it right a 9. I still think it must just be the type of she she got or something and then I took her to get some shorts and she is officially in adult sizes. the amzing thing is they fit and as much as I hate to admit that she is growing up I am glad to finally find some clothes that fit her. she looks so cute and grown up and I am think I might have to start locking her in the basement. The good thing is she is so shy about boys and freaks out about it, But Amelia, miss sassy herself is all about boys and has a handful of boyfrinds already so I am afraid she is going to be like her mom and be a flirt big time so please pray for me or her or both...

homemade granola

2011-07-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Gretchen and Dallin had a great time "Helping" me make granola. They were both great taste testers and I couldn't have asked for better help. Gretchen started getting all sassy when she realized I was taking pictures of her. She is such a mess, but I am glad she is my mess. I feel like I did pretty good at the granola. the first batch was a little more chewy but I guess that is what happens when you dont read ALL the directions and you cook like paula dean and just trow a whole sick of butter in the bowl and dont even realize it was suppose to be less than that till it is already in the over, but dont worry David found a way to force himself to eat it. I made another round of the homemade Granola yesterday to send with Randy to scout camp. He left this afternoon and will be gone for a week so I had to load him down with granola and cookies. I hope he has a good week and learns alot.

swimming with cousins

2011-07-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts about our move is that we now only live under an hour and a half from my sister Carla and her family. we have made several trips to her house to go visit and swim. It is so much fun to see the cousins play together, and of course I love seeing sister! Dallin is getting us all wet with his water gun and the older kids had a ball swimming. Uncle Danny gave dallin a car and he wouldnt let it go, but he was so wiped out from all the fun!

pickin strawberries

2010-06-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

Amelia and her class went on a field trip to a strawberry farm. We got to ride a tractor and tour the farm, and she got to jump and goplay around on the big inflatable slides. then we got to pick strawberries. She seemed to enjoy herself. it sure was hot that day. That is a picture of her teacher Mrs. Cottle talking to her in the jump thing. She was a wonderful teacher! I am so glad amelia got her this year!

It's great to be Eight!

2010-06-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

E
Estella turned 8 on April 23rd. She got an american girl doll. We told the girls that we would get them one when they turn 8 or if they want one before then they have to save half the $. Estella choose the Elizabeth doll. She had a good birthday. Aunt Lynelle flew into town to make her baptism dress. Lynelle also made her doll a dress to match her baptism dress. It was a wonderful day, but I forgot my camera so I need to get Lynelle to email me the pictures. Estella is growing into such a smart, sweet little girl. I am so gratful that she is my daughter.

2010-06-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

Dallin turned 1 on march 18. We did cake and ice cream when we came home from vacation. He had a good time opening a cute little barn that Nana and poppa bought for him. He also seemed to enjoy his cake that his mommy made. It was a strawberry cake. A good time was had by all.

2010-06-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

David's aunt Ruth gave us a week vacation at her timeshare in March. We had so much fun. It was a bit chilly, but that didnt stop us from having a great time. The girls had a blast playing in the pool. We would go swimming about 10:30 in the morning till lunch and then get back in about 1:30 and stay till dinner. Thankfully the pool was heated. Poor David didn't really get to go swimming a lot, because he was inside doing school work. We also went over to orlando for one day and spent the day with Davids cousin Sarah. we went to disneys animal kingdom. It was a really cool park. Travis met up with us later and we all went to dinner together. Dallin also turned 1 while we were there. but we waited till we got home to celebrate.

I Love just sitting and watching the waves. It makes me feel so small and yet so impotant to look out at the huge ocean and think that this world is so big, but my Heavenly Father KNOWS me! I am amazed by all the blessing in my life. I am so thankful.

nap time

2010-06-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Dallin sleeping in his favorite spot. I use to worry that he was going to get too big for Grandmom's lap, but I don't think that will ever happen. I am so grateful that she loves my boy so much. He is the luckiest little boy in the whole world.these pictures were taken several months ago. He still sleeps in her lap everyday.

Daddy Daughter Dance

2010-03-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

David took the girls to the YMCA daddy daughter dance on February 12Th. This year Gretchen got to go along. She was so excited. They all seemed to have a good time. yes that is naked Dallin crawling in the background of the picture. Dallin and I had a great mommy, son bonding night while they were gone. Yes I finally got him dressed. I guess I am was just trying to prepare him for the fact that he will have to wait for women to get ready.

Molly

2010-03-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

As if life isn't crazy enough with 4 kids, David and I both in school, an embroidery business to run, Callings at church to fulfill, hey why not throw a puppy into the mix. This is Molly. We got her from tractor supply. they were doing an adopt a thon and I just couldn't resist her. We know her mom is a beagle, but not sure what her daddy was. We think maybe golden retriever. All we know is she is a welcomed new member in the family and we all love her. Jeds dog (roxy) likes her too. They play till they are both worn slap out. it is so funny to hear them chasing each other on the hard wood floors, because they both slide all over the place.

now those are some darn cute kids

2010-03-04T19:19:00.001-08:00

sweet Dallin
Gretchen and Amelia swinging together

Estella

Amelia

Gretchen "Loving" Dallin

I know they are the cutest kids on the planet, what can I say, David makes some cute babies. Seriously, I feel bad for other people that think their kids are the cutest, because HELLO, clearly mine are! These pictures were taken on Thanksgiving morning, and Hanga was the photographer. thanks you again Hanga! please make sure to take note of the band aids on Gretchen, no she is not hurt, she was just going through a band aid faze.

family Christmas pictures

2010-03-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

one big happy family

Now that is more like how it went

Who let these people out of the Zoo?

