A Night in Bethlehem

The little ones dressed as biblical characters for the ward activity "A night in Bethlehem". We had a great time at an evening well planned. Note to self...bring the camera to the activity next year!

Thanksgiving 2009

Mom's Birthday

Okay....mom did NOT want me to take this picure and I promised I would not post it....but...can you tell how happy everyone is? I had to post it. I did come up with a compromise that I'm hoping will result with a good laugh.

Mom was feeling terrible....out of a 3-4 weeks sickness, her birthday was the worst of them all. I have to say, the family was excited to celebrate. Thanks for joining us Heather and Mya. We were happy this worked out and hope mom knows how much she is loved. Another note: mom really didn't look bad, just tired.

A lesson

Halloween morning the girls and I headed out with mom to visit grandmother. It was to be a girls morning. Jeremy didn’t have plans and certainly didn’t know what to do with himself. What did Jeremy decide to do? Well if you know Jeremy’s love for hunting and the outdoors. You can probably guess. Let’s just say two of the roosters were a little too noisy so he prepared them for Sunday’s dinner! He text me photos while we were away and was so pleased with himself. We didn’t say anything to the girls until they led on to what was happening the next day after church. This was when dad had the meat on the BBQ (it looked a little different and I had made a comment about it). What! (crying) Dad!!!! Not “Feathers” (who’s name used to be nuts…that’s another funny story). Luckily, Jeremy remembered which rooster was which. “Feathers” was safe this round. The girls were devastated and we had to have a lesson on the purpose of raising chickens. We explained how eventually this will have to happen to all our chickens but when that happens we’ll have other chickens to enjoy and lay eggs. Luckily, the lesson worked and we haven’t had any issues since. The girls (especially Kaitlyn) thoroughly enjoyed the meat, as you can see in the picture.

Halloween 2009

I couldn't help but show all three pictures of our little Dorothy. The first, her pretty blue eyes. The second, her fun-loving personality. And the third, her genuine sweetness.


We still couldn't get daddy to dress-up, we had fun anyway. I tried to get out of dressing up, but felt the pressure from the little ones and gave in. They insisted I get dressed and quick. A hunter is what I came up with...I had literally 2 minutes to throw sometime together.


This is the first year dad had the opportunity to trick or treat with us. We are happy halloween lined up with his scheduled night off. The evening started with trunk or treating at the church and then heading out to Grandpa's neighborhood. Can you tell the girls scored the candy big-time We are happy we could enjoy Grandpas company.

Pre-Halloween Fun!

Tradition got a little twisted this halloween. Since Becky and Steve moved away, this is the first halloween the cousins haven't trick-or-treated together and the first year Grandma and Grandpa arean't here to see the kiddos all decked out in their costumes (they're out of town). Katie and I still managed to find a way to get the kids together. A local town had stores open for trick-or-treating on main street tonight. What fun the kids had to get a head start on their candy collections. My kids had a blast and are looking forward to trunk or treating at the church tomorrow and trick-or-treating for the first time with Papa in his neighborhood. Seems weird to say this is the first time going out with Dad, but he actually gets to stay up late (crazy work schedule) since he doesn't have to work on Sunday. Should be a good time....let's just say....CANDY, CANDY, CANDY!!! (As Garfield would say)


Monday night prior to Halloween = family night with pumpkins, halloween jello jigglers and Garfield's Halloween Event. The girls helped design their own pumpkins. Ally and Daddy on one pumpkin and Kaitlyn and I on the other. Can you guess who is who's?

Sister Susan

Our family is fortunate to have so many friends and family in the area. Everyone is always offering their love, support and kindness. I have to admit we are quite spoiled. Everywhere we go, it seems Ally has a mother-like figure. Ally became pretty attached to one of her previous primary teachers. She's had a difficult time letting go and often sits with Susan (who has recently been called to play the piano in Primary) instead of her class. My hope is that her the teachers aren't offended, for I know she adores them as well.

Thank you Susan for stopping by, it meant the world to Ally!

The Party

Ally asked for three items for her birthday; Hana Montna wig, notbooks and a nu bik. Yes, I listed them exactly as she spelled them (wish I could find the list, it was so cute). Kaitlyn threw a huge fit when we went to purchase the wig. She was devastated she didn't get one too. Luckily, Ally was willing to share.




We are grateful for those who joined the celebration; Aunt Lairen, both sets of grandparents, great grandma, Aunt Katie, Lauren and Audrey. Ally had an easy list of favorites she wanted for dinner; Hamburgers, ceasar salad (with lots of croutons) and salt and vinegar chips. She didn't even want cake! Usually, it's german chocolate, this time: brownies with PB cups in the center. Let me just tell you they turned out terrible. Sorry everyone! Two days prior, I made a set for Ally's class and they turned out great! A couple of the boys in Ally's class even told her how much she rocks for bringing them (this was a huge highlight for her).