I know it is march and I am posting Christmas pictures. Deal with it and be happy that you get to see them okay! so I am a few month behind in my blogging, why should my blogging feel left out I am a few month behind in just about everything, but at least I am still plugging along. I will eventually get to it.The annual family Christmas picture was insane as usual. Why do I even try? 4 kids and a crabby husband do not make for fun picture taking moments. We did finally get an acceptable one. I know I will look back and treasure the memories of getting the pictures done as much as the pictures themselves. I love my family no matter how crazy it gets!

strawberries and read heads

2009-12-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Gretchen wore this adorable dress to church. All my girls have worn it, but I never got pictures of the other two in it. Why I don't know, but I wish I had. It may seem like just an adorable dress to you, but it is extra special to me. See my mom made it, She was an incredible seamstress. She loved to make dresses for little girls, and I know if she was here today she would be sewing up a storm for my girls. I am lucky that I do have my sister Lynelle that has made many beautiful dresses for my girls and some really cute gator stuff for Dallin, I don't want to sound ungrateful for all she has done for my kids, but I have moments when I really want my mom to be here enjoying my kids. I know she would just eat them up and spoil them like crazy. I know she is not hurting and is in a much better place and I know that I will see her again, but I just want to take a selfish moment and miss her terribly. The last week or so has been a tough one for me, I am not sure exactly why, I guess just the holidays, but man do I miss that wonderful person I called mom. She was such an example to me and influenced me to try to be a good, honest, faithful person. I know I fall short, but I hope to one day be as a great a mother as she was. She always wanted a red headed, and so I am sure she pulled some strings and was excited when Gretchen got to come meet us. I am quite sure she gave Gretchen a big kiss right before she let her go to come down to earth. I hope that my children will one day understand what a wonderful mother I had and I look forward to the day when I can show them off to her in heaven.

Leaves for Lunch Anyone?

2009-12-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

Dallin has been really enjoying the chance to go outside and explore. These pictures were taken a few weeks ago. We were out picking up pecans and Gretchen was swinging on the tire swing, so Dallin decided to have a little snack. He wasn't real sure about the ground at first, but it didn't take him long to find the leaves to entertain himself.

Tire Swing

2009-12-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

The girls have been having a blast on the tire swing. They will stay out on it for a good while, before they start fighting. Gretchen especially loves it. Every morning she says "I want wing". It is so cute and she would stay on there all day if someone would swing her all day.

S'mores anyone

2009-12-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

sticky? not me.

A few weeks ago it was a bit chilly so we decided to have s'mores. I just love getting to spend time together. I don't know if Gretchen ever ate a cooked one, but she sure had her fill of marshmallows and Chocolate. Dallin couldn't get enough graham crackers.

2009-12-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

Amelia The Vampire

Jed ????

Gretchen The Princess

Dallin and Daddy #1 gator fans

Estella The vampire

This year for Halloween, Estella and Amelia wanted to be vampires. I swear everyone is all about the vampires, thank alot twilight. Anyway, they had a good time. we went trick or treating downtown on Friday evening. Helen and her bunch went with us. they were an Indian family Very cute! Afterwards we all went to Los Compodres for dinner. Within about...oh ...maybe 2 minutes We realized that we were pretty out numbered by children and it made for a very crazy meal, but it was fun and something we sure don't do very often. Then on Halloween morning they had a trunk or treat at church. They had a haunted house, it seemed to be a big hit. Gretchen didn't waste any time eating her candy.

Disney here we come!

2009-11-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

We got to go to Disney world while the kids were out of school for a break in October. We left on Thursday October 15th and stayed till October 20th. We had so much fun! Sarah, Travis, and Lindsea made it so great! we got to go see the hotel where Travis works, and walk around the boardwalk. It was so beautiful. It was very cold. the first day it was hot and then all the sudden a cold spell and we were freezing. I had to go buy jackets for the kids. But I would rather be a little cold than burning hot. We also got the grand tour of Epcot with Sarah. and we saw the show Fantasmic? I think that was the name of it. All I know was that it was an Awesome show! Lindsea let us crash at her place and she also hung out with us at the park. The girls had so much fun. We got to ride the rockin roller coaster several times. It is so fast! Amelia also braved the tower of Terror with David, me, and Hanga. Amelia was alot braver than Andrea! It was so much fun I could go on and on, but I won't, but I do want to thanks Sarah, Travis, and Lindsea for making our vacation A great one. We had alot of fun hanging out with y'all. Thanks for everything!

2009-11-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

The the rumors are true. Jed broke his leg. I think he was trying to impress some cheerleaders, and something went terribly wrong, but any way, it is broken, but healing just fine.

pumpkin decorating

2009-11-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

For Family home evening on October 12Th the girls got to decorate some pumpkins that Nana bought for them. A good time was had by all.

Haunted House

2009-11-27T14:33:00.000-08:00

One weekend in October, Estella had her friend Erin over to play they were having a great time playing outside and I was washing dishes in the window and I decided to knock and hide. Well with it being so close to Halloween I then decided to dress up like a ghost and stand in the window. It was so fun to watch them try to figure out who the ghost was.

2009-11-27T14:23:00.000-08:00

Princess Day at chick fil a.

We took the girls to the princess party. I think it was October 11.They got their hair and make up done and got to do a craft and make their own sunday. It was alot of fun for them, and alot of waiting in a very long line for mommy and Andrea. David got to stay home and do some male bonding with Dallin.

New teeth and the tootless

2009-09-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

Dallin has 4 teeth now. Two on the top and two on the bottom. He has bitten me 3 times so far nursing, so if this keeps up he may get skinny really fast. Amelia lost he first tooth Friday September 25. She was very upset about it. I ended up just pulling it really fast, because it was just hanging on by a thread and it was ready to come out. She was complaining yesterday about something scratchy on her gum, so I took a peek and sure enough. It was her new tooth coming in already. So it must have been moving the old one out of the way. I am going to try to get a picture, but so far she hasn't let me take one. She looks so cute.

Boo- Boo's

2009-09-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Gretchen has become obsessed with boo boos. She invents boo boos, just so she can put a band aid on. As you can see in the pictures, she has them everywhere. Who know what people think when we are out and about. I just know that it is hard to entertain a 2 year old for long and if a $2.14 box of band aids keeps her happy for a few days, I think that is pretty cheap entertainment. I mean have you been to the movies lately? I took Estella, Amelia , Andrea, and myself to see cloudy with a chance of meatballs Friday. My word I was out almost $40.00 and that was just to get in the door. So I will happily pay $2.14 and hope that she sticks with the band aids for quite a while.

ADORABLE

2009-09-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Can You say ADORABLE! I know I may be showing a little favortism and all being that he is mine, but seriously you really can't get cuter than this! He is so sweet and happy. I am so glad that he is here and part of our Family! Andrea and I love the movie newsies. These pictures remind me of the movie.

Real Food... well sort of

2009-09-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

Dallin has started eating cereal. You can't really tell it from these pictures, but he really likes it. These were taken the first time we fed him. He wasn't real sure what to do with the spoon. Grandmom gave him his first few bites. I thought that was only fair, since she has him most of the time. Amelia was so excited to feed him too. She was a big help. If only the excitement lasted longer than a day. I sure could use the help....Who am I kidding. Everyone know I have Hanga and she does everything! I am so spoiled.

Gretchen turns 2

2009-09-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Gretchen Turned two on August 28th. She had a great time. We had cake and ice cream, and opened presents. I was too tired to plan a party and invite people over, so I took advantage of the fact that she won't remember it and went the easy route. We just had Grandmom and granddad come join us, priceless. She got princess dress up shoes, and a cute little fairy tent thing. She loved the shoes of course.She was just a little excited about her cake as you can tell from the pictures.

Lemonade Anyone?

2009-08-30T15:21:00.001-07:00

Estella has been wanting to have a Lemonade stand ever since we moved down here. so a few weeks ago she did it. She set up a stand and was determined to sale her lemonade. she actually made over 5 dollars.

She's Back

2009-08-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

Hanga is Back! Andrea came back from college on July 27th. We are so happy to have her here. I am getting so spoiled I don't know if I will be able to let her go back. She has been such a huge help. She took David fake leg and painted the toes. HILARIOUS! It has been great and I am glad that she will be here till December.

First Day of School

2009-08-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

School started back on August 6Th. Estella is in 2ND grade now. She scored very high on her CRCT test last year so she got placed in what they call a gate class. It is a class for the kids that score higher, so they are more challenged and don't have as many problems with behavior. She is doing good.

Amelia started Kindergarten. She has a really nice teacher. There is a boy in her class that was in her preschool class last year. She seems to enjoy it. It is a huge undertaking every morning to get her ready, but once she gets there she loves it.

Gretchen seems to be loving them being gone. She thinks she runs the house and she just wonders around and does whatever she want. She want to go with them every morning. Nana started letting her stand at the kitchen window and wave to them when they leave, so now every time any one leaves she has to wave bye. It is too cute. She definitely has her Miss America wave down.

getting crowded

2009-08-30T14:58:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness no one else is pregnant!

Caught Ya

2009-08-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I came over to check on Dallin, Grandmom and him were sitting on the porch, And I walk up to find Grandmom feeding him her english toffee ice cream bar. So I went home to get the camera and while I was gone she destroyed all evidence. but I did catch her with my eyes. So I took some pictures of Dallin searching for more. All this time I thought his thighs were from his mothers golden milk, little did I know you got to watch that Grandmom! she tells me it was the first time, but I'm not so sure??? Then a week or so later at her birhtday party Aunt Alice tried to feed him some of her Pear cobbler, and he made a face like he wasn't so sure about it, and what does Grandmom say? Alice, He don't like that if he did he would be smacking? So tell me how would she know this???

Happy 75th Grandmom

2009-08-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

Grandmom turned 75 on the 15th of August. We decided to have a little get together for her. It was a very pleasant event. Aunt Ruth, Aunt Rachel and Aunt Alice all came. Aunt Suzie, Jimmy and Jennifer and her crew came over for it. Patrick and Paula made the journey with their mom. and of course all of us on the compound were present. We did miss Aunt Carol and we know she was here in spirit.We had Taco Salad, which I think has to be one of Grandmoms favorites and Nana made an old fashioned chocolate cake and coconut cake. Aunt Alice made pear cobbler which was divine. As you can see from the pictures we had a great time just visiting and enjoying each other. I love the Picture we caught of grandaddy trying to sneak in a nap! too Funny. It was a great day and we look forward to many more Birthdays with Grandmom!

2009-08-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

This Summer Estella and Amelia were on the YMCA swim team. It was a lot of fun and they seemed to like it. It sure made me appreciate my mother even more. I was on swim team for 4 years when I was younger and my mom Faithfully took us to practice every morning. It was about 35 minutes away and we had to be there at 8am. It is amazing how you don't realize all the sacrifices they make cause you are to worried about yourself. I now know it was a huge sacrifice for her. Estella had practice everyday at 8am, but we only live about 8 minutes from the pool. I so wanted to sleep in it was summer vacation! But I am so glad that they did it and had a good time. Estella did really well. She shaved 15 seconds off of her freestyle. Amelia liked to go swim,but she didn't want to compete. She was to afraid of the crowds and she doesn't cope so well in those situations, so she just swam at practice and learned how to improve her technique. Maybe next year she will try to swim in a meet. This also gave us a chance to get our business out into the community a little. We did the shirts for the team. Cute Huh? and we were blessed with the opportunity to have a booth at the state meet where we did about 75 orders for towels and bags. It was fun and I hope we can do it again next year!

22 Pounds and counting

2009-07-10T12:24:00.001-07:00

I know what your thinking... Why does she always post pictures of Dallin with grandmom, Well, that is because that is where he ALWAYS is. He is weighing in at 22 pounds and he looks like he is about half as tall as grandmom. He is only 3 and a half months old. He is the happiest baby on the planet. He smiles and coos and talks. It is so fun to watch him grow. I just wish it wasn't going by so fast. Grandmom and him are best buddies and they share a little time with me when he is hungry and needs to eat. I am so glad that He is here and that Grandmom enjoys him. In spite of being held all day, He happily goes to sleep in his bed alone. I don't know why I have been so blessed, I am just grateful that I am.

Dallin's first swim

2009-07-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

Although in the picture he look like he is in pain. He actually really like the water. the sun was very bright, as you can see. Dallin has now gone swimming 3 times anf each time he loves it more and more.

Family get together

2009-07-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

We Had a Family get together June 20th. It was with the Hanekamp side of the Family. We had a lot of fun just swimming,eating and visiting. The kids had a blast wrestleing with their uncles in the pool. My sister Lynelle was here visiting from Nevada. It was great to see family. We missed those that couldn't make it, but had a great time with those that did. These are pictures of my dad, and Gretchen and Amelia. I never did get a picture of Estella that day. she was mostly under the water swimming.

Mr. Popular

2009-06-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well, Grandaddy did it. He bought a golf cart. I don't know who is more excited about it Grandaddy or the great grand kids. They all jumped out of the pool to go take a spin in grandaddy new wheels. He is stylin thru the yard now. It is much quieter than the lawn mower. He came over this morning and we didn't even hear him coming. I hope he enjoys it and that it will get grandmom out in the yard a little more. She did go for a spin with him on Saturday. I guess it is true, girls do chase guys with cool wheels.