So I love the pictures above! The greatest feeling in the world is seeing your family members happy. Ally beamed the entire weekend. It was a weekend we all needed.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart! Thanks for sharing all your favorite things with us!

Birthday Morning

Ally was the last to wake up. We all were waiting for her footsteps, leading to our bedroom. Along the walk across the house, she would find her bike in the entry way. The bike was a big hit! It made two girls very happy (Kaitlyn got Ally's old bike). Ally's face lit up even further when she realized the bike was given to her by some family friends. Thanks Brenna and Lori!

I was thankful we were able to spend the morning together. It was a lovely morning, which allowed the girls to ride the bikes for a few minutes. Good thing we did, since it poured later in the day! Per Ally's request, we had blueberry pancakes. I was able to get the girls dolled up for there primary program at church. Then we all were able to work together to get things prepared for the party, immediately following church.

Grandma remembered!

Ally's favorite restaurant is Olive Garden. A couple months ago, Ally mentioned how special it would be to go to lunch with Grandma for her birthday. We're so glad Grandma remembered. Ally was all dressed up (her choice), without even knowing Grandma was coming to pick her up for the afternoon. Grandma surprised her by taking her to the Olive Garden and having the staff sing to her (you view those pics from mom's blog). Mom, Allys says "thank you for taking me out to lunch and spending time with me...I've really missed you"

Ally's Night

We gave Ally a few options for her birthday plans. Horseback riding, disney on ice, or a date with mom. Let's just say I wasn't pick #1. The horseback riding will have to come on a later date since our friends weren't available. This is the same friend that promised a horse when Ally turns ten (we're still hoping she'll forget).

Ally's friend Meri was able to join us for the date. She rode the bus home with Ally. She and her mom were so sweet. They remembered how much Ally loves horses and got her a couple horse crafts. Each girl painted a model horse, after popping homemade pizzas in the oven. After dinner, the three of us took off for bowling and ice cream. I was amazed the girls bowled for two hours and didn't want to stop! I saw a new side of Meri...a competitive streak! It was her first time bowling and she did great! They both were too cute; Ally doing her granny shots and Meri giving it all her might! We ended the evening with a trip to DQ. Cherry and Chocolate covered cones (Ally's new found favorite).

This including the next couple posts will be a weekend full of Ally's favorite things!

Daddy's Lil Hunter

Ally's been begging for the opportunity to hunt with Daddy. She finally got her wish and was up by 5:30 ready to go! On their trip....hiking was a highlight when they saw a "mama deer". Shooting and holding the grouse (daddy shot it, of course) was the other highlight. As you can see the date wiped her out when she fell asleep on the way home.

Papa 60th Birthday

We're glad Katie came up with the idea to have a surprise for Dad. All the extended relatives were invited and we were thrilled to celebrate "papas" milestone. Happy Birthday Tom!

Field Trip #2

I feel so fortunate that I've been able to attend all of Ally's field trips. This time, we headed for the pumpkin patch and down pumpkin lane. It great to spend time with Ally and get to know the children and the personalities she gets to assicociate with daily. The top right picture is only half her class.

We got BOOed

This is our second year getting BOOed (a knock, drop and run). It's always fun to see how many houses can get BOOed by Halloween.

Glowsticks

Kaitlyn was so cute cuddled up with her puppy and glowsticks, I couldn't resist a picture!

The glowsticks were a huge thrill after opening a package from Aunt Christine, Uncle Nathan and their cousins. Included in the package: glowsticks, a halloween book, pencils and erasers. Thanks so much for thinking about us! We love you and miss you tons!

Birthday time....Hannah Banana's 7

Hannah is Ally's best friend (our neighbor's granddaughter). The girls had a blast celebrating at Chuck E Cheese. Thanks Jen and John! All the girls have loads of fun playing together. When t-ball started up last spring, lots of time was created for Kaitlyn to play with Emma (Hannah's little sister). They've had a blast playing together and luckily Kaitlyn is no longer the third wheel...a huge obstacle for the two older girls.

Papa's Birthday

Bunk Beds

After months of searching craiglist for bunkbeds and being too slow on the game, we gave in and purchased new. The girls have had a daybed with trundle that we pushed in everyday. Space was always limited with a wall always needing to be free. It was a great bed and Kaitlyn still misses it. She gets over it pretty quickily each time she gets the opportunity to play on the top bunk :)

I'm amazed at the extra space provided. We've always had lots of shelf space and a big closet to store books and toys, but now after moving some of their favorate toys under the bed, they have more play space in room and closet. I've always loved their room, but I'm certainly loving it even more AND thank goodness the girls are too!

Mya's ~1~

We were so happy to be able to celebrate Mya's 1st birthday last Sunday. She is such an adorable and "good" baby! We loved having the chance to see her full of smiles and giggles. Thanks for the lovely time Kevin and Heather!