Reunion Time

2009-06-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Family Reunion time once again. This year was great just like every other year. Amelia won one of the big money jars. She walked away with $11.00. She was so excited. It was nice to see everyone. There was a little bit larger crowd this year. Estella met a few people that she recognized from her school and found out that she was related to them. Dallin spent most of his time happily sitting in Grandmoms lap. David cousins that live down in Florida were able to come up, also his cousins and Aunt from out west braved the trip. All of David's Grandparents children, grand children, and great grand children along with spouses were there except for one, Ryan, Allyson's husband had school. We hope he can make it next year. It was an enjoyable time even with all the rain that came just in time for our annual picnic at the compound. David and his dad worked in the yard all week for it to start raining about an hour before everyone started coming. so we crammed into the Grandparents house, and had a great time anyway. I was glad to see everyone and look forward to next year.

Graduation

2009-06-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Amelia had preschool graduation on May 15Th. She did Great! She looked so cute. We are so proud of her. She says she isn't going to go to kindergarten, so we hope she gets excited about over the summer. Amelia had a good year in school. She learned how to write all her letters and she is well on her way to being an excellent reader. Getting her to school everyday is well.... how do I put this nicely... a challenge on a good day, once she gets there of course she is a perfect angel. I hope school next year will be great for her and that it won't be such a struggle getting her there. Hey, I figure if your going to dream you might as well dream big right?

One Funny Kid

2009-05-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Gretchen Is so full of personality these days. She is such a joy to me. Here are a few pictures of her doing some of her favorite things. I know all kids go thru the wearing big people shoes, but she takes it to extremes. All day long that is what she does. It is not at all unusual to find her with a flip flop on on foot and a high heel on the other. She isn't picky, but noisy is always better. She also loves to sing. Now mind you this is my child that doesn't talk yet. She jabbers all day and she believes she is talking, I just haven't been blessed with the gift of speaking in tongues, so I have no idea what she is saying. We sing the " If your happy and you know it song" and when it gets to the part that says, then your face will surely show it, she puts her fingers beside her mouth and twist them around. It is darling to watch. Now don't get me wrong if you have seen my sister in law Jennifer's blog you will see that she has plenty of attitude. It must run in David's family, because we all know I don't have an attitude. I really am enjoying watching her grow, and learn new things.

Oh Jed

2009-05-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

You just have to love Jed. Here he is last Sunday afternoon after church napping on his mommy. You know there are alot of things that I love about Jed, one of them being that no matter how old he gets he is a snuggler. Who would think that this is where you would find a 15 year old boy napping. It has been fun being able to live here and get to know all the fun quirks of the Jedster. I also observed him making ramen noodles yesterday. Now that is one site to behold. He is so funny. The time and energy that he puts into a bowl of ramen is priceless. You would think that he was making some 5 star restaurant meal, but no it is just as he put it " perfect ramen noodles." I know that we probably drive him crazy living here,but I am glad that we have gotten this chance to get to know each other better.

Estella's makeover party

2009-05-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

Estella's birthday, Part 2. She had a spend the night party on Friday. On Saturday morning after only a few hours of sleep they did makeovers. It was insane, but fun. They had a blast. Amelia was so funny. She kept holding the mirror trying to be so precise putting on her lip gloss, never mind the globs of eye make up. I am glad to report that I lived thru it, but I am not necessarily looking forward to teenage years. Estella had her cousins Madeline, Isabella, and Caitlin. She also had her two great friends from church Erin, and Ayla. I did try to teach Estella the concept that less is more sometimes, but you see how well I got my point across?

2009-05-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

Dallin was blessed on april 26, 2009.
Dallins Blessing was wonderful. Many of our Family came. We missed all of you that couldn't make it , but we understand. The outfit was so sweet. Lynelle made it out of satin, so he was a bit slippery to hold onto. After the blessing we all came bak here and had a great luncheon. Taco Salad. It was a beautiful weather day and I think a good time was had by all.

2009-05-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

Aunt Lynelle Came to visit us! We had a great time. It was so good to see her. She lives in Winnemucca, Nevada now so it isn't very often that we get to see each other. She is coming back in 5 weeks, and bring 3 of her kids with her. YEAH! She brought all kinds of goodies for the kids. She busted her butt sewing for my munchkins. She made each of the girls two dresses with matching socks ans hair bows. Dallin got an adorable gator outfit, two snugly blankets, a gator fabric quilt. it is so cute I will have to take a picture of it and post it. She also made him 3 sheets for his bed, another blanket, and his blessing outfit. I know, I am so spoiled. She has always been so good to my kids. I am so blessed to have a great big sister. She also helped me get started organizing all my pictures so that I can start scrap booking. and let me tell you that was a mess. I had pictures shoved in all kinds of places. she worked really hard to help me get alot done. Lynelle was here for Estella's spend the night makeover party, and she pretty much took over for me, I had to keep nursing Dallin, so she stepped in a saved the day. I can't wait till she comes back.

GO GATORS!

2009-05-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

David Took Estella and Amelia to their first Florida Gators football game. Well, sort of, it was the scrimmage game. Those are the only tickets we can afford right now. They had a great time. Poppa and Jed went too. Estella freaked out a little when she turned around in the bleachers and saw how high up she was. She has a major fear of heights.( just like her mom) Their adorable dresses were compliments of my sister Lynelle, who just happened to be able to come visit and see baby Dallin. The clothes are so cute. she made them pink and white gator material sundress also. Gretchen also got dresses, but no football game yet. Maybe next year. David is doing a good job of brain washing them isn't he?

I'm to young to have a 7 year old!

2009-05-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

How could this happen? where has the time gone? Estella Turned 7 on April 23rd. I am feeling a bit old. I can't have a 7 year old. 6yr old was fine, but 7 is way to close to ten, and once you hit ten, teenagers are just around the corner. She had a great birthday. She really wanted a guitar for her Birthday, David found this really cute pink one. she loved it. We had her favorite meal. Mommy's mushroom steak and mashed potatoes. The sister missionaries came over for dinner. On Friday she had a spend the night party. She is growing so fast and I am trying to enjoy it as it flies by!

Tennessee Bound

2009-05-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

We went to Tennessee to see Carla, Danny, Jordan, and Savannah. this was April 8-11. It was a very LONG trip up there. I was beginning to wonder what in the world I was thinking.Estella and Amelia were fighting, Dallin was screaming and Gretchen was bored out of her mind and we were still south of Atlanta. It seemed like we were never going to get there, but we did, and I am so glad we went. It was so good to see them. I miss my sister like crazy. We were so spoiled to live right by each other for several years. Our kids miss each other so much too. While we were there Jordan got Baptized. It was wonderful to see. They seem to Love it up there and even though I miss them I wish them the very best.

Bunnies

2009-05-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Estella and Amelia got pet bunnies right before Easter. What can I say their Daddy is a softy. Amelia named hers Butterfly. Estella named her Cinnamon. They love them Gretchen like to play with them Too.

What would I do without Grandmom

2009-05-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Grandmom has been my lifesaver! This is where you will find Dallin from about the hours of 11:30am-6:00pm, Monday- Sunday. Well except for when he takes a break to nurse. I am so grateful that Grandmom love's that little man! He came at the perfect time. She had just finished her radiation, we were worried about her not feeling like getting up and going, but no problem there. She is up and ready to hold the little man everyday. It is the sweetest thing to hear her talk to him. The Lord knew what He was doing sending him when he did. She is so great with him and they love to nap together. I am also so lucky, I don't think I could do it without her. I never thought 4 kids would be so much harder than 3 but wow it is. Thank you Grandmom for being my Hero!

2009-05-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

Here he is Dallin McClean Seaman! Born March 18,2009. He weighed 9lbs. 6ozs. 21inches Long. He also had a big head 14 3/4 inches. We all figured David's child would be born with a big head right! We are so happy he is here. The girls just love their little brother. He is a very sweet boy. I wasn't so sure about having a boy, but I must admit I am so glad to have him. He had a rough start to life. When he was born his blood sugar was low, so they had to give him an iv. I didn't even get to see him till he was about 9 hours old. He had the iv for about 24 hours. then they still kept checking his blood sugar every time before a fed him. his poor heels were so purple and bruised from all the pricks. it was about every two hours for 2 days! I know he won't remember and it was probably much harder on mommy than him, but still it was sad. Then his billy Ruben count was high. so he had to go back to the nursery for light therapy. They kept us 2 extra days for that. We finally got to bring him home Sunday Evening. ( he was born on Wednesday) We had to take him back the next morning to have the billy checked again. It went back up so it was sunbathing all day and making sure he nursed every two hours. anyway long story short he is much better, but we found out thru all this that there was a blockage in his left kidney. So it has been lots of doctors appointments, and testing. We are now going to a specialist in Atlanta, He is hopeful that the problem will fix itself over time, but if not he will have to have surgery to fix the blockage. We go back up next Wednesday for more testing, so I will try to keep you all posted, but lets face it I am not so good at keeping up with blogging. I just can't find time.

Where has the time gone?

2009-02-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

Here I am trying to update my sad blog, and I have no idea where to even start. Lets see I guess I will start with Christmas. We had a great one this year. Estella and Amelia are at such a fun age. They both got a Nintendo DS for Christmas with a few games. We thought that it would be a good gift since we were taking a 3 week long road trip the day after Christmas. At first of course Amelia was not happy, because she didn't even know what it was, and she was real quick to inform us that she did not ask Santa for it. Once we opened it up and showed her how it worked she changed her mind. Gretchen got a new cozy coupe car and a little baby doll that came with a stroller. She really seemed to love everything, especially the chocolate in her stocking. We all enjoyed the day. Nana also got an adult trike she seemed to be very excited about, I am not sure who loves it more her or the grand kids.They love riding it or getting rides in the basket. That evening our wonderful friends Mark and Eliza came to visit. They live in St. George Utah now. It was so good to see them. Estella and Caleb(their oldest) have been betrothed to each other. It was fun to see them all play together. David and I began the insane task of packing for our across the country adventure probably around 8:30. I think we finally had everything packed and in the car about 1:30am. We decided to go to bed an leave out in the morning. I will have topost all about the trip soon, but no time today.Here are a few pictures from Christmas I hope you enjoy.

Why we have grandaddys

2008-11-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

The kids sure do love going for rides with grandaddy. Gretchen will run over to him and just climb right up in his lap. This is the joy of living in Tifton. There are lots of thing that I don't like about this little town, but I know of a few Great reasons for being here. One is Grandmom and Grandad. This is time that my children are so lucky to have. I never knew my grandparents except for one of my grandmothers and even then we only saw her every few years. My kids get to see their Great Grandparents everyday. I know that they don't appreciate this privilege like they should, but to me it is priceless. I am also grateful that we get to spend time with Davids parents. They are so selfless to let us come in their home and take over their space. Nana helps with Gretchen so much. I can going to the grocery store all by myself. it is great.

rats in the house

2008-11-17T10:59:00.000-08:00

Estella has a pet rat named Minnie. She loves that ugly rat so much. I can't believe that I let her get it, but as a mom you learn to compromise. She really wanted a pet donkey, oh and it was going to stay in her room with her. she was going to train it to go outside and everything. I knew that David had a pet rat when he was young so I thought it would be a good bonding thing for him and her so I told David to go take her to get one. She has had Minnie for almost 3 years. That is almost half of her life. Little did I know that rats don't have a very long life span. Back in September Minnie got really sick and I thought for sure she was going to die, so I tried to prepare Estella for it. David and Estella took her to the vet. they didn't think she would make it either. They gave her some antibiotics, and faithful Daddy gave it to the rat and gave the rat breathing treatment several times a day. I just prayed that somehow she would make it thru. Estella was really having a hard time with going to a new school and all the changes that had been taking place. I just worried that she couldn't handle loosing Minnie right then. Amazingly Minnie inproved and did well until about a week ago. I think Estella is more stable now and I have talked alot to her about minnie and letting her go. I think minnie will probably die soon, but I am so hgratful that she has held on a little longer till Estella could get more grounded. We will miss her but we know she will be waiting for us along with dutchess in heaven.

2008-11-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

So there is this apartment complex that we always pass when we come to Tifton. When I was about 4 months pregnant with Amelia I suggested the name Amelia to David as we passed by the apartments. He said, uh no. then when we found out she was a girl I put it on the name list anyway. well then we decided that we really wanted to name her Hazel after Davids Grandmother. I never decide what I am going to name my kids till I see what they look like. I know most people think I am crazy, but hey to me they have to look like the name I choose. So with Amelia we know we were going to have her middle name be Hazel, so we had to figure out what name we wanted to go with it and the morning we went to have her David said how about Amelia. Isn't it so typical that a man has to feel like things are their idea. I told him that I suggested that names months ago, but of course he didn't remember. Well, as you all know we did end up naming her Amelia. I know it is sad that there isn't much meaning behind why we named her that besides an old apartment complex we would drive by, but atleast her middle name is very meaningful.

Anyway, since we have moved down here and Amelia can reconize letters she has noticed that the apartments have her name, so they are now HER apartments. Oh, and don't think you can try to explain it to her. She is determined that they are hers, infact Estella and Amelia have gotten into quite a few argurments over this. Amelia just tells Estella that she is just jealous because she doesn't have any apartments. Isn't childhood the greatest.

Gretchens 1st Birthday Aug 28, 2008

2008-11-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

So it may be late but better than never right? I have been meaning to post these pictures since August. Gretchen had a great first birthday. We had to improvise since Aunt Annette is all the way in Atlanta, and I have no sams near by to cheat and go buy a cake, so I decided to do a strawberry one. She seemed to like it. I may have taken two cake decorating classes,but that don't mean they taught me patience. I just can't spend all that time decorating for someone to just cut it up and destroy all my hard work. I know I am so in the running for mother of the year Huh?

A Boy!

2008-11-17T07:29:00.000-08:00

Did I read that right? It's a boy? I am still a bit unsure myself. Come on I don't make boys. The doctor says it is so I guess in about 4 months we will see if he is right. Estella is so excited. she wants a brother so bad. I keep telling her it isn't all its cracked up to be, no offence to my 4 wonderful brothers, but really all they do is pick on you. It has definitely been different this pregnancy. I was actually sick in the beginning. I have been so tired this time too. I guess I can't blame it all on the fact that its a boy I ain't getting any younger either. Really though we are all excited, except for Amelia- she really wanted another sister. I am sure as soon as the baby gets here she will be just fine. She was so great with Gretchen, and she is my little nurturer. She just loves little babies. Last week I was put in the hospital, because I was feeling like I was going to pass out. I think I was just overly tired, because Gretchen has an ear infection and I was up all night with her. they ran all kinds of crazy test, but couldn't find anything wrong so they sent me home!! thank goodness. It still happens a little here and there but for the most part I feel much better. Gretchen has been on her medicine for almost a week, but this morning she woke up with a 102 fever. It freaks me out when my kids start running high fevers. she is happy but burning up with fever.

The Happiest place on Earth

2008-10-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had the great opportunity to go to Disney World.It was so much fun. Travis and Sarah totally hooked us up. We went to the Magic Kingdom on Friday. The girls had a blast. We didn't meet any character's this time except for Donald( the only reason we met him was because we were in the right place at the right time and the line wasn't long) We decided that we weren't going to spend the entire day standing in line to meet people. The girls wanted to but we wanted to do things that we never had before. It was a great day the park was a bit crowded, but we still managed to do lots of things. We got back to Sarah's and I don't think I even remember my head hitting the pillow. I was so tired. Saturday Travis went with us to Hollywood studios. It was also a fun park,but I think it is geared toward a bit older children. the girls loved the honey I shrunk the kids play area, and they loved the toy story ride. We also saw the Muppets 3D show and we watched a parade. but by about 3:00 the girls really wanted to go back to Magic kingdom. David and I really enjoyed spending the day with Travis. It was nice to visit with him and hear how he was doing and what was going on in his life. We left there and went to Epcot. We met up with Sarah, and Travis was off to work, then we rode a few rides at epcot. Can I just tell you how fun Soarin is. Oh my gosh it was Awesome! we also did the nemo ride and test track. then it was back to the magic kingdom for the parade, Fire works and of course one more time on splash mountain. That is definitely the girls favorite ride. We also loved spending the evening with Sarah. The only problem was the girls fighting over her.

We then drug and I do mean drug ourselves to the car and back to Sarah's. Poor Sarah had to go to work at like 6:30am. We slept in till about 9:30 and packed up and headed for Tifton. It was a great trip THANK YOU SARAH AND TRAVIS! We Had a blast!!!

We didn't take Gretchen with us. She stayee with Auntie Helen. I am sure she had more fun here than she would have with us. maybe in about 3 years we will take her.

Oh how they grow

2008-09-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

This week has been quite interesting. First I must take a few minutes to brag about Estella. She is student of the month, and she is SOOO excited about it. She spent several and I do mean several hours working on her poster that they hang outside the class so everyone can read about her. She filled in all kinds of interesting facts about herself, then came all the coloring of the entire paper. She finally finished the last little bit of coloring, when oh to her surprise Nathan ( her 2 year old cousin) decided to help her. While she was gone from the table Nathan made quite a few modification to the paper, mostly black crayon scribbling ones. To say the least she was devastated. So I went into school with her the next day and explained to the teacher what happened, she got a new poster and started all over. Estella Also has learned how to tie her shoes.This may seem like no big deal to you but to her and myself this is huge! Not quite as big as potty training or getting yourself dressed, but still it is big.

I also got the privilege of spending a lot of quality time with Granddaddy this week. We always t go to the gym together on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but I guess Grandaddy just can't get enough time with me on those short drives or the weekly grocery store trips, so he decided on Wednesday to trim his fingernails with the table saw and kinda missed and caught the end of his thumb. Off we went to the emergency room to spend 5 and a half hours of "quality" time together. The first few hours were pretty boring we just sat around and made small talk, but then I started asking Granddaddy about different events in his life and wow how the time flew by. I learned so many interesting things about flying, marriage, raising children, etc.
Granddaddy is so great. I am glad that I was given the opportunity to take him. He makes me feel so loved and appreciated. In the end He got 7 stitches and a big bandage that I changed this morning. It is looking pretty good. No signs of infection.

Gretchen is officially a big girl. she is not nursing any more and she has the hang of the sippy cup. She has become best buddies with Granddaddy. She is also loving the fall weather. We have been playing out side all week and she loves it so much.

Amelia has had a few fun day at school. They had Red day Wednesday and she was determined that everything had to be red, even her panties, I told her that I didn't want her to show everyone her panties, she assured me that she wouldn't even though they were red. Today was dinosaur day, she decided she didn't want to do anything for it, but she seems to really like her new school. She has also really been getting into singing lately. This is a big deal to me because she has always been so quiet and don't want the attention on her. She don't sing in front of many people, but at least she is singing. She has learned some really cute songs at her new school, and she loves to carry around the primary song book and play church. Amelia has also been enjoying the weather and playing outside alot.

My Talents

2008-09-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

Okay so Davids mom has asked us to share some of our hidden talents. I wouldn't say mine are hidden,but they are a bit unique. Lets see first of all there is the burping of the alphabet that I do so well. this is a talent that has taken a lot of practice to perfect. It started when I was on a swim team in my youth. I would drink so much water during practice that I would burp the whole way home. So my sisters and I started trying to make it interesting. I definately was the best at it.
My next "Talent" is that I can quiver my chin and make people really believe that I am upset and about to cry, The only problem with this "talent" is that everyone that is close to me knows that I can do it so it doesn't work anymore.

In other news,Estella had a very rough weekend. she was swimming Saturday and somehow feel on the concrete and hurt the palm of her had pretty bad. Then Sunday night she went to get in bed and she forgot that the ceiling fan in her room is really close to her bed and she leaned over the edge to look for something on Amelia's bed and well lets just say the ceiling fan won. she cut the right side of her head and we stayed up for several hours icing it and trying to get rid of her headache. I let her stay home from school yesterday. She seemed fine though so back to school she went today. Amelia got to bring home the share bag at school. we get to fill it up with thing that start with the letter C. she is very excited that it is her turn to do the share bag. We are going to make cookies to put in it this afternoon. Gretchen is doing good. I am only nursing right before she goes to bed. she is starting to sleep through the night more!!!!! I am very excited about that. Andrea came down to visit us this weekend. It was so nice to see her. The girls sure were glad to see her.Amelia keeps asking when is Hanga going to come back. David has been gone alot helping his dad with an air conditioning job, and I have been a bit sick this past week. I am starting to feel a lot better. I hope it last!

2008-09-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Okay so I went to doctor last week. I was so excited to find out how far along I was. The doctor said I was 9 weeks along. I was excited that I was that far along. The official due date is March 29th. That is my oldest Sister, Lynelle, birthday. I will probably have the baby a week early. I was lucky to get the chance to see my sister Annette give birth to her 3rd child this past Friday. It was very exciting he was a 8.8lb baby boy named Evan Jackson. Annette did great, but I must say that I am glad I have c- sections. I guess since that is all I know I am just scared of the other way. I was a bit jealous that she was able to eat right after she had the baby, and I have to wait like two days to eat after I have a baby. It really made me a little nervous to think about having to go thru this again, but I am excited to have another baby. I can't wait to see if it is another girl!!! I have a while till we find out. I have been a bit sick this time.

Also this week was Gretchen 1st birthday. I will post pictures later. she seemed to have a great time. Estella & Amelia were much more excited about her birthday than she was. well I better get back to work .

2008-08-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Amelia and her Gradaddy sitting on the swing together.

Okay so it hasn't even been a week and here I am again, blogging. I finally found our camera and so I have taken a few pictures. This week Amelia started school. She started on Wednesday. So far she loves it. she gets to pack her own snack everyday, so she is very excited about that. She also got a hold of the camera this week and took several pictures. She Loves to play with the camera. I told Nana, Amelia could probably teach her how to use her camera. This picture she took of herself. She is a busy bee around the house. She stays busy cleaning and organizing.

Gretchen Has had a very eventful few weeks, well not really she mostly sleeps, eats, poops, and walks around like she is a hot shot. she is really proud of herself for being able to walk. she just grins and laughs. if you will notice, it is kind of hard, she got her ears pierced. she has also started thinking about liking her grandaddy. she is just in the thinking stages, but they have made alot of progress this week. Grandaddy swung her in the swing the other evening. it was the sweetest thing to see them together. it makes this crazy small town life worth seeing my children spend time with grandmom and Grandad, and Nana and Pappa. Gretchen really Loves her pappa. she will go right over to him and be happy and content sitting with him.

Estella Has had a great week at school. She said she was going to make a new friend everyday. Her 2nd cousin Caitlin came home from school with us on Thursday. They had a great time playing together.
I got all my hair cut off this week. It is too stinkin hot down here to be trying to grow your hair out. I also found out this week that we are going to have another baby. We are all excited. We don't know how far along we are yet I go to the doctor on the 26th. That is about it for this week.

2008-08-11T10:55:00.001-07:00

Settling In at the Inn

2008-08-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well here I am trying to post to my own blog., where is Hanga when I need her.Of course it has been a while. Let's see where to start.... we are all moved in down here is hot south Georgia. It has been an adjustment. I thought that the girls would probably need a little while to adjust. They love living at Nana and Pappa's, but the not sleeping at night is about to drive me over the edge. They are scared of every new little sound. It is getting better though.

Estella started School Last Thursday. The first day was awful I felt so bad for her. she kept saying as long as she just imagined that she was at her other school, and her teacher was Mrs. Rogula(her teacher last year) that everything was fine. so The second day she cried and cried .She didn't want to go to school. I told her it would get better and sent her on her way. I worried about her all day hoping that she would have a better day. she came home Friday so happy and excited. I was so relieved. she made a new friend and she seemed to be very excited.

Amelia has really done well with all the changes. She has of course had a few Amelia moments, but all in all she has been a delight. She will start preschool this Wednesday. She says she isn't going to go to school so we will see who win the battle. lucky for me I have started taking Grandaddy to the pool Monday, Wednesday& Friday so Nana has volunteered to get Amelia to school on those days. I must say that I am Definitely getting the better end of the deal. I am not sure how long Nana will stick to the agreement after a few mornings of having to get Amelia up. Amelia really has enjoyed going to see her Great grandparents any time she wants. She knows that she needs to go give Grandaddy his morning hug. She also has spent quite a bit of time with Grandmom. They have colored and watched a few movies together. I am so grateful that we have this chance to get to spend time with them. They are such a joy.

Gretchen has decided to grow up fast. It seemed like the day after we got here she really got the walking thing figured out. she is everywhere. she now has 8 teeth. she isn't quite sure how she feels about Grandaddy yet. She will come around though.

David FINALLY finished the summer semester of school. It was crazy we are all happy it is over with. He will start the fall semester next Monday. He won't be taking as many classes so hopefully it won't be as crazy as summer was. He is going to be doing an internship at a local prosthetic clinic here in Tifton. It will count as one of his classes for school. He also got called as the first counselor in the young mens presidency yesterday.

Me I am trying to finds my place in a small town. I have been taking Grandaddy to the pool and While he swims I work out. It has been good for me. My back has been hurting a bit here lately, so hopefully the exercise will help. I love spending time with grandaddy and grandmom. They have really brought me a lot of joy and I am so grateful for the love they show me. Gradaddy said the other day when you come into this Family you are 100% a part no matter if is by marriage or birth. He sure makes you feel that way. I was called as the nursery leader in the ward yesterday. I can't say that I am thrilled by it, but I guess I should be grateful I didn't get put in cub scouts. So I will serve my time and hope it passes quickly.

Well I guess that is all for now. I will try to do better to update more often now that I know how to.

OK, so it's been awhile...

2008-07-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

Our photographer has been kinda slack lately but here's some cute pictures of Gretchen!

First order of business, as I'm sure you all know, we are no longer moving to Griffin. We are moving to Tifton.

Gretchen has started to walk! We were down at Carla's house playing Scene It and she took 3 steps. She's been trying like CRAZY to walk. We got her a little toy that she can push around and she has been playing with it so much! The Girls have been loving summer! Swimming every chance they get, having friends over and going to friends' houses. They had a big sleepover last week sometime. They both had a couple of friends over, and stayed up late watching movies, doing manicures, and playing. The only bad thing that night was that Amelia was sick the whole time. All of her little friends were over and she was laying on the floor sleeping. It turns out that she had strep throat, and she was so sick. On a brighter note, Stella has been down in Tifton/Albany all week. Spending time with cousins and having fun. Yesterday she had skating lessons with Auntie Jennifer and Madeline and Isabella. They have both been having a blast and loving summer! On an even BRIGHTER note, David finally sold a swimming pool! We are all very excited for him.

shool's out for summer!!

2008-05-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

A lot has been going on this week. Estella graduated from kindergarden this week. At the graduation the one of the teachers said that this is the future graduating class of 2020. It seems so far away, but it'll be here before we know it. She is extremely excited that tomorrow is the last day of school.

Amelia has enjoyed her first week of summer vacation. She's been being amelia, But we finally had a good day yesterday. This is a picture from her date with Hanga. She's trying to be like her Daddy riding a motorcycle.

We also found out that Gretchen is allergic to penicillin. She was covered from head to toe in hives. Her feet, hands, elbows, and knees were swollen. And yesterday, her face and eyes were swollen. She was so pitiful. But today she looks 10,000 times better. She is much happier, too.

Kindergarten Graduation

2008-05-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

This

This is

Home Sweet Home

2008-05-20T09:25:00.001-07:00

Ok, You all asked for it so here it is:

The rest of the house.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer....

2008-05-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

Last week all of the girls looked like Rudolph. Gretchen had some scratches on her nose. Amelia got into a fight with Savannah and tried to jump out of their little toy shopping cart and got carpet burn on her nose. And then Estella was running out to the bus one morning and tripped, her face was all scratched up and her 2 front teeth, that were already ready to come out, were knocked very loose. And you guessed it her nose was red too. Gretchen has started standing up. She is so tired of crawling. Everywhere she goes she has to stand up. She'll be walking before we know it. Next week is the last week of school!! The girls are very excited.

Sick of being sick.

2008-05-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

This week, Gretchen's 4th tooth came through. She has 2 on top and 2 on bottom right in the front. David and Gretchen have both been sick. The girls only have a few weeks of school left. My embroidery has actually picked up a little bit. Lots of Mother's Day orders coming in. There's a house in Griffin that we might move in to. It's a beautiful Log Cabin. We went and looked at it on Sunday, and we all love it, but it needs a lot of work. Stella only has one more book to read and then she will be done with Jack and Jilly. She's doing very well. Amelia had Donuts with Dad last week and will be having Muffins with Mom this week. Oh, By the way, I hope everyone has my presents shipped, because Friday is my birthday. I expect something from everyone, lol. David and I have to talk in church on Sunday, which will be kind of hard for me since it's Mother's Day.

Happy Birthday Estella!

2008-04-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

This week was Estella's 6th birthday. She had a party last Saturday, and had lots of friends and family over. She had alot of fun. She was spoiled, she got a Hannah Montana wig, a littlest pet shop voice activated diary, a baby doll bed, lots of make up, etc. She also had a field trip to the Rock Ranch on friday. Friday was also Whacky Day at Amelia's school. She dressed herself very whacky! Amelia also stopped wearing pullups to bed. She is a big girl and wears panties to bed!! We are all excited about that! Gretchen has become extremely mobile. She is crawling and rolling and scooting all over the place. She is working on another tooth, that should be in very soon.

update.

2008-04-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

Gretchen is sitting up by herself now. She had gotten really good at moving herself around. And she has 3 teeth. We are crossing our fingers for a red head. Her hair looks really red in the sunlight. Amelia is becoming more talkative. She is really getting into telling stories about what she does. Estella's 2 front teeth are really lose and should be coming out soon. She will be 6 in a couple of days. Today the Sister Missionaries moved out. Sister Burgess went home, after being with us for 10 1/2 months. It was really sad. Hanga is working at Gold's Gym.

2008-04-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

Gretchen has started eating baby food, and here is her reaction to most foods!

Meet the Family

2008-03-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

This is our family at Baby Gretchen's blessing. This is my husband, David and I and our 3 daughters, Estella, Amelia and Gretchen.

Estella is almost 6 years old. She is in Kindergarten. She is a very talkative and sweet girl. She spends a lot of her time talking to herself. She would be happy to be an only child, although she does love her sisters. She has become very helpful around the house. She is learning to read and is doing very well.

Amelia is 4 years old, and she goes to preschool 3 days a week. She is a very outgoing and stubborn child. She loves to spend time with her baby sister. She is always playing with Gretchen. She loves to play outside and one of her favorite things to do is help with a project that we are working on.

Gretchen is about 6 1/2 months old. She is a happy baby
She is usually seen with a smile on her face. She has become a rolling queen. She rolls all over the place. She is attempting to sit up. She's good at the sitting part, it's just the getting herself there part that she has to work on. She also has 2 sharp, little teeth.

We also have Sister Missionaries that live with us. Sister Burgess has been here for about 8 months, and has become a big part of the family, She is from Utah. ( we'll forgive her for that, lol.) We have had 6 other sisters come and go. There was Sister Chiesa, from Switzerland. Sister Bwalya, from Zambia. Sister Murley, from Canada. Sister Martinez, and then Sister Johnson from Utah. And now there's Sister Andersen, from Utah. ( There will be more pictures of the other sisters coming!)

Then there's Tebow. We all love him, usually. (Especially Sister Burgess. She tells him how much she loves him very often) His favorite activities include, playing fetch, and tearing up the trash.

We also have our niece living with us. She's Hanga.

And that's our family